by Brett Larner
Thanks in part to outstanding runs from rising stars Risa Shigetomo and Kaori Urata and a return to form by ailing ace Yurika Nakamura, Team Tenmaya took its first-ever win at the National Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden Championships on Dec. 19. Tenmaya runners cruising mid-pack on the first two stages, Nakamura moved the team into a three-way tie for 3rd on the 10,0 km ace Third Stage. Little changed for the team on the Fourth Stage, but Shigetomo had a superb performance, moving up from 4th to overtake leader Azusa Nojiri (Team Daiichi Seimei) and claim the stage best title by the largest margin of any runner in the entire ekiden. Kicking off with a 2:57 first km, anchor Urata likewise took the stage best title and was never threatened as she brought the team home in 2:14:35 for the 42.195 km course.
Looking at the overall race, it was a relatively even field as many teams came to the championships with at least one key member having had a problem-plagued season. 2009 …