The IAAF World Road Relay Championships was a biennial international athletics competition in long-distance relay running. First organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1992, the championship ran for four editions, with its last one occurring in 1998. [1] [2]
The relay format was based on the ekiden races native to Japan, where six runners team up for legs of varying length to cover the classic 42.195 km marathon distance. The first, third and fifth legs were of 5 km each, the second and fourth legs were 10 km each, and the final leg covered the remaining 7.195 km. [3]
The first edition saw the Kenyan men's team break the world record for the ekiden relay with a run of 2:00:02 hours. The Moroccan team at the following edition improved this further with a world and championship record time of 1:57:56 hours. The Ethiopian women's team set the championship record of 2:16:04 hours in 1996 and retained their title the following year. Kenya and Ethiopia were the most successful nations at the event – Kenya took three men's titles, as well as a women's silver and a men's bronze, while Ethiopia had two women's titles, three silver medals and one bronze medal. [1]
The competition was preceded by the IAAF World Challenge Road Relay – a one-off race held in 1986 in Hiroshima. [4]
| Edition | Year | Location | Date | Men's teams | Women's teams | Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 1986 | Hiroshima, Japan | 30 November [5] | |||
| 1st | 1992 | Funchal, Portugal | 9–10 May | 138 | ||
| 2nd | 1994 | Litochoro, Greece | 16–17 April | 240 | ||
| 3rd | 1996 | Copenhagen, Denmark | 13–14 April | 25 | 12 | 210 |
| 4th | 1998 | Manaus, Brazil | 18–19 April | 25 | 12 | 222 |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kenya (KEN) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 |  Ethiopia (ETH) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 |  Portugal (POR) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 |  Morocco (MAR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Russia (RUS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 6 |  Romania (ROM) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 |  Brazil (BRA) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 |  Denmark (DEN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Japan (JPN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Spain (ESP) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (11 entries) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | |
Lucy Wangui Kabuu is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres events. She has represented Kenya twice at the Summer Olympics, finishing in the top ten of the 10,000 m race in both 2004 and 2008. Her personal bests of 14:33.49 minutes for the 5000 m and 30:39.96 minutes for the 10,000 m make her one of Kenya's fastest ever runners in the events.
The International Chiba Ekiden was an annual team road running competition held in Chiba, Japan in late November. The marathon relay race, or ekiden as it is known in Japan, is one of the prominent annual races of its kind. The competition is split into six legs which combine to make up the marathon distance of 42.195 km. The Chiba Ekiden was first held in 1988 and featured separate competitions for both men and women. Since 2007, each competing country selects three men and three women for their team. The legs are divided as follows: 5 km (men), 5 km (women), 10 km (men), 5 km (women), 10 km (men), and 7.195 km (women).
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Hitomi Niiya is a Japanese professional long-distance runner who competes in track, cross country running and marathon races. Niiya competed for Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She is a two-time silver medallist at the Asian Athletics Championships and has represented Japan three times at the World Athletics Championships. She represents Team Toyota Industries in national competition.
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Elena Fidatov, sometimes known as Elena Fidatof, is a former Romanian middle- and long-distance runner who competed in track, road, and cross country running competitions. In a period spanning 1984 to 2002, she competed at IAAF World Cross Country Championships on thirteen occasions, making her one of the most frequent participants at the event. She is a two-time Olympian for Romania, having represented her country at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
Simon Chemoiywo is a Kenyan former long-distance runner. He competed in track, cross country and road running. At the IAAF World Cross Country Championships he twice represented Kenya: in 1994 he was the runner-up and team champion, then helped retain the team title for Kenya at the 1995 race.
Everline Kemunto Kimwei is a Kenyan long-distance runner. Her greatest achievement was a team gold medal at the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships, where she was sixth. She is joint-holder of the African record for the ekiden marathon relay, courtesy of her winning run for Kenya at the 2006 Chiba Ekiden.
Eliud Barngetuny is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who specialised in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He was a continental bronze medallist at both the 1992 African Championships in Athletics and the 1995 All-Africa Games.
The 1998 IAAF World Road Relay Championships was the fourth and final edition of the global, international marathon relay competition, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The event took place on 18–19 April in Manaus, Brazil with the participation of 222 athletes from 28 nations. The women's race took place on Saturday 18 April, starting at 9:00 AM Amazon Standard Time, and featured twelve national teams comprising a total 72 athletes. The men's race took place on Sunday 19 April, also starting at 9:00 AM Amazon Standard Time, and featured 25 national teams comprising a total 150 athletes.
The North American Men's Marathon Relay Championships was a men's international team long-distance running competition between North American nations. It was held on two occasions, in 2003 and 2004, both of which were incorporated into the annual Akron Marathon.
The Beijing International Women's Ekiden was an annual, international ekiden road running competition held in Beijing, China. Formed in 1991 as the Great Wall International Ekiden Relay, the competition featured a six-stage relay race for women from 1991 to 2005, and included a men's race once, at its final edition. The race format had first, third and fifth legs at five kilometres in distance, second and fourth legs over ten kilometres, and a sixth and final leg covering the remaining 7.195 km of the classic marathon distance.
Viorica Dima Ghican is a Romanian female former distance runner who competed over distances from 1500 metres to 10,000 metres. She competed in track, road and cross country running disciplines. She was the gold medallist in the 10,000 m at the 1989 Summer Universiade, setting a games record in the process. Among her other individual honours were gold medals at the Balkan Athletics Championships and World University Cross Country Championships in 1988, and silver medals at the 1990 Goodwill Games and 1989 European Cup.
Mariana Chirilă is a Romanian female distance runner who competed in events ranging from 800 metres to the marathon. Individually she won gold medals in the 3000 metres at the 1986 Goodwill Games and the 1992 Balkan Athletics Championships, and won the senior race at the Balkan Cross Country Championships in 1985. She represented her country at the European Athletics Championships in 1986, twice at the Universiade, and twice at the IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships. Her highest global ranking was eighth in the 3000 m for the 1986 season.
David Robert Clarke is a British former distance runner who competed over distances from the 1500 metres to the marathon. He represented Great Britain over 5000 metres at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics and the 1981 Summer Universiade.
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The 1994 IAAF World Road Relay Championships was the second edition of the global, international marathon relay competition, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The event took place on 16–17 April on a 5-kilometre circuit in Litochoro, Greece with the participation of 240 athletes from 23 nations. The women's race took place on Saturday 16 April and the men's race took place on Sunday 17 April.
The 1992 IAAF World Road Relay Championships was the first edition of the global, international marathon relay competition, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It marked the formal establishment of an ekiden as a world championship event, following on from the non-championship 1986 IAAF World Challenge Road Relay. The event took place on 9–10 May in Funchal, Portugal with the participation of 138 athletes from 16 nations. The women's race took place on Saturday 9 May and the men's race took place on Sunday 10 April.
The 1986 IAAF World Challenge Road Relay was a one-off global, international marathon relay competition, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It marked the first time that the IAAF had formally hosted an ekiden competition, and preceded the formation of a world championship event, the IAAF World Road Relay Championships six years later. The event took place on 30 November in Hiroshima, Japan.
Atsumi Yashima is a Japanese former long-distance runner who competed in track and cross country running.
World Championships organised by World Athletics | |
|---|---|
| Outdoor | |
| Indoor | |
| Continental Cup* | |
| U20 | |
| U18 | |
| Cross Country | |
| Race Walking | |
| Women's Road Race | |
| Marathon | |
| Half Marathon | |
| Road Relay | |
| Relays | |
| Ultimate | |
| Road Running | |
