After winning the Morinomiyako Ekiden for the first time in October, Josai University pulled off the double in an anchor stage battle against Tohoku Fukushi University and Daito Bunka University with all three going for their first-ever Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden national title.
2024 Morinomiyako and Mt. Fuji double champ Ritsumeikan University got off to a good start with a stage win from lead runner Yua Sato but plummeted to 9th when star 3rd-year Sayuki Ota was only 16th of 24 on the Second Stage. From there it was all Ritsumeikan could do to hang on to a place in the top 5, the same as its result in Morinomiyako this year.
In its place, Josai went to the front off a CR of 20:36 for the 6.8 km Second Stage by 1st-year Kyo Honma to go with her opening leg CR at Morinomiyako. It stayed out front until the longest leg of the race, the 10.5 km Fifth Stage, where Sarah Wanjiru of perpetual runner-up DBU easily turned a 47-second deficit into a 47-second lead and Nazuki Sasaki of Morinomiyako 4th-placer TFU moved into 2nd. Josai 1st-year Mai Kubota and TFU's Hikari Kobayashi worked together to cut DBU's lead in half on the Sixth Stage, setting up a 3-way race on the anchor stage, 8.3 km with 169 m of climb mostly in its second half.
Josai anchor Yuna Onishi, another 1st-year, quickly closed the gap to DBU's Rinon Akitake, faltering once as they hit the ascent but recovering to take the lead. TFU's Amisa Murayama took her time closing the gap and didn't really go into action until the real climb started after 4 km. She effortlessly went by Akitake, then Onishi. All 3 schools were on the edge of their first-ever win, and out of them TFU was the least-expected to actually come through.
But it wasn't to be. With just over a kilometer to go Onishi rallied, passing Murayama just before the course flattened out on the approach to the stadium for the track finish. Murayama couldn't do anything in response, and Onishi pulled away to bring Josai in for the win in 2:22:36 for the 43.4 km course. Murayama crossed the finish line 11 seconds later, immediately apologizing to her teammates but still delivering TFU's best-ever team finish. The curse of DBU continued, in this case several of its best runners catching the flu days before the race and Akitake finishing 3rd in 2:23:10.
The last big dynasty school, Meijo University was never a factor and spent most of the race a distance 4th, ultimately finishing almost a minute and a half behind DBU in 2:24:34 with Ritsumeikan another minute back in 2:25:39. Osaka Gakuin University and Fukuoka University came up fast over the last 3 stages to take 6th and 7th, with the National University Select Team landing 8th.
Josai scoring the double win this season and schools from eastern Japan taking the top 3 spots today marked a change in the balance of power that has usually tipped toward the Kansai and Tokai regions further west. With all 3 of its individual stage titles coming from 1st-years and only 2 graduating seniors Josai looks set for a few more years at the top. TFU only has one graduating senior, and given its upward momentum the last 2 years it could go even further than Josai next year. For DBU the struggle to break its curse and win something remains real. It doesn't have any graduating seniors out of its lineup today, but with Wanjiru having only one year left it'll have to pull things together next season.
Nobody stays on top forever, but Meijo seems to have lost the magic that kept it there through last year. With 3 of its 7 runners today graduating including its only stage winner Nanaka Yonezawa it's not going to be any easier for it to get back up there next year. It's not clear what happened to Ritsumeikan this season, but with only one graduating senior its chances look better than Meijo's.
Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden
20th National University Women's Invitational Championship
Shizuoka, 30 Dec. 2025
24 teams, 7 stages, 43.4 km net uphill
Team Results
1. Josai University (Kanto) - 2:22:36
2. Tohoku Fukushi University (Tohoku) - 2:22:47
3. Daito Bunka University (Kanto) - 2:23:10
4. Meijo University (Tokai) - 2:24:34
5. Ritsumeikan University (Kansai) - 2:25:39
6. Osaka Gakuin University (Kansai) - 2:26:35
7. Fukuoka University (Kyushu) - 2:26:59
8. National University Select Team - 2:27:03
9. Toyo University (Kanto) - 2:28:08
10. Nittai University (Kanto) - 2:28:44
11. Kansai University (Kansai) - 2:28:50
12. Juntendo University (Kanto) - 2:29:36
13. Tamagawa University (Kanto) - 2:29:53
14. Takushoku University (Kanto) - 2:30:08
15. Chuo University (Kanto) - 2:30:13
16. Tsukuba University (Kanto) - 2:30:15
17. Teikyo Kagaku University (Kanto) - 2:30:30
18. Tokyo Nogyo University (Kanto) - 2:30:38
19. Kyoto Sangyo University (Kansai) - 2:30:41
20. Osaka Geijutsu University (Kansai) - 2:30:47
21. Kansai Gaikokugo University (Kansai) - 2:31:28
22. Kobe Gakuin University (Kansai) - 2:32:12
23. Shizuoka Prefecture Select Team - 2:33:46
24. Surugadai University (Kanto) - 2:34:26
Top Individual Stage Results
First Stage (4.1 km)
1. Yua Sato (1st yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 12:47
2. Takine Yamamoto (2nd yr., National Select Team) - 12:50
3. Koharu Kaneko (4th yr., Josai Univ.) - 12:51
Second Stage (6.8 km)
1. Kyo Honma (1st yr., Josai Univ.) - 20:36 - CR
2. Kazuyo Iida (2nd yr., Nittai. Univ.) - 21:08
3. Mei Nakano (2nd yr., Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) - 21:11
Third Stage (3.3 km)
1. Momoka Moriyasu (2nd yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 10:10
2. Runa Shoji (4th yr., National Select Team) - 10:12
3. Ayano Sato (3rd yr., Tamagawa Univ.) - 10:13
Fourth Stage (4.4 km)
1. Nanaka Yonezawa (4th yr., Meijo Univ.) - 14:14
2. Yu Hayasaka (2nd yr., Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) - 14:17
3. Yurino Suzuki (1st yr., Shizuoka Select Team) - 14:24
Fifth Stage (10.5 km)
1. Sarah Wanjiru (3rd yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 33:29
2. Nazuki Sasaki (3rd yr., Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) - 34:26
3. Mei Hosomi (1st yr., Meijo Univ.) - 34:53
Sixth Stage (6.0 km)
1. Mai Kubota (1st yr., Josai Univ.) - 19:24
2. Yumi Yamada (1st yr., Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 19:33
3. Hikari Kobayashi (3rd yr., Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) - 19:35
Seventh Stage (8.3 km 169 m elevation gain)
1. Yuna Onishi (1st yr., Josai Univ.) - 29:37
2. Amisa Murayama (3rd yr., Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) - 29:46
3. Wakana Hashimoto (1st yr., Meijo Univ.) - 30:02
© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Comments
I was disappointed by Meijo Uni. Their 4th year players other than Nanaka Yonezawa were disappointing and why Nanaka Yonezawa was given the relatively short 4th stage run is a mystery as the team only gained a little in terms of time. In retrospect, wouldn't it have been better to have her run the longer 2nd stage and mitigate the loss the team suffered there? Who am I to question one of the most successful university managers around. Looking back at the 4th year players and what the coach has said in the past they seemed to have fallen away mentally the last couple of years and where they promised so much in their first year they didn't lift Meijo as I thought they would.
Credit to Tohoku Fukushi Uni. They did outstandingly well and were very strong, finishing on the podium in 5 of 7 stages. They have to be happy with their progress. And I thought Amisa Murayama ran a brilliant final leg. Someone had to lose.
I thought Daito Bunka Uni had a very good chance after Sarah Wanjiru brought them to the lead with yet another stage winning run but injuries to key players did not help their cause. Great Ekiden to finish the year. And I have to say, Josai University made this year a memorable one for the neutral watcher (who has since become a fan of the team!).