2026 Hakone Ekiden Viewership Rating Hits Peak of 34.7% With Over 56 Million Tuning In

Video Research, Inc. announced on Jan. 5 that the average viewership rating for Nippon TV's broadcast of the 102nd Hakone Ekiden reached 28.5% for the first day of the race on Jan. 2, and 30.2% for the second day on Jan. 3, an average of 29.4% for the complete broadcast. Last year's race had ratings of 27.9% for Day One, 28.8% for Day Two, and an average of 28.4%.

The total viewership for the overall two-day race was 56,217,000, up nearly 800,000 from the 2025 broadcast. 42,679,000 tuned in for the Day One broadcast and 45,547,000 for Day Two. Average audience size was 17,324,000 for the complete broadcast, 16,521,000 for Day One, and 18,012,000 for Day Two.

This year's peak viewership rating on Jan. 2 of 33.7% was between 13:13 and 13:14 when Aoyama Gakuin University's Asahi Kuroda ran down leader Shinsaku Kudo of Waseda University near the end of the uphill Fifth Stage. The overall peak rating of 34.7% came at 9:10 a.m. on Jan. 3 when Aoi Ito of Komazawa University handed off in 6th place after running 56:50 for the downhill Sixth Stage, its 2nd-fastest time. Individual viewership ratings were 17.0% for Day One, tying last year, and 18.4% for Day Two, surpassing last year's 17.5%.

source articles:

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/42b4ba364adbdb3ae2e3ee5d525bcad56cd63a72

https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/202601040000784.html

https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/202601040000785.html

https://www.asahi.com/and/entertainment/16265502

translated and edited by Brett Larner