From Hakone to Windsor: A Momiji masterclass in the inaugural UK Ekiden
It’s 6 am on Monday 24th June 2024. The Oxford Spires Hotel is abuzz with elite-looking athletes. Gleaming running shoes line the breakfast buffet as carbs are loaded onto plates. It’s the morning of the inaugural UK Ekiden.
At the Momiji table, nerves are rattling. Some of us can’t remember the last time we were up this early, let alone preparing to embark on a long-distance run. Scrambled eggs feel heavy in our stomachs as we begin to wonder whether Couch to 5K training was enough to see us through the challenge ahead.
Making UK Ekiden a reality
Six of Masayo Kidani’s grandchildren raced for Team Momiji
When Momiji was approached to be a founding partner and sponsor of the UK Ekiden, it felt like a perfect venture for the charity. Ekiden is a traditional Japanese long-distance relay race completed by a team of runners. Each runner takes on one leg of a course and is responsible for the safe passage of a tasuki (sash) to the runner of the next leg. Fail to pass the tasuki within prescribed cut-off times and your team is eliminated from the competition.
Ekiden events of differing size and spectacle take place in Japan throughout the year, from school to elite level. Some, like the Hakone New Year Ekiden, are significant national moments drawing millions of viewers, making Ekiden one of the most popular and televised sporting events in Japan.
One of Momiji’s core pillars, set by our Founder Masayo Kidani, is to develop a better understanding of Anglo-Japanese cultures and ways of life. To play a part in bringing one of Japan’s most celebrated sporting traditions to the UK seemed like an unmissable opportunity to honour Masa’s legacy and further her lifelong commitment to relationships between Japan and the UK.
So, teaming up with powerhouse UK Ekiden Founder, Anna Dingley, Momiji joined the likes of The Financial Times and Nikkei as a founding partner. After months of meticulous planning, 18 teams of 10 runners gathered to take on a running challenge like no other, spanning 76 miles (122km) of the iconic Thames River Path. Amongst them – Team Momiji with six of Masa’s grandchildren in the team.
Race day
To spectators’ delight and runners’ dismay, scorching temperatures had hit the south of England. Morning leg runners were beginning to feel smug with their draw, but little did they know Ekiden had some other tricks up its sleeve…
Knowing that we were up against some strong university and corporate opposition, Team Momiji drafted in a wildcard runner for Leg 1, seasoned runner Beau Swallow. But in agreeing to run first, Beau had unwittingly signed himself up to be flag bearer and press spokesperson, partaking in the UK Ekiden opening ceremony and fielding BBC South interviews on the start line. Not the pre-race warm up he’d had in mind, but Beau took it all in his bounding stride completing Leg 1 at an incredible pace and handing over the tasuki in a strong eighth place.
Team Momiji Captain Oscar Beardmore-Gray, having gallantly volunteered to take one of the longer legs of 14.3 km, set off in good spirits. A gruelling football season and the Vancouver outdoor lifestyle had him in peak physical condition, he’d assured his team. However, Oscar had failed to spot the killer hill fiendishly placed at kilometre 13 of Leg 2, arriving at its foot with little left in the tank. Had it not been for the rallying cries of the support crew – Aki, Charles, Yuki, Tom and Rose – it could have been early doors for Team Momiji.
With the tasuki safely in the hands of fresh-legged Ali Olver (and Oscar safely in the recovery position), we were back on track. The pressure was on the runners of Legs 3 and 4, Ali and Luke Olver, to complete the handover to Leg 5 runner, Hana Olver, within the first cut-off time. They did not let us down, and Team Momiji evaded the red elimination tasuki of shame.
Tom Meddings hands over the tasuki sash to Leo Beardmore-Gray (Photo: Phil Hill)
Some more unexpected hills and unrelenting waves of heat later, Hana and Isla had completed Legs 5 and 6. A strong family sequence complete, it was time to call in some more wildcards. Adam Bennett, Martin Potter and Tom Meddings tore up Henley, Marlow and Maidenhead to successfully avoid the second round of elimination whilst making some vital overtakes. Now nearing 6 pm, Leo Beardmore-Gray, fresh from a lie-in and full day of rest and relaxation, was waiting to bring us home.
At 6:35 pm – 10.5 hours from the starting gun – Team Momiji crossed the finish line in seventh place. To the sound of rapturous Japanese drumming and cheering support, the tasuki reached its final stop with a stunning backdrop of Windsor Castle.
The team reunited for celebrations, joined by other members of the Momiji family including trustees Titch Ellis and Ian Pressland. Even Masa’s husband, Yoshio Kidani, completed a leg of his own, walking a considerable distance of uneven Thames Path terrain to witness the finish of the first of hopefully many UK Ekiden races.
‘Run on your own but never alone’. Ekiden is much more than a running race. A team endeavour, a Kidani family affair, and the catalyst nearly £6,000 raised by runners and supporters for Momiji. These funds were directed to KidsFam, the organisation that supports Momiji House in Tokyo, and the Medway Project.
UK Ekiden will be back next year on Friday 20th June. You can find more information here and please get in touch if you’re interested.
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Posted: December 20, 2024 by momiji123
From Hakone to Windsor: A Momiji masterclass in the inaugural UK Ekiden
It’s 6 am on Monday 24th June 2024. The Oxford Spires Hotel is abuzz with elite-looking athletes. Gleaming running shoes line the breakfast buffet as carbs are loaded onto plates. It’s the morning of the inaugural UK Ekiden.
At the Momiji table, nerves are rattling. Some of us can’t remember the last time we were up this early, let alone preparing to embark on a long-distance run. Scrambled eggs feel heavy in our stomachs as we begin to wonder whether Couch to 5K training was enough to see us through the challenge ahead.
Making UK Ekiden a reality
When Momiji was approached to be a founding partner and sponsor of the UK Ekiden, it felt like a perfect venture for the charity. Ekiden is a traditional Japanese long-distance relay race completed by a team of runners. Each runner takes on one leg of a course and is responsible for the safe passage of a tasuki (sash) to the runner of the next leg. Fail to pass the tasuki within prescribed cut-off times and your team is eliminated from the competition.
Ekiden events of differing size and spectacle take place in Japan throughout the year, from school to elite level. Some, like the Hakone New Year Ekiden, are significant national moments drawing millions of viewers, making Ekiden one of the most popular and televised sporting events in Japan.
One of Momiji’s core pillars, set by our Founder Masayo Kidani, is to develop a better understanding of Anglo-Japanese cultures and ways of life. To play a part in bringing one of Japan’s most celebrated sporting traditions to the UK seemed like an unmissable opportunity to honour Masa’s legacy and further her lifelong commitment to relationships between Japan and the UK.
So, teaming up with powerhouse UK Ekiden Founder, Anna Dingley, Momiji joined the likes of The Financial Times and Nikkei as a founding partner. After months of meticulous planning, 18 teams of 10 runners gathered to take on a running challenge like no other, spanning 76 miles (122km) of the iconic Thames River Path. Amongst them – Team Momiji with six of Masa’s grandchildren in the team.
Race day
To spectators’ delight and runners’ dismay, scorching temperatures had hit the south of England. Morning leg runners were beginning to feel smug with their draw, but little did they know Ekiden had some other tricks up its sleeve…
Knowing that we were up against some strong university and corporate opposition, Team Momiji drafted in a wildcard runner for Leg 1, seasoned runner Beau Swallow. But in agreeing to run first, Beau had unwittingly signed himself up to be flag bearer and press spokesperson, partaking in the UK Ekiden opening ceremony and fielding BBC South interviews on the start line. Not the pre-race warm up he’d had in mind, but Beau took it all in his bounding stride completing Leg 1 at an incredible pace and handing over the tasuki in a strong eighth place.
Team Momiji Captain Oscar Beardmore-Gray, having gallantly volunteered to take one of the longer legs of 14.3 km, set off in good spirits. A gruelling football season and the Vancouver outdoor lifestyle had him in peak physical condition, he’d assured his team. However, Oscar had failed to spot the killer hill fiendishly placed at kilometre 13 of Leg 2, arriving at its foot with little left in the tank. Had it not been for the rallying cries of the support crew – Aki, Charles, Yuki, Tom and Rose – it could have been early doors for Team Momiji.
With the tasuki safely in the hands of fresh-legged Ali Olver (and Oscar safely in the recovery position), we were back on track. The pressure was on the runners of Legs 3 and 4, Ali and Luke Olver, to complete the handover to Leg 5 runner, Hana Olver, within the first cut-off time. They did not let us down, and Team Momiji evaded the red elimination tasuki of shame.
Some more unexpected hills and unrelenting waves of heat later, Hana and Isla had completed Legs 5 and 6. A strong family sequence complete, it was time to call in some more wildcards. Adam Bennett, Martin Potter and Tom Meddings tore up Henley, Marlow and Maidenhead to successfully avoid the second round of elimination whilst making some vital overtakes. Now nearing 6 pm, Leo Beardmore-Gray, fresh from a lie-in and full day of rest and relaxation, was waiting to bring us home.
At 6:35 pm – 10.5 hours from the starting gun – Team Momiji crossed the finish line in seventh place. To the sound of rapturous Japanese drumming and cheering support, the tasuki reached its final stop with a stunning backdrop of Windsor Castle.
The team reunited for celebrations, joined by other members of the Momiji family including trustees Titch Ellis and Ian Pressland. Even Masa’s husband, Yoshio Kidani, completed a leg of his own, walking a considerable distance of uneven Thames Path terrain to witness the finish of the first of hopefully many UK Ekiden races.
‘Run on your own but never alone’. Ekiden is much more than a running race. A team endeavour, a Kidani family affair, and the catalyst nearly £6,000 raised by runners and supporters for Momiji. These funds were directed to KidsFam, the organisation that supports Momiji House in Tokyo, and the Medway Project.
UK Ekiden will be back next year on Friday 20th June. You can find more information here and please get in touch if you’re interested.
Category: UK Ekiden