How the Ekiden Relay Turned Marathon Running Into a Team Sport
Relay races rarely ever cross the divide into endurance events, but on Sunday morning we made a proper push towards changing that reality.
When people think about relays, admittedly the 4×100, or 4×400 at the Olympics immediately come to mind.
Outside of athletics and into track cycling, the Madison is their equivalent to the relay, and it’s quite the spectacle to say the least.
But on Sunday, we took the concept to the road and the collective effort from the PPF Fire running team was more than enough to storm to victory at the Ekiden Relay segment of our Midnight Runner Series Midnight Marathon 2026 at the NCC Foyer at the Queen’s Park Savannah.
“It was amazing getting to do a road race in the night time because most times, they’re in the day,” Ted John, captain of the PPF team explained. “As you could see it was an international event, so it was good.”
What on earth is an Ekiden relay?
Just in case you missed our preview for the Midnight Marathon, here’s the rundown one more time.
It’s a long-distance team running event where multiple runners complete different sections or legs of a race, passing a sash called a tasuki from one teammate to the next instead of a traditional baton.
As you’ve probably guessed, it’s a Japanese concept, and has become one of the country’s most celebrated sporting traditions, especially at the university and corporate levels.
Some Ekiden races cover marathon distances, while others can stretch over hundreds of kilometres across several days.
Runners often have to balance endurance and running strategy which will make for quite the spectacle as they pass the sash along the marathon route as the marathon runners make their pilgrimage down the Priority Bus Route.
From baton to sash: how PPF coordinated their attack
“We know each other, and know each other’s times,” John continued. “I have the fastest 5K time, so I can give the second leg person a good lead. So we got at least a 10-minute lead… so we had a lot of time to play with. That lead evolved to 25 minutes because we watched the time difference after the event.”
According to John tactics mattered just as much – if not more so – than speed. “There were only two persons’ 5K time that was (sic) under 20 minutes. The next four runners’ time was over 20 minutes; 23, 24, 21, so the tactic was for me to be the first leg… so we used me to give them a very good distance away from the rest of the field.”
Ekiden Relay: the recipe for a good time
As already indicated, the concept is still brand new to T&T and it affords a broader spectrum of runners to the marathon-runner menu.
A lot of people are daunted by the distance, and for good reason as 42 kilometres is not for the faint of heart.
The team concept however, adds a new dynamic because now people who like running, or are interested in giving it a try, or specialise in a shorter distance, can still get a piece of the action without running through a meat grinder.
And the numbers speak for themselves.
This year, there were almost as many runners (300), who came out to the Ekiden Relay as the Marathon, which had 400 runners lining up at the start.
“It was a really good feeling… you’re seeing the results from your hard work. It was really amazing because we planned correct (sic) for the race, so everything was executed as planned,” John said.
“You could have fun and run a shorter distance, and it gives a chance to runners who specialise at a shorter distance to contribute to a winning run.”
What did the legs look like?
The course was exactly the same as the marathon with the exception of the compartmentalisation with the legs. The sash changeovers looked like this:
- Savannah to Port of Spain (5K)Â
- Â Port of Spain to Barataria (10K)
- Â Barataria to Tunapuna (5K)
- Tunapuna to Curepe (10K)
- Curepe to San Juan (5K)Â
- San Juan to Savannah Finish (8K) Â
All along a course that started from the NCC Foyer at the Grand Stand, and heads steadily downtown until the runners cut east to the PBR, where they will trek their way as far east as Dinsley, before making the u-turn back to Port of Spain, and the QPS where the event started.
And back to the podium
Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about the results.
John and his PPF Fire crew clocked in at three hours, 13 minutes and four seconds to seize first, while the first mixed team was also PPF, who finished in 3:51:17, while the Promise House Powerhouse was the first a;; female team over the line clocking 4:07:04.
 Teamwork to make the dream work
Our flagship event most definitely had a collaborative effort for the ages to make happen.
From the tireless work from the admins here at Bafasports, to the efforts of the TTPS as well as the army and coast guard units that were on site to make sure that everything was well secured.
And of course, the corporate sponsors played their part in making the event a resounding success.
Subway, Fit Addicts Movement, Tribe, the NCC, the MSYA, Powerade, Dasani, Good N’ Natural, Eve, Sports and Games, Optometrists Today, Hilton, Starbucks, E Health, and Trinebox all came in clutch for this year’s Midnight Marathon.
There’s still more
Don’t forget that this isn’t the end of the Midnight Runner Series, as the Magdalena Grand Midnight 10K will hit the Sister Isle again later this year. Keep a keen eye to this space, as our other media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, and our Whatsapp Channel.
But before that the next event on the cards that will push the boundaries of what could be done on the racing circuit will be the Mayaro Coconut Beach Run 1K and 5K on August 15, while a day later the 10K edition will run off.
Keep you kicks laced up, because we’re making running fun again one stride at a time.
Results
1st Male Team – PPF Fire 3:13:04
1st Mixed Team – PPF Fire Mixed 3:51:17
1st Female Team – Promise House Powerhouse 4:07:04
*See results page for full results