Five (and a Half) Takeaways from the All Japan University Women's Ekiden 2025

It was a dreary day: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.

Okay, it wasn't quite a Dickensian level of dour, but it was gray and murky with low clouds and endless drizzly rain.

And if it was tough enough just standing on the roadside as a spectator, spare a thought for those red-lining through a race they’d spent twelve months preparing for. But the girls didn't let the weather faze them. And they put on a classic.

Here are my five (and a half) takeaways from the All Japan University Women's Ekiden 2025.

Josai University flyer Koharu Kaneko on her way to a second-stage course record

(1) What a Comeback!: Joy for Josai and Mizuno

The Flourish chart below (courtesy of Getsuriku Online) gives some idea of the turbulent nature of university women’s Ekiden across the six stages or ku (区). But even so, the sunshine-yellow line at the top, representing newly minted champions Josai University, shifting from third place after stage five to top of the pile after stage six, doesn't do justice to the drama.

Josai dominated the first half of the race, setting two new stage records, but by the end of the fifth stage, it looked like they might have to settle for third. However, fourth-year Hinata Kaneko had other plans, conjuring up a gutsy run from the gods, taking the lead with a kilometer and change to go, burning past Daito Bunka’s Mariya Noda to claim Josai’s first crown in 25 years.

And while there were unbridled scenes of Josai joy in the stadium, you can imagine the team at Mizuno, who sponsor the team, were also celebrating. Hinata was wearing the company's super shoe, the Wave Rebellion Pro. Mizuno has been relatively quiet in the carbon-shoe turf war (and the running boom generally,) but this might just be the start of an exciting comeback for the classic brand.

A slightly blurry, but perhaps fitting, image of Daito Bunka's Mariya Noda in action on stage six

(2) Unwanted Silver Linings: Deep Daito Disappointment

Oh, Ekiden can be so cruel. Josai joy had to be balanced out with deep Daito disappointment. Many had touted Daito Bunka University as this year’s likely winner, and the team, anchored in the final two stages by superstar Sarah Wanjiru and U20 Japan athlete Mariya Noda, looked poised to claim the crown for their school for the very first time. And that prediction very nearly came true.

Until it didn’t.

Sarah blew the field apart, as she so often does, but something didn’t look quite right with Mariya from the start of the sixth. She seemed laboured, as if her legs were weighing her down. Or perhaps it was the pressure of expectation. Either way, she couldn't repel the Josai attack and her face crossing the line was one of utter devastation.

TV commentators have even dubbed them the “silver collectors.”

It’s worth noting that Daito Bunka has quite a remarkable record, with eleven second-place finishes over fifteen years. TV commentators have even dubbed them the “silver collectors.” You can imagine they must be sick of the sight of that particular metal.

Mariya and Sarah are both third-years, meaning they’ll have one more crack next year. They, and the rest of the talented team, will be deserving winners if they manage to pull it off.

Racing to new records

(3) Ring-a-Ding-a-Course-Record: Tumbling Times

If you are familiar with Japanese broadcasts of major Ekiden races, you'll know that when a runner sets a new stage record, you get this old-school analog ring chime to signify the achievement. To be honest, it's a little bit grating and can be quite scary because, generally speaking, any sudden chimes from the TV usually signify some kind of natural disaster!

Well, when I watched the broadcast back after getting home from Sendai, I thought the world was coming to an end. (I know you shouldn't joke about these things, but it was pretty startling.)

At the end of the first stage, that ring rattled off six times in a row in close succession. It took me a moment to realize what was happening. But basically, six runners had broken the previous first stage record.

It was a remarkable showing with three of the six to break the record being first-years.

Of course, only one can claim the official course record, but anyone who finishes faster than the old mark still earns that unmistakable chime.

The list was headlined by Josai University’s first-year Kyo Honma, who took the 6.6km stage win in 20:53, followed closely by Saki Ota (3rd year, Ritsumeikan University). Also breaking the mark were Mei Nakano (2nd year, Tohoku Fukushi University), Sayo Imanishi (1st year, Teikyo Science University), Rinon Akitake (1st year, Daito Bunka University), and Hikaru Fukuyama (2nd year, Fukuoka University).

It was a remarkable showing with three of the six were first-years, making their Ekiden debuts on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

(4) Juntendo: An Annus So Closus

Juntendo University is synonymous with Ekiden, mainly on the men’s side, thanks to multiple Hakone victories, but they’re also regular winners of the relatively new mixed-format event held annually in Osaka.

This year, however, has been rather unkind. Back in January, the men finished one spot outside of the seeded positions at Hakone, losing out in a sprint finish to end all sprint finishes. That meant they had to go through the notoriously unpredictable Hakone Ekiden qualifier, a straight-up half marathon time trial where each team’s results are tallied and the top ten advance to Hakone. They did well, coming in second, but still, nothing is guaranteed.

Ironically, the women’s team met a similar fate, finishing ninth and missing automatic qualification for next year’s ekiden by a single place. If you look at their indigo line in the chart above, you can see the dramatic twists and turns they endured. Still, they have a standout in Airi Tajima, who bossed the fifth stage and hauled her team right back into contention. The talent is clearly there: Juntendo should be securing those seeded spots on a regular basis.

Lining the street with Ekiden fans from all over the country is part of the experience

(5) Pride and Places: Japan’s True All-Country Ekiden

Unlike the major men’s Ekidens, where Kanto-region universities inevitably sweep up the top ten spots and more and it’s just a matter of the order, the All-Japan University Women's Ekiden is a genuinely national contest.

Looking at this year’s results, you’ve essentially got representation from north, south, east, and west in the top eight. It's a true all-country affair. That’s part of its appeal as a fan: spending time on the sidelines (despite the rain), you can feel the regional pride, hear dialects from across Japan, and soak in the colours and sounds of what’s essentially a glorious festival of women’s running.

If you want to experience Ekiden: the excitement, the community, and the vibrancy, then a trip to Sendai in late October should be on your list.

(5.5) Lost in Sendai

This one probably doesn’t even merit a full point, but it’s worth mentioning. One of the coolest things about this Ekiden is that you can move around and catch different runners on different stages: if, that is, you can figure out how.

I only went to Cubs for one week, and maybe I should’ve stayed longer because my sense of direction and map reading is hopeless. I’d mapped out my route on the train up to Sendai, feeling very pleased with myself, only to be completely flummoxed when the time came.

You need to know the train routes, the gaps between services, and the back-street shortcuts, all while racing the clock to beat the runners to the next checkpoint. It’s part logistics, part guesswork, and it feels like a race in itself.