Ekiden
Encyclopedia
is a term referring to a long-distance relay running race, typically on roads. The Japan
ese term originally referred to a post-horse or stagecoach which transmitted communication by stages.
, although the concept of a long distance relay race is not unique to any country. The first ekiden race was sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun
in 1917, and was run over three days between the old Japanese capital of Kyoto
and the modern capital of Tokyo
, a distance of 508 km, to celebrate the anniversary of the moving of the capital to Tokyo
.
As written in Japanese, Ekiden combines the characters for "station" (駅) and "transmit" (伝). This name was coined by the poet Toki Zemmaro (1885–1980), who was head of the Yomiuri Shimbun's Social Affairs Department at the time. The original concept of the race hearkens back to Japan's old Tōkaidō
communication and transportation system in which stations were posted at intervals along the road. In the race, each runner on a team runs the distance from one "station" to the next, and then hands off a cloth sash, or tasuki, to the next runner.
The lengths of ekiden can vary greatly, as can the number of runners on a team. For example, in the national junior high ekiden championship, 5 girls cover 12 kilometers and 6 boys cover 18 kilometers. The national high school championship involves 5 girls in a 21 kilometer race and 7 boys in 42.195 kilometer race. In the national inter-prefecture championships, 9 women run 42.195 kilometers and 7 men run 48 kilometers. For the collegiate Hakone ekiden, a 2 day event, 10 male athletes run 219 kilometers.
, which features teams of 10 male students from various Japanese universities of the Tokyo (Kanto) region. This race from central Tokyo
along Tokyo Bay, past Yokohama to Hakone
and back is held over two days at the New Year, covering 219 kilometers. It is a popular spectator sport that draws large crowds (a million or more) along the whole route and receives full network television coverage nationwide. Runners in the race compete to set individual records (e.g., stage times, number of schools passed) as well as to support their teams, and the race is considered to display many aspects of Japanese culture and spirit, including individual perseverance
, identity within a group
, and the importance within the Japanese hierarchy of allegiance to a major university. In the latter matter, there is a similarity to American school sports allegiance.
as practiced in North American secondary and tertiary schools. School-based teams and competition in the name of one's school are highly-prized concepts common to both Japan and North America. It has been pointed out that such fervor over school sports is not shared by all, such as Korea where after-school academic clubs are more the norm, a point of worry for some track and field enthusiasts.
, Japan
. Watch NHK
video of girls race and boys race. View photos from girls race and boys race.
For the national championship, in all, 290 girls and 329 boys competed in 2008. The girls teams consist of 5 runners and 3 alternates. Of the 47 schools that qualified in 2008, 36 schools listed at least five runners with 3000 meter times under 10:00. Twelve schools had all 8 girls listed under 10:00. The boys teams consist of 7 runners and 3 alternates. Of the 58 schools that qualified in 2008, 31 schools listed at least five runners with 5000 meter times under 15:00. Sixteen schools listed at least 8 runners under 15:00. The same data can be seen courtesy of NHK
: Girls boys. These sites are in Japanese, but click on the highlighted team name and you can see each runner's best times.
Of the 57 high schools that qualified boys teams in 2009, 313 athletes had 5000 meter personal bests of under 15:00. Of the 47 high schools that qualified girls teams in 2009, 215 athletes had 3,000 meter personal bests of under 10:00.
The 7 boys of the winning team in 2008 covered the marathon distance in 2:02:18, which is an average of a 14:29.5 5k pace (the average stage distance was 6028m). The 40th place team (in a field of 47 teams) maintained a 15:34 5k pace. The 5 girls of the winning team in 2008 covered the half marathon distance in 1:07:37, which is a 9:36.5 3k pace (average leg is 4219m). The 40th place team had a 3k pace of 10:20.
Starting in 2008, the All Japan High School Athletic Federation has banned non-Japanese high school students from participating in the first leg of their Ekiden Championships. For 15 straight years, a foreign student attending a Japanese high school has won the boys 10 kilometer first stage. With the new ban, speculation was high about which Japanese boy would be the first Japanese win the first stage. In 2008, foreign students were on top in the remaining long stages, posting the fastest times in the 3rd and 4th (8+ kilometer) stages of the boys race, and posting the fastest and third fastest times in the 5th stage (5 kilometers) of the girls race.
The controversy that has recently surrounded the Ekiden also applies to different degrees to participation in basketball, volleyball and table tennis. The official reason for this is stated by the Federation to be "to make races more interesting for fans". However, it has been widely reported that the principal motivation
for the ban is to break that succession of victories in the event by high school students of black African descent (and in the case of table tennis, of Chinese and Indonesian descent).
On December 21, 2008, 48 teams representing all the regions and prefectures of Japan gathered in Yamaguchi City of Yamaguchi Prefecture for the 16th annual All-Japan Junior High School Ekiden Championships. One feature of the junior high championship ekiden is that it is not a road race but rather each runner runs a loop within the confines of a park. The 2008 winning boys team (6 boys) completed the 18 kilometers in 56:37, with an average pace of 5:01.9/mile or 9:26/3k. The winning girls team (5 runners) completed the 12 kilometers in 40:12, with an average pace of 5:21.6/mile or just over 10:00/3k. Further articles in Japanese: Meet Site, Team Results.
Many of the elite high school and junior high school runners from these two races will be selected to represent their prefectures in the All-Japan Interprefectural Ekiden Championships (see below).
Japanese Wiki page at the beginning of the new year, there are many other collegiate ekiden races.
Japanese Wiki page.
The Izumo and National Collegiate ekidens plus the Hakone Ekiden have been coined the triple crown of collegiate ekiden.
The 14th annual men's championship was held in Hiroshima on Jan 18, 2009. map, video. In the men's race, 7 runners run 48 kilometers in stages of 7k 3k 8.5k 5k 8.5k 3k and 13k. In both races, each team is composed of runners selected to represent one prefecture, a total of 47 teams in each race. The majority of the team members are high school and junior high school elite runners. In the men's race, junior high runners are assigned to the two 3k stages and high school runners are assigned to the 7k, the 5k and 8.5k stages. Open runners are placed in the remaining 8.5k stage and the 13k stage. Despite the youth, the first 7 men's teams in 2009 finished under 2 hours and 21 minutes (48k), the equivalent of 14:40 5k pace or 8:48 3k pace. In 2009 the team from Nagano took its 5th title in 6 years.
The 27th annual women's championship was held in Kyoto on January 11, 2009. The course was the same as the course for the high school boys national race (see above) map, video. A team of 9 women run 42.1 kilometers, the stages being 6k 4k 3k 4k 4.0175k 4.0875k 4k 3k and 10k. The two 3k stages are reserved for junior high athletes and generally high school athletes run the 5 stages that are 4k or just over 4k. Collegiate and open runners take the 6k and 10k stages. As with the men, the youthful squads maintain a rapid pace, the first 10 team teams of 2009 finishing under 2 hours and 20 minutes (42.195k), the equivalent of 16:35 5k pace or 9:57 3k pace. In 2009, the team from Kyoto took its 13th championship, and in the ekiden's 20 years Kyoto has only twice placed outside the top 6.
Of the 94 junior high school boys running the 3k stages in 2009, 62 were between 8:30 and 9:10. Of the 94 junior high school girls running 3k stages, 39 were between 9:21 and 10:00. Of the 188 high school girls running the 4 legs of 4000m to 4175m, 68 were under 10:00/3k pace. The 141 high school boys ran 3 distances: 7k (34 were between 20:10 and 21:00) or 5k (25 were between 14:28 and 15:00) or 8.5k (28 were between 23:55 and 26:00).
was two separate races - one for men and one for women. From 2007, it has changed format into a combine male/female race. In the 20th edition in 2008, 13 teams from 11 countries participated. The race is contested in six stages over 42.195 kilometers, exactly a marathon. The first 5k stage, third 10k stage, and fifth 10k stage are reserved as men’s stages, while 5k second stage, 5k fourth stage and 7.195k sixth stage are reserved for women. 2008 results: 1)ETH 2:05:27 2)JPN 2:06:39 3)RUS 2:08:04
4)JPN Collegiate 2:08:47 5)AUS 2:09:36 6)Chiba 2:10:00 7)GBR 2:10:12 8)USA 2:11:54 9)CAN 2:11:56
, from 2000 to 2008, was won 7 times by foreign teams. The 27th annual running of the race on February 22, 2009, is to be the final time. The race is run in six-stages over a 42.195 kilometer course beginning and ending at Yokohama's Red Brick Warehouse
(Akarenga) arts space. lineups for all teams (in Japanese) "With last year's demise of the Tokyo International Women's Marathon, the ekiden is being replaced with a new Yokohama International Women's Marathon to take place in November." (Japanese wiki page).
Prefecture on December 14, 2008. TBS broadcast homepage, with results (Japanese).
Another widely publicized ekiden is the Prince Takamatsu Cup Nishinippon Round-Kyūshū Ekiden
. Held annually, the race follows a thousand-kilometer course in Kyūshū
and is sponsored by the Nishi Nippon Shimbun
(newspaper) of Fukuoka.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese term originally referred to a post-horse or stagecoach which transmitted communication by stages.
History
The term originated in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, although the concept of a long distance relay race is not unique to any country. The first ekiden race was sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
in 1917, and was run over three days between the old Japanese capital of Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
and the modern capital of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, a distance of 508 km, to celebrate the anniversary of the moving of the capital to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
As written in Japanese, Ekiden combines the characters for "station" (駅) and "transmit" (伝). This name was coined by the poet Toki Zemmaro (1885–1980), who was head of the Yomiuri Shimbun's Social Affairs Department at the time. The original concept of the race hearkens back to Japan's old Tōkaidō
Tokaido (road)
The ' was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name....
communication and transportation system in which stations were posted at intervals along the road. In the race, each runner on a team runs the distance from one "station" to the next, and then hands off a cloth sash, or tasuki, to the next runner.
The lengths of ekiden can vary greatly, as can the number of runners on a team. For example, in the national junior high ekiden championship, 5 girls cover 12 kilometers and 6 boys cover 18 kilometers. The national high school championship involves 5 girls in a 21 kilometer race and 7 boys in 42.195 kilometer race. In the national inter-prefecture championships, 9 women run 42.195 kilometers and 7 men run 48 kilometers. For the collegiate Hakone ekiden, a 2 day event, 10 male athletes run 219 kilometers.
Ekiden in Japan
One of the most popular modern ekiden in Japan is the Hakone EkidenHakone Ekiden
', which is officially called ', is one of the prominent university ekiden races of the year held between Tokyo and Hakone in Japan on 2 and 3 January. The race is telecast on Nippon Television....
, which features teams of 10 male students from various Japanese universities of the Tokyo (Kanto) region. This race from central Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
along Tokyo Bay, past Yokohama to Hakone
Hakone, Kanagawa
is a town in Ashigarashimo District in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 13,339 and a density of 144 persons per km². The total area was 92.82 km².-Geography:...
and back is held over two days at the New Year, covering 219 kilometers. It is a popular spectator sport that draws large crowds (a million or more) along the whole route and receives full network television coverage nationwide. Runners in the race compete to set individual records (e.g., stage times, number of schools passed) as well as to support their teams, and the race is considered to display many aspects of Japanese culture and spirit, including individual perseverance
Perseverance
Perseverance may refer to:* Perseverance , a card game* Perseverance , American fighter Brock Lesnar* Perseverance...
, identity within a group
Group (sociology)
In the social sciences a social group can be defined as two or more humans who interact with one another, share similar characteristics and collectively have a sense of unity...
, and the importance within the Japanese hierarchy of allegiance to a major university. In the latter matter, there is a similarity to American school sports allegiance.
Secondary School Ekiden in Japan
For the athletes, ekiden provides an experience quite different from athletics or track and field. In Japanese secondary and tertiary education, ekiden racing gives the school's long distance runners a team racing experience that parallels cross country runningCross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
as practiced in North American secondary and tertiary schools. School-based teams and competition in the name of one's school are highly-prized concepts common to both Japan and North America. It has been pointed out that such fervor over school sports is not shared by all, such as Korea where after-school academic clubs are more the norm, a point of worry for some track and field enthusiasts.
East Japan Girls Ekiden
On November 11, 2008, the 24th annual East Japan Girls Ekiden was held in Fukushima City of Fukushima Prefecture. Nine stages cover 42.195 kilometers. The winning team in 2008 was from Tokyo, in 2:19:15.All-Japan High School Ekiden Championship
The All-Japan National Ekiden Championships are held for junior high and high school teams in late December, as main track and field outdoor competition has concluded and the school year is nearing its end. A series of city, prefecture and regional championships in November (Japanrunningnews) select the representative school teams for the national championship in late December. Competition is school-based rather than club or organization based. No regional all-star teams compete in these championships. Junior high school in Japan is 3 years, followed by 3 years in high school. Forty seven high schools were represented at the 59th (2008) annual boys ekiden championships and 58 high schools were represented at the 20th (2008) annual girls high school ekiden championships, held on December 21, 2008 in KyotoKyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Watch NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
video of girls race and boys race. View photos from girls race and boys race.
Format
Although there is no single definition of ekiden format, for purposes of the national championships for junior high school and high school, the format has been set. For junior high school girls, a team of 5 girls run stages that follow the 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 kilometer pattern (total 12 kilometers). The boys team is 6 runners following the 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 kilometer pattern (total 18 kilometers). High school girls cover a half marathon; 5 runners follow the 6 - 4.1 - 3 - 3 - 5 kilometer pattern (total 21.1 kilometers). High school boys cover a full marathon; 7 runners follow the 10 - 3 - 8.1075 - 8.0875 - 3 - 5 - 5 kilometer pattern (total 42.195 kilometers). Since these championships were begun in 1950 and 1989, on only 3 occasions has the boys race been slightly shorter; once for the girls. See the Kyoto girlscourse map; boys course map.Level of Competition
The high school ekiden is a mixture of middle distance (3 and 5 kilometers) and long distance (8 and 10 kilometers) legs. Japanese athletics considers 3000 meters and 5000 meters to be middle distance, whereas others consider them to be long distance. A look at the middle distance high school results in general for Japan (specifically 3000 meters for girls, 5000 meters for boys) provides a preview of the competition in the ekiden. In 2008 in Japan, at the 5000 meter distance, 575 high school boys were under 15:00, beginning 13:33.24. For the high school girls during 2008, for the 3000 meter distance, 485 high school girls were under 10:00, the fastest being 8:58.77.For the national championship, in all, 290 girls and 329 boys competed in 2008. The girls teams consist of 5 runners and 3 alternates. Of the 47 schools that qualified in 2008, 36 schools listed at least five runners with 3000 meter times under 10:00. Twelve schools had all 8 girls listed under 10:00. The boys teams consist of 7 runners and 3 alternates. Of the 58 schools that qualified in 2008, 31 schools listed at least five runners with 5000 meter times under 15:00. Sixteen schools listed at least 8 runners under 15:00. The same data can be seen courtesy of NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
: Girls boys. These sites are in Japanese, but click on the highlighted team name and you can see each runner's best times.
Of the 57 high schools that qualified boys teams in 2009, 313 athletes had 5000 meter personal bests of under 15:00. Of the 47 high schools that qualified girls teams in 2009, 215 athletes had 3,000 meter personal bests of under 10:00.
Results
2008 Team Results (Japanese): girls boys. English version of the 2008 results Japanrunningnews.The 7 boys of the winning team in 2008 covered the marathon distance in 2:02:18, which is an average of a 14:29.5 5k pace (the average stage distance was 6028m). The 40th place team (in a field of 47 teams) maintained a 15:34 5k pace. The 5 girls of the winning team in 2008 covered the half marathon distance in 1:07:37, which is a 9:36.5 3k pace (average leg is 4219m). The 40th place team had a 3k pace of 10:20.
Issue of Non-Japanese Citizen Runners
The recent top times for the opening leg of the girls and boys high school national ekiden championships have been dominated by foreign exchange students at Japanese high schools. The issue of foreign students competing in the first stage can be seen when looking at the top 10 performance lists. In the case of the 10 kilometer first stage in the boys race, it was necessary to extend the top 10 performance list to the top 30 to obtain 10 Japanese athletes, the first one being 14th. Foreign students in the women's race have not displaced Japanese runners to the same degree, with only 4 foreigners mingled in the top 10 of the opening stage.Starting in 2008, the All Japan High School Athletic Federation has banned non-Japanese high school students from participating in the first leg of their Ekiden Championships. For 15 straight years, a foreign student attending a Japanese high school has won the boys 10 kilometer first stage. With the new ban, speculation was high about which Japanese boy would be the first Japanese win the first stage. In 2008, foreign students were on top in the remaining long stages, posting the fastest times in the 3rd and 4th (8+ kilometer) stages of the boys race, and posting the fastest and third fastest times in the 5th stage (5 kilometers) of the girls race.
The controversy that has recently surrounded the Ekiden also applies to different degrees to participation in basketball, volleyball and table tennis. The official reason for this is stated by the Federation to be "to make races more interesting for fans". However, it has been widely reported that the principal motivation
Motivation
Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation...
for the ban is to break that succession of victories in the event by high school students of black African descent (and in the case of table tennis, of Chinese and Indonesian descent).
All-Japan Junior High School Ekiden Championship
All-Japan Junior High School Ekiden: 16th (2008) annual championshipsOn December 21, 2008, 48 teams representing all the regions and prefectures of Japan gathered in Yamaguchi City of Yamaguchi Prefecture for the 16th annual All-Japan Junior High School Ekiden Championships. One feature of the junior high championship ekiden is that it is not a road race but rather each runner runs a loop within the confines of a park. The 2008 winning boys team (6 boys) completed the 18 kilometers in 56:37, with an average pace of 5:01.9/mile or 9:26/3k. The winning girls team (5 runners) completed the 12 kilometers in 40:12, with an average pace of 5:21.6/mile or just over 10:00/3k. Further articles in Japanese: Meet Site, Team Results.
Many of the elite high school and junior high school runners from these two races will be selected to represent their prefectures in the All-Japan Interprefectural Ekiden Championships (see below).
University/Collegiate Ekiden in Japan
In addition to the above mention Hakone EkidenHakone Ekiden
', which is officially called ', is one of the prominent university ekiden races of the year held between Tokyo and Hakone in Japan on 2 and 3 January. The race is telecast on Nippon Television....
Japanese Wiki page at the beginning of the new year, there are many other collegiate ekiden races.
Izumo Ekiden
The Izumo Ekiden in Shimane Prefecture of western Japan marks the beginning of the collegiate ekiden season and is for male university athletes. The race is 6 stages (8k, 5.8k, 8.5k, 6.5k, 5k, 10.2k.) covering 43.1 kilometers. The 20th annual race was held on October 13, 2008. Since 1998, a select team of Ivy league alumni runners from the United States has competed and found the competition quite stiff. The Ivy league representatives have finished in the last half of the field each time.izumo-ekiden.jp course web site (Japanese), Japanese Wiki pageAll-Japan Collegiate Women's Ekiden Championship (Morinomiyako Ekiden)
The 26th annual All-Japan Collegiate Women's Ekiden Championship, also called Morinomiyako Ekiden, was held in Sendai Miyage Prefecture, on October 26, 2008. It is a 6 stage, 38.6 kilometer race from Miyagi Track and Field Grounds to Sendai City Hall. It has been broadcast nationwide from Sendai on Nihon Television broadcast home page (in Japanese).All-Japan Collegiate (Men's) Ekiden Championship
The men also compete in the 8 stage, 106.8 kilometer National Collegiate Ekiden Championship. The 40th annual race was held on November 2, 2008 in Aichi Prefecture.All-Japan Collegiate Women's Invitational Ekiden
Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, is host to the All-Japan Collegiate Women's Invitational Ekiden, the 6th annual having been held on December 23‚ 2008. The race is 6 stages and a distance of 30.67 kilometers. (Japanese wiki page)Tokyo-Hakone Ekiden
January 2 and 3 is the date for the Hakone EkidenHakone Ekiden
', which is officially called ', is one of the prominent university ekiden races of the year held between Tokyo and Hakone in Japan on 2 and 3 January. The race is telecast on Nippon Television....
Japanese Wiki page.
The Izumo and National Collegiate ekidens plus the Hakone Ekiden have been coined the triple crown of collegiate ekiden.
Others
Other major collegiate ekiden races include Western Japan Regional University Women's Ekiden, Eastern Japan Regional University Women's Ekiden, National Invitational Ekiden, Kansai Intercollegiate Ekiden Japanese wiki page,The All-Japan Interprefectural Ekiden Championships
The All-Japan Interprefectural Ekiden Championships are held in January.Men
The 14th annual men's championship was held in Hiroshima on Jan 18, 2009. map, video. In the men's race, 7 runners run 48 kilometers in stages of 7k 3k 8.5k 5k 8.5k 3k and 13k. In both races, each team is composed of runners selected to represent one prefecture, a total of 47 teams in each race. The majority of the team members are high school and junior high school elite runners. In the men's race, junior high runners are assigned to the two 3k stages and high school runners are assigned to the 7k, the 5k and 8.5k stages. Open runners are placed in the remaining 8.5k stage and the 13k stage. Despite the youth, the first 7 men's teams in 2009 finished under 2 hours and 21 minutes (48k), the equivalent of 14:40 5k pace or 8:48 3k pace. In 2009 the team from Nagano took its 5th title in 6 years.
Women
The 27th annual women's championship was held in Kyoto on January 11, 2009. The course was the same as the course for the high school boys national race (see above) map, video. A team of 9 women run 42.1 kilometers, the stages being 6k 4k 3k 4k 4.0175k 4.0875k 4k 3k and 10k. The two 3k stages are reserved for junior high athletes and generally high school athletes run the 5 stages that are 4k or just over 4k. Collegiate and open runners take the 6k and 10k stages. As with the men, the youthful squads maintain a rapid pace, the first 10 team teams of 2009 finishing under 2 hours and 20 minutes (42.195k), the equivalent of 16:35 5k pace or 9:57 3k pace. In 2009, the team from Kyoto took its 13th championship, and in the ekiden's 20 years Kyoto has only twice placed outside the top 6.
Focus on the School-Age Participants
Of the 94 junior high school boys running the 3k stages in 2009, 62 were between 8:30 and 9:10. Of the 94 junior high school girls running 3k stages, 39 were between 9:21 and 10:00. Of the 188 high school girls running the 4 legs of 4000m to 4175m, 68 were under 10:00/3k pace. The 141 high school boys ran 3 distances: 7k (34 were between 20:10 and 21:00) or 5k (25 were between 14:28 and 15:00) or 8.5k (28 were between 23:55 and 26:00).
Chiba International Ekiden
Inaugurated in 1988, the November Chiba International EkidenInternational Chiba Ekiden
The International Chiba Ekiden is an annual team road running competition held in Chiba, Japan in late November. The marathon relay race, or ekiden as it is known in Japan, is one of the prominent annual races of its kind. The competition is split into six legs which combine to make up the marathon...
was two separate races - one for men and one for women. From 2007, it has changed format into a combine male/female race. In the 20th edition in 2008, 13 teams from 11 countries participated. The race is contested in six stages over 42.195 kilometers, exactly a marathon. The first 5k stage, third 10k stage, and fifth 10k stage are reserved as men’s stages, while 5k second stage, 5k fourth stage and 7.195k sixth stage are reserved for women. 2008 results: 1)ETH 2:05:27 2)JPN 2:06:39 3)RUS 2:08:04
4)JPN Collegiate 2:08:47 5)AUS 2:09:36 6)Chiba 2:10:00 7)GBR 2:10:12 8)USA 2:11:54 9)CAN 2:11:56
Yokohama International Women's Ekiden
The Yokohama International Women`s EkidenYokohama International Women's Ekiden
The Yokohama International Women's Ekiden held in Yokohama, Japan, was one of the prominent ekiden races of the year. It was held annually from 1983 to 2009, and was discontinued because of the replacement of the Tokyo Women's Marathon by the Yokohama Women's Marathon.-Winners:-References:...
, from 2000 to 2008, was won 7 times by foreign teams. The 27th annual running of the race on February 22, 2009, is to be the final time. The race is run in six-stages over a 42.195 kilometer course beginning and ending at Yokohama's Red Brick Warehouse
Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse
The is a historical building that is currently used as a complex that includes a shopping mall, banquet hall, and event venues. The complex, officially known as the , was originally used as customs buildings, and has two sections: Warehouse No.1 and No.2. It is operated by Yokohama Akarenga Co...
(Akarenga) arts space. lineups for all teams (in Japanese) "With last year's demise of the Tokyo International Women's Marathon, the ekiden is being replaced with a new Yokohama International Women's Marathon to take place in November." (Japanese wiki page).
Eastern Japan Women's Corporate Ekiden
Konosu City, Saitama Prefecture, hosted the November 3, 2008 19th running of the Eastern Japan Women's Corporate Ekiden, a 6 stage 42.195 kilometer (full marathon) race. The stages are 6.795 - 3.15 - 11.95 - 4.0 - 10.0 and 6.3 kilometers.All-Japan Women’s Corporate Ekiden Championships
The All-Japan Women’s Corporate (Jitsugyodan) Ekiden Championships are held in mid December after a series of regional qualifying ekiden events, narrowing the field to 24 teams. The 25th annual event, a 6 stage 42.195 kilometer reace, was held in GifuGifu Memorial Center
The is a collection of sports facilities located in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is a prefectural facility and its purpose is to promote sports and other events within the prefecture....
Prefecture on December 14, 2008. TBS broadcast homepage, with results (Japanese).
All-Japan (Men's) Corporate Ekiden Championships
The men's version, the All-Japan Corporate Team Ekiden Championships, held in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture on New Years Day, is also referred to as New Year Ekiden. This race for men's teams covers 100 kilometers in 7 stages (a 12.3 - 22.0 - 11.8 - 10.5 - 15.9 - 11.8 - 15.7 kilometer pattern).Asahi Ekiden
Following the men's New Year's Day race in Gunma, the men race again in Fukuoka Prefecture, the Asahi Ekiden (Japanese wiki page). The 60th annual version was held on January 12, 2009. A mixture of corporate and university teams competed, 21 teams taking part in the 7-stage, 99.9 kilometer ekiden. race web site (in Japanese), map.Women’s Northern (Kita) Kyushu Ekiden
A week after the Asahi Ekiden, the corporate women's teams take their turn, racing in the Women’s Kita-Kyushu Ekiden. The 20th annual race was held on January 18, 2009, from Fukuoka to Kokura on Japan's southern island of Kyushu. results (in Japanese). The distance is 32.8 kilometers. The open division women run it in 7 stages and the high school women's teams run it in 8 stages. First place in 2009 was 1:43:56 for the open and 1:47:22 for the high school. Eighth place for both was just over 1:50. 1:50 is about a 10:03 3k pace.The Southern (Minami) Kyushu Ekiden
On February 1, 2009, 51 one teams competed the 63rd annual 7 stage 61.25 km race starting in Ebino City, Miyazaki Prefecture. The first place team managed a 15:15/5k pace and the 8th place team was 15:45/5k pace.The Gifu to Nagoya Ekiden
February 1, 2009 marked the 63rd annual Gifu (Gifu Prefecture) to Nagoya (Aichi Prefecture) Ekiden for men. The race is 6 stages covering 52.6k for the open division and 6 stages covering 40.2k for the high school division. The open winners in 2009 covered the distance in 2:31:14 (14:25 5k pace) and the high school winners were 1:59.15 (14:50 5k pace). The 8th place high school boys team managed a 15:15 5k pace.Okutama (Tokyo) Ekiden
The first Sunday of December Okutama Ekiden, held annually since 1936, is run in the mountain valleys of Ome of Western Tokyo. It is a mixture of local university teams, serious running clubs and high school teams. One of the hallmarks of this ekiden is that it literally parallels a train line and races from station to station to station. Men's teams run 6 stages totalling 47 kilometers. The women's ekiden is 4 stages and 12 kilometers. Start picture. A foreign runner`s report
Shibuya (Tokyo) New Ekiden
A four stage 12 km ekiden is held annually in January in Yoyogi Park. The 58th annual running was January 20, 2008 and was attended by over 204 teams. Mayor`s report in English 2009 running club reportTama-ko (Tokyo) Ekiden
An example of a community ekiden, open to teams of all ages and connections, is the Tama-ko Ekiden near Lake Tama on the Lake Tama Bicycle Trail, hosted by the city of Higashi Yamato in western Tokyo. The Tama-ko Ekiden is a 4 stage race in which each runner runs a 5.9k out-and-back, handing off the tasuki (relay sash) at the central point which also serves as start and finish. There is also a half distance version, open to all and especially junior high school teams. Friday, March 20, 2009 marked the 19th annual race. Over 240 4-person teams competed, representing all ages. (Since the race is open to all, those interested in running should note that registration typically ends January 31.)Yokota (Tokyo) Ekiden
This ekiden is hosted by the American forces at their facilities on the western side of Tokyo. The race is open to everyone but is limited to 1000 teams; 4 members each run 5k. The event on June 6, 2009 is the 25th annual ekiden. The host organization is Yokota Striders.Another widely publicized ekiden is the Prince Takamatsu Cup Nishinippon Round-Kyūshū Ekiden
Prince Takamatsu Cup Nishinippon Round-Kyushu Ekiden
The Prince Takamatsu Cup Nishinippon Round-Kyūshū Ekiden has been an annual race in Japan since 1951. Contestants from the prefectures on the island of Kyūshū, as well as from Yamaguchi and Okinawa Prefectures, gather each November...
. Held annually, the race follows a thousand-kilometer course in Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
and is sponsored by the Nishi Nippon Shimbun
Nishinippon Shimbun
The is a Japanese language daily newspaper published by . As of May 2006, it has the circulation of a million as a total of morning and evening editions. Headquartered in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, the newspaper cover reader is Kyūshū....
(newspaper) of Fukuoka.
See also
- Relay raceRelay raceDuring a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
- Cross country runningCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- Nike Team NationalsNike Team NationalsNike Cross Nationals is an invitational cross country meet that serves as the unofficial team national championship of United States high school cross country. It was designed to heighten competition between high school cross country teams nationwide...
- Middle distance track eventMiddle distance track eventMiddle distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle distance event. The 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the...