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Hakone Ekiden 2026: Aoyama Gakuin Three-Peats at Japan’s Hakone Ekiden, Smashing Records in Process

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Aoyama Gakuin University anchor Sota Orita crosses the finish line to win the Hakone Ekiden race as his teammates cheer in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday.

The Japan News

18:00 JST, January 3, 2026

Aoyama Gakuin University won the 102nd edition of the Tokyo-Hakone Intercollegiate Ekiden on Saturday to claim its third title in a row. It completed the 10-leg, 217.1-kilometer road relay in a record 10 hours 37 minutes 34 seconds.

Aoyama Gakuin started the second and final day of racing in first, having completed the first day in 5:18:08, 18 seconds ahead of Waseda University. It never gave up the lead on Saturday, instead building on it to win by 2:33 and earn its ninth title.

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“I’ve always told my students, ‘if you put the mental, technical and physical together, you can achieve anything,’” Aoyama Gakuin coach Susumu Hara said after the race. “And they lived up to that.”

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Aoyama Gakuin University captain Asahi Kuroda is lifted by his teammates after the team won the Hakone Ekiden race in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday.

Kokugakuin finished second in 10:40:07, also beating the previous record of 10:41:19 set by Aoyama Gakuin last year. Juntendo University rose to third from sixth, finishing in 10:43:55. Waseda University fell from second to fourth, finishing in 10:44:29.

The battle for a top-10 spot guaranteeing automatic entry into next year’s race was intense. The 10th-leg runners from Chuo Gakuin University and Nihon University were running side by side for 10th place but the Nihon University runner pushed ahead four kilometers before the finish line.

Teikyo University started the day in 17th but a strong second-day performance sought it finish ninth overall and claim automatic entry.