Britain laces up for a Japan-style 116km relay as Emperor Naruhito visits

The inaugural UK ‘ekiden’ will mark the 100th anniversary of Japan’s storied long-distance relay to coincide with the royal couple’s visit

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Runners set off on the first day of the Tokyo-Hakone ekiden in 2020. The 219km (136-mile) race celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 4:00pm, 16 Jun 2024

Japan is exporting one of its best-loved sporting events, the ekiden long-distance relay race, to Britain. The inaugural UK edition, set to be held later this month, will celebrate strong ties between the two countries.

Starting in Oxford and following a 116km route along the Thames Path, the route of the race on June 24 will pass through Abingdon, Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Maidenhead before ending in Windsor.

Its commemorates the 100th anniversary of Japan’s most famous ekiden – a two-day New Year’s race between university students from Tokyo to the mountain town of Hakone and back, covering some 219km (136 miles) – and is set to coincide with a visit by Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to the UK. The royal couple are scheduled to arrive on June 22, with their official state visit taking place from June 25-27.

Teams of 10 runners will complete individual legs of the course, passing with traditional tasuki sash – rather than a baton – from each athlete to the next. The sash is considered a symbol of team unity.

A footpath along the River Thames, which will be used as part of the course for the first UK “ekiden”. Photo: Handout

“In the UK, we have elite university rowing races – the annual Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge universities – but we do not have university running events like the ekiden format in Japan, along iconic routes,” said Anna Dingley, founder of Britain’s ekiden.

Elite university runners were aware of the “strength and depth” of long-distance running in Japan, and an ekiden race was a good opportunity to test themselves, she said.