japan running news

The KGRR , organizers of the Hakone Ekiden , have announced that the event's World Athletics Heritage Plaque awarded at a ceremony at May's 101st Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships will be on permanent display at the Hakone Ekiden Museum in Kanagawa along with a replica of the statue at the the Hakone Ekiden start and finish point in Otemachi, Tokyo. The items are to be delivered to the museum on June 27, after which they will be incorporated into its exhibits and opened for public viewing.  The Heritage Plaque program , the "World Heritage Site" of athletics, was established by World Athletics in December, 2018. The program recognizes important elements of the sport's heritage in five categories: City  - Awarded to locations that have hosted multiple important international competitions. Competitions  - Awarded to key global events with a long history. Legends  - Awarded to athletes, coaches and officials. Landmarks  - Awarded to stadiums an...

Today I did my annual Hakone Ekiden Fifth Stage run, 23.4 km with almost 900 m of climb in the middle section of the course followed by ~150 m downhill from 19.5 km to around 21.5 km.  This year was more relaxed that usual as I ran with some friends and stopped to take pictures along the way. The start of the Fifth Stage at 9 m elevation is in front of the tall building on the left. The sign warns that the road will be closed Jan. 2 and 3 for the Hakone Ekiden. This tunnel just after 6 km into the course marks the start of the real uphill. After Ohiradai curve, 9.5 km, the climb starts to get steep. 9.1 km to go at this sharp left curve in Kowakien, with about 5 km until the summit.  I always feel fine until this point and then suddenly start to get nauseous. The highest point on the course, 865 m above the start point at around 19.5 km in.  The steep downhill begins just after this. About 1.5 km to go, running next to Lake Ashi in Motohakone. ...

I am generally staying away from writing about my own running in Japan. That said, this morning I did my annual run up the Hakone Ekiden 5th stage, a 23.4 km course starting at sea level, peaking at 874 m after 19 km, then dropping 100 m or so to finish next to a lake in the mountains. It was an inspirational run and doubly exciting as preparations were underaway all along the course for the 84th Hakone Ekiden Jan. 2-3. For those unfamiliar with the Hakone Ekiden, it is nominally the East Japan University Men`s championship race, featuring 19 schools and one all-star team running a 10-stage, 217.9 km course from Tokyo into the mountains and back over the course of 2 days. I say nominally in that Hakone has become the center of much of the Japanese running world, with the top Hakone schools attracting the best runners from throughout Japan, many of whom make this ekiden the focus of their lives and thus do not continue on as professionals after graduation. The level of public enthusias...