The first two regional qualifying races for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden corporate men’s national championships happened Monday in the two most competitive regions, the Tokyo-area East Japan region and Fukuoka-centered Kyushu region. The New Year Ekiden is pretty much the only major ekiden that doesn’t have a seeded podium that guarantees top-placing teams a place at the follow year’s race, meaning
Source: japanrunningnews.blogspot.com