Tsurutani turn
The popular name for a distinctive way of turning used at the turnaround points of ekiden relays and marathons. It is read "Tsurutani turn." Rather than swinging wide on the outside in an arc, the runner turns their back toward the turnaround point and changes direction on the spot with small, quick steps. It is said to allow a compact turn even at a narrow turnaround, and in recent years it has increasingly been introduced by name in television broadcasts. At the 2025 Inter-Prefectural Men's Ekiden, several runners used it at the turnaround on the fourth leg, and it became a topic of conversation.
What the movement is
Normally, to reverse direction by 180 degrees while running, one swings out to the outside in an arc, and that much extra distance is run. On an ekiden course that turns around a single cone, these swings add up to a loss.
The Tsurutani turn avoids this. Before the turnaround point the runner changes the orientation of the body and, with their back to the pole or cone, pivots on the spot with small steps. Seen from the side, it looks as if the flow of running has been stopped for a moment and the direction changed by marking time, which gives it its distinctive impression. It has been considered effective on the narrow riverbank courses where dirt and sand make the footing slippery.
Name and origin
The name is said to derive from the Tsurutani Cup Ekiden (held on the Mukogawa riverbank, now the Kaze Densetsu Ekiden), named after Kunihiro Tsurutani, the former coach of the Hotoku Gakuen track and field club. Most explanations hold that Tsurutani himself did not devise the technique; the name means the way of turning that was done at the race bearing his name.
As for the origin, several sources give the account that around 2000 runners from Seifu High School in Osaka worked it out to cut time at the narrow turnarounds of riverbank courses. All of these, however, are hearsay from blogs, social media, and Q&A sites, and no primary source or official record has been confirmed. There is also a story that it began as something high school students did half in jest and then spread, so the origin remains at the stage of competing accounts.
Debate over its effectiveness
Assessments of its effectiveness are divided. The advantages cited are that it allows a compact turn in a narrow space and reduces the distance lost to swinging wide, and some hold that the benefit is greater the better the runner.
On the other hand, no study demonstrating its effect can be found. In theory, pivoting on the spot means dropping one's speed almost to zero, and one analysis holds that once the cost of re-acceleration is considered, it is not energy-efficient. It has also been pointed out that it makes contact with other runners at the turnaround more likely and is dangerous. Its visual interest makes it easy to pick up in broadcasts, but its assessment as a running technique is unsettled.
To verify
- Its origin (several accounts say that runners from Seifu High School in Osaka devised it around 2000, but all are hearsay from blogs, social media, and Q&A sites, and no primary source has been consulted)
- The relationship between Kunihiro Tsurutani himself and the technique (most explanations say the name derives only from the race named after him and that it was not his invention, but this is unconfirmed)
- When and why the Tsurutani Cup Ekiden was renamed the Kaze Densetsu Ekiden
- Whether it is effective (no study could be found that tests whether the advantage of shortening the distance outweighs the cost of re-acceleration)
References
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