The corporate

ekiden is a long-distance running multi-stage relay race, mostly held on roads.Otake, Tomoko. ''One for All.'' Dec. 28, 200The Japan Times accessed Feb. 19, 2009. The original Japanese term had nothing to do with a sport or a competition, but it sim ...

competition is a series of races contested between Japan's corporate (business) running teams. The championships are officially the ),The structure involves regional qualifying races and a national championship for women and for men.Nakamura, Ken (2011-01-01)
Toyota takes first New Year Ekiden title
IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-01-16.

Women's Championship

The All-Japan Women’s Corporate (Jitsugyodan) Ekiden Championship is held in mid December after 3 regional qualifying ekide
(2011 summary)
events, narrowing the field to 24 to 27 teams, although new qualification standards in 2011 increased the field to 33 teams. In addition to teams coming from the East Japan qualifying meet, there are teams from the Central Japan and Western Japan qualifying meets.

Men's Championship

The All-Japan Men's Corporate Ekiden Championship, also called the

New Year Ekiden The New Year Ekiden, (officially the ), is an annual men's ekiden (road running relay) over 100 kilometres which takes place in Japan's Gunma Prefecture on 1 January. The race is a national championship contested between Japan's corporate (busi ...

, takes place in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima ...

on 1 January.

Qualification Structure

Teams gain qualification into the final ekiden race through a series of preliminaries which are principally conducted on a district-by-district basis.Nakamura, Ken (2005-12-30)
Preview of the 50th ‘New Year Ekiden’

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

. Retrieved on 2012-01-16. The Eastern Japan Corporate Ekiden Championship qualifies men's and women's teams. Two other qualifying meets for the women are held for Central Japan and Western Japan
(women's divisions detailed in Japanese)
The Western Japan women's qualifying race (6 stages, 42.195 km, 31st race on October 23, 2011) begins in

Munakata, Fukuoka is a city in Japan, located in Fukuoka Prefecture, in the north Chikuzen region of the prefecture. The city was founded on April 1, 1981. As of April 30, 2022, the city has an estimated population of 97,098 and a population density of 810 perso ...

website
The men have a slightly different patter
(men's divisions detailed in Japanese)
One of the men's qualifying races is the Kyushu men's qualifying race (7 stages, 78.8 km, 48th on November 23, 2011), which begins in

Fukuoka City is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

and ends in Kita Kyushu city
2010 video
Other regionals include Kansai Jitsugyodan Ekiden (2010 - 53rd, held in Tabe), Chubu Jitsugyodan Ekiden (2010 - 50th, held in Gero, Gifu), Hokuriku Jitsugyodan Ekiden (2010 - 40th, held in Gero, Gifu), and Chugoku Jitsugyodan Ekiden (2010 - 49th, held in Sera, Hiroshima).

Qualification Round - Eastern Japan Corporate Ekiden Championships

Konosu City, Saitama Prefecture, has hosted for several years the men's and women's Eastern Japan Corporate (Jitsugyodan) Ekiden Championships
2011 meet website
. The meet site is Kumagaya Sports Culture Park
熊谷スポーツ文化公園陸上競技
. This meet is a regional qualifier for the December women's and January 1 men's national championships. The women run a 6-stage 42.195 kilometer (full marathon) race and the men run a 7-stage 77.5 km race. The 2011 race was the meet's 22nd women's championship and the men's 52nd
2011 race highlights in English

Men

Women

Qualification Round - Western Japan Corporate Ekiden Championships

The Western Japan women's qualifying race (6 stages, 42.195 km) begins in

website
The 31st annual race was held on October 23, 2011.

References

{{Ekiden Ekiden Road running competitions in Japan Sport in Gunma Prefecture ja:全日本実業団対抗駅伝競走大会