Two teams from Saga Prefecture secured places in the main event of the New Year Ekiden. ひらまつ病院 finished 8th and 戸上電機製作所 9th, earning qualification for next year's 100-km course.
The 63rd Kyushu Corporate Teams Mainichi Ekiden, held on the 3rd ahead of the New Year's Day New Year Ekiden, saw 2 teams from Saga Prefecture finish among the top 9 and secure places in the main event. ひらまつ病院 of Ogi City finished 8th in 4 hours 26 minutes 6 seconds, while 戸上電機製作所 of Saga City finished 9th in 4 hours 36 minutes 45 seconds.
ひらまつ病院 advanced the race from a favorable position after Tochigi Wataru (栃木 渡) won the 2nd-section award and combined with the charge by Ogikubo Hiroya (荻久保 寛也) in the 3rd section. 戸上電機製作所 started in last place in the 1st section, but a strong pursuit by Ichida Takashi (市田 孝) and others in the 2nd section brought Iwamuro Tenki (岩室 天輝) in the final 7th section close to a qualifying position for the main event.
Eighteen teams competed, with 旭化成宮崎 winning in 4 hours 18 minutes 46 seconds. Other results for Saga teams were 15th place for KRP ELITE and 17th for 佐賀陸協選抜. From the next fiscal year, teams will compete for qualification under a nationwide unified qualifying-event format, and the New Year Ekiden is scheduled to be held on 1 January next year over a 100-km course starting and finishing in front of the Gunma Prefectural Government Office.