The New Year Ekiden, (officially the ), is an annual men's ekiden (road running relay) over 100 kilometres which takes place in Japan's Gunma Prefecture on 1 January. The race is a national championship contested between Japan's corporate (business) running teams.[1] There is also an annual championship race for women in Japan – the Women's Corporate Ekiden Championships. The race starts and ends in the city of Maebashi and the course passes through the major cities within the prefecture, including Takasaki, Isesaki, Ota and Kiryu.[2] The relay is divided into seven legs of varying lengths that alternate on a frequent basis. The 2012 race was divided as follows: 12.3 km, 8.3 km, 13.6 km, 22 km, 15.8 km, 12.5 km and 15.5 km.[3]
Historically, the race was conducted around Kashiko Island in Mie Prefecture at its inauguration in 1957. Over the first 30 years of the competition's life it expanded from an 83 km race to a 99 km one. The 31st edition in 1986 was held around Hikone and the Shiga Prefecture, but the race moved again the following year to its current location of Gunma. At this point the distance was reduced to around 85 km and the full 100 km format was introduced at the 2001 ekiden. The first competition featured 14 corporate running teams and this number steadily increased when the entry was limited to around 40 teams. The 50th edition in 2006 proved to be an except in this respect, as 43 teams were allowed entry in respect of the five people killed during the East Japan Railway derailment accident on 25 December 2005.[4]
The competition has been broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System Television every year since 1988 and there is also coverage on TBS Radio. The main commercial sponsor of the relay race is Yamazaki Baking. It has been claimed that the high TV viewing figures of this meet makes it the central motivating event in the annual calendar for professional runners in Japan.[5]
Teams gain qualification into the final ekiden race through a series of preliminaries which are principally conducted on a regional basis.[6] Some qualifying competitions are for both men and women while others are single-sex qualifiers. The Eastern Japan Corporate Ekiden Championship qualifies men's and women's teams. The Kyushu men's qualifying race (Fukuoka City to Kita Kyushu city) is held in November.[7] and others include the Kansai Jitsugyodan Ekiden in Tabe, the Chubu and Hokuriku Jitsugyodan Ekidens in Gero, and the Chugoku Jitsugyodan Ekiden in Sera, Hiroshima.
Although the majority of the competing athletes are Japanese, a limited number of foreign runners are allowed to participate. These runners are mostly Kenyan immigrants and are often the best runners on the team. Companies are permitted foreign representatives on just one of the seven legs. Past Kenyans that have competed at the New Year Ekiden include Martin Mathathi, Josephat Ndambiri and Samuel Wanjiru.[8] Ethiopia's Ibrahim Jeylan is another prominent East African to have competed.[1]
| Edition | Date | Location | Distance | Teams | 1st (h:m:s) | 2nd (h:m:s) | 3rd (h:m:s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1957 3 March | Ise | 83.5km | 14 | Yawata Iron & Steel (4:27:58) | Asahi Kasei Kasei (4:32:21) | Japan National Railway (4:37:11) | ||
| 2nd | 1958 3 February | Ise | 83.5km | 15 | Riccar Sewing (4:28:21) | Yawata Iron & Steel (4:33:02) | Kanebo (4:38:25) | ||
| 3rd | 1959 3 January | Ise | 83.5km | 14 | Riccar Sewing (4:27:56) | Yawata Iron & Steel (4:30:57) | Toyo Bearing (4:36:14) | ||
| 4th | 1960 21 February | Ise | 83.5km | 15 | Yawata Iron & Steel (4:30:11) | Toyo Bearing (4:31:43) | Meiji Seika (4:39:14) | ||
| 5th | 1960 18 December | Ise | 83.5km | 17 | Riccar Sewing (4:25:23) | Tokyo Express (4:30:17) | Kurashiki Rayon (4:32:17) | ||
| 6th | 1961 17 December | Ise | 83.6km | 19 | Tokyu (4:25:35) | Riccar Sewing (4:28:10) | Yawata Iron & Steel (4:28:11) | ||
| 7th | 1962 16 December | Ise | 83.6km | 16 | Yawata Iron & Steel (4:16:04) | Tokyu (4:19:27) | Kurashiki Rayon (4:22:53) | ||
| 8th | 1963 15 December | Ise | 83.6km | 19 | Tokyu (4:16:13) | Asahi Kasei (4:18:37) | Toyo (4:19:11) | ||
| 9th | 1964 20 December | Ise | 83.6km | 18 | Asahi Kasei (4:13:28) | Yawata Iron & Steel (4:14:34) | Tokyu (4:14:37) | ||
| 10th | 1965 19 December | Ise | 83.6km | 21 | Asahi Kasei (4:14:21) | Tokyu (4:15:13) | Yawata Iron & Steel (4:15:25) | ||
| 11th | 1966 18 December | Ise | 83.0 km | 23 | Asahi Kasei (4:15:44) | Kurashiki Rayon (4:16:40) | Riccar Sewing (4:17:04) | Distance reduced | |
| 12th | 1967 17 December | Ise | 83.0 km | 26 | Denden Chugoku (4:14:57) | Kurashiki Rayon (4:15:21) | Kyushu Electric Works (4:15:51) | ||
| 13th | 1968 22 December | Ise | 83.0 km | 24 | Asahi Kasei (4:11:45) | Yawata Iron & Steel (4:13:15) | Toyo Bearing (4:13:30) | ||
| 14th | 1969 21 December | Ise | 83.0 km | 23 | Toyo (4:08:11) | Asahi Kasei (4:08:23) | Denden Chugoku (4:08:55) | ||
| 15th | 1970 20 December | Ise | 99.4km | 23 | Denden Chugoku (5:00:59) | Asahi Kasei (5:02:30) | Riccar Sewing (5:02:40) | Distance extended | |
| 16th | 1971 19 December | Ise | 99.4km | 25 | Toyo (5:02:08) | Kanebo (5:03:57) | Kuraray (5:04:21) | ||
| 17th | 1972 17 December | Ise | 99.4km | 26 | Kuraray (4:58:10) | Toyo (4:58:54) | Asahi Kasei (4:59:03) | ||
| 18th | 1973 16 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 26 | Asahi Kasei (5:06:47) | Nippon Steel (5:06:53) | Toyo (5:06:54) | Distance reduced | |
| 19th | 1974 15 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 25 | Kanebo (5:01:42) | Asahi Kasei (5:05:47) | Kobe Steel (5:05:47) | ||
| 20th | 1975 21 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 25 | Asahi Kasei (4:58:48) | Kanebo (4:59:05) | Riccar Sewing (4:59:24) | ||
| 21st | 1976 19 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 27 | Kanebo (4:58:42) | Asahi Kasei (5:02:05) | Kobe Steel (5:03:35) | ||
| 22nd | 1977 18 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 27 | Kanebo (5:00:10) | Kyushu Electric Works (5:02:40) | Asahi Kasei (5:03:07) | ||
| 23rd | 1978 17 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 27 | Asahi Kasei (5:00:09) | Kanebo (5:03:35) | Nippon Steel (5:05:55) | ||
| 24th | 1979 16 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 28 | Asahi Kasei (4:57:15 | Kyushu Electric Works (5:03:12) | Riccar Sewing (5:04:16) | ||
| 25th | 1980 21 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 26 | Asahi Kasei (4:56:00) | Kobe Steel (5:00:56) | Riccar Sewing (5:03:56 | ||
| 26th | 1981 20 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 28 | Asahi Kasei (4:59:18) | Kanebo (5:01:38) | Riccar Sewing (5:02:06) | ||
| 27th | 1982 19 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 28 | Asahi Kasei (4:56:42) | Kanebo (4:57:07) | Kobe Steel (5:00:48) | ||
| 28th | 1983 18 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 28 | Asahi Kasei (4:57:11) | Kobe Steel (4:59:08) | Kanebo (5:00:48) | ||
| 29th | 1984 16 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 30 | S & B Foods (4:48:32) | Asahi Kasei (4:54:46) | Nissan (4:56:45) | ||
| 30th | 1985 15 December | Ise | 99.0 km | 29 | S & B Foods (4:48:32) | Asahi Kasei (4:54:46) | Nissan (4:56:45) | ||
| 31st | 1986 21 December | Hikone | 84.4km | 30 | S & B Foods (4:04:01) | Asahi Kasei (4:07:39) | Nissan (4:08:55) | Distance reduced | |
| 32nd | 1988 1 January | Gunma | 84.9km | 27 | S & B Foods (4:05:45) | Nissan (4:07:40) | Asahi Kasei (4:09:32) | Distance extended | |
| 33rd | 1989 1 January | Gunma | 86.3km | 25 | Nissan (4:14:52) | Asahi Kasei (4:16:53) | NEC HE (4:19:26) | Distance extended | |
| 34th | 1990 1 January | Gunma | 86.3km | 24 | Asahi Kasei (4:13:52) | Kyushu Electric Works (4:14:51) | Nissan (4:16:16) | ||
| 35th | 1991 1 January | Gunma | 86.3km | 25 | Asahi Kasei (4:10:04) | Nissan (4:13:20) | Honda Saitama (4:13:55) | ||
| 36th | 1992 1 January | Gunma | 86.3km | 26 | Asahi Kasei (4:08:24) | Kyudenko Corporation (4:12:24) | Yaskawa (4:13:30) | ||
| 37th | 1993 1 January | Gunma | 86.3km | 32 | Asahi Kasei (4:10:50) | Kyudenko Corporation (4:14:22) | Honda (4:15:33) | ||
| 38th | 1994 1 January | Gunma | 86.3km | 32 | Asahi Kasei (4:14:21) | Honda (4:18:22) | Kanebo (4:18:38) | ||
| 39th | 1995 1 January | Gunma | 86.3km | 37 | Asahi Kasei (4:15:02) | Kanebo (4:17:00) | S & B Foods (4:17:05) | ||
| 40th | 1996 1 January | Gunma | 86.3km | 37 | Kanebo (4:14:33) | Asahi Kasei (4:14:34) | S & B Foods (4:19:29) | ||
| 41st | 1997 1 January | Gunma | 86.3km | 37 | Asahi Kasei (4:07:54) | S & B Foods (4:07:57) | Daiei (4:12:00) | ||
| 42nd | 1998 1 January | Gunma | 86.3km | 37 | Asahi Kasei (4:06:28) | S & B Foods (4:06:43) | Daiei (4:10:07) | ||
| 43rd | 1999 1 January | Gunma | 86.4km | 37 | Asahi Kasei (4:11:34) | S & B Foods (4:12:24) | Chugoku Electric Power (4:14:54) | Distance extended | |
| 44th | 2000 1 January | Gunma | 86.4km | 37 | Fujitsu Limited (4:12:07) | Asahi Kasei (4:12:45) | NEC (4:15:37) | ||
| 45th | 2001 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Konica (4:49:44) | Fujitsu Limited (4:50:59) | Chugoku Electric Power (4:53:25) | Distance extended | |
| 46th | 2002 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Konica (4:45:32) | Chugoku Electric Power (4:46:21) | Nissin (4:49:38) | ||
| 47th | 2003 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Konica (4:44:48) | Nissin (4:47:02) | Chugoku Electric Power (4:47:11) | ||
| 48th | 2004 1 May 1 | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Chugoku Electric Power (4:47:03) | Konica Minolta (4:49:05) | Nissin (4:50:35) | ||
| 49th | 2005 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Konica Minolta (4:48:57) | Chugoku Electric Power (4:49:44) | Nissin (4:50:41) | ||
| 50th | 2006 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 43 | Konica Minolta (4:44:54) | Chugoku Electric Power (4:45:53) | Fujitsu Limited (4:46:52) | Memorial race | |
| 51st | 2007 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Chugoku Electric Power (4:47:02) | Asahi Kasei (4:47:53) | Nissin (4:48:16) | ||
| 52nd | 2008 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Konica Minolta (4:46:28) | Chugoku Electric Power (4:49:45) | Honda (4:49:56) | ||
| 53rd | 2009 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Fujitsu (4:51:55) | Nissin Group (4:51:56) | Asahi Kasei (4:51:56) | ||
| 54th | 2010 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Nissin Group (4:50:07) | Konica Minolta (4:50:36) | Fujitsu (4:51:37) | ||
| 55th | 2011 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Toyota (4:51:56) | Fujitsu (4:51:57) | Nissin Group (4:52:05) | ||
| 56th | 2012 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Nissin Group (4:49:32) | Konica Minolta (4:50:52) | Asahi Kasei (4:51:16) | ||
| 57th[9] | 2013 1 January | Gunma | 100.0 km | 37 | Konica Minolta (4:51:32) | Toyota Kyushu (4:55:24) | Honda (4:55:25) |
| Stage | Distance | Time (m:s) | Runner | Team | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 12.3 km | 34:16 | Martin Mathathi | Suzuki | 2007 | |
| 2nd | 8.3 km | 21:54 | Josephat Ndambiri | Komori | 2009 | |
| 3rd | 13.7 km | 37:52 | Chihiro Miyawaki | Toyota | 2012 | |
| 4th | 22.0 km | 1:02:51 | Yuki Sato | Nissin Foods | 2012 | |
| 5th | 15.8 km | 44:57 | Tomoo Tsubota | Konica | 2002 | |
| 6th | 12.5 km | 36:35 | Kazuharu Takai | Kyudenko | 2012 | |
| 7th | 15.5 km | 44:53 | James Ndungu | Honda | 2002 2003 |