UK's 2nd ekiden relay race ends in victory for Japan's Ritsumeikan

Japanese-style event features teams of 10 runners covering 114 kilometers

20250620N UK ekiden Ritsumeikan

A runner crosses the finish line for Ritsumeikan University, which was later awarded the championship. (Photo by Masatoshi Ida)

MASATOSHI IDA

WINDSOR, U.K. -- The second running of the FT Nikkei U.K. Ekiden took place on Friday starting in this London suburb, with Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University taking the championship in a field of 31 universities and companies from both Japan and the U.K.

Ekiden is a long-distance relay race format that originated in Japan. The U.K. Ekiden was started in 2024 with the aim of spreading the race's culture there. Based on the Hakone Ekiden, one of the most famous yearly university races in Japan, the U.K. version is sponsored by the Financial Times and Nikkei.

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