By Brett Larner

An Ethiopian team comprised mostly of teenagers outside their home country for the first time defeated defending champion Japan to win the 2008 International Chiba Ekiden in the event’s second year featuring mixed-gender teams. The Ethiopian team covered the six stage, 42.195 km course in a record time of 2:05:27, taking four of the six stage best titles and setting two individual stage records. Japan was 2nd in 2:06:39.

Forecast rain began just moments before the start of the ekiden, with conditions deteriorating to a steady downpour and gusting wind by race’s end. Ethiopia’s Ali Abdosh ran 13:34 to open a 7-second gap on Japan’s Yusei Nakao over the 5 km 1st stage, but Japanese women’s 1500 m record holder Yuriko Kobayashi made up the difference on the 5 km 2nd stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Sule Utura and clocking 15:08 to break 5000 m national record holder Kayoko Fukushi’s stage record… More report and videos here