japan running news

At a press conference in Osaka on Dec. 22 the Kansai Region University Athletics Association announced the launch of the new National Mixed Gender University Invitational Ekiden Feb. 21 on a road loop course in Osaka's Nagai Park. Run on a 3 km loop, the course will consist of six stages, 3 km, 2 km, 4 km, 3 km, 2 km and 5 km, totaling 20 km, with three men and three women from making up each school's team. 19 universities have committed to taking part. From the Kansai region, participating teams are Osaka Gakuin University, Osaka Taiiku University, Kansai University, Kansai Gaikokugo University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kobe University, Kobe Gakuin University, Bukkyo University, Ritsumeikan University, and a Kansai Region University Select Team. From the Kanto region, Juntendo University, Josai University, Takushoku University, Chuo University, Tsukuba University, Tokai University, Toyo University and Nittai University are scheduled to run. Four nat...

http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASK1H63JLK1HUTQP01K.html translated by Brett Larner Hit by heavy snow, organizers of the National Women's Ekiden were unsure if the race could be held until just before its start.  With 10 cm of snow blanketing the ground early on the 15th they leaned toward cancelling the national championship event.  2000 people pitched in to shovel snow off the course, but at 10:30 a.m. just two hours before the scheduled start, there was still snow on Gojo Street.   Teruo Ito , executive director of the Kyoto Athletics Association, commented, "I felt that if the snow melted we would make it in time.  Thinking of the athletes' efforts, I knew that if we did our best to make the race go off as planned we'd absolutely be able to make it happen."