Year 3, 2026

The FT Nikkei UK Ekiden Year 3 will take place on Friday, the 12th of June 2026, along the Thames Path from Windsor to Reading and back.

Year 3 will bring together teams from universities, corporate-sponsored teams, and the local community.

The race and teams

The Racers category features 15 universities from across the UK.

Cambridge University
Cardiff University
Durham University
Imperial College London
King’s College London
Loughborough University
Newcastle University
Ritsumeikan University – guest team from Japan
Royal Holloway University – wild card local team
University of Bath
University of Birmingham
University of Bristol
University College London (UCL)
University of Edinburgh
University of Exeter
University of Leeds
University of Oxford

The Runners category features corporate-sponsored and community teams.

FT Nikkei Hayabusa
FT Nikkei Yamabiko
FT Nikkei Hikari
ASICS & Special Guests
ASICS FrontRunners
ABeam Consulting
Arcus Investment
Daiwa Capital Markets Europe
Sports Ground
Japan Airlines
Kikkoman Group UK
Marsh
Royal Air Force
Team SiS
State Visit Legacy Team
Storytellers
Suntory Global Sprinters
UCC Brew Crew

Thank you to all our Sponsors

The UK Ekiden was proudly supported by several sponsors who have been aligned with the athleticism, history, and Japanese heritage of the race. Sponsoring businesses also entered teams into the ‘Runners’ category.

Thank you to all our Supporters

Race information guides

For further details about the race, schedule and each leg, please follow your specific category pages