Izumo Ekiden: Major universities prepare for upcoming student long-distance race

The Izumo Ekiden, one of Japan's three major student ekiden races, is set to commence on October 12 in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. The 45.1-kilometer race across six sections will feature several prominent university teams.

Komazawa University has departed for Shimane via Haneda Airport, aiming for its sixth title. The team's lineup features a mix of rookies in the early stages and experienced upperclassmen, including Shunsuke Kuwata and Haru Tanaka, in the later sections. Due to heatstroke prevention measures, the race start time has been moved from the afternoon to 9:10 AM.

Representing Hokkaido, Sapporo Gakuin University and Hokkaido University are also participating. Sapporo Gakuin enters with momentum following a dominant nine-consecutive victory at the Hokkaido University Ekiden Championship. Their team aims to improve upon last year's 13th-place finish by targeting 12th place or higher. Hokkaido University is also seeking to surpass its previous best result of 19th place.