Ekiden

Ekiden ( Japanese 駅 伝 競走 , ekiden kyōsō , dt. About: "Station message forwarding race") is a collective name for relay races in the long-distance range .

history

The Ekiden form of competition developed from a communication and transport system of the 17th century between the Shogunate seat of Edo (today Tokyo ) and the imperial residence of Kyoto . The first Ekiden athletic competition was sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper in 1917 and ran over three days and 516 km from Kyoto to Tokyo to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the relocation of the capital of Japan . Instead of a message, a ribbon (“tasuki”) is handed over at today's Ekiden competitions. The length of the individual stages as well as the entire route varies: while distances are common in the school sector, with the individual stages between 2 and 10 km long, the world's longest Ekiden race around Kyūshū covers a distance of 1064 km, divided into 72 stages.

The marathon relay (42.195 km)

The best-known form of Ekiden is the marathon relay. In its standardized form with six runners and stage lengths of 5 km, 10 km, 5 km, 10 km, 5 km and 7.195 km, it is a discipline that is included in the IAAF's list of world records in athletics . The world's best time for men is 1:57:06 hours, set by Kenya ( Josphat Muchiri Ndambiri , Martin Irungu Mathathi , Daniel Muchunu Mwangi , Mekubo Mogusu , Onesmus Nyerre , John Kariuki ) on November 23, 2005 in Chiba ; that of women is 2:11:41 hours, established by China ( Jiang Bo , Dong Yanmei , Zhao Fengting , Ma Zaijie , Lan Lixin , Lin Na ) on February 28, 1998 in Beijing .

Since the 1980s there have been efforts to establish Ekidenlaufen internationally in competitive sports. In 1988, for example, a 50 km relay was held in central New York City . In 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998 the IAAF World Championships were held in the marathon relay. After the end of this championship, such top-class Ekiden races are almost exclusively limited to Japan. Probably the most famous international race has been held in Chiba on Labor Day in November since 1988 (with around 15 relays from all continents). There have been mixed relays since 2007.

IAAF World Championships in the marathon relay

Marathon Relay World Championships
Women	Men	City Country)
April 18, 1998 April 13, 1996 April 16, 1994 May 9, 1992	April 19, 1998 April 14, 1996 April 17, 1994 May 10, 1992	Manaus ( Brazil ) Copenhagen ( Denmark ) Litochoro ( Greece ) Funchal ( Portugal )

Results of the marathon relay world championships

World Championships 1998 in Manaus

Marathon Relay World Championships 1998 in Manaus (men)
runner	time	space	runner	time	space	runner	time	space
Gold Kenya John Kibowen Paul Koech Benjamin Limo Thomas Nyariki John Kosgei Paul Kosgei	2:01:13 h 13:44 min 28:40 min 14:04 min 29:33 min 14:28 min 20:44 min	2 1 1 1 1 1	Silver Ethiopia Million Wolde Ayele Mezgebu Berhanu Aldane Tesfaye Tola Fita Bayissa Alene Emire	2:03:47 h 13:44 min 29:29 min 14:29 min 30:14 min 14:16 min 21:35 min	1 2 2 2 2 2	Bronze Brazil Elenilson da Silva Tomix da Costa Ronaldo da Costa Daniel Ferreira Leonardo Guedes Sergio da Silva	2:04:50 h 13:59 min 30:14 min 14:28 min 30:11 min 14:43 min 21:15 min	3 4 3 3 3 3

Marathon Relay World Championships 1998 in Manaus (women)
Runner	time	space	Runner	time	space	Runner	time	space
Gold Ethiopia Yimenashu Taye Getenesh Wami Gennet Gebregeorgis Asha Gigi Ayelech Worku Merima Denboba	2:21:15 h 15:58 min 33:07 min 16:18 min 35:00 min 16:18 min 24:34 min	2 1 1 1 1 1	Silver Kenya Jackline Maranga Jane Omoro Leah Malot Susan Chepkemei Naomi Mugo Sally Barsosio	2:21:49 h 15:39 min 34:06 min 16:33 min 34:53 min 16:29 min 24:29 min	1 2 2 2 2 2	Bronze Romania Stela Olteanu Alina Tecuta Mariana Chirila Christina Pomacu Constantina Diță Lutminitha Gogirlca	2:24:13 h 16:24 min 33:42 min 17:15 min 34:33 min 16:42 min 25:37 min	4 3 4 3 3 3

World Championships 1996 in Copenhagen / Denmark

World Relay Marathon Championships 1996 in Copenhagen (men)
runner	time	space	runner	time	space	runner	time	space
Gold Kenya Simon Rono Joseph Kimani Mark Yatich Stephen Kirwa David Kipruto William Kiptum	2:00:40 h 13:45 min 28:33 min 14:33 min 29:00 min 14:09 min 20:40 min	1 1 1 1 1 1	Silver Brazil Warner Moura Vanderlei de Lima Edgar de Oliveira Delmir dos Santos Tomix da Costa Ronaldo da Costa	2:01:24 h 13:49 min 29:10 min 14:26 min 28:31 min 14:26 min 21:02 min	3 2 2 2 2 2	Bronze Ethiopia Erpassa Lemi Kidane Gebremichael Sisay Bezebah Abraham Assefa Tegenu Abebe Worku Bikila	2:01:50 h 13:58 min 29:20 min 14:23 min 29:13 min 14:42 min 20:14 min	5 3 3 3 3 3

Marathon Relay World Championships 1996 in Copenhagen (women)
Runner	time	space	Runner	time	space	Runner	time	space
Gold Ethiopia Gennet Gebregeorgis Birhane Adere Ayelech Worku Getenesh Wami Getenesh Urge Luchia Yishak	2:16:04 h 15:53 ​​min 32:21 min 16:15 min 32:25 min 16:00 min 23:10 min	1 1 1 1 1 1	Silver Romania Iulia Ionescu Mariana Chirila Lelia Deselnecu Iulia Negura Lutminitha Gogirlca Elena Fidatov	2:18:41 h 15:59 min 33:21 min 16:16 min 32:53 min 16:33 min 23:39 min	3 3 3 2 3 2	Bronze Japan Yukiko Okamoto Naomi Sakashita Ai Fukuchi Ikuyo Goto Noriko Ura Eri Yamaguchi	2:18:58 h 15:56 min 32:56 min 16:11 min 33:38 min 16:08 min 24:09 min	2 2 2 3 2 3

1994 World Championships in Litochoro

Marathon Relay World Championships 1994 in Litochoro (men)
runner	time	space	runner	time	space	runner	time	space
Gold Morocco Brahim Jabbour El-Arbi Khattabi Hicham El Guerrouj Salah Hissou Brahim Boutaib Khalid Skah	1:57:56 h 13:35 min 28:44 min 13:43 min 27:57 min 13:53 min 20:04 min	2 3 1 1 1 1	Silver Ethiopia Worku Bikila Badilu Kibret Abraham Assefa Fita Bayissa Chala Kelele Haile Gebrselassie	1:58:51 h 13:30 min 28:36 min 14:17 min 28:52 min 14:09 min 19:27 min	1 2 2 2 2 2	Bronze Kenya Peter Ndirangu Joseph Kibor Clement Kiprotich Paul Yego John Kiprono Simon Rono	2:04:50 h 13:40 min 28:19 min 14:16 min 29:56 min 13:55 min 20:45 min	3 1 2 3 3 3

Marathon Relay World Championships 1994 in Litochoro (women)
Runner	time	space	Runner	time	space	Runner	time	space
Gold Russia Tatiana Pentukova Nadezdha Galliamova Elena Kavaklioglu Natalya Sorokivaskaya Elena Romanova Olga Churbanova	2:17:19 h 16:12 min 32:59 min 15:45 min 33:21 min 15:48 min 23:14 min	2 2 1 1 1 1	Silver Ethiopia Askale Bereda Derartu Tulu Leila Aman Gadisse Edato Birhan Dagne Asha Gigi	2:19:09 h 16:05 min 32:26 min 16:31 min 33:47 min 16:13 min 24:07 min	1 1 2 2 2 2	Bronze Romania Daniela Bran Alina Tecuta Mariana Chirila Anuța Cătună Florina Pană Iulia Negura	2:19:18 h 16:29 min 33:17 min 16:02 min 33:16 min 16:49 min 23:26 min	5 4 4 3 3 3

World Championships 1992 in Funchal

Marathon Relay World Championships 1992 in Funchal (men)
runner	time	space	runner	time	space	runner	time	space
Gold Kenya Eliud Barngetuny William Koech Ezekiel Bitok William Sigei Richard Tum William Mutwol	2:00:02 h 13:54 min 28:13 min 14:08 min 29:21 min 14:16 min 20:10 min	1 1 1 1 1 1	Silver Portugal Carlos Patricio Dionísio Castro Alberto Maravilha Juvenal Ribeiro Juan Carlos Montero Domingos Castro	2:01:34 h 13:58 min 28:51 min 14:09 min 29:47 min 14:21 min 20:28 min	2 2 2 2 2 2	Bronze UK Carl Udall David Clarke John Mayock Colin Walker John Sherban Dave Lewis	2:02:34 h 14:11 min 29:30 min 13:59 min 29:30 min 14:25 min 20:59 min	6 5 3 3 3 3

Marathon Relay World Championships 1992 in Funchal (women)
Runner	time	space	Runner	time	space	Runner	time	space
Gold Portugal Fernanda Marques Aurora Cunha Felicidade Sena Conceição Ferreira Fatima Neves Fernanda Ribeiro	2:20:14 h 16:15 min 34:09 min 16:28 min 33:00 min 17:00 min 23:22 min	2 1 1 1 1 1	Silver Denmark Berit Worm Dorthe Rasmussen Anita Palshoj Aino Slej Nina Christiansen Bettina Anderson	2:24:42 h 17:19 min 33:08 min 17:20 min 35:39 min 16:52 min 24:24 min	1 2 2 2 2 2	Bronze Spain Begona Heracz Carmen Brunet Cristina Nogue Ana Isabel Alonso Rocío Ríos Rosa Perez	2:25:06 h 16:35 min 34:56 min 16:45 min 35:19 min 16:38 min 24:44 min	3 4 3 3 3 3

Ekiden runs for recreational athletes

In the popular sports area, on the other hand, Ekidenlaufen are enjoying increasing international popularity. In Switzerland , the Ekiden is only offered in its standardized form in Basel as part of the Run to the Beat Basel . An example of an Ekiden over a longer distance is the Swiss SOLA relay . One Ekiden organized through virtual collaboration is the Deutschlandstaffel , a relay race across Germany that has taken place twice so far. Even with fun runs over the marathon distance, an Ekiden is now often offered as a side competition, partly to introduce hobby runners to longer distances, partly to achieve higher numbers of participants. Many company runs are also organized according to the Ekiden principle.

List of Ekidenlauf in the leisure area

• Around Kyūshū (region in southern Japan) - 1064 km, divided into 72 stages
• Run to the Beat Basel (Switzerland) - marathon relay over 5 km - 10 km - 5 km - 10 km - 5 km and 7.195 km.
• SOLA relay (Zurich - Switzerland) - 116 km, 14 stages
• Batavier race (Netherlands) - approx. 185 kilometers between Nijmegen and Enschede, since 1973, 25 stages
• Deutschlandstaffel (Germany) - 2004 and 2006 - 3555 km in 247 sections from 5 to 32 kilometers, ran continuously day and night. A total of 3555 kilometers was covered
• Lauf-KulTour - Germany - since 2007, 12 students at Chemnitz University of Technology , 4000 km in 16 days
• Orienteering relay (especially in Scandinavia)
• Cross-country relay (3 or 4 times 6 or 8 km)
• Half marathon relay (2 times quarter marathon, 2 different distances ...)
• Relay marathon (2 times half marathon, 4 times quarter marathon, 4 different distances ...)

Web links

Commons : Ekiden  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• International Ekiden (Marathon) Relays on gbrathletics (list of results 1983-2006)

Footnotes

1. ↑ Nishinippon Shimbun: Prince Takamatsu Cup Nishinippon Round-Kyūshū Ekiden ( Memento of the original from April 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ^ IAAF: Kenyan men win in Chiba with World's fastest ever time ( Memento of November 27, 2005 in the Internet Archive ). November 23, 2005
3. ^ The New York Times : Ekiden; Japanese-Style Race Captured by Ireland . April 10, 1988
4. ↑ arrs.run: IAAF World Road Relay Championships .
5. ↑ Website of the International Chiba Ekiden ( Memento of the original from August 31, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ^ Result list of the IAAF Manaus men , from: arrs.run. (English)
7. ^ Result list of the IAAF Manaus women , from: arrs.run. (English)
8. ^ Result list of the IAAF Copenhagen men , from: arrs.run. (English)
9. ^ Result list of the IAAF Copenhagen women , from: arrs.run. (English)
10. ^ Result list of the IAAF Litochoro men , from: arrs.run. (English)
11. ^ Result list of the IAAF Litochoro women , from: arrs.run. (English)
12. ^ Result list of the IAAF Funchal men , from: arrs.run. (English)
13. ^ Result list of the IAAF Funchal women , from: arrs.run. (English)