Reiko Tosa (JPN) (© Getty Images)
The 24th annual Women’s Corporate Team Ekiden Championships will be held over a six-stage course at the marathon distance in Gifu, Japan, this Sunday 12 December. As usual the entire event will be given nationwide television coverage across the country such is its national importance.
Last year, the race was decided on the anchor leg with Miki Oyama of the Mitsui-Sumitomo team outrunning Kiyomi Ogawa of the Kyocera team to win in a course record, 2:13:38.
Three-time team champions Mitsui-Sumitomo are favoured again this year, having dominated the East Japan district Ekiden championships on 3 November. Kyocera is again considered to be the main challenger, having won the Four Districts Ekiden Championships from gun to tape.
The qualified teams
Twenty-seven teams have qualified for Sunday’s race through three district Ekiden championships:
Kyushu District
First, on Oct 31, Kyudenko won the Kyushu district for the third straight year. Kyudenko started slow. They were third after the first stage and dropped to fourth after the third stage. At the end of the fourth stage, Kyudenko was a minute and 18 seconds behind the leader Asahi Kasei. However, on the next two stages, Kyudenko runners, Maya Nishio and Naoko Hashimoto were superb. Nishio moved her team up to second place and then Hashimoto moved her team into the lead. Kyudenko won over Oki Electric, the team coached by 1991 World Marathon champion Hiromi Taniguchi, while Asahi Kasei dropped to third.
East Japan District
Next on 3 November, Mitsui-Sumitomo run away from the field and won the East Japan District Ekiden championships with a course record, 2:12:57. Although Mitsui-Sumitomo was only third after the 6.6Km first stage, their runners recorded fastest stage times during the next five stages, taking the lead in stage three and extending it in the fourth stage. Then in the 11.1Km fifth stage, Reiko Tosa, who was fifth in the Olympic Marathon, broke the race open. At the end of the stage five, Mitsui-Sumitomo was a minute and fourteen second ahead of the second place Dai-ichi Life. With Yoko Shibui, the national marathon record holder running the sixth and the final stage, Mitsui-Sumitomo further extended its lead and won by nearly two-minutes over the second place Dai-ichi Life, the team coached by Sachiko Yamashita, 1991 World Championships Marathon silver medallist.
Four-Districts
On the same day Kyocera dominated the Four-Districts Ekiden Championships. After the first stage, Kiyomi Ogawa of Kyocera led by 25 seconds. Although in the 12Km third stage, Kazue Ogoshi of Daihatsu came as close as twelve second, Kyocera never relinquished its lead as their final three runners, Kana Yoshida, Terumi Asoshina, and Mikie Takanaka, all recorded the stage best, and the team won by over two minutes in 2:17:55. This is a relatively slow time because of the strong wind on the course.
All-star line-up – nationwide television
Most of the best runners in Japan including most of the Olympians, as well as national record holders from middle to long distance, will be competing in the upcoming Ekiden championships. This is the important race from the point of view of corporate sponsorships on track & field, for the race is televised in its entirety nationwide and thus a great advertisement for the teams running well in the race.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
Results of District Ekiden championships:
East JPN district women’s Ekiden championships on Nov 3
Six stages (6.6Km, 3.695Km, 10Km, 4Km, 11.1Km, 6.8Km) 42.195Km
1) Mitsui-Sumitomo 2:12:57 New course record
2) Dai-ichi Life 2:14:46
3) Shiseido 2:15:01
4) Hitachi 2:17:49
5) Hokuren 2:19:26
Best Stages
1 6.6Km 20:55 Yumi Sato (Shiseido)
2 3.695Km 11:18 Ayumi Hashimoto (Mitsui-Sumitomo)
3 10.0Km 31:35 Miki Oyama (Mitsui-Sumitomo)
4 4.0Km 12:22 Miki Ohira (Mitsui-Sumitomo)
5 11.1Km 35:12 Reiko Tosa (Mitsui-Sumitomo)
6 6.8Km 21:26 Yoko Shibui (Mitsui-Sumitomo)
Four (Chubu-Hokuriku-Kansai-Chugoku) district women’s Ekiden Championships on Nov 3
Six stages (6.195Km, 4Km, 12Km, 4Km 10Km, 6Km) 42.195Km
Kyocera 2:17:55
Daihatsu 2:20:09
UFJ Bank 2:20:29
Suzuki 2:21:12
Tenmaya 2:21:33
Wacoal 2:22:33
Best Stages
6.195Km 19:27 Kiyomi Ogawa (Kyocera)
4.0Km 12:42 Marie Yamagishi (Tenmaya)
12.0Km 38:59 Kazue Ogoshi (Daihatsu)
4.0Km 13:10 Kana Yoshida (Kyocera)
10.0Km 33:04 Terumi Asoshina (Kyocera)
6.0Km 19:34 Mikie Takanaka (Kyocera)
Kyushu district women’s Ekiden Championships on October 31
Six stages (6.6Km, 3.45Km, 10Km, 4.1Km, 11.26Km, 6.785Km) 42.195Km
Kyudenko 2:19:45
Oki Electric 2:20:13
Asahi Kasei 2:20:33
18 Bank 2:22:45
Sunix 2:23:05
Best Stages
1 6.6Km 21:20 Yukari Soh (Asahi Kasei)
2 3.45Km 11:17 Sachiyo Yamada (Oki)
3 10.0Km 32:52 Mie Ueda (Asahi Kasei)
4 4.1Km 13:06 Keiko Nogami (Sunix)
5 11.26Km 37:14 Maya Nishio (Kyudenko)
6 6.785Km 21:52 Naoko Hashimoto (Kyudenko)
