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Shibui and Fukushi Lead Teams to Corporate Women's Ekiden Victories

by Brett Larner

Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo won its ninth consecutive victory at the East Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden in Saitama Prefecture after a commanding performance by team star Yoko Shibui on the third stage of a new six stage 42.195 km course. Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo, having lost longtime coach Hideo Suzuki, now heads to December's All-Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden where it has been national champion six of the last eight years, finishing 2nd the two years it failed to win.

Shibui's arch-rival Kayoko Fukushi likewise led Team Wacoal to a win in the 18th Awajishima Women's Ekiden, like East Japan featuring a 42.195 km course comprised of six stages. Fukushi ran a new stage record on the ekiden's third leg and outdid competing teams from four regions of central Japan. Team Wacoal also goes on to the All-Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden where it will face Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo for the 2008 National title.

In East Japan, runners from Team Toyota Jidoshokki and Team Aruze, both coached by famed marathon coach Yoshio Koide, jointly led until the third stage. Shibui, starting the 11.95 km third stage in 3rd place, ran 6:02 for the first two km and caught both leaders by 3.5 km. She opened an enormous lead and finished in 37:06, equivalent to 31:03 for 10 km, to take the stage best time over fellow Beijing Olympics 10000 m runner Yukiko Akaba of Team Hokuren and Team Daiichi Seimei's Yoshimi Ozaki, whom Shibui will face in two weeks at the Tokyo International Women's Marathon. It was Shibui's fifth stage best time in seven runnings at East Japan.

After Shibui's run the outcome was never in question as Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo kept well clear of all competitors to win in 2:15:20. A potential upset by one of the teams including a Kenyan in its lineup was neutralized by a new rule this year limiting foreign runners to the ekiden's two shortest stages, the 3.15 km second stage and the 4.0 km fourth stage. The team's captain, Reiko Tosa, was at the ekiden but did not run, saying that she has still not recovered from the foot injury which caused her to drop out of the Beijing Olympics marathon but hopes to be ready in time for the National ekiden.

Team Toyota Jidoshokki finished 2nd in 2:16:30, its best-ever placing despite the conspicuous absence of 1500 m national record holder and Beijing Olympics 5000 m runner Yuriko Kobayashi, who was banned from competing in official jitsugyodan events after enrolling in university. Team Aruze held on to 3rd, while Team Daiichi Seimei overtook Team Hokuren for 4th. Team Hokuren's Kenyan ace Philes Ongori was present at the finish but did not run on the 5th-placing team, suggesting she has not yet recovered from the injury which kept her out of last month's World Half Marathon Championships.

The Awajishima Ekiden was almost a mirror image of East Japan, with Wacoal in 3rd after the 6.52 km first stage before taking the lead on the 3.585 km second stage. Wacoal's second, third, fourth and sixth stage runners all recorded stage best times including Fukushi's stage record, anchor Tomomi Yuda bringing the team home to a 2:17:59 victory, its first Awashima Ekiden win in five years. Fukushi outran Team Daihatsu's star recruit Ryoko Kisaki, Beijing Olympics marathoner Yurika Nakamura of Team Tenmaya and two-time World Championships marathoner Yumiko Hara of Team Kyocera in setting her stage record.

Team Daihatsu, featuring not only Kisaki but top marathoner Mika Ohira, was 2nd in 2:18:55, while Team Tenmaya finished 3rd in 2:20:57. Last year's winner Team Kyocera was a poor 5th with a mark of 2:21:15. 6th place finisher Team Yutaka Giken runner Evelyn Wamboi made the other stage record of the day, running 30:25 for the 9.56 km fifth stage to break the old record by one second.

2008 East Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden - Results
Top Team Performances - 15 teams total
1. Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo: 2:15:20
2. Team Toyota Jidoshokki: 2:16:30
3. Team Aruze: 2:16:43
4. Team Daiichi Seimei: 2:17:25
5. Team Hokuren: 2:18:08

2008 Awajishima National Women's Ekiden - Results
Top Team Performances - 14 teams total
1. Team Wacoal: 2:17:59
2. Team Daihatsu: 2:18:55
3. Team Tenmaya: 2:20:27
4. Team Denso: 2:20:31
5. Team Kyocera: 2:21:15

Stage Best Performances
1st Stage (6.52 km) - Jelia Kelbo Dinega (Team Daihatsu): 20:56
2nd Stage (3.585 km) - Hiromi Chujo (Team Wacoal): 11:07
3rd Stage (11.78 km) - Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal): 37:37 - new stage record
4th Stage (5.50 km) - Noriko Higuchi (Team Wacoal): 18:32
5th Stage (9.56 km) - Evelyn Wamboi (Team Yutaka Giken): 30:25 - new stage record
6th Stage (5.25 km) - Tomomi Yuda (Team Wacoal): 17:21

Complete Awajishima Ekiden results are available here.

(c) 2008 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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