2025 Hakone Ekiden: Soka, Waseda, Josai, and the Key Role of Shin-Yama no Kami
The biggest battle in history! Kokugakuin aiming for the Triple Crown, Aogaku, the previous champion, and Komazawa, a powerhouse, are the top 3!
Could this be the most exciting competition in history!?
Two-time champion or first-ever victory? The return of a former powerhouse? The 2025 Hakone Ekiden is poised to be one of the most exciting races in history.
In October this year, the prelude to the Hakone Ekiden, the Izumo Ekiden, was won by Kokugakuin University, not by Aoyama Gakuin University, who claimed the overall victory in the January Hakone Ekiden, nor by the newly-restructured Komazawa University led by the legendary Hiroaki Ogi (66) in his second year. Kokugakuin continued their momentum and clinched their first victory at the All Japan University Ekiden on November 3. With two consecutive wins, they are now poised for their first-ever victory at the Hakone Ekiden. Leading this team is ace Kioto Hirabayashi (22), a senior. Hirabayashi, who dominated the second stage in this year’s Hakone Ekiden, shocked the sports world by winning the 12th Osaka Marathon on February 25 with a time of 2:06:18, a new national record for a debut marathon. Former Hakone runner and sports writer Masato Sakai shares his thoughts.
“Hirabayashi’s ability is extraordinary, but Kokugakuin is by no means a one-man team. In fact, it is the university with the deepest pool of talent among those competing in the Hakone Ekiden. Rui Aoki (20, third year), who ran the third stage and finished fourth in the previous competition, has shown significant growth, winning the Japanese University Half Marathon this year. Hiromichi Nonaka (19, second year) has earned section titles in both the Izumo and All Japan Ekidens, and Ayumu Yamamoto (22, fourth year) set a new sectional record in the All Japan Ekiden. They are full of talent. The ideal scenario is to gain an advantage in the second stage with Hirabayashi and maintain the lead with strong runners in the 6th to 8th stages.
While Kokugakuin has never won the Hakone Ekiden, some argue that their victories in Izumo and All Japan were flukes, but that’s not true. Since the spring of 2021, when Hirabayashi and Yamamoto, the two key players, joined the team, Coach Yasuhiro Maeda (46) has been grooming the team with the 2025 Hakone Ekiden in mind. Now, their hard work is about to pay off.”
However, Kokugakuin has a major weakness: the absence of a mountain god.”In the 5th stage, the uphill leg that has produced stars like Ryūji Kashiwabara (35) from Toyo University and Daichi Kamino (31) from Aoyama Gakuin, Kokugakuin finished 17th in the previous competition. The question remains: how much can they hold up without a standout runner on this crucial stage?
The Mountain God candidates from each university.
On the other hand, at Komazawa University, which saw the legendary coach Hiroaki Ohyagi retire in 2023, the new coach Atsushi Fujita (48) has a third-year student poised to take the mantle as the next “Mountain God.” His name is Takuma Yamakawa (21).
“Yamakawa was assigned to the 5th section as a first-year student, but due to an injury in his second year, he was moved to the 4th section. He has expressed that if he were fully fit, he would like to challenge the 5th section again, showing his strong passion for mountain running.
Komazawa also has other notable runners, such as ace Kotaro Shinohara (22, 4th year), who won the section prize in the first section in the last competition, and Keita Sato (20, 2nd year), who holds the second-fastest Japanese U20 record in the 10,000m. Their strength matches that of Kokugakuin University.”
However, Komazawa’s concern lies in the instability of its team. While they have a lineup that can win if all runners perform at their best, there are many uncertainties, such as Sato’s injury that kept him out of the Izumo and All-Japan University Ekiden events. Former Waseda University Ekiden coach Yasuyuki Watanabe comments:
“Komazawa’s key challenge will be the 2nd section. Shinohara will likely run there, and if he can secure a section prize, it will give momentum to the following runners like Sato and Yamakawa. If they can hold their ground and not let their rivals take the lead early on, the possibility of winning becomes clearer.”
The battle for the 2nd and 5th sections will be pivotal. Although Kokugakuin and Komazawa have slightly stronger overall teams, Soka University and Josai University aim to challenge for the top spots by focusing all their efforts on these sections. Ekiden and marathon commentator Tetsuhiko Kim points out that Soka’s 4th-year runner Kyoshi Yoshida (22), who will tackle the 5th section, is an athlete to watch.
“Yoshida transferred from Tokai University in his third year and has a unique background. He ran the 5th section in the last competition but only finished 9th. This time, he is determined to make up for that and has improved his running. His strength lies in his efficient, rapid stride technique, which might allow him to overtake rivals ahead of him.”
Soka is also placing its bet on a Kenyan exchange student, Steven Muchini (19, 2nd year), to run the 2nd section, focusing on making a strong push in the 2nd and 5th sections.
Josai University will likely adopt a similar strategy with a foreign student in the 2nd section and a strong contender in the 5th section.
“After ‘Mountain Fairy’ Yuito Yamamoto (23) graduated, Masaya Saito (21, 3rd year) will take over the 5th section. Saito ran the 2nd section in the last competition, but he is actually better suited for the 5th section. His mountain climbing speed is said to surpass that of Yamamoto. Josai’s goal is to pass the baton to Saito in as high a position as possible. To do so, they will entrust the 2nd section to Kenyan exchange student Victor Kimtai (24, 3rd year). Kimtai is in great form, having won the section prize at the All-Japan University Ekiden. Both Soka and Josai have the potential to win the first half of the race.”
Waseda University, which boasts Tomoki Yamaguchi (21, 3rd year) as the runner for the 2nd section in the previous competition, also has a well-balanced team and cannot be overlooked.
Born in 2003, Nagano Prefecture. Graduated from Kamiina Agricultural High School, Nagano Prefecture. He was awarded the section prize in his first year at the All Japan University Ekiden in the 4th section.
Born in 2002, Shizuoka Prefecture. Graduated from Tokai University Shizuoka Shoyo High School. After entering Tokai University, he transferred to Soka University in his third year and became their ace.
Born in 2005, Kenya. Graduated from Mikuni High School. In the previous competition, he was entrusted with the coveted 2nd section spot as a first-year student and became a promising hope for the team.
Born in 2003, Fukui Prefecture. Graduated from Tsuruga Kehi High School. Following in the footsteps of his senior, Yuto Yamamoto, known as the “Mountain Fairy,” Saito will run the 5th section, which is his specialty.
Born in 2003, Chiba Prefecture. Graduated from Gakuhou Ishikawa High School. In the previous competition, as a second-year student, he was entrusted with the 2nd section, finishing in 4th place for the section.
Training to Win at the Hakone Ekiden
Kokugakuin, Komazawa, Soka, Josai, and Waseda――. The strong contenders for the championship have spent the past year aiming to defeat Aoyama Gakuin University, which claimed the overall victory in the previous tournament. Meanwhile, the reigning champions are facing a tough situation. This year, they finished in 3rd place, behind Kokugakuin and Komazawa, in both the Izumo Ekiden and the All Japan University Ekiden. Is a repeat championship impossible? Some marathon fans are whispering this. However, the aforementioned Mr. Sakai lists Aoyama Gakuin as the top favorite.
“There are many top-class athletes, such as Asahi Kuroda (20, 3rd year), who won the section prize in the 2nd leg, Aoi Ota (22, 4th year), who won the section prize in the 3rd leg, Hiroki Wakabayashi (22, 4th year), who finished 2nd in the 5th leg, and Masaya Tsurukawa (22, 4th year), who won consecutive section prizes in this year’s Izumo and All Japan Ekidens. Additionally, Aoyama Gakuin is strong in the mountains. While Kokugakuin and Komazawa had an advantage in the flat-land sections of Izumo and All Japan, no team came close to Aoyama Gakuin in the mountainous sections with the uphill and downhill challenges.”
Haruka Hara (57), the coach who led Aoyama Gakuin to seven Hakone Ekiden victories, knows how to win at Hakone better than anyone.
“Unlike Izumo and All Japan, the Hakone Ekiden consists of all long-distance sections, 20km or more. While teams like Komazawa focus on middle and long-distance track events, Aoyama Gakuin continues to focus on long-distance running training aimed at conquering the Hakone Ekiden throughout the year. Coach Hara assesses the athletes’ conditions in Izumo and All Japan and solidifies the lineup for the repeat championship” (Mr. Watanabe, as mentioned earlier).
In the three-way battle between Kokugakuin, Komazawa, and Aoyama Gakuin, Soka and Josai will enter the competition with their ace and international student strategy――. Next year’s New Year, the whole country will witness a fierce battle.
From the December 27, 2024 issue of “FRIDAY”
PHOTO： AFLO
