Ekiden races are sport in winter and the biggest race is the Kantou Daigaku Ekiden (Tokyo area colleges’ competition by male runners) which runs 200 kilometers in total by 10 runners from Tokyo to Mt. Hakone and then return to Tokyo in two days on January 2nd and 3rd. Television and radio stations cover the race before the starting and after the last runner finishes. The spectators’ lines on the course road sides are never broken.
Women’s Ekiden has been also gathering popularity and high schools, colleges and inter-corporates races are competed in December and January.
