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The first Ekiden Relay was held in 1917 between the Japanese cities of Kyoto and Tokyo. It was not, however, until 1983 that the first international race (i.e. between national teams) was staged in Yokohama. In 1986 the IAAF staged a World Challenge Road Relay in Hiroshima. The event spread to Europe and North America in the late 1980's and in 1992 the IAAF instituted a World Road Relay Championships. The World Championships, however, were not held after 1998 and International Ekiden Relays are now largely confined to the East Asian region, although a North American Men's Marathon Relay Championships was introduced in 2003. International events are usually held over the standard marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres and split into either five (i.e. 2 x 5km, 2 x 10km, 1 x 12.195km) or six (i.e. 3 x 5km, 2 x 10km, 1 x 7.195km) stages, although distances and stage order varies from race to race. This page lists the first three finishers in the major international relays.
| First | Second | Third | ||||
| 1989 1990 1991 |
United States Ethiopia Soviet Union |
2:19:22 2:22:40 2:13:59 |
Japan Portugal Japan |
2:19:25 2:23:14 2:14:18 |
Portugal Romania Portugal |
2:20:32 2:23:32 2:16:05 |
The race was initially known as the Great Wall International Ekiden Relay. A men's race was first held in 2005.
| First | Second | Third | ||||
| 2005 | Kenya | 2:04:17 | Spain | 2:04:47 | Russia | 2:05:57 |
| First | Second | Third | ||||
| 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 |
Soviet Union Unified Team P.R. of China P.R. of China Japan P.R. of China Ethiopia P.R. of China P.R. of China P.R. of China Japan P.R. of China P.R. of China P.R. of China Ethiopia |
2:19:59 2:17:01 2:14:16 2:16:03 2:16:32 2:15:48 2:15:10 2:11:41 2:17:52 2:15:49 2:16:43 2:14:27 2:17:46 2:19:52 2:18:08 |
United States P.R. of China P.R. of China "B" Romania Romania Romania P.R. of China Japan Japan Mexico Ethiopia Japan Ethiopia Japan P.R. of China |
2:20:16 2:17:24 2:16:31 2:20:00 2:17:10 ??? 2:17:17 2:16:13 2:18:07 2:18:31 2:18:12 2:18:05 2:20:51 2:22:31 2:19:36 |
P.R. of China United States Kenya Russia Russia Japan Japan Russia D.P.R. of Korea Ethiopia P.R. of China Ethiopia Mongolia United States Japan |
2:20:35 2:21:55 2:17:20 2:21:33 2:19:16 2:18:27 2:17:23 2:17:26 2:19:13 2:18:57 2:18:35 2:20:19 2:56:55 2:29:57 2:24:32 |
| First | Second | Third | ||||
| 1990 1991 1992 |
Ethiopia Ethiopia Ethiopia |
1:57:54 1:58:20 1:57:08 |
Morocco United States Kenya |
2:00:19 1:59:35 2:00:34 |
Kenya Great Britain & N.I. Germany |
2:00:25 1:59:41 2:00:34 |
The race was initially known as the World Challenge Ekiden Relay and was the successor of the IAAF World Challenge Road Relay held in Hiroshima in 1986.
| First | Second | Third | ||||
| 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 |
Ethiopia not held Japan Australia Australia Morocco Ethiopia Australia South Africa Kenya Japan Japan Japan South Africa Ethiopia Ethiopia Ethiopia Kenya |
1:59:41 2:00:14 1:58:46 2:00:00 2:01:13 2:00:28 2:01:17 2:00:47 1:59:16 2:00:19 2:00:17 1:59:47 2:01:56 1:57:53 1:55:59 1:56:57 1:57:06 |
Australia Mexico Ethiopia Burundi Ethiopia Japan Great Britain & N.I. Great Britain & N.I. Japan Australia South Africa South Africa Japan Kenya Kenya Kenya Japan |
2:00:14 2:00:14 1:59:08 2:00:38 2:01:33 2:00:57 2:02:17 2:01:14 2:00:55 2:00:39 2:00:22 2:01:28 2:02:08 2:00:16 1:58:56 1:59:03 1:58:58 |
Japan Tanzania Brazil Kenya Great Britain & N.I. Great Britain & N.I. Japan Brazil Australia New Zealand Australia Australia Brazil Japan Japan Japan United States |
2:00:17 2:01:04 2:00:04 2:00:51 2:03:19 2:01:27 2:02:17 2:01:33 2:01:21 2:01:29 2:00:48 2:03:07 2:02:14 2:00:19 2:01:53 2:01:43 1:59:08 |
| First | Second | Third | ||||
| 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 |
New Zealand not held Romania Kenya Japan Japan Japan Japan Japan Japan Japan Japan Japan Japan Ethiopia Ethiopia Ethiopia Kenya |
2:15:49 2:17:39 2:15:02 2:18:13 2:17:57 2:15:31 2:16:44 2:13:50 2:14:05 2:16:11 2:15:36 2:15:30 2:13:33 2:14:07 2:11:22 2:11:54 2:13:33 |
United States Japan Soviet Union Ethiopia Russia Russia P.R. of China P.R. of China P.R. of China P.R. of China Russia Ethiopia Ethiopia Japan Kenya Japan Ethiopia |
2:17:09 2:17:42 2:17:14 2:18:26 2:19:52 2:18:12 2:17:51 2:16:42 2:17:20 2:19:25 2:17:08 2:17:30 2:14:26 2:14:42 2:15:37 2:14:15 2:14:16 |
Australia Ethiopia Japan South Africa Australia Kenya Romania Romania Romania Romania P.R. of China Kenya Russia Romania Japan Kenya Russia |
2:18:01 2:18:31 2:17:16 2:20:56 2:21:26 2:19:41 2:20:26 2:17:48 2:18:13 2:20:15 2:17:18 2:18:18 2:17:00 2:16:37 2:15:40 2:15:17 2:14:48 |
| First | Second | Third | ||||
| 1988# 1989* |
Irish Republic Irish Republic |
2:25:12 1:58:20 |
United States United States |
2:26:02 1:58:44 |
Great Britain & N.I. Great Britain & N.I. |
2:27:32 1:59:04 |
# - 50 kilometres, * - 42 kilometres
The only major international mixed race held to date (teams comprised 4 men and 2 women) was marred when all but the 2 leading teams (Great Britain & N.I. and Denmark) went off course on the final stage, thereby cutting approximately 1 kilometre from their total race distance.
| First | Second | Third | ||||
| 1990* | Portugal | 1:59:04 | Morocco | 1:59:33 | Sweden | 1:59:39 |
* - c40 kilometres
The event was discontinued after 2003.
| First | Second | Third | ||||
| 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 |
Kenya P.R. of China Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia |
2:17:08 2:13:14 2:17:16 2:18:52 2:19:27 ??? 2:21:16 2:20:37 2:21:37 2:17:37 2:18:24 2:18:06 |
Romania Kenya Republic of Korea Kenya Japan ??? Japan P.R. of China Romania Japan Japan Japan |
2:21:09 2:17:25 ??? 2:20:06 2:19:55 ??? 2:25:20 2:21:42 2:22:07 2:20:48 2:19:54 2:21:24 |
Unified Team Russia Japan Ukraine Poland ??? Japan "B" Japan P.R. of China Mexico Ukraine Romania |
2:21:45 2:18:42 ??? 2:20:55 2:22:07 ??? 2:26:31 2:23:10 2:22:23 2:21:51 2:22:57 2:25:07 |
| First | Second | Third | ||||
| 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 |
Soviet Union England Soviet Union Norway Portugal Soviet Union P.R. of China Japan P.R. of China Unified Team Japan Russia Japan Japan Japan Japan Japan Kenya Russia Japan Russia Ethiopia Japan Russia |
2:19:53 2:20:54 2:18:27 2:16:42 2:16:49 2:15:41 2:18:33 2:16:31 2:16:23 2:16:38 2:17:06 2:15:31 2:17:31 2:14:15 2:15:46 2:15:07 2:15:06 2:15:14 2:12:50 2:12:05 2:15:10 2:15:46 2:13:40 2:13:55 |
England Australia Canada United States Norway P.R. of China Japan Soviet Union Romania Romania P.R. of China P.R. of China Russia Romania Ethiopia Kyushu JPN Romania Japan Japan International Select Ethiopia Russia Russia P.R. of China |
2:21:57 2:23:50 2:20:18 2:18:51 2:17:38 2:17:36 2:19:40 2:16:37 2:18:12 2:16:41 2:17:54 2:17:30 2:18:44 2:16:35 2:17:59 2:17:48 2:16:45 2:15:36 2:16:13 2:16:37 2:15:16 2:17:05 2:14:21 2:16:48 |
United States Soviet Union England Portugal Soviet Union Japan Soviet Union P.R. of China Soviet Union Great Britain & N.I. Russia Romania Mexico P.R. of China P.R. of China P.R. of China Kyushu JPN Romania Romania Russia Japan Japan Ethiopia Japan |
2:23:41 2:25:24 2:21:25 2:19:22 2:20:11 2:17:40 2:20:55 2:19:17 2:18:28 2:17:31 2:18:50 2:18:03 2:18:45 2:18:43 2:18:16 2:18:00 2:18:22 2:15:43 2:16:39 2:16:44 2:17:23 2:18:37 2:14:37 2:17:28 |
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