The 1986 IAAF World Challenge Road Relay was a one-off global, international

marathon relay is a long-distance running multi-stage relay race, mostly held on Road running, roads.Otake, Tomoko. ''One for All.'' Dec. 28, 200The Japan Times accessed Feb. 19, 2009. The original Japanese term had nothing to do with a sport or a competiti ...

competition, organised by the

International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international governing body for the sport of athletics, coverin ...

(IAAF). It marked the first time that the IAAF had formally hosted an

ekiden is a long-distance running multi-stage relay race, mostly held on Road running, roads.Otake, Tomoko. ''One for All.'' Dec. 28, 200The Japan Times accessed Feb. 19, 2009. The original Japanese term had nothing to do with a sport or a competiti ...

competition, and preceded the formation of a world championship event, the

IAAF World Road Relay Championships 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 ed ...

six years later. The event took place on 30 November in

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Each men's national team consisted of five athletes and each women's national team consisted of six athletes who alternately covered stages varying between 4.195 and 12.195 kilometres each to complete the 42.195 km

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

distance. The first four stages were of the same length for both sexes, with legs of 10 km, 8 km, 7 km, and 5 km opening the competition. The fifth and final leg for men was over 12.195 km while this distance was split into two final legs for women of 8 km and 4.195 km.L'Ethiopie à Hiroshima
. ''La Liberté'' (1986-12-03). Retrieved 2020-06-17. In the men's race,

Carl Thackery Carl Edward Thackery (born 14 October 1962) is a retired British long-distance runner, who competed in the 1980s and 1990s. His daughter Calli Hauger-Thackery is an international marathon runner. Biography Thackery was born in Sheffield and ...

put the British ahead by three seconds on the first leg, with Ethiopia's

Wodajo Bulti Wodajo Bulti (born 11 March 1957) is a retired Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialized in the 5000 metres, 10000 metres and cross-country running. Career Wodajo was one of the most significant Ethiopian middle and long-distance runners in ...

in pursuit.

Jon Solly Jonathan "Jon" Solly (born 28 June 1963) is a male English former long-distance runner. Athletics career Solly won the gold medal for England in the 10,000 metres at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland. He achieved his personal b ...

extended Britain's lead by 31 seconds in the second leg.

Takeyuki Nakayama is a former Japanese world-class marathon runner. He represented his native country at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain and the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, South Korea (gold medal). Naka ...

won the third stage, bringing Japan back towards contention, while Britain maintained its lead over Ethiopia. Mauricio González took the fourth stage for the Americas, with Ethiopia's Feyisa Melese gaining a second on Britain's Dave Clarke.

Abebe Mekonnen Abebe Mekonnen (born 16 October 1964) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. Mekkonen was the winner of the 93rd Boston Marathon in 1989. He also competed for Ethiopia in the 1992 Olympics and 1996 Olympics in the marathon. He did not finish i ...

produced a strong final leg of 34:24 minutes to take the title for Ethiopia, gaining nearly 45 seconds on

Karl Harrison Karl Harrison (born 20 February 1964) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 2000s and 2010s. He played at representative level for both Great Britain and England, and at ...

who anchored Britain to second place. In the women's race,

Marty Cooksey Martha "Marty" Cooksey (born July 18, 1954) is an American former long-distance runner who competed in events ranging from 5000 meters to the marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), ...

established a lead of 23 seconds for the Americans on the first leg and her teammate

Francie Larrieu Smith Frances Anne "Francie" Larrieu Smith (born November 23, 1952) is an American track and field athlete. She was the flagbearer at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona for the United States of America. Larrieu Smith was the third female American at ...

added a further 16 seconds in the second leg. Lisa Brady dropped nearly one minute for the United States on the third leg, letting New Zealand take the lead. Lyudmila Matveyeva won the stage to help Soviet Union re-enter the fray after a poor first leg. Her teammate Svetlana Guskova pushed the Soviets closer in the fifth leg, beating the field by over 20 seconds. Diane Brewer spoilt the American's chances on the fifth leg, dropping nearly a minute and a half to New Zealand's

Anne Audain Anne Frances Audain (née Garrett, born 1 November 1955) is a New Zealand middle and long-distance runner. She competed in three Olympic Games and four Commonwealth Games, winning the 1982 Commonwealth Games 3000m title and a silver medal in t ...

who won the stage to take pole position, while Soviet Union's

Olga Bondarenko Olga Petrovna Bondarenko (née Krentser, ;
Sports Reference. Ret ...

moved up to second place. The placings were sealed from thereon, with

Anne Hare Caroline Anne Hare (née McKenzie; born 7 June 1964) is a New Zealand former runner from Wellington. She currently holds the New Zealand women's record for the 2000 m. Hare competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where she placed 13th in the wo ...

winning the sixth a last leg to leave New Zealand at the top of the podium. Runner-up Tatyana Samolenko helped the Soviet's to second place ahead of the United States.

Medal summary

Stage winners

Ekiden

Men's race

Women's race

References

{{1986 in athletics

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

World Road Relay Championships World Challenge Road Relay World Challenge Road Relay November 1986 sports events in Europe Sports competitions in Hiroshima International athletics competitions hosted by Japan Marathons in Japan