Overview
- Aoyama Gakuin captured the overall title in 10:37:34, a tournament record, marking its third straight win and ninth overall, and becoming the first program to achieve a second three‑peat.
- After sitting 16th on Leg 1, Aoyama surged as Asahi Kuroda took the lead on the uphill fifth stage, with Shota Shiode setting a Stage 8 record and Yuichi Sato taking Stage 9 honors to build an unassailable gap.
- Toyo University finished 14th, ending its 20-year streak of seeded finishes that guaranteed automatic qualification.
- Teikyo University rallied from 17th after the outbound day to place ninth overall, securing a seeded spot for a third consecutive year.
- Soka University placed eighth, extending its run of top‑ten seeded finishes to seven straight years.