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The All-Japan Interprefectural Ekiden Championships are two annual ekiden (road running relay) competitions between the 47 Prefectures of Japan. The championships are both held in January and are divided by gender. The Empress Cup - Interprefectural Women's Ekiden is held in Kyoto on the third Sunday in January. The Interprefectural Men's Ekiden is held in Hiroshima in recent years on the fourth Sunday of January.

Women's Championship

The Empress Cup - Interprefectural Women's Ekiden Championship is held in Kyoto on the third Sunday in January. The 2012 running marks the 30th annual event. Forty seven teams from the 47 prefectures of Japan compete. The course is the same as the course for the high school boys national ekiden race held on the third Sunday of December, except that the women's relay has 9 stages (rather than 7) over the 42.195 kilometers. The stages are 6k 4k 3k 4k 4.0175k 4.0875k 4k 3k and 10k. The two 3k stages are reserved for junior high athletes and generally high school athletes run the 5 stages that are 4k or just over 4k. Collegiate and open runners take the 6k and 10k stages. The mixed-age squads maintain a rapid pace. In 2009 the first 10 team teams finished under 2 hours and 20 minutes, and 12 teams broke 2:20 in 2012. In 2009, the team from Kyoto took its 13th championship, and as of that year, in the ekiden's 20 years Kyoto has only twice placed outside the top 6. Okayama took its first ever title in 2010, Kyoto reclaimed it in 2011, and in 2012 Kyoto finished second, a minute back from the winning team from neighboring Osaka.

• Note: Jr.HS = Junior High School, H.S.= High School

Men's Championship

In the men's All-Japan Interprefectural Ekiden Championship, 7 runners run 48 kilometers in stages of 7k 3k 8.5k 5k 8.5k 3k and 13k. In both races, each team is composed of runners selected to represent one prefecture, a total of 47 teams in each race. The majority of the team members are high school and junior high school elite runners. Junior high runners are assigned to the two 3k stages and high school runners are assigned to the 7k, the 5k and 8.5k stages. Open runners are placed in the remaining 8.5k stage and the 13k stage. Despite the youth, the first 7 men's teams in 2009 finished under 2 hours and 21 minutes (48k), the equivalent of 14:40 5k pace or 8:48 3k pace. In 2009 the team from Nagano took its 5th title in 6 years.

• Note: Jr HS = Junior High School, HS= High School

References

1. (course map)
2. (course map Archived 2012-01-24 at the Wayback Machine)
3. map in Japanese
4. All Japan Interprefectural Women's Ekiden. Track and Field Monthly (Japanese), March 2009 vol 43 # 4, pages 94-97, 108-111, 156-157.
5. Larner, Brett. Moe Kyuma Surprise Star of Kyoto's 5th-Straight National Interprefectural Women's Ekiden Win. January 11, 2009 Japanrunningnews.blogspot. accessed Feb 19, 2009.
6. Nakamura, Ken. Kyoto Prefecture Wins fifth straight Inter-Prefectural Women’s Ekiden title. January 11, 2009, International Association of Athletics Federations. iaaf.org/news. accessed Feb 19, 2009.
7. Nakamura, Ken. Kyoto Dominates Inter-Prefectural Women's Ekiden. January 13, 2008, International Association of Athletics Federations. iaaf.org/news. accessed Feb 19, 2009.
8. Nakamura, Ken. Kyoto Three-peat in Women’s Ekiden. 14 January 2007, International Association of Athletics Federations. iaaf.org/news. accessed Feb 19, 2009.
9. Nakamura, Ken. Inter-Prefectural Women’s Ekiden in Kyoto. 16 January 2002, International Association of Athletics Federations. iaaf.org/news. accessed Feb 19, 2009.
10. (Hiroshima course map Archived 2012-01-24 at the Wayback Machine
11. Larner, Brett. Entry Lists for National Interprefectural Women's Ekiden Released. December 26, 2008 japanrunningnews.blogspot. accessed Feb. 18, 2009.
12. Nagano Men 2 Successive Titles; Kyoto Women 5 Successive Titles. Track and Field Magazine (Japanese), March 2009, vol 55 #5, pages 22-25, 58-77.
13. All Japan Interprefectural Men's Ekiden. Track and Field Monthly (Japanese), March 2009, vol 43 #4, pages 91-93, 100-102, 154-155.
14. Nakamura, Ken. Nagano Prefecture Wins Inter-Prefectural Men’s EkidenJanuary 18, 2009, International Association of Athletics Federations. iaaf.org. accessed Feb 19, 2009.
15. Larner, Brett. Nagano Breaks National Interprefectural Ekiden Course Record. January 18, 2009 Japanrunningnews.blogspot. accessed Feb 19, 2009.

External links

• Official website for Women's Championship
• Official website for Men's Championship

Women's results and discussion

• 2009
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012

Men's results and discussion

• 2009
• 2010
• 2011

v t e Ekiden races
	All-Japan High School Ekiden Championship All-Japan Corporate Ekiden Championships Men Women Qualification rounds All-Japan Inter-Prefectural Ekiden Championships Men Women America's Ekiden Asahi Ekiden Atlanta Ekiden (USA) Barcelona International Women's Ekiden Berlin Ekiden Gifu to Nagoya Ekiden Hakone Ekiden International Chiba Ekiden Paris Ekiden Round-Kyūshū Ekiden Seoul International Women's Ekiden Women's Kita-Kyushu Ekiden Yokohama International Women's Ekiden
See also Athletics in Japan Relay race

• Ekiden
• Road running competitions in Japan