Line up by school. By school.
Teito Univesity. Saikyo University.
Tokyo Sport University.
Starting in ten,
nine,
eight,
seven,
six,
five,
four,
three,
two,
one.
Finish the first five kilometers in 3:10 each.
After that, use your own judgment.
Run with the Wind
Haiji!
Are you okay?
Are you hurt? Would you like to drop out?
You can do it!
You've got this!
Don't give up!
Hey, Hanako!
Dad.
It's Musa and the twins.
What?
The pack's starting to scatter.
Dreams and Reality
581 runners from 49 schools are participating in this year's race.
Placing is determined by the total time of a school's top ten finishers.
Of the 49 schools, the top ten will compete at the New Year's Hakone Ekiden race.
As usual, the exchange students are in the lead.
I hope the runners behind them don't get thrown off
and maintain their own pace instead.
The lead pack seems to have settled in.
The level of the qualifier rises every year.
We expect to see great individual performances,
but in the qualifier, it's all about the depth of a team's roster.
Every athlete hopes to finish even one second faster.
Indeed.
It's raining steadily now.
In the qualifier for the Tokyo-Hakone Collegiate Ekiden Relay Race,
the lead runners are approaching the seven-kilometer mark.
It's no use. I can't tell where Haiji is.
He's probably in the lead pack.
He managed to avoid getting caught up in the fall, right?
Yeah.
Seriously?
I don't know.
The coach is confirming it right now.
No way... He dropped out?
We'll head out onto the road, pass the station,
and cross under the monorail bridge.
That's about ten kilometers.
Ma'am!
Hana.
Did you see everyone run by?
I caught glimpses of them, but I didn't see them clearly.
What about Haiji?
Haiji? I haven't seen him.
Did something happen?
There! It's Haiji!
In the lead pack, behind Kakeru!
They're moving.
The exchange students in the lead pack are passing the ten-kilometer mark now.
Oka's Kipsuge is still in the front,
followed by Yakuo's Muskus and Saikyo's Jomo.
Lagging behind are Kofu Academy's Iwanki and Gaien's Ectoba.
After ten kilometers, use your own judgment.
Good luck.
Hey.
Are you watching?
Prince!
I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!
Kikui third-year Gunzawa and Tokyo Sport fourth-year Takasugi are sprinting ahead.
As if it was planned, the lead pack begins to shift
as they pass the ten-kilometer mark.
The two schools that tasted the humiliation of losing their seeds last year
are trying to get a slight lead on the others.
No. Wait a minute.
Kansei University.
It's Kansei University first-year Kurahara Kakeru.
Kansei University first-year Kurahara Kakeru is sticking to—
No. Wait.
He's pulling ahead.
He's beaten the Kikui and Tokyo Sport's burst of speed
and is now at the front of the lead pack.
Kurahara passed them.
Kurahara passed them just before the turnaround point.
More.
More!
Kurahara isn't stopping.
Kansei University first-year Kurahara Kakeru has passed Gaien second-year Ectoba
and is in a dead heat with Johann Iwanki, the monster of Hakone's section two.
Muskus and Jomo may be ahead of them now, but they can't relax yet.
I'm going to someplace where I can see the finish line.
Be careful!
Go! Don't let him beat you!
You can catch them!
Excuse me. Sorry.
I saw that guy at the track meet.
Don't stop.
Keep moving. Runners, to the field.
Less than an hour.
They're fast.
They're here!
Wow! He's keeping up with an exchange student!
He's up against Iwanki!
Keep it up, you two!
Tokyo-Hakone Collegiate Ekiden Relay Race
The runners are coming.
Don't stop moving.
Wow...
Wow, wow, wow!
Next runners are coming.
King just finished.
He's probably in the 120's.
Nico-chan Senpai.
Drink some water.
Where's Prince?
You can do it!
The finish line's right there!
Your teammates are waiting!
You don't know that...
Sports aren't necessarily beautiful...
Get them out of here.
Keep moving them.
Prince!
You're in the 100's!
You beat the 200's!
Hey!
Why didn't you guys record your times?
Yuki, the camera's rolling.
It's all information warfare these days!
The race is more or less decided before they announce the results!
You couldn't care less six months ago.
If we average everyone's standing,
we probably come out around the mid-80's.
That's right on the borderline of qualification.
I don't know what to say to them.
You ran well.
From far away, you're the only ones who look like you're having a picnic.
You've always got something to say.
We will now announce the results of the Tokyo-Hakone Collegiate Ekiden Relay Race.
It's time.
First, Tokyo Sport University.
Tokyo Sport University 10:09:12
Damn.
They're under ten minutes.
It was a high-paced race.
Second.
Kofu Academy University.
Seriously? They hesitated between announcing the rank and school's name.
Third, Teito University.
We already know the results. They should hurry it up.
Whining as soon as you've recovered?
You've got a lot of energy.
Fourth,
Kikui University.
Well, they've all been regulars so far.
Fifth.
Tokyo Academy University
Tokyo Academy University.
Please, please, please, please.
Come on, Kansei. Kansei.
Sixth,
Saikyo University.
We didn't make it.
Seventh, Jonan Bunka University.
Eighth, Shinsei University.
Ninth, Kanagawa International University.
Tenth.
Kansei University
Kansei University.
Yes!
Shindo!
Yeah!
All right!
Haiji!
Kansei University 10:16:43
It's not a mistake, is it?
It says tenth right there.
It's like a TV show.
This is reality.
Well, we proved that Hakone wasn't just a dream.
All that's left is to train and train until we reach the top.
We'll do nothing but practice again starting tomorrow.
Can't we have tomorrow off?
Let us rest!
What more can we do?
I can't use this footage.
Were you guys nervous getting water?
My heart was pounding.
I know what you mean.
Oh, I know. Let's predict which sections we'll run.
You're getting ahead of yourself.
I'm amazed you can read.
I'm rewarding myself.
Guys, the fan club is giving us a gift of meat.
We're grilling meat tonight!
Yeah!
Hey, Kakeru.
Kakeru.
Haiji said we'd reach the top.
Just now?
Just now, and when he recruited us to run.
Let's aim for the top together!
He says it all the time.
And each time, I've thought, “yeah!”
And?
When he says top, do you think he means winning the race?
Our total time was 10:16:43.
Tokyo Sport, the top finisher in the qualifier,
was more than seven minutes faster.
Just how fast are the teams that win the Hakone Ekiden?
Can we reach that level through practice?
Kakeru, what are we running for?
Next time: Searching For the Answer
Next time: “Searching For the Answer.”