Hakone Ekiden

A New Year’s tradition of Japan

Hakone Ekiden (relay race) will be held on January 2–3. The official name of the Hakone Ekiden is the “Tokyo Hakone University Road Relay Race”.
A total of 21 teams, including 10 member universities of the Kanto Student Athletic Federation that were seeded in the previous year’s race, 10 schools that passed the qualifying round, and the Kanto Student Union, will compete in the race. The race starts from the Yomiuri Shimbun’s Tokyo headquarters building in Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, and runs through Tsurumi, Totsuka, Hiratsuka, and Odawara relay stations to Ashinoko Lake in Hakone Town. On the 2nd, the outward route from Tokyo to Hakone (107.5 km), and on the 3rd, the return route from Hakone to Tokyo (109.6 km).

⭐Course Introduction⭐

“Outward route”

Outward route：1st section 21.3km
Greatly influences the flow of the race. As this was a critical section that would greatly affect the flow of the race, some of the team’s best speed runners appear on the course, and a careful running battle ensue. After a flat, straight course, the Rokugo Bridge at the 17km point become a key point.