The Izumo Ekiden (Izumo All Japan University Invitational Ekiden) is one of Japan’s most prestigious collegiate relay races and serves as the traditional opening leg of the country’s revered “Big Three University Ekiden” (三大大学駅伝), followed later in the season by the All-Japan University Ekiden and the iconic Hakone Ekiden. Every October, Japan’s strongest university distance-running programs gather in the historic city of Izumo, where the race has become one of the defining events of the Japanese road racing calendar. Live national television coverage, passionate crowds, and elite-level competition have made the Izumo Ekiden one of the country’s most anticipated athletics events.
First held in 1989, the event was created to determine Japan’s top university team over a fast, spectator-friendly relay course. Unlike the much longer Hakone Ekiden, the Izumo Ekiden covers 45.1 km divided into six stages, rewarding speed, tactical racing, and depth across an entire squad. The shorter format produces aggressive racing from the opening gun, with little opportunity for teams to recover from mistakes, making every stage crucial.
The race begins in front of the famous Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine, one of Japan’s oldest and most sacred Shinto shrines. Starting beneath the shrine’s grand torii gate gives the event a uniquely spiritual atmosphere that few road races in the world can match. From there, runners travel east through the streets of Izumo before finishing outside the Izumo Dome, where thousands of spectators gather to welcome the final runners. The course combines wide city roads, gentle rolling terrain, and long straight sections that encourage fast racing while allowing spectators to view multiple exchanges throughout the event.
