BEGIN Japanology - 2012/01/12 - Ekiden

Jan. 12, Thu. 0:30 - 1:00 (UTC) etc.

"Ekiden"

Ekiden is a long-distance relay race. Instead of a baton, a sash is handed off. This sash is the secret to ekiden's widespread appeal in Japan; it is a symbol of perseverance and selfless duty.

Ekiden's inventor was Japan's first Olympian. He ran the marathon but passed out before reaching the finish line. This defeat drove him to create an event that could produce world-class Japanese runners.

There are various ekiden events, and the most grueling is the Mt. Fuji Ekiden. Teams of six run from the foot of Mt. Fuji to the summit and back down again - in four hours!

There are also high school ekiden championships. Forty years ago, one team was on the verge of being disbanded, until an inspiring coach took over and turned them into national champions.

On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, we look at ekiden - a unique Japanese athletic event that reveals what makes the Japanese tick.

Download: http://www.fileserve.com/file/Rg4vFXd/20120112 BEGIN Japanology - Ekiden.mkv

---

 Dropped video frames
 
   Found average frame timing of 32.66 ms
 
       Line     Duration (ms)    Time window
       3907           67         0:02:10.165 -> 0:02:10.232
      11676           67         0:06:29.165 -> 0:06:29.232
      18599           67         0:10:19.965 -> 0:10:20.032
      19846           67         0:11:01.565 -> 0:11:01.632
      21716           67         0:12:03.932 -> 0:12:03.999
      24687           66         0:13:42.999 -> 0:13:43.065
      37026           67         0:20:34.332 -> 0:20:34.399
      45772           66         0:25:25.899 -> 0:25:25.965
      46138          100         0:25:38.132 -> 0:25:38.232
      48545           67         0:26:58.432 -> 0:26:58.499
 
 Total frames: 50364
 

---