japan running news

The 5th annual National Mixed-Gender University Ekiden took place Sunday in Osaka's Nagai Park. Its 6-leg course totaling 20 km, the race broke down into individual legs of 3 km, 2 km, 5 km, 3 km, 2 km and 5 km, with men and women from competing universities alternating on each leg. Nittai University returned to the top position, breaking the overall CR with its winning time of 58:27. Nittai's Hiroto Takamura led off in only 6th, but second runner Kazuyo Iida had a good run to move up into 2nd, putting third runner Ryota Tominaga into position to take the lead. Once out front Nittai's remaining 3 runners Risa Yamazaki , Takanori Wakesu and Yuiri Ogata held onto 1st the rest of the way to the win. Daito Bunka University was 2nd in 59:17 in its debut at the event, with last year's winner Juntendo University taking 3rd this time in 59:53. 5th National Mixed-Gender University Ekiden Nagai Park, Osaka, 16 Sept. 2025 21 teams, 6 legs, 20.0 km complete results Top Ind...

Day two of the 103rd Kanto Regionals meet took place Friday at Tokyo's National Stadium and other facilities. The 1500 m was the only mid or long-distance final on the program, and in the D1 women's final 4th-yr Yuiri Ogata (Nittai Univ.) scored a dominant win with a 4:19.08 PB that put her 2 1/2 seconds up on 2nd-placer Yui Yoshii (Daito Bunka Univ.). 4th-yr Hiroto Takamura (Nittai Univ.) won the D1 men's title in 3:45.65, with 2nd-yr Ryoto Aoki (Rikkyo Univ.) taking the top spot in a strategic D2 men's final in 3:52.93. D2 men also had a round of 5000 m qualifiers on the program. Kenyans took the top four spots in Heat 1 led by newcomer Brian Kiptoo (Reitaku Univ.) in 13:50.47, with Hakone Ekiden runner-up Komazawa University 4th-yr Kota Nakaya outrunning Hakone champ Aoyama Gakuin University 1st-yr Sota Orita for 1st in the slower Heat 2, 14:04.47 to 14:04.95. The final happens Sunday alongside the D1 men's and women's races. In other noteworthy per...

  Sunday is the main event at the 102nd Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships , with finals for the half marathon, 3000 m steeplechase, 800 m and 5000 m. Complete meet schedule and entry lists here . The D2/D3 men's half marathon kicks off at 9:00 a.m., with the D1 race starting 6 minutes later. Runners do four laps of the track, then head out onto the roads for 12 laps of a 1.58 km circuit before returning to finish on the track. 2023 Hakone Ekiden champ Komazawa University 's Takuma Yamakawa is the fastest man in the D2/D3 field at 1:01:36, with Goki Takayama (Koku Gakuin Univ.) and Komazawa teammate Yuto Akahoshi just behind at 1:01:42 and 1:02:00. Four men in the D1 race have run under 1:03, led by Kazuki Ishii (Juntendo Univ.) at 1:02:20. But there's a lot of potential in newcomer Brian Kipyegon (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.), already 27:51.65 for 10000 m in his first year on the collegiate circuit. The D2 men's, D1 men's and D1 women's 3000 ...