Ekiden (駅伝) is a term referring to a long-distance relay running race, typically on roads.[1][2]
The Japanese term originally referred to a post-horse or stagecoach which transmitted communication by stages.
The term originated in Japan, although the concept of a long distance relay race is not unique to any country.
The first ekiden race was sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun in 1917, and was run over three days between the old Japanese capital of Kyoto and the modern capital of Tokyo, a distance of 508 km, to celebrate the anniversary of the moving of the capital to Tokyo.
As written in Japanese, Ekiden combines the characters for "station" (駅) and "transmit" (伝). This name was coined by the poet Toki Zemmaro (1885–1980), who was head of the Yomiuri Shimbun's Social Affairs Department at the time.
One of the most popular modern ekiden in Japan is the Hakone Ekiden,
which features teams of 10 male students from various Japanese
universities of the Tokyo (Kanto) region.This race from central Tokyo along Tokyo Bay, past Yokohama to Hakone
and back is held over two days at the New Year, covering 219
kilometers. It is a popular spectator sport that draws large crowds (a
million or more) along the whole route and receives full network television coverage nationwide over the two days.[2][3][4]
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