University of Tokyo Runner Talks About Overwhelming Cheers and Future After Hakone Ekiden

“After finishing my last Hakone Ekiden, I can honestly say these four years of university track and field life were really wonderful.”

This is what Takuma Akiyoshi (4th year), who competed for the Kanto Student Union in this year’s Hakone Ekiden (102nd edition) and made his second consecutive appearance, told our reporters.

The Hakone Ekiden ended with Aoyama Gakuin University completing their second consecutive triple victory. But the attention wasn’t only on Aoyama Gakuin’s performance, which included three stage winners. The Kanto Student Union, which finished roughly 7th on the return leg, just behind one of the “Big Five” Chuo University (others: Aoyama Gakuin, Kokugakuin University, Waseda University, Komazawa University), also received particularly loud cheers from the roadside (the Kanto Student Union is recorded as a reference result). Among them, Akiyoshi’s remarkable performance in the 7th leg, finishing roughly 4th, stood out. He himself continues:

“This was my second Hakone Ekiden, and the number of people and the cheers along the course were truly overwhelming. I was able to enjoy running the entire 21.3 km of the 7th leg. Being able to stand on this stage twice is thanks to my parents, teammates, coaches, the university, everyone involved from junior high and high school, friends, and all who supported me. I am filled with gratitude.”

〈My spirit broke at times〉

Two consecutive Hakone Ekiden appearances from the University of Tokyo.

Akiyoshi, who left an unusual mark, was actually a late bloomer as a runner. In an interview with FRIDAY (Dec. 12, ’25 issue), he said:

“I attended Rokko Gakuin, an integrated junior and senior high school in Hyogo Prefecture, and until junior high, I was on the soccer team. But I was slow in sprints and physically small, so I often got outmatched, and I wasn’t particularly strong as a soccer player. The turning point came in my second year of junior high when I placed first in a school-wide 30 km run. I thought long-distance running might suit me better than soccer, so I joined the track team in high school.”

Enjoying running, Akiyoshi began to stand out. In April of his third year of high school, at the Hyogo Track Spring Meet, he ran his personal best at the time: 5000 m in 14:58.94. His goal was to be the best in both academics and athletics: he passed the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Science I, as an active student, thinking, “At UTokyo, I can become the team ace right away.”

“At UTokyo, there were several runners faster than me in the low 14-minute range for 5000 m. My spirit broke. I realized I couldn’t compete in the Hakone Ekiden like this, so I trained intensely.”

Under the guidance of Shuichi Kondo, a UTokyo alumnus who had competed in the Hakone Ekiden and gained experience in corporate athletics, Akiyoshi added 800 m to his previous 400 m and 1000 m training. This taught him the challenges of pacing over distance and the importance of speed. As mentioned, he managed to compete in two Hakone Ekiden races.

Regarding his future, he said in the interview:

“While continuing my studies in graduate school, I will join the track team at ‘MABP,’ where Daichi Kamino, known as the ‘Mountain God’ during his student days at Aoyama Gakuin, serves as both athlete and coach. I want to challenge my limits in both academics and long-distance running.”

After the Hakone Ekiden, Akiyoshi humbly said in an interview, “I will continue to strive and grow from this experience.” With his university achievements behind him, he is set to embark on a dual path as both researcher and athlete.