After a wild New Year Ekiden corporate men's national championships yesterday that saw new CR on 6 of the race's 7 stages and a 7-second miss on the one that wasn't broken, Day One of the 102nd Hakone Ekiden more than lived up to what the pros had done 24 hours earlier.
Only one runner, Chuo University's Yamato Yoshii in 2022, had ever broken 61 minutes for the 21.3 km First Stage, but when Chuo's Daichi Shibata took it out on CR pace the entire field went with him. It took a while for Ageo City Half winner Rui Aoki of Izumo Ekiden champ Koku Gakuin University to move up to the front, but when he did it was decisive. Aoki crushed the CR in 1:00:28, 59:54 half marathon pace, and behind him the next both Shibata and the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team's So Kawasaki from Tsukuba University also went under Yoshii's old 1:00:40 record. 4th through 8th broke 61, setting the tone for the rest of the day.
Chuo, KGU, last year's top 2 Aoyama Gakuin University and Komazawa University, and Waseda University were all expected to be in it for the Day One win. Chuo's Itta Tameike was quick to run down KGU captain Ryuto Uehara on the 23.1 km Second Stage to go out front alone, but Victor Kimutai from last year's 5th-placer Josai University was unexpectedly brilliant. Kimutai came up from 7th to open a 43-second lead with a 1:05:09 CR, 22 seconds under the old record and 59:31 half marathon pace over a longer distance with tough hills in its last 5 km. The next 4 runners all clocked all-time top 10 marks, no joke given that the Second Stage is historically where most of the best run.
Josai lacked the personnel to maintain the lead and was caught by Chuo's Hayate Honma on the 21.4 km Third Stage, who opened a 58-second lead by the end of his run with an all-time #3 1:00:08, 59:35 half marathon pace. Komazawa finally got into the game too, as Yudai Kiyama ran an all-time #6 1:00:51 to move into 3rd just 9 seconds back from Josai's Ryuki Kobayashi.
Komazawa's strategy this time focuses on Day Two, and Kiyama's run put them into position to execute tomorrow. But that all fell apart when its 4th runner Hibiki Murakami ran the 2nd-slowest time on the 20.9 km Fourth Stage, dropping them back to 7th. Chuo's Kaisei Okada was excellent up front with an all-time #6 1:00:37, but the real star of the show was Waseda 1st-year Rui Suzuki.
In his Hakone debut Suzuki tore it up, improbably running 1:00:01, just 1 second off the CR set 3 years ago by Tokyo Kokusai University's Vincent Yegon, breaker of 3 individual Hakone stage records. Yegon had seemed untouchable, but here was a Japanese athlete still in his teens just missing taking him out of the record book. We wrote last month about how much the level has come up at Hakone this past year, and Suzuki was just the latest sign.
Suzuki brought Waseda within 1:12 of Chuo at the start of the legendary 20.8 km Fifth Stage that peaks out at 874 m, and with last year's 2nd-placer on the stage Shinsaku Kudo lined up to take the mountain on again the chances of Waseda pulling it off looked solid. And when Kudo went past Chuo's Daichi Shibata just after the toughest ascent on the course it looked set.
But we're forgetting somebody.
With 8 overall Hakone wins and 10 top 3 finishes in the last 11 years, defending champion AGU was down in a hole from the start, 17th on the First Stage and spending the rest of the way trying to get back on its feet. 11th after the Second Stage and 8th after the Third Stage, AGU's 4th runner Kyosuke Hiramatsu ran the stage's all-time 7th-best performance to move into 5th, 3:24 behind Chuo. Last year AGU's Hiroki Wakabayashi set a 1:09:11 CR for the Fifth Stage, then went on to run a 2:06:07 collegiate marathon record a month later at Beppu-Oita. With his graduation the speculation was that AGU would struggle to fill the specialist spot. But head coach Susumu Hara came up with the perfect solution: put in the guy who broke Wakabayashi's collegiate record.
Over the last 20 years there have been 3 runners who redefined what was possible on the Fifth Stage, Masato Imai of Juntendo University, Ryuji Kashiwabara from Toyo University, and AGU's Daichi Kamino. 2:06:05 collegiate marathon record holder Asahi Kuroda took Hakone to another level today. It's hard to put into words, really, so just let the numbers do the talking. 1:07:16, 1:55 under Wakabayashi's record from last year. There was just no way he could run down Kudo, an uphill specialist who ran a 1:00:06 half marathon last year. But he did. Kudo tried to fight him off on the steep drop from the peak to the last kilometer and a half along the shore of Lake Ashi to the finish line, but as soon as they hit the flat Kuroda was gone. It was amazing, even if you're sick of AGU winning every time, in the way that you want to believe a performance in this era can still honestly amaze.
Thanks to Kuroda, even with the slow start AGU went 5 seconds under its CR for the massively uphill 107.5 km Day One record from 2024, winning in 5:18:08. Waseda ran an all-time #3 5:18:26 for 2nd, Chuo all-time #4 5:19:44 for 3rd, KGU all-time #6 5:20:02 for 4th, and Josai all-time #7 for 5th. Those were 4 of the 5 favorites, Josai being the outlier thanks to Kimutai's Second Stage CR and an all-time #4 run from its 5th man Shoya Saito. Komazawa was the only one of the heavy hitters to falter, 4:52 back in 7th after Murakami's blowup.
What does today mean for Day Two? Hopefully a lot more CR to come. Last year AGU had a 1:47 lead at over Chuo at the end of Day One and was 3:16 ahead of Komazawa who ended up 2nd. This time they've only got an 18-second lead over Waseda, a 1:36 lead over Chuo, 1:54 on KGU, 2:12 on Josai, and 4:52 on Komazawa. That pretty much does Komazawa's chances in, even though they have some of their best runners including captain Takuma Yamakawa, 2025 Sixth Stage 2nd-placer Aoi Ito and last year's Seventh Stage CR breaker Keita Sato to come. Waseda and Josai have already run their best people and will almost definitely fade. The #1-ranked KGU and #2-ranked Chuo are the main competition, but Coach Hara know what he's doing, and with Kuroda having played the heavy-duty role he needed to, and more, AGU will be very, very hard to beat.
The race to get onto the 10-deep podium is looking good, with Juntendo, Soka University, Nihon University and Tokai University currently rounding out the top 10 but this season's Yosenkai qualifying race winner Chuo Gakuin University only 12 seconds behind Tokai in 11th. The top 10 earn auto-qualifying spots for Hakone 2027 and an invitation to October's season-opening Izumo Ekiden, with 11th and beyond go back to the Yosenkai instead. A lot of the time the race for 10th is more exciting than what's going on up front.
Teams start Day Two with the same time difference they had at the finish of Day One, with all teams that finished over 10 minutes behind AGU starting together and carrying a time handicap throughout the day. This time around 13th-place Tokyo Nogyo University just made it, 9:54 behind AGU, so 8 teams will start the day together 10 minutes after AGU. This can get a bit complicated as the running order back there won't reflect actual standings, and it gets more complicated when the back of the back falls too far behind the leader and its next runner starts on a gun with an additional time handicap. But it works somehow.
Nippon TV's pre-race show starts at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 3rd, with the race kicking off at 8:00 a.m. If you've got a VPN then TVer has got you covered for streaming. See you then.
102nd Hakone Ekiden Day One
Tokyo-Hakone, 2 Jan. 2026
21 teams, 5 stages, 107.5 km
Team Results
1. Aoyama Gakuin University - 5:18:08 - CR
2. Waseda University - 5:18:26 - all-time #3
3. Chuo University - 5:19:44 - all-time #4
4. Koku Gakuin University - 5:20:02 - all-time #6
5. Josai University - 5:20:20 - all-time #7
6. Juntendo University - 5:21:49
7. Komazawa University - 5:23:00
8. Soka University - 5:24:02
9. Nihon University - 5:25:00
10. Tokai University - 5:26:10
11. Chuo Gakuin University - 5:26:22
12. Yamanashi Gakuin University - 5:27:28
13. Tokyo Nogyo University - 5:28:02
14. Kanagawa University - 5:28:25
15. Toyo University - 5:28:55
16. Nittai University - 5:30:04
17. Teikyo University - 5:30:25
18. Daito Bunka University - 5:30:43
19. Tokyo Kokusai University - 5:30:45
OP - Kanto Student Alliance Team - 5:32:02
20. Rikkyo University - 5:33:05
Top Individual Stage Performances
First Stage (21.3 km)
1. Rui Aoki (4th yr., Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:00:28 - CR
2. Daichi Shibata (3rd yr., Chuo Univ.) - 1:00:37 - all-time #2
3. So Kawasaki (3rd yr., Student Alliance) - 1:00:38 - all-time #3
4. Kaito Matsui (2nd yr., Toyo Univ.) - 1:00:43 - all-time #5
5. Hiro Konda (4th yr., Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 1:00:45 - all-time #6
6. Shoya Koyama (3rd yr., Komazawa Univ.) - 1:00:48 - all-time #7
7. Yu Shibata (3rd yr., Josai Univ.) - 1:00:51 - all-time #8
8. Nayabu Naoki Yoshikura (3rd yr., Waseda Univ.) - 1:00:58 - all-time #9
9. Ryuto Hirashima (4th yr., Nittai Univ.) - 1:01:01 - all-time #10
10. Riito Ikema (2nd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 1:01:20
Second Stage (23.1 km)
1. Victor Kimutai (4th yr., Josai Univ.) - 1:05:09 - CR
2. Shadrack Kipkemei (3rd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 1:05:42 - all-time #3
3. Brian Kipyegon (3rd yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 1:05:43 - all-time #4
4. Tomonori Yamaguchi (4th yr., Waseda Univ.) - 1:05:47 - all-time #7
5. Stephen Muthini (3rd yr., Soka Univ.) - 1:06:00 - all-time #10
6. Itta Tameike (4th yr., Chuo Univ.) - 1:06:06
7. Richard Etir (3rd yr., Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 1:06:14
8. Shunsuke Kuwata (2nd yr., Komazawa Univ.) - 1:06:19
9. Hiroto Yoshioka (3rd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 1:06:28
10. Kaito Iida (2nd yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:06:29
Third Stage (21.4 km)
1. Hayate Honma (3rd yr., Chuo Univ.) - 1:00:08 - all-time #3
2. Yudai Kiyama (4th yr., Komazawa Univ.) - 1:00:51 - all-time #6
3. Hiromichi Nonaka (3rd yr., Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:01:22
4. Tomoya Inoue (1st yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 1:01:33
5. Teruki Shimada (4th yr., Teikyo Univ.) - 1:01:44
6. Ryuki Kobayashi (2nd yr., Josai Univ.) - 1:01:49
7. Shunya Udagawa (4th yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:01:51
8. Shunpei Yamaguchi (2nd yr., Waseda Univ.) - 1:01:54
9. Takumi Orihashi (3rd yr., Soka Univ.) - 1:02:04
10. Haruto Mukae (2nd yr., Toyo Univ.) - 1:02:06
Fourth Stage (20.9 km)
1. Rui Suzuki (1st yr., Waseda Univ.) - 1:00:01 - all-time #2
2. Kaisei Okada (2nd yr., Chuo Univ.) - 1:00:37 - all-time #6
3. Kyosuke Hiramatsu (3rd yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:00:45 - all-time #7
4. Hikaru Tsujihara (3rd yr., Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:00:59 - all-time #9
5. Yuta Minamisaka (3rd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 1:01:22
6. Kirato Matsuura (2nd yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 1:01:48
7. Sota Taniguchi (3rd yr., Teikyo Univ.) - 1:01:51
8. Ryuto Kawahara (2nd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 1:01:57
9. Ryusei Hirakawa (3rd yr., Kanagawa Univ.) - 1:02:04
9. Renato Ogata (4th yr., Toyo Univ.) - 1:02:04
Fifth Stage (20.8 km, peaking at 874 m)
1. Asahi Kuroda (4th yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:07:16 - CR
2. Shoya Saito (4th yr., Josai Univ.) - 1:09:28 - all-time #4
3. Shinsaku Kudo (3rd yr., Waseda Univ.) - 1:09:46 - all-time #7
4. Itsuki Takaishi (1st yr., Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:10:05 - all-time #9
5. Yuto Kobayashi (3rd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 1:10:31
6. Yuma Nozawa (4th yr., Soka Univ.) - 1:11:31
7. Kaisei Yasuhara (3rd yr., Komazawa Univ.) - 1:11:38
8. Yuta Asakawa (3rd yr., Teikyo Univ.) - 1:11:51
9. Koji Suzuki (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 1:11:59
10. Masayoshi Yuge (4th yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) 1:12:00
text and photos © 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Comments
Waseda had it all work out as they wanted on the first 4 stages and I feel like Kudo could have run better and they know it. Not bad by any means but a day 1 win was definitely possible.
Doubt they'll be in the mix for the win on day 2 but who knows: Chuo and Koku Gakuin can still make a comeback and while unlikely to happen but a bad single stage (especially early) from an AGU runner could open things up again. Times and PBs matters but if AGU starts bad and it becomes a man vs man race then anything can happen.
Komazawa seems to be out of contention because too many teams need to have a bad day for them to catch up. But again, if AGU implodes on the sixth or 7th stage, expecting Aoi Ito to run a CR on the sixth stage, Sato and Yamakawa may have enough in them to shave 2-3 minutes compared to the field and that's what separates them from Chuo and Koku Gakuin who still have good depth though.
Fantastic day 1 though, it didn't unfold the way I thought it would but it was that good.
Teikyo won the disappointment of the day prize of this year, really shocking start on the first 2 stages. After years of struggle Juntendo put 5 consecutive good runs in with some young guys too, maybe next year the battle will have more teams in the mix than we expect.
On to day 2!