Hanshin Line Station Relay Race to Be Held at Koshien Stadium First-Come Signups Start August 26

It looks like the 3rd Hanshin Railway Line Station Exchange Koshien Relay Run will be held.

SPORTSONE|Hanshin Railway Line Station Exchange Koshien Relay Run

Applications Open on August 26 on a First-Come, First-Served Basis

The 3rd Hanshin Railway Line Station Exchange Koshien Relay Run will be held at Hanshin Koshien Stadium on January 11, 2020.

Applications will apparently be accepted online only from Monday, August 26.

Apply through Sports One here.
Apply through RUNNET here.

Q&A / Frequently Asked Questions | Hanshin Railway Line Station Exchange Koshien Relay Run

For applications through the Sports One website, entries seem to open at 12:00 noon. As of now, the start time on RUNNET is unknown.

The Winner of the Previous Afternoon Division Was Nishinomiya’s “Koshien H Team”

The winner of the afternoon division of the 2nd Hanshin Railway Line Station Exchange Koshien Relay Run was Koshien H, with a recorded time of 59 minutes and 31 seconds!

Here is the list of the top 10 out of 109 participating teams ↓

2nd Hanshin Railway Line Station Exchange Koshien Relay Run Afternoon Division

Koshien N Team also placed 5th, and Koroen C Team placed 9th. The linked page lists all rankings down to 109th place.

Teams of 6 Run 18 Laps

In the Koshien Relay Run, each team has 6 members and runs 18 laps around the outside of Koshien Stadium and inside the grounds.

The distance is said to be about 16 km.

Course map ↓

*Captured from SPORTSONE|3rd Hanshin Railway Line Station Exchange Koshien Relay Run (2019/8/24)

Participation Requirements

There are two main categories.

The Relay Run Division and the Family Run Division.

Relay Run Division

A relay of 18 laps by a team of 6.

Open to participants aged 12 and older, excluding elementary school students.

One of the following:

• A team of 6 represented by someone who lives, works, or studies along the Hanshin railway line
• A group of 1 to 5 people including someone who lives, works, or studies along the Hanshin railway line

Family Run Division

A 2-lap run for families.

A group of 2 to 5 family members, including an elementary or junior high school student living along the Hanshin railway line

List of Hanshin Railway Line Areas

Please refer below for the Hanshin railway line areas.

*Captured from SPORTSONE|3rd Hanshin Railway Line Station Exchange Koshien Relay Run (2019/8/24)

There was a Q&A explaining what counts as the Hanshin railway line area!

●What is meant by “along the Hanshin railway line”?
Areas where the nearest station is a Hanshin Railway station (Main Line, Mukogawa Line, Hanshin Namba Line, or Kobe Kosoku Line). This also includes people who regularly access a station by bus, bicycle, etc. and use Hanshin Railway.

Q&A / Frequently Asked Questions | Hanshin Railway Line Station Exchange Koshien Relay Run

Survey: Which Railway Line Area Do You Live In?

Areas with fewer participants will probably really stand out in a “this is our chance!” kind of way, so they might be key areas for recruitment.

Finally

The district-versus-district relay seems like it could get pretty exciting. I didn’t realize this event had already been held twice before. It looks like it could become even more popular from here. The official page is here!