japan running news

Takashi Saito wins the 2012 Hakone Ekiden anchor stage to bring Toyo University home for the overall Hakone title. Toyo covered the complete two-day, ten-stage 217.9 km route in a course record 10:51:36, becoming the first team to break the 3:00/km barrier for the entire Hakone course.

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20121210-OHT1T00284.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner Takashi Saito anchors Toyo University to a course record win at the 2012 Hakone Ekiden. Earlier this week the sixteen-man entry lists for the Jan. 2nd-3rd 89th running of the ten-stage, 217.9 km Hakone Ekiden were released.  In pursuit of a title defense, Toyo University cut the team's captain, senior Takashi Saito who last year ran the fastest time on the anchor stage, from its roster of ten starters and six alternates.  At a press conference in Tokyo, Toyo head coach Toshiyuki Sakai explained that the team's depth and quality has improved dramatically over the last year to fill the void left by the graduated Ryuji Kashiwabara (Team Fujitsu), saying, "In comparing Saito's fitness to the other athletes he did not measure up." Toyo is chasing the first fifth-straight Day One win in Hakone history along with a second-straight overall win, an achievem...

by Brett Larner click here for Day One report and results click here for a breakdown of records set at the 2012 Hakone Ekiden Toyo University anchor Takashi Saito ten seconds from history at the 2012 Hakone Ekiden. All photos by Julie Setagaya . Click photo for more. Toyo University brought in the New Year with inspiration, reaching up beyond themselves to take the Hakone Ekiden to another level in its 88th running. Last year we called Waseda University and Toyo the two best university teams ever assembled, Waseda’s first-ever sub-11 hour clocking for the two-day, ten-stage, 217.9 km Hakone course a historic achievement. Like the Kenyan marathoners of 2011, this year Toyo redefined what was possible, refusing to settle back and run conservatively, attacking each stage to take an incredible 8:15 off Waseda’s 2011 Hakone course record, running 10:51:36 to become the first school ever to average under 3:00/km for the entire course, its ten men averaging 2:59.4 per km, an av...