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 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, 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 in 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
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