It is this university that threatens the champion Komazawa..! Hakone Ekiden: A Complete Guide to the “Gods of the Mountains” in the run-up to the 100th Ekiden!

Komadai’s three pillars also came out firing in the Hachioji Long Distance 10,000m on November 25. Sato clocked 27:28.50 (a new U20 Japanese record), the second fastest ever by a Japanese student, Suzuki 27:30.69 (the third fastest), and Shinohara 27:38.66 (the fifth fastest).

The double aces of Chūōdai University, which had battled with Komazawa University for the top spot in the last Hakone race, also competed in the same race, but the results were 28:01.02 for Yamato Yoshii and 28:25.70 for Shōta Nakano (4th year), a “dismal defeat” if one only looks at the times.

However, this difference may lead to a big turnaround in the New Year’s race. This is because it is rare for a winter 10,000m runner to run in the 27:00 range in the Hakone Ekiden.

In the past, Juntendo University’s Kazuya Shiojiri (27, now at Fujitsu) marked 27:47.87 for 10,000m in his junior year, but finished 10th in the second section in Hakone. The following winter, he did not run the 10,000m but concentrated on Hakone, running the second section in 1:06:45, the best Japanese record at that time. In contrast to Komada University, which was greedy for time this time, Chūdai University entered the 10,000m race in the winter with “the image of running a half-marathon as an intermediate race.

Komadai’s winning pattern is to take the lead in the early stages of the race and proceed with ease. The slight concerns of the champions are the lack of experienced runners in the second section, which is difficult to attack and can easily create a gap, and the fact that Sato has never run more than 20 km in an official race. It remains to be seen how well he will be able to show his ability when the race turns into a chase.