The ekiden, which originated in Japan, is spreading in Britain, where its development as an inter-university competition and the addition of the word to an English dictionary have been reported. The runners compete with a sense of duty to pass on the tasuki.
Efforts to promote the ekiden, which originated in Japan, are gaining momentum in Britain. Since the university competition UK Ekiden began in 2024, the number of schools wishing to participate has increased each year. The event is expanding mainly among universities in the country as a competition inspired by the Hakone Ekiden. Teams compete by covering long distances with successive runners, passing the tasuki from one runner to the next.
It has been reported that Ekiden was added to an authoritative English dictionary as a term denoting the ekiden, which originated in Japan, further raising awareness of the competition. The runners race around the course with a sense of duty to pass the tasuki to the next runner.
The movement is attracting interest not only from Japanese people but also from local residents, and the cultural background and competitive nature of the ekiden are believed to be reaching English-speaking readers.