Last Friday, Imperial competed in the second edition of the UK Ekiden. On an absolutely scorching day, we relayed our Tasuki from Windsor Castle to Reading and back, 114km in 8:25:23 over 10 legs.
The event started the night before with introductions to the fabulous team that organised this year’s Ekiden, many of the high-profile sponsors (CEOs of Asics, the FT Nikkei and Japan Airlines), two Japanese teams that had flown over just for the race, and Eilish McColgan and Beth Potter.
On race day, 6am wake-ups got us on the shuttle buses to the event base at the foot of Windsor Castle. As everyone organised themselves for a long day of racing, we turned to Noah to lead us out on the first leg. Hear from Noah and some of our other athletes about how they found their legs:
Noah Clarke – Leg 1 from Windsor to Maidenhead:
The first leg meant I got to start with all the teams; I loved the atmosphere and cheering at the beginning. My leg was fortunately shaded for a large proportion – serendipitous for such a hot day, and it was an exciting battle for third position between me and the first leg runners of Leeds and Ritsumeikan.
Thomas Homes – Leg 3 from Bisham Abbey to Henley:
A really scenic leg that ran through fields and along trails between Bisham Abbey and Henley. I particularly enjoyed running past all the rowers and spectators at the Women’s Henley Regatta and getting to watch some racing!
Harriet Dray – Leg 4 from Henley to Sonning:
Although the heat and the terrain made it challenging, I really enjoyed leg 4. Given we train in London, the opportunity to run on a rural part of the Thames path and have that scenery as part of race is something that felt very unique. We ran directly alongside the river and saw very few people which came with its challenges, but I think also made it easier to concentrate on the running and work hard.
Back at Windsor, we were eagerly watching the live trackers with the other universities. While UCL were pulling away from us, we were in a tight race with Leeds Beckett, Durham, and Cardiff as we all fought to make the cut-off.
Hannah Corbett – Leg 5 from Sonning to Reading:
The 5.4km leg to Reading was mainly very flat except the elevation of crossing a bridge. The leg stuck to the Thames Path with the river on the right hand side and was a mixture of paved roads and fields. As I was finishing, my name was called out by the commentator before I handed over to Hanka and she was introduced, we were minutes away from being cut off so I was very glad when I saw Hanka there at the handover point as I handed her the Tasuki sash.
Euan Turner – Leg 8 from Henley to Bisham Abbey
The women’s regatta was in full swing as I had to weave my way through the crowds. Dodging boats and oars being carried all over the paths made catching two teams in front of us more challenging, but I managed to do that before hitting one of the small hills along the route. There was a strong sense of camaraderie with the other runners already finished when I arrived at Bisham Abbey, and those finishing after me. We’d all struggled in the heat, but loved the spirit of Ekiden.
As Walty took off on the ninth leg, we were in the hunt to catch Edinburgh. The chase continued all the way down to the final lap of the field – Blue had them in her sights the whole way round as they narrowly finished a minute before us.
We absolutely loved the UK Ekiden and the new style of event it brought to British university distance running. The atmosphere was unlike anything else, and the relay-style format brought the team together in a way that can only be described as the spirit of Ekiden. We cannot wait to experience it again next year!