Aoyama Gakuin University Leads After Day 1 of Tokyo-Hakone Ekiden

Aoyama Gakuin University has claimed the lead after the first day of the prestigious two-day Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay, held on January 2, 2025. The defending champions completed the 107.5-kilometer route from Otemachi in Tokyo to the scenic resort area of Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture in a time of 5 hours, 20 minutes, and 1 second, establishing a significant lead of 1 minute and 47 seconds over their closest competitor, Chuo University.

During the event, which marks its 101st iteration this year, Chuo University had initially dominated the race, leading through the first four legs. However, Aoyama Gakuin's standout performer, Hiroki Wakabayashi, made a decisive move during the fifth leg, overtaking Chuo's Daito Sonoki. Wakabayashi's exceptional performance not only secured a crucial lead for his team but also set a new record for the fifth leg with a time of 1:09:11.

Waseda University finished the day in third place, trailing Aoyama Gakuin by 2 minutes and 29 seconds. Meanwhile, Kokugakuin University, after finishing sixth, will be looking to improve its standings in the return leg scheduled for January 3. The university aims to secure a triple crown in collegiate road relays, having won both the Izumo Ekiden in October and the national championship in November.

Tokyo International University's Richard Etir, an athlete hailing from Kenya, made headlines by achieving a record time of 1:05:31 in the second leg, significantly advancing his team from 14th to 2nd place. However, despite this impressive performance, the team concluded the first day in 11th position among the 21 competing teams.

As the competition progresses, the top 10 teams at the end of the second day will automatically qualify for next year's Tokyo-Hakone race, heightening the stakes for all participating universities.