Overview
- The 31st National Prefectural Men’s Ekiden was contested on January 18 in Hiroshima over seven legs totaling 48 kilometers.
- Miyagi seized the lead from the third leg and anchor Yamahira finished roughly 30 seconds clear of the runner-up.
- Suzuki’s dominant first-leg run reset the section record by 25 seconds, giving Miyagi early momentum.
- Three athletes with Sendai Ikuei High School ties competed for Miyagi, underscoring the prefecture’s development pipeline.
- Nagasaki completed the race in 47th at 2:29:25 after a dehydration scare for its first-leg runner and a near forced restart on leg six, while Saga placed 26th in 2:20:44 with stronger late legs and a stated goal of top eight next year.