The outstanding performance on the outbound leg left the return leg full of suspense, even though Aoyama Gakuin University's advantage looked hard to shake. Last year, Aoyama Gakuin University led Chuo University by 1 minute 47 seconds at the end of the outbound leg, and was 3 minutes 16 seconds ahead of Komazawa University.

This year, their advantage over second-place Waseda was 18 seconds, they were 1 minute 36 seconds ahead of Chuo University, and 1 minute 54 seconds ahead of Kokugakuin University.

For Komazawa University, a deficit of 4 minutes 52 seconds is almost a death sentence. Although they still have strong cards — captain Takuma Yamakawa, sixth-leg ace Aoi Ito, and seventh-leg record holder Keita Sato — mounting a comeback will be extremely difficult.

Waseda and Josai University have already exhausted their strongest forces on the outbound leg and will very likely fall behind on the return. The real threat comes from top-ranked Kokugakuin and second-ranked Chuo University. However, buoyed by the morale boost of the “Kuroda miracle” and the strategic planning of renowned coach Susumu Hara, Aoyama Gakuin’s defense on the return leg will be exceptionally solid.

Currently Juntendo University, Soka University, Nihon University and Tokai University occupy 6th–10th places. Chuo Gakuin University, which finished first in the qualifiers, is only 12 seconds behind 10th-place Tokai University and sits 11th. The top 10 will earn seeded spots for next year's Hakone Ekiden and entry to the Izumo Ekiden, while 11th place must return to the brutal airport qualifying race. This is often a more dramatic storyline in the return-leg competition than the fight for the title.

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Under the rules, teams more than 10 minutes behind the leader on the outbound leg cannot start the return leg based on their actual time gaps; instead they will start together with the other trailing teams 10 minutes after the leader, in a "group start". This year, Tokyo University of Agriculture, in 13th place, was sitting at 9 minutes 54 seconds—narrowly avoiding the "group start". Starting from 14th-place Kanagawa University, eight teams will start together tomorrow. This means the on-course visual order will no longer reflect the actual standings, so spectators need to keep a close eye on the time gaps.

• 1st: Aoyama Gakuin University (5:18:08) - Outbound course record (CR)
• 2nd: Waseda University (5:18:26) - 3rd-best ever
• 3rd: Chuo University (5:19:44) - 4th-best ever
• 4th: Kokugakuin University (5:20:02) - 6th-best ever
• 5th: Josai University (5:20:20) - 7th-best ever

Four of the top five teams posted results that rank among the top seven in their school's history. The only surprise was Josai University; despite lacking depth, they tenaciously held on to fifth thanks to Kimutai's second-leg record and fifth-leg Shoya Saito's fourth-best-ever performance.

Komazawa University, one of the "big three", faltered in the fourth leg and ultimately finished seventh, 4 minutes 52 seconds back.