japan running news

video highlights by NHK For the second time in the last 6 years, Hiroshima's Sera H.S.  swept the girls' and boys' titles at the National High School Ekiden , both performances driven by world-class runs by Kenyan student athletes.  In the girls' race, 21.0975 km divided in five stages, #3-ranked Kitakyushu Municipal H.S.  led the first three stages thanks in large part to an incredibly brave opening leg by 3rd-year Miku Sakai , who led start to finish to open a 22-second lead over the course of 6.0 km. Kitskyushu fell to 3rd on the Fourth Stage behind Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.  and Suma Gakuen H.S. , but with favorite Kamimura Gakuen H.S.  in 5th just 19 seconds out of the lead and set to hand off to Kenyan 3rd-year anchor Cynthia Baire  it seemed like it was over. Baire said pre-race that her goal was to break the 15:04 course record for the 5.0 km anchor leg, and she wasted no time in going to the front. But as fast as she was, from behind Sera 3rd-year ...

Elite road racing returned to Japan this weekend with Saturday's Hakone Ekiden qualifier and Sunday's National Corporate Women's Ekiden qualifier , but there was still a load of track action at every level. Saturday in Miyazaki, one of the stars of this year's Hakone Ekiden, Akira Aizawa made his corporate debut for New Year Ekiden national champ team Asahi Kasei with a 27:55.78 win in the Miyazaki Time Trials 10000 m, his first time going sub-28. His former Toyo University teammate Kazuya Nishiyama was 2nd in 28:03.94, the best time by a Japanese collegiate student so far this year. Asahi Kasei had eleven men in the race under 29 minutes including Rio Olympics marathoner Satoru Sasaki , putting them in good position for another national title defense come Jan. 1. Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University had three men under 29, setting them up as a threat to the Kanto Region's monopoly on the podium at the Nov. 1 National University Men's Ekiden.  Defending co...