Ekiden relay (Japan‑style long‑distance relay)
- Community Ekiden relay event where teams run relay legs and pass the ceremonial tasuki. - When: Scheduled this weekend as part of Delhi's April events listings. - Route, timing and entry details available in the Delhi events roundup at timeout.com
Delhi’s April events guide is sending readers to a Japan-style ekiden relay, a team road race where runners hand off a ceremonial tasuki sash instead of a baton. (timeout.com) Time Out Delhi listed the event in its April 2026 roundup, published March 30, 2026, and said route, timing and entry details are available in that guide. The listing places the relay in the capital’s weekend events mix rather than on a closed professional racing calendar. (timeout.com) Ekiden is a long-distance relay format from Japan, and the handoff uses a cloth sash called a tasuki that runners wear across the torso. ASICS India’s event site says teams of four cover 10 kilometers in total, with 2.5 kilometers per runner. (asics-ekiden-india.com) The same ASICS site describes the 2026 race as open to runners age 12 and up and says mixed-gender teams are welcome. It also says each team includes one Japanese runner and one Indian runner, tying the format to a cultural exchange as well as a race. (asics-ekiden-india.com) That exchange has been part of how the event was introduced in India this year. ASICS said in February that it was bringing the relay to Delhi-NCR with Sony India and support from the Embassy of Japan in India. (brandinginasia.com) By April 23, 2026, the official race site said the relay had already concluded on April 5, 2026. The site calls it “India’s first EKIDEN” and says the debut edition has finished. (asics-ekiden-india.com) Other event listings placed that debut race at DLF CyberHub in Gurugram with a 6:30 a.m. start on April 5. RaceMart described it as an urban relay course built for spectator viewing and smooth team transitions. (racemart.in) Japanese wire coverage of the race said about 1,000 participants took part near New Delhi in mixed teams of four. That report said every team included at least one runner from Japan and one from India. (news.tuoitre.vn) So the Delhi listing points to a format that is simple to grasp on the street: four runners, one shared time, and a sash passed from shoulder to shoulder. In a city where April calendars usually tilt toward concerts and food pop-ups, the ekiden turns a weekend run into a team ritual. (timeout.com)
