In early April, students from Grades 1 to 10 take part in the KIST cross country meet that is held each year along the banks of the Arakawa river in Koto-ku. Students run a certain distance according to their grade level as shown below. Due to the academic demands of the DP, students in Grades 11 and 12 are not required to participate, but may do so if they wish.
| Grades | Distance |
| G1, G2, G3 | 2 kilometers |
| G4, G5 | 3 kilometers |
| G6, G7, G8 | 3.5 kilometers |
| G9 and above | 5 kilometers |
The top runners from each grade (boys and girls) then have the opportunity to go on to compete against students from other international schools from the Tokyo area at the ISTAA cross country invitational held later in the month in the same location.
A separate cross country event for K1 to K3 students is held in mid-April on the KIST field. K1 students run for six minutes, while K2 and K3 students run for eight minutes. Students run as many laps as they can during the allocated race time. Students are not ranked on their performance; all those who are able to complete the run receive a ribbon.
