Kakeru is bewildered by this new experience. His speed overwhelms the other competitors. Meanwhile, Rikudo's ace Fujioka breaks the section record as promised and pushes his team into 1st place. Eventually, Kakeru finishes his section and beats Fujioka's newly set record by 1 second. Haiji begins the final section of the Hakone Ekiden. In order for Kansei University to make the top 10, Haiji must race to beat Tokyo Sport University by a significant margin. He struggles throughout his run and in the last stretch feels a sharp pain from his injured knee. Seeing Kakeru at the finish line, he pushes through and finishes in time for Kansei University to come in 10th, giving them a seed for the next year's race. Three years pass and each member has gone on to find their way.