Four members from McMillan Elite, a local professional running team, will compete in Japan at the Chiba Ekiden. The team representing the U.S. consists of six athletes, four of whom live and train in Flagstaff: Lindsay Allen, Ian Burrell, Andrew Carlson and Jordan Horn. According to McMillan Elite Coach Greg McMillan, "It would have been remarkable to have one athlete selected to represent the U.S., but to have four from our group is beyond belief." The other runners on the U.S. team are Carrie Messner Vickers and Meghan Armstrong.

Athletes were selected based on their previous performances in races either on the road, on the track, or both. The selection of the men was based on a list of road and track performances in the 5-kilometer to 15-kilometer distances from January through mid-October of this year. For women, performances on the road and the track were considered for the 5-kilometer to 10-kilometer distances from June through mid-October. For both men and women, performances at USA championships or events that were considered selection events were given top priority and all road events had to be run on courses that were USATF-certified.

Though all but unknown in the United States, ekidens are extremely popular in Japan, with live TV coverage being the norm. Ekidens are road relays that are typically the length of a marathon (26.2 miles). In the Chiba Ekiden, teams are co-ed with three men and three women.

The 21st annual running of the Chiba Ekiden takes place on Monday. It is an international event featuring runners from Australia, Belarus, Canada, China, Ethiopia, Finland, Great Britain, Japan, Italy, Kenya, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden and the United States. The U.S. placed eighth at last year's event.

At the race, the legs run by each athlete vary in length, and involve alternating men and women. The first leg is a 5-kilometer segment run by a man, followed by a second leg, also 5 kilometers, run by a woman. Then, a man runs 10 kilometers, a woman runs 5 kilometers, another man runs a 10-kilometer segment and then a woman anchors the team with a run of 7.195 kilometers.

All four of the local athletes who will be participating in the Chiba Ekiden have long lists of accomplishments, but a few highlights are: Lindsay Allen placed 10th in the 2009 USATF 10K championships and competed in the Olympic trials in the 3000 m steeplechase; Ian Burrell placed fourth in the 2009 USATF 10K championships and fifth at both the USATF 5K and 10-mile Championships; Andrew Carlson was the 2008 15K national champion and placed 20th in the 2009 World Half Marathon Championships; Jordan Horn placed fourth at the USATF 5K Championships and 16th in the 10-mile event.

My friend Keiji Iwai, a local photographer originally from Japan, taught me how to cheer for runners in Japanese with a phrase that translates roughly as "Hang in there!"

So, to our local runners, let us all say, "Ganbare!" and good luck.

Karen London is a recreational runner who trains at the back of the pack with Team Altius, which allows her to keep her eyes on everybody except when she is getting lapped.