Last 'Sports Festival' video that I'll share from my friend who is teaching in Japan.
(others, http://www.videosift.com/video/Caterpillar-Race-Japanese-girls-race-with-feet-tied-in-goup, and
http://www.videosift.com/video/highschool-class-jumps-rope-in-Japan-during-fitness-day )

Her comments:

"This is the inaba no shirousagi race where students who have been run ontop of already, race to the other side to do it again to get the person across the field. My sensei told me that this game is from an old tale of how a white bunny wanted to get across teh river, so he lied to the crocadiles who took him across the river, like so~~ "