“We aim to win the Hakone Ekiden championship next year”Vow record holder Yoshii and Coach Fujiwara /「中央大学陸上競技部」２０２５年の箱根駅伝で総合５位に過去最多優勝回数を誇る強豪校「来年は優勝を目指す」区間新の吉居駿恭選手と藤原正和監督に聞く
The Hakone Ekiden (Tokyo-Hakone round-trip relay race) is a traditional annual New Year event watched by many fans. For two days on January 2 and 3, teams from 20 qualified universities in the Kanto region run the 217.1 km race between Tokyo and Hakone. While Chuo University has been sluggish in recent years, it boasts a record number of championships in the past. In this year's 101st race, Chuo finished 5th overall (13th in the previous race) and 2nd on the outward route. Hakumon Herald interviewed Shunsuke Yoshii (3rd year), who won the first leg of the outward route in a record time, and team coach Masakazu Fujiwara about this year’s race.
新春恒例の東京箱根間往復大学駅伝。毎正月２～３の２日間、関東の大学の２０チームが東京と箱根間往復の２１７・１キロを走り抜ける。中央大学はこのところ低迷しているものの、過去最多優勝回数を誇る強豪校。今年の１０１回大会では総合５位（前回１３位）、往路２位の好成績を収めた。
往路１区で区間賞に輝いた吉居駿恭（よしい しゅんすけ）選手（３年）とチーム指揮官の藤原正和（ふじはら まさかず）監督に今回の箱根駅伝について話を聞いた。
How do you feel after looking back on the competition?
Yoshii: I wanted to do better than the job assigned to me at the race. When I jumped out in the middle of the race, I felt relieved that the players behind me did not follow me. But I found the descent of the Rokugo Bridge around the 15 km point quite tough. Even so, I was able to win the sectional prize and the team came in second on the outward leg. So I gave myself a perfect score for the outward leg. Next year will be my last Hakone race as a fourth-grader and I will definitely aim for the overall championship.
ー大会を振り返ってみてどう思っているか。
吉井 箱根駅伝で任された仕事以上のことをしたいという気持ちでした。途中飛び出したとき、後ろが付いてこなかったのでよかったのですが、後半15キロ前後の六郷橋の下りがきつかったですね。それでも区間賞をとれて、往路2位だったので満点の往路でした。来年は4年生で最後の箱根路になるので是非とも総合優勝を目指したいです。
How have you been practicing after last year's bitter result?
Yoshii: Last year, I was frustrated as many of my teammates suffered from poor physical conditions. So I tried my best to incorporate more of what I needed into my training by increasing the running distance and changing the content of my training.
―去年の苦い結果を経て、どのような思いで練習してきたか。
吉居 去年は体調不良者が続出して悔しい思いをしたので、距離を増やしたり練習内容も変化させたりしながら、自分に必要なものをさらに取り入れていくようを頑張りました。
There are other universities famous for track and field and relay races. Why did you choose Chuo’s track and field club?
Yoshii: What attracted me the most was the quality of Chuo's coaching staff. I had actually decided to join Chuo even before my elder brother Yamato (now a member of Toyota Motor Corporation's track and field long-distance team) did. I took part in Chuo’s training sessions while I was still in high school. (Editor's note: Yamato, two years senior to Shunsuke, is a long-distance runner who ran the second leg in last year's Hakone race as a member of Chuo's team. They are usually busy with training and rarely talk to each other. But they frequently talk when they return home. This shows how close the brothers are.)
ーほかにも陸上競技や駅伝で有名な大学がある中で、なぜ中大陸上競技部を選んだのか。
吉居 一番ひかれたのはスタッフの充実度。兄（大和選手、現トヨタ自動車陸上長距離部所属）よりも先に中大入学を決めていて、高校の時から中大の練習に参加した（編集部：吉居選手の2歳上の兄、吉居大和さんは中大のメンバーとして昨年の駅伝で２区を走った長距離ランナー。普段はお互い練習に忙しく話す機会は少ないが、帰省したときに話すことが多いという。兄弟仲の良さがうかがわれる。）
Hakumon Herald then spoke with Coach Fujiwara.
What are you particularly conscious of as coach in your daily practice?
Fujiwara: We practice with full concentration. But when we need to relax, I do my best to secure that space for our athletes. I am conscious of switching on and off.
―日ごろの練習で監督として特に意識していることは。
藤原 練習は集中してやり、リラックスするときはその空間を全力で確保する。オンとオフの切り替えを意識しています。
What are the key points in selecting the runners for the race?
Fujiwara: We look at everyone equally to make sure that the athletes are satisfied with their selection. We evaluate them comprehensively by looking at their stability, momentum, and how they work throughout the year. Who should run in which leg and who from other schools will run are also important strategic points. We take those elements into consideration when preparing for the race.
―駅伝代表を選ぶポイントは。
藤原選手に納得感をもってもらうため、皆を平等に見ています。おおまかに安定感、勢い、年間の取り組み方を見て総合的に評価しています。どの区間に誰を走らせるかだったり、他校の誰が走るのかという駆け引きをしたりも重要な作戦なので、箱根駅伝はそこまで考慮しています。
How did you turn around your team which had even lost its seeded position a few years ago?
Fujiwara: At first, I found the atmosphere at our practice too loose. I appointed a then first-year student as team captain because I wanted to start changing those who were not fully immersed in that loose atmosphere. I wanted to change the mindset of my team and make it one where a higher standard is the norm.
(by Hirabayashi Yuki )
―数年前はシード落ちも経験した中大をどう立て直してきたのか。
藤原 最初は練習の雰囲気が緩かった。当時1年生だった子をキャプテンにしたのも、緩い雰囲気に染まり切っていない子から変えていくという理由からでした。その中で意識を変えて、それが当たり前のチームにしていこうという気持ちでした。
(平林優希)
写真 箱根駅伝写真吉井駿恭選手（左）と藤原正和監督（右）中央の2名は白門ヘラルド部員
Chuo University finished 5th overall in this year's Hakone Ekiden, surpassing its goal of finishing 7th overall and earning the right to be seeded for next year's event without having to go through the qualifying round. In 2024, the team was considered a favorite to win the race, but because some of its members were in bad shape, it finished in 13th place and lost its seeding right. Hakumon Herald looked back at how Chuo’s team, led by coach Masakazu Fujiwara, has rebuilt itself over the past year in an effort to avenge this humiliation.
今年1月2、3の両日に開かれた第１０１回東京箱根間往復大学駅伝競走（箱根駅伝）で、中央大学は目標としていた総合7位を上回る総合5位に入り、予選会を経ずに来年の大会に出場できるきるシード権を獲得した。前年２０２４年大会は優勝候補と目されながらも体調不良者が続出したこともあって１３位に沈み、シード権も失った。この屈辱を晴らすべく藤原正和監督率いる中央大チームがこの1年、どう立て直しを図ってきたかを振り返ってみた。
Two challenges before the qualifying round
予選会までの二つのヤマ
University track and field competions are divided into two seasons: one of short- and middle-distance races held on the track from spring to fall, and the other of marathon races which takes place mainly during the colder months of the year. Team leaders, including the coach, work hard to keep their athletes in good physical condition throughout the year. Especially, the conditioning process is clearly different just before a Hakone Ekiden qualifying round is held. That round took place on October 17 in 2024. Basically, there are two major climaxes in the long-distance races each year: first, the athletes make their conditioning for the Japan Track and Field Meet (mid-June) during the track season, and then they set their sights on the Hakone Ekiden. The annual Izumo Ekiden and All-Japan Ekiden are held before the Hakone Ekiden. Coach Fujiwara said, “In order to compete in both events, we must enhance the team's strength. Our goal at the beginning of last spring was to increase the number of our competent players so that we could form two teams.”
大学の陸上競技は春から秋に陸上競技場で開かれる短中距離レースと、主として寒い時期に行わるマラソンシーズンに分けられる。監督はじめチーム首脳陣は１年を通して各選手の体調や調子の整え方に腐心する。特に箱根駅伝予選会（２４年は１０月１７日に開催）があるときは調整の仕方が明確に異なる。基本的に長距離は大きなヤマは年２回あり、まずトラックシーズンの日本陸上競技大会（６月中旬）に向けて調整し、残りのヤマを箱根駅伝に照準合わせることとなる。箱根駅伝の前には出雲駅伝や全日本駅伝が行われるが、藤原監督は「両大会を戦うためにはチームの戦力を拡大しなければなりません。選手の層を厚くして、2チーム編成できるくらいの戦力にしようというのが昨年春先の目標でした」と語る。
Every year, Fujiwara gives the following words to the fourth-grader runners who are the mainstay of the team. “I want you take the initiative in managing the team.” Told by the coach that the team was a bit down in terms of strength, the fourth-graders worked to make the team more open for mutual communications. As a result, the team’s average record for 10,000 meters, one of the indicators of team strength for the Hakone Ekiden, was upgraded to the best among all teams expected to compete in the race.
藤原監督は毎年チームの主力となる４年生に次のような言葉をかける。「監督のチームではない。君たち学生が主体となって運営していってほしい。」監督に力的には少し落ちると言われ４年生らは、チームを風通しの良さを図り、その結果、箱根出走チームの強さの指標の一つである１万メートルの平均記録はトップであった。
Qualified in 6th place
６位で予選会通過
A total of 20 teams can participate in the Hakone Ekiden, consisting of those which finished in the top 10 overall in the previous year's event and another 10 which survived the qualifying round. Chuo University, which finished 13th in last year's Hakone Ekiden, had to win the qualifying round last October. Moreover, it had to prepare for the All-Japan Ekiden due to come two weeks later. Chuo’s team went into the qualifying round aiming to finish in the top spot, but it eventually came in sixth place. The unexpectedly poor result was due in part to the fact that team members suffered injuries one after another. “Unusually hot temperatures were also to blame,” Fujiwara said. Chuo University went to the All-Japan Ekiden, one of the three major university road relay races, in November with Shunsuke Yoshii (3rd year), who did not run in the qualifying round, and Kazuta Tameike (3rd year), who recovered from an injury, as the team's main runners. Some thought that Chuo would finish in the top half of the standings, but unfortunately, the team's condition did not improve as much as expected, and it finished in 12th place.
箱根駅伝に出場する大学は前年の大会総合で10位以内入った大学と、予選会を突破した１０校の計２０チーム。昨年の駅伝で13位に終わった中央大は、昨年１０月の予選会を勝ち抜かなければならなかった。しかもその後２週間には全日本駅伝が待っていた。中央大はこの予選会にトップ通過を目指して臨んだが、結果は6位。辛うじて予選を通過し翌年の箱根駅伝出場を決めた。６位に終わったのはケガ人が続出したことと、「気温が例年になく暑かった」（藤原監督）こともあった。１１月に行われた大学三大駅伝の一つである全日本駅伝には、中央大は予選会を走らなかった吉井駿恭選手（３年）、怪我から復帰した溜池一太選手（３年）らを主力として臨んだ。上位に食い込むのではないかとの下馬評もあったが、調子が思ったほど上がらず、残念ながら１２位という結果に終わった。
MARCH's victory gives momentum
MARCHの優勝で勢いづく
The players lost confidence and the atmosphere within the team was not good. However, what wiped away their anxiety was the MARCH competition, a major runup to the Hakone Ekiden. This is a 10,000-meter race in which the five universities of Meiji, Aoyama, Rikkyo, Chuo, and Hosei compete each other. It was held on November 23 last year in Machida City, Tokyo. The top 10 runners from each university were ranked by adding up their times. Ace runners from each university gathered for the final fourth leg of the race. Yoshii ran for Chuo in the leg. The lead group passed the first 1,000 meters in 2 minutes 44 seconds and the 5,000 meters in 14 minutes 1 second. The race was tense from start to finish, with Masaya Tsurukawa, a senior at Aoyama Gakuin University, following Yoshii's spurt with 200 meters to go, but Chuo University came away with the win in a new meet record. After the race, Fujiwara said, “The team as a whole regained momentum after losing confidence at the All-Japan Ekiden.” Chuo's great leap forward in the Hakone Ekiden this year was what was bound to happen after its team had experienced many twists and turns.
(By Keiten Murai)
選手らは自信を失い、チーム内の雰囲気も決していいものではなかったが、選手らの不安を拭い去ったのは箱根駅伝の前哨戦と言われるMARCH対抗。明治、青山、立教、中央、法政の５大学が陸上１万メートルを争う記録会。昨年は１１月２３日に東京町田市で開催された。各大学の上位１０人のタイムを合計して順位を競った。最終4区には各大学のエース級が集まった。中央大から吉井駿恭選手が出場した。先頭集団の１０００メートル通過は2分44秒、５０００メートル通過は１４分1秒のハイペースで進んだ。残り２００メートルでスパートをかけた吉井選手に青山学院大４年の鶴川正也がついてくるなど、終始緊迫したレース展開となったが、中央大は見事大会新記録で優勝を果たした。レース後、藤原監督は「全日本で自信を失ってしまったチームが全体として勢いが戻った」と語った。箱根駅伝での中央大の大躍進は、紆余曲折を経ながらも起こるべきして起こった結果だったのだ。
(村井奎天)