japan running news

October is the official start of ekiden season, and this past weekend had the first 3 big races. Saturday in Chiba was the Kanto Region University Women's Ekiden , the regional qualifier for the Morinomiyako Ekiden in Sendai at the end of the month. Daito Bunka University , Josai University , Takushoku University and Tsukuba University were already qualified thanks to podium finishes at Morinomiyako last year, leaving 16 other schools in competition for 6 qualifying spots. DBU and Josai both broke the overall CR for the 6-stage, 34.4 km course, DBU moving into the top spot on the 2nd leg and staying there the rest of the way to win in 1:50:05. It took until the 4th leg for Josai to move into 2nd, finishing in 1:51:21. Teikyo Kagaku University was the top new qualifier for Morinomiyako, 3rd in 1:53:58 after an early lead thanks to a new CR of 13:25 on the 4.3 km 1st leg by 1st-year Sayo Imanishi . Tsukuba was as low down the field as 10th as late as the 4th leg but managed to cl...

The Kanto Regional University Track and Field Association ( KGRR ) has announced that it has added scholarship bonuses to the Hakone Ekiden, Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships and Kanto Region University Women's Ekiden. Scholarship bonuses are already awarded at the Twilight Games, Kanto Region University Newcomers and Kanto Region 10000 m Time Trials track meets, but at a board meeting in March the KGRR made the decision to add the additional events to the list for the 2025-2026 academic year which began in April. At the May 8-11 Kanto Regionals meet, men's and women's D1 top 3 placers earned ¥30,000, ¥20,000 and ¥10,000 scholarships [~$210, $140 and $70 USD]. D2 athletes earned ¥20,000, ¥10,000 and ¥5000 [~$140, $70 and $35]. Men's and women's MVP earned ¥50,000 [~$350] in the D1 division and ¥30,000 in D2 [~$210]. The overall winning teams earned ¥100,000 [~$700] in D1 and ¥70,000 [~$500] in D2. At the Hakone and Kanto Women's ekidens, winn...

Ekiden season saw two of its first important races happen this weekend. Modeled after January's Kitakyushu Women's Invitational Ekiden, Sunday's Okukuma Ekiden in Kumamoto put corporate, collegiate and high school teams together on a marathon-length course with teams of 4 all running double-digit distances and high schoolers with teams of 7 and all but the 10.0 km First Stage split into two parts. Tosu Kogyo H.S. starting runner Taiyo Iwasa led corporate leaguer Tomoya Ogikubo (Hiramatsu Byoin) by 2 seconds on the First Stage, with Omuta H.S. third runner Yuma Matsuda passing both teams to take the lead. It took until the anchor stage for Hiramatsu Byoin's Yeneblo Biyazen to catch Omuta, crossing the line in 2:06:39 with Omuta anchor Nobuyuki Anai 7 seconds back for 1st in the high school division. Soka University was the only other team to go under 2:07, 3rd overall and 2nd in the college/corporate division in 2:06:57. Rakunan H.S. was next in 2:07:07, with e...

a press release from the event organizers, the KGRR As the weather shifts to the pleasantness of early autumn we send you our warmest greetings, and we thank you all for your continued support of the KGRR's activities. After careful discussion with the host city of Inzai, Chiba, we have made the decision to cancel the 27th Kanto Region University Women's Ekiden.  As this race serves to select the greater Tokyo area's representative teams at October's 39th National University Women's Ekiden, we will instead hold a selection event as per the details below, without spectators and following all the COVID-19 protocols outlined in the JAAF's "Guidance for Resuming Athletics Competition." Please be aware that depending on the status of the pandemic this event may also be canceled. We ask for your understanding and cooperation with this decision. Kanto Region Selection Event for 39th National University Women's Ekiden Date:  Saturday, Sept. 29, 2021 Locat...

With skies hanging heavy in the hours before the impending arrival of Typhoon #24, Tokyo Nogyo University won the 24th Kanto Region University Women's Ekiden to lead the qualifiers for the Oct. 28 Morinomiyako Ekiden university women's national championships. Always in the top two, Tokyo Nogyo didn't take a definitive lead until the 3.9 Fourth Stage, when 1st-year Yuki Shibahara scored the team's only stage win of the day to overtake 2017 Morinomiyako runner-up Daito Bunka University . From there to the finish it opened a 1:16 lead over Daito Bunka, easily winning in 1:39:05. Daito Bunka's lead over 2017 winner  Toyo University was almost as big, finishing in 1:40:21 to Toyo's 1:41:17. Including teams which earned seeded spots at last year's national championships the top eight teams qualified for this year's nationals. 7th-placer Takushoku University , whose men's team progressively features Ethiopian Workneh Derese as captain, qualified...