I was looking at the results for the big pro women's ekiden in Japan which is the marathon distance and noticed only 1 team beat the marathon WR. That seems like a low number.
Anyone know how hilly the course is? You'd think top pro teams with 6 runners could run a marathon faster tha 2:14.04 but here are the top 3 results via RRW.
Results
1. Shiseido, 2:12:28 CR* (=3:09/km average pace)
2. Sekisui Kagaku, 2:14:29
3. Japan Post, 2:15:15