Yudai Shimazu took the lead in the fourth stage and Yuta Mikami brought it home in the fifth as Soka University finished on top Saturday on the first day of the Tokyo-Hakone Intercollegiate Ekiden for the first time in its history, while defending champion Aoyama Gakuin University lagged well behind in 12th place.
Soka, competing in the 97th edition of the traditional race between East Japan universities for just the fourth time, clocked 5 hours 28 minutes 8 seconds over the five stages covering 107.5 kilometers from Tokyo to Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, to finish 2:14 ahead of Toyo University heading into Sunday's 109.6-kilometer return journey.
"I never could have predicted this," Soka coach Kazutaka Enoki said. "The runners did a great job."
Although none of its runners posted the top time for their individual stage, Shimazu and Mikami, both juniors, had second-best efforts to mark the momentous day for Soka.
But the Hachioji, Tokyo, school, whose best previous overall finish was ninth, faces a daunting task in a bid to be the first across the line Sunday in front of The Yomiuri Shimbun headquarters in Tokyo's Otemachi business district.
Just under 3-1/2 minutes separates the top five teams, putting the others well within striking distance of the leader. Komazawa University, winner of the All-Japan collegiate ekiden, was 2:21 behind Soka in third, followed by Teikyo University (2:31) and Tokai University (3:27).
"Falling behind in the first and second legs took a toll," said a disappointed Komazawa coach Hiroaki Oyagi. "We had been aiming to be on top."
Komazawa's hopes took a hit when sophomore Ren Tazawa, considered among Japan's top collegians, could only post the seventh-fastest time in the 23.1-kilometer second stage, leaving the school in eighth place at that point.
"He was slow over the first 5K and didn't pick it up," Oyagi said. "I don't think he is very satisfied with that."
It was in the second leg that the lone stage record of the day was set, with Tokyo International University's Yegon Vincent clocking 1:05:49 to eclipse the previous record by eight seconds.
The other stage winners were: Hosei University's Koki Kamata (first), Tokai's Shotaro Ishihara (third), Yamanashi Gakuin University's Paul Onyiego (fourth) and Teikyo's Shoma Hosoya (fifth).
Aoyama Gakuin lagged behind from the start and never got in gear before finishing 12th overall, 7:35 behind the leader. With the championship likely out of reach, the Tokyo school will look to ensure a top-10 finish and an automatic place in next year's race.
Soka got off to a good start when senior Yuichi Fukuda finished third in the first leg, 15 seconds behind Kamata, and sophomore Philip Mulwa put the school into second place in the second leg. Sophomore Jun Kasai ran a strong third stage to keep Soka in second behind Tokai, before Shimazu took over the lead early in the fourth. Mikami was never challenged in finishing up the mountainous fifth stage and day's victory.
"I gave it everything," said Mikami, who had the third-fastest time of the stage.
"The guys from the first stage to the fourth put me in a good position. I wanted to have that momentum carry over to the return legs [on Sunday]."
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