The UK Ekiden – A Guide for Schools
How schools can host a mini “ekiden” running relay race on the same day as theinaugural UK Ekiden on 24 June, 2024

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EKA guide produced by UK Ekiden CIC, in collaboration with the Japan Society in the UKand Harrow International School Appi Japan

The UK Ekiden – A Guide for Schools
Ekidens are long-distance relay races held in Japan. The inaugural UK Ekiden is taking
place in June 2024 and we would love schools in the UK to be a part of it by holding amini-ekiden at their school on the same day.
The UK Ekiden day is Monday 24th June, 2024. This is around the same time that theEmperor and Empress of Japan are expected to arrive in the UK to start their o cial
State Visit, on invitation from King Charles. We think there will be media attention on
the State Visit, and the UK Ekiden would be a fun way for schools to learn about Japanthrough a Japanese sporting tradition.
Contents
This guide for schools aims to:
1. Introduce the UK Ekiden.
2. Provide information about the Japanese ekiden tradition.
3. Suggest how schools can participate with their mini-ekiden suitable to theirstudents and surrounding environment.

In Japan, it is common to have characters alongside events. UK Ekiden CIC has
created these characters to help introduce the concept of ekidens to British schools.

ffiFig. 1 – Our characters Ekiand Den help introduce
the concept of Ekiden relay
races to schools

Part One – Introducing the UK Ekiden
We are launching an “Ekiden” running relay on 24th June 2024, inspired by the world-famous
Hakone Ekiden race in Japan which celebrated its 100th event in January 2024. The UK route
will be from Oxford to Windsor along the Thames Path, with 21 teams of 10 runners.
The teams taking part will be university teams, running clubs, charities and companies relatedto Japan. The headline sponsors of the UK Ekiden are the Financial Times and Nikkei
newspapers.

Fig. 2 – A Map showing the route of the UK Ekiden along the River Thames.
The route is particularly appropriate because the Japanese Emperor studied at Oxford, andwrote a book entitled “The Thames and I” and his research was into the UK waterways. TheEmpress of Japan also studied at Oxford. The Thames connects Oxford with the home of ourRoyal Family in Windsor.

Project Background:An ekiden is a long-distance relay and popular running race format in Japan. The meaning of
the word “eki-den” means “station message” and hails from a time when messages werepassed along postal routes by runners from station to station. Today in Japan, schools,
universities, and companies hold ekiden races frequently; each participant runs about 5 to 10
kilometres each and passes a sash, a “tasuki”, rather than a baton to the next runner.
Teamwork and team bonding is a fundamental part of the race.
The Hakone Ekiden has as much media coverage and spectator support as the London
Marathon, although the participants are with 21 University running teams. The inaugural UK
Ekiden is held in celebration and in admiration of the Hakone Ekiden reaching 100 races.

Figure 3. Passing the tasuki relay sash

Why hold a UK Ekiden?
A UK ekiden has a strong potential to further promote cultural understanding between Japanand the UK, as well as being an exciting running format for the participants. The inaugural race
already features mixed teams from Japan and the UK, and has attracted many people to help
volunteer on the day.
Together with our headline sponsors the Financial Times and Nikkei newspapers, we aim togrow the UK Ekiden concept from this inaugural event into the long term. If we follow in thefootsteps of the Hakone Ekiden, then this will be the rst of at least 100 events.

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We are inviting schools across the UK to take part in their own uno cial races. This will raiseawareness of the UK Ekiden and Japan, and allow pupils to experience all the excitement,
team building and other positive aspects of an ekiden race. It is also particularly relevant as it
will be around the time of a State Visit from Japan.

Part Two – The Ekiden Tradition in JapanThe Origins of Ekiden
The rst ekiden held in Japan was in 1917, which saw two teams of twenty-three runners eachcovering 500 kilometres. The race followed the Tokaido Road which was built during theShogunate period to link Kyoto, the ancient imperial capital, with the new capital city of Edo,modern-day Tokyo. The race mirrored the historic practice of transmitting goods andinformation along the route by people running or riding horses between stations.
The Hakone Ekiden
The most famous race of all is the annual Hakone Ekiden, which celebrated its 100th event inJanuary 2024. This race, which sees relay teams of university students competing over a twoday event, has become a mainstay of Japanese end-of-year celebrations. This race began in
the 1920s thanks to the e orts of the Japanese Olympian, Shiso Kanakuri, who wanted to help
improve the skills of Japanese long-distance runners. Although there are professional ekiden
races and teams that compete in races throughout Japan, the original Hakone Ekiden remains
the most popular.
The 100th Hakone Ekiden took place on 2nd and 3rd January 2024, starting outside theYomiuri Shimbun in Tokyo to Ashi-no-ko, a picturesque lake in Kanagawa Prefecture withstunning views of Mount Fuji. The outward course is divided into ve stages, totalling 107.5km.
The ve stages that comprise the return journey total 109.6km.
The 2024 race was won by Aoyama Gakuin University, who have now claimed seven overall
victories in the past ten years. The team of ten runners set a new overall record time of 10hours 41 minutes 25 seconds.
Ekiden throughout JapanAlthough the Hakone Ekiden and other nationally-televised relay races attract the mostattention, the ekiden tradition can now be found throughout Japan on regional or local scales.
In small-scale community races, mixed teams of adults and children can run around the local
neighbourhood, or teams of school students compete. The development of team spirit and thestrengthening of bonds between participants helps to explain the enduring popularity offi

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ekiden races all over Japan.

The Tasuki (Relay Sash)
Unlike in many relay races that see teams pass on a baton from one member to another,ekiden races use a cloth sash known as a tasuki, that is passed between teammates. The tasuki
is emblazoned with the team colours and name, which helps to bring the relay team together
in a sense of pride and unity.

Further Resources
Hakone Ekiden website (in Japanese) – www.hakone-ekiden.jp
Public Relations O ce, Government of Japan - https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/
book/hlj/html/201910/201910_04_en.html

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https://www.maurten.com/magazine/ekiden-inspiring-a-mindset

Part Three – Running an Ekiden in a School
We understand that not every school has a natural environment that promotes a safe,enjoyable relay run. However, almost any outdoor space you have available can beadapted for ekiden.
For example, if your school has a regular cross-country route or local park that is usedas part of PE lessons, that could become an ekiden route with the addition of relay
teams and a “tasuki” sash for members of each team to pass along.
When organising an ekiden in a school, some of the most important details to decideare:● The route – somewhere safe, accessible, and (if your location permits) suitably
challenging for your students.
● Organising the teams – will you have mixed teams (of di erent genders,classes, year groups, school houses) or more tightly controlled? How manymembers will each team have?
● The start and nish area – particularly important if you want to do laps of theroute.
● Medical provision – in case students run into di culty.

Equipment list
The most important element for an ekiden relay is the “tasuki” sash. In Japan, these
are lengths of fabric like a necktie that is tied in a knot to make a loop.
Schools could improvise by making a tasuki themselves, for example:- Using a coloured tie- Using cutting strips to create loops from the bottom of an old t-shirt

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- Using sporting bibs instead of a tasuki

Timing
The ekiden relay session could be held in a normal PE hour on Monday 24th June, or it
could be a bigger whole school event at sometime during that week.

Sharing with other schools in the UK and with Japan
We would encourage schools to upload photographs of their ekiden with the hashtag# UKschoolsekiden
Some other questions to consider:● Do you want to make your version of the ekiden an elite, competitive race, or a
fun and relaxed mass participation event?
● Do you want to try to make your own versions of the tasuki sash or would
another type of baton be better suited to your school?
● Do you want to get together with other schools to expand the ekiden evenfurther?
● Do you want to include some lessons on Japanese culture or history to deepenthe student’s appreciation for the event?
● Do you want to use this event as an opportunity to raise money for charity?
● What kind of additional risk assessments might you need to carry out to stage
an event such as this?
On the following pages, we present a case study of how the Harrow Appi Japan schoolis organising their ekiden on the same day as the inaugural UK Ekiden, 24 June 2024.
This is tailored to the Harrow Japan environment.

Case Study: The Harrow Appi Ekiden 2024 – AKA ‘The Lawson Lap’
When we heard about the inaugural UK Ekiden at Harrow International School Appi,
we immediately embraced the idea of combining Japanese and British heritage into a
fun running race that could involve all members of our school community.
The rst decision was where to hold the race. Although we are blessed to be located in
the midst of nature with numerous running trails the timing of the race fell within thelast week of our school year and during the rainy season. We also needed a safe
running route (there are bears nearby) and therefore settled on a short route that could
be accessed by everyone in our school.
One of the highlights for our students when they get time o from their weekly
schedule is a trip to the nearby convenience store, Lawson. The idea became to use
this weekly stroll as the basis for our running route. Participants in the Harrow Appi
Ekiden will run from the local Appikogen train station to the road crossing opposite

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Lawson and back before handing over their tasuki to the next member of the team.

Fig. 4. The Route of the Lawson Lap.
Our main goal for this event is mass participation. Although we hope there will be asense of competition between the teams, we already have plenty of competition
between our houses and the core themes of the ekiden in promoting togetherness andcooperation match one of the four Harrovian Values – Fellowship.

This route has considerable advantages, which we believe will help to promote a
successful event.
- No roads need to be crossed as the runners can use the pavement that runs
alongside the road. We can use cones to mark out the outward and return legs.
- The areas of the start and nish line o ers enough space for some gazebos toprovide rst aid, music, refreshments, and an area for participants to cheer on theirfellow runners.
- We are going to use teams of ten runners in keeping with ekiden tradition, though wewill create mixed teams that combine girls and boys from each of the four boarding
houses, plus members of sta where available.

We have contacts in local schools and will approach them to see whether they mightalso enjoy participating in a fun, community-minded event.
Each team will need a tasuki sash, which we intend to make in the weeks leading up tothe event as part of a cross-curricular project.
There will also be an opportunity to educate the non-Japanese students in our school
about the history and tradition of ekiden races in a school assembly leading up to thefffffifievent.

We are con dent that this will be an enjoyable end of year event that will be relatively
straightforward to organise and run, but which will have an identity unique to ourschool that the students will look forward to participating in.
If you have any questions about how to organise an ekiden event in your own school,please do contact us and we will be happy to help.

Shelley Long, Director of Sport
Crispin Chambers, Head of MFL and Trail Running
Chris Bartlett, Teacher of History

UK Ekiden is a Community Interest Company
For more information contact:
info@ukekiden.com+44 7957 540032

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www.ukekiden.com