<38th Izumo Ekiden> Soka University Ekiden Team Finishes 9th! ~Records University Record Time~
On October 12th (Monday, a national holiday), the 38th Izumo All-Japan University Ekiden Race (Shimane Prefecture, Izumo Taisha Shrine to Izumo Dome, 6 sections, 45.1 km) was held. Soka University's Ekiden team, participating for the sixth consecutive year, recorded a university record time of 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 31 seconds, finishing in 9th place. The Izumo Ekiden, which marks the start of the ekiden season, is considered one of the three major university ekiden races, along with the All-Japan University Ekiden and the Hakone Ekiden. A total of 22 university teams participated in this year's competition.
学生三大駅伝デビューとなった1区の菅野元太選手（1年）は、序盤から先頭集団の一角を担い、レース終盤には一時先頭に出る攻めの走りを見せ、トップから16秒差の8位で2区の織橋巧選手（4年）に襷を繋ぎました。織橋選手は最も短い区間（5.8キロ）を勢いよく駆け抜け、区間2位の記録で順位を3つあげてトップと3秒差のチーム順位5位で3区のスティーブン・ムチーニ選手へ（4年）。
ムチーニ選手は各校のエースが競い合う区間を粘り強く走り抜き区間6位、チーム順位5位を維持して村上遵世選手（1年）に襷を繋ぎました。初の学生三大駅伝となった村上選手は、一つでも順位をあげようと懸命に走り抜き、区間6位の好走でチーム順位5位のまま5区の山口翔輝選手（3年）へ。山口選手は、細かいアップダウンのあるコースに冷静に対応するなど、落ち着いた安定した走りで区間6位と快走。チーム順位6位でアンカーの小池莉希選手（4年）へ。小池選手は襷を受け取ってから最後まで力強い走りを見せ、区間10位の力走でチーム順位9位の結果で出雲ドームのゴールテープを切りました。
Coach Kazuki Enoki stated, "Although we fielded our best team ever for this competition, we were unable to take the lead throughout and were unable to create the race we had hoped for. We accept the reality that the running ability of other universities was superior to ours. We will use the lessons learned and the positive experiences of each runner as motivation to re-evaluate the team as a whole. We will rebuild into a strong team so that we can compete for the top spots in the All Japan University Ekiden and the Hakone Ekiden. Thank you for your warm support."
Comments from the players who participated.
○1区 菅野元太選手（1年）：初めての大学駅伝は大声援の中で緊張感があり、焦りから自分らしい走りができず力不足を痛感するレースとなりました。しっかりと走り込んで体を作り、どんな舞台でも動じない強さを身につけたいです。出雲では同期の活躍にも大いに刺激を受けたので、全日本大学駅伝では借りを返したいと思います。
○Section 2 Takumi Orihashi (4th year): I received the baton in a good position and the race unfolded in a way that made it easy for me to run, but I was unable to pull away in the final sprint, leaving me with a lot of regret. I made my move around 1km from the finish but couldn't pull away, and I keenly feel my own shortcomings. On the other hand, I was able to run close to my target time, which has given me confidence. Towards the All Japan University Ekiden and the Hakone Ekiden, I will use this disappointment as motivation to hone my finishing speed and aim for the team's highest ranking and record ever.
○Section 3: Steven Mucini (4th year): My goal for the Izumo Ekiden was to win the section prize. Although my condition wasn't bad, I struggled with the heat, and my speed was still an area where I need to improve. However, being able to maintain my own pace and persevere until the end is a valuable lesson for the future. At the All Japan University Ekiden, I want to further improve my speed and stamina, win the section prize, and contribute to the team.
○Section 4 Junsei Murakami (1st year): This was my first university ekiden, but I couldn't reach my target time and it was a race where I keenly felt my lack of strength compared to top-level athletes. I was very inspired by the performance of my fellow first-year students and classmates, so I would like to improve my aptitude by increasing the distance of my training and prepare thoroughly for the All Japan University Ekiden and Hakone Ekiden.
○Section 5 Shohei Yamaguchi (3rd year): I was able to maintain a consistent pace from the start of the race and fulfill my minimum role by exceeding my target time, but I keenly felt the difference in explosive power and running ability compared to the top runners from other universities. Personally, I will cherish the feeling that I was able to persevere until the end, and in the All Japan University Ekiden, where the distance will increase from here, I will run in my strong section to directly contribute to a higher ranking and help improve the team's position.
○Section 6: Riki Koike (4th year): I was doing well in the early stages of the race and felt I had a chance to aim for second place, but due to some discomfort in my physical condition just before the race, I was unable to run my best and ended up with a disappointing result that made me painfully aware of my lack of strength. I ran only out of a sense of responsibility that I had to run, and I deeply regret that I was unable to contribute to the team and my teammates with a result. I will properly readjust my mind and body and in the next All Japan University Ekiden, I will run in a way that makes people think "Koike is back" and I will definitely get my revenge.
*All images are ©Getsuriku
