Entry lists are out for the 102nd Hakone Ekiden on Jan. 2-3. Performances exploded in the 10000 m and half marathon this year, and Japan's university teams are better than ever. With 21 teams of 16 entrants and 10 starters each, 12 teams have a 10-man 5000 m average under 14 minutes and 3 under 13:45, with 11 teams having at least one runner with a PB under 13:30. In the 10000 m 19 teams have a sub-29 average, 3 are under 28:30, and one, Chuo University, averages an incredible 27:55.98. 13 teams have at least one runner with a PB under 28 minutes, Chuo having 6 and Aoyama Gakuin University 5. 5 teams have a runner under 27:30. 19 of the 21 teams average under 63 for the half marathon and 3 sub-62, with 10 teams having at least one runner under 61 minutes and 2 with someone under 60 minutes.
Koku Gakuin University was ranked 4th at October's Izumo Ekiden, where it won, and 1st at November's National University Ekiden, where it was 4th. At Hakone it's ranked #1, the only team in the field to average under 1:01:30 for its 10 fastest half marathoners with 4 people under 61 minutes. A win would be its first-ever Hakone title.
Along with its 27:55.98 average for 10000 m, #2-ranked Chuo has the fastest 5000 m average in the field, 13:33.10. The half marathon is its weakest point, and with stages at Hakone averaging 21.71 km it's hard to beat that as a shortcoming. But Chuo's biggest problem is its lack of stability. Ranked 1st at Izumo, it was only 10th, while it lived up to its #2 ranking at Nationals. Most of the time at Hakone it doesn't perform up to potential.
Last year's Hakone runner-up Komazawa University was ranked 6th at Izumo and finished 5th, then won Nationals off a #3 ranking thanks in part to the return of star 4th-year Keita Sato from injury. Ranked 3rd at Hakone, it has the 2nd-best half marathon average at 1:01:33 and should make top 3 no matter what. But its chances of winning depend in large part on Sato's fitness.
2025 Hakone winner Aoyama Gakuin University is ranked 4th after taking 7th at Izumo and 3rd at Nationals. Since then it's only gotten better, with 5 runners breaking 28 minutes for 10000 m, and head coach Susumu Hara puts everything into being ready to win in Hakone, so it's hard not to see AGU as the favorite at this point. But it is down a bit overall as a team and is heavily dependent on collegiate marathon record holder Asahi Kuroda. He almost never misses, but if he does it'll be almost impossible for AGU to keep it together.
#5-ranked Teikyo University is the only other team with a 10-runner half marathon average under 62 minutes. Teikyo is one of the stablest programs in the field and has its best-ever team this time around, so while the win is probably out of reach it's pretty much a lock for top 5 and could get into the top 4 if everything goes perfectly.
Top 10 at Hakone is critical as it scores teams an invitation to the next season's Izumo Ekiden and a place in the next Hakone field. Soka University, Nihon University, Toyo University and Waseda University all look good for top 10 places. Waseda has had great momentum this season and outperformed its rankings at both Izumo and Nationals, but the longer stages at Nationals hurt its performance there and with its relative lack at the 10000 m and half marathon compared to the top end of the field it's hard to see it doing better than 5th.
The race for 10th its usually the most exciting part of Hakone Day Two, and this year it looks too close to call. Yosenkai qualifying race winner Chuo Gakuin University, Daito Bunka University and Juntendo University are all close on paper, and Tokai University, Josai University and Kanagawa University are all right behind them. The Kanto Region Student Alliance select team is CGU's equal but doesn't score in the team rankings, and without the same kind of united team training the other universities do it rarely performs on race day.
Rikkyo University, Yamanashi Gakuin University, Tokyo Kokusai University, Nittai University and Tokyo Nogyo University make up the back end of the field and aren't likely to factor into the action beyond trying to beat the white sash cutoffs on the Day Two stages. With the front-end teams better than ever that's going to be a big ask.
Check back near the end of the month for a more detailed preview of the world's biggest road race.
© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Comments
I agree that on paper Koku Gakuin and Komazawa are likely the big favorites: they have star power, depth and experience/reliable runners, it's especially rare to see Komazawa runners underperform.
Chuo like we said multiple times has all the talent but they are really not consistent.
I agree about all the other teams, AGU will be very interesting to watch, several members ran PB at Setagaya (this is also true for teams like Chuo/Teikyo/Komazawa/Koku Gakuin at Ageo)and if they'll improve a bit more could end up closer than we think.
I'm convinced of one thing: this could be the best day 1 at Hakone in years. Koku Gakuin, Chuo, Komazawa, AGU, Teikyo, Soka, Waseda, these teams could end up very close and they all have pieces to compete on the first day. (Waseda on paper the slowest but Kudo on the 5th stage could shave a couple of minutes from the others and those will be valuable) Depth will take over from there but the battle could be nothing short of amazing.
The biggest risk on this scenario is that Chuo will likely send out Yoshii (like in recent years, with Yamato before and Shunsuke last year) on a fast pace on stage 1 and that could put some of the above teams under stress and divide the field.
IF stage 1 is off to a slower pace we could really end up with a banger of a first day and 7 teams fighting for it.
Who doesn't get excited for something like this? We don't have some of the stars and recognizable names of the past 5 years but man the level and depth will make more than up for it.