Fukushima Ekiden's First Attempt: 53 Types of Morning Newspaper Insert "Support Flags"

On November 16, the 26th Fukushima Ekiden, a cross-prefecture relay race traversing Fukushima Prefecture from Shirakawa City to Fukushima City, was held. This year, as a special initiative, the Fukushima Minpo newspaper and the Suntory Group created 53 different types of "Fukushima Ekiden Sun-san Support Flags" for the 53 participating teams. These flags, featuring each team's municipal emblem, a support message, and the names of the participating runners, were inserted into the morning edition of the Fukushima Minpo on the day of the race, distributed by area to all 59 municipalities within the prefecture. This marked the first time such an effort had been undertaken for the event.

Support flags inserted into the morning edition

 

These support flags are part of the Suntory Group's "Suntory Tohoku Sun-san Project," a Great East Japan Earthquake reconstruction support initiative sponsoring the relay race. They embody the hope that the joy of cheering for hometown athletes will fuel further reconstruction efforts.

Athletes from the 59 municipalities displaying the support flags. Flags were also distributed at the opening ceremony held the day before the race, energizing the athletes. *For the 59 municipalities within the prefecture, those without individual teams—Mishima Town, Kanayama Town, Hinoemata Village, Yugawa Village, Showa Village, Kawauchi Village, and Katsurao Village—created a joint flag featuring their respective municipal emblems as the "Hope Fukushima" team.

 

On the day of the event, under clear skies, 848 runners from 53 teams representing all 59 municipalities in the prefecture competed across all 16 sections totaling 95.1 kilometers.
At the starting point, Shirakawa Qatar Sports Park (Shirakawa General Sports Park) in Shirakawa City, large crowds gathered early in the morning. Holding their hometown flags, they cheered at the top of their lungs for the runners tackling the first stage. Many people also rushed to the relay points and along the route, cheering on the runners with their support flags.

A woman cheering for the runners at the 10th relay point in front of Shiraiwaya Shoten in Motomiya City said, "I'm happy to see my hometown's flag here, and it's fun seeing flags from all the different towns."

	 
Supporters from each team rushed to the starting point, flags in hand.
	 
Large crowds also cheered on the runners with flags at relay points and along the route
People cheering for the athletes along the road just before the finish line

 

Many also requested the flags as souvenirs, and they were used in team group photos, helping to keep the excitement alive at the venue even after the event ended.
"Though we're a small village, it was worth the whole village rallying to support them," said Kitashiobara Village Mayor Toshikazu Ogura. Surrounded by the smiling faces of the finishing runners, he held high a support flag bearing the village emblem (photo below).

Kitashiobara Village placed 9th in the village category.

 

The results saw Iwaki City set a new tournament record of 5 hours 9 seconds, securing its 11th overall championship and city division victory after a three-year hiatus. Koriyama City placed 2nd (5 hours 3 minutes 46 seconds), and Aizuwakamatsu City came in 3rd (5 hours 8 minutes 20 seconds). In the town division, Inawashiro Town claimed its first championship, while in the village division, Saigo Village won its second title.