Six of Guyana’s elite distance runners joined athletes around the world yesterday to compete in the Asics World Ekiden 2020, a virtual marathon-distance relay race inspired by the Japanese Ekiden.
The Ekiden is a marathon relay consisting of one team of six persons, who run against the clock to compete with other teams around the world.
They clocked two hours, 27 minutes and 56 seconds for the race which started 5:00hrs at the KK Gas Station Mahaica East Coast Demerara and concluded at the Bandstand, at Kingston. (Emmerson Campbell photo)
Guyana’s representatives were Jonathan Fagundes, Ronell Newton, Jonathan Fordyce, Cleveland Forde, Winston Missigher and Cleveland Thomas.
They clocked two hours, 27 minutes and 56 seconds for the race which started 5:00hrs at the KK Gas Station Mahaica East Coast Demerara and concluded at the Bandstand, at Kingston.
Each teammate ran between 5K and 10K, totaling the marathon distance.
Fagundes started off the race, running the first 5km in 17m:26s. Newton then upped the ante in the second leg, running his 5km some 13 seconds faster. The third leg was a 10km ran by Fordyce in 37 minutes and 45 seconds. Forde ran the next 5km in 17m:06s then passed the baton to Missigher who ran the next 10km in blistering 34m:11s. Thomas finished the final 7.2km soaked from the rainfall in 24m:15s.
WHAT IS THE EKIDEN?
The Ekiden is a Japanese relay that’s all about teamwork, rivalry and competition. Runners pass along their tasuki (or sash) as fast as possible, and while each leg is run separately, teams compete as one.
Across the globe, teams of runners put themselves to the test as they strive to pass the tasuki as fast as they can.
Finishers got a place on Asics’ global leaderboard using the hashtag #ASICSWorldEkiden.