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Hokuren Distance Challenge First Half Roundup

Most Japanese distance teams head north to Hokkaido for the summer to escape the heat and get ready for ekiden season. Part of that summer is the Hokuren Distance Challenge, a series of track meets in different towns across the island geared toward producing fast times, a domestic alternative to the European circuit. It's been a cooler and wetter summer than usual this year, but with the Doha World Championships coming later in the calendar that in normal years this time around the HDC has expanded from four to five meets. The first three meets in the series have come and gone, and with the two biggest still to come here's a summary of some of the better results so far.

Hokuren Distance Challenge Chitose Meet

Chitose, Hokkaido, 7/6/19
complete results

Women's 3000 m A
1. Hellen Ekalale (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 8:48.73
2. Nozomi Tanaka (Toyota Jidoshokki TC) - 9:01.54
3. Momoka Kawaguchi (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 9:16.01
4. Nao Yamamoto (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 9:17.31
5. Sara Miyake (Tenmaya) - 9:31.70

Men's 3000 m
1. Willy Kipserem (Comody Iida) - 8:00.58 - PB
2. Yuki Muta (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 8:00.71 - PB
3. Dominic Kiptum (JFE Steel) - 8:02.52 - PB
4. Takanori Ichikawa (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 8:10.53
5. Toshiyuki Yanagi (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 8:11.69 - PB

Women's 5000 m A
1. Kyung Sun Choi (South Korea) - 15:52.51 - PB
2. Narumi Kobayashi (Meijo Univ.) - 15:54.52 - PB
3. Maaya Sakamoto (Sysmex) - 15:55.46 - PB
4. Yuna Arai (Meijo Univ.) - 15:58.10 - PB
5. Miku Daido (Iwatani Sangyo) - 15:59.69

Men's 5000 m B
1. Wesley Kimutai (Chugoku Denryoku)  13:37.54 - PB
2. Toshiya Sato (Hosei Univ.) - 13:38.22 - PB
3. Takumi Komatsu (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:44.55 - PB
4. Riki Nakanishi (Toenec) - 13:49.74 - PB
5. Dan Kiplangat (JFE Steel) - 13:50.82 - PB

 Men's 5000 m A
1. Dominic Langat (Konica Minolta) - 13:21.06
2. Bernard Kimeli (Fujitsu) - 13:21.48
3. Bernard Koech (Kyudenko) - 13:21.61
4. Wesley Ledama (Subaru) - 13:23.60
5. Amos Kirui (Honda) - 13:35.78
6. Bernard Muia (Toyota Boshoku) - 13:37.66
7. Jun Nobuto (Mazda) - 13:38.74 - PB
8. Simon Kimunge (Toyota Boshoku) - 13:42.99 - PB
9. Homare Morita (GMO) - 13:43.10 - PB
10. Samuel Mwangi (Konica Minolta) - 13:45.80

Men's 3000 m Steeplechase
1. Jonathan Ndiku (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 8:27.19

Hokuren Distance Challenge Fukagawa Meet

Fukagawa, Hokkaido, 7/9/19
complete results

Men's 1500 m A
1. Masaki Toda (Sunbelx) - 3:37.90 - all-time JPN #2
2. Hideyuki Tanaka (Toyota) - PB
3. Yasunari Kusu (Ami AC) -PB
4. Kazuki Kawamura (Meiji Univ.) - 3:41.65 - PB
5. Ryota Matono (MHPS) - 3:42.15 - PB
6. Shogo Hata (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 3:42.21
7. Masato Saiki (YKK) - 3:42.95 - PB
8. Ryota Motegi (Sumitomo Denko) - 3:45.30
9. Kazuyoshi Tamogami (Chuo Univ.) - 3:47.79
10. Keisuke Morita (Komori Corp.) - 3:52.04

Women's 3000 m A
1. Pauline Kamulu (Route Inn Hotels) - 8:46.97 - PB
2. Martha Mokaya (Canon AC Kyushu) - 8:49.20 - PB
3. Dolphine Nyabok Omare (Hitachi) - 8:57.12 - PB
4. Mary Shipuko (Hitachi) - 9:06.92
5. Tomoka Kimura (Shiseido) - 9:13.80

Men's 5000 m A
1. Jonathan Ndiku (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 13:20.10
2. Wesley Ledama (Subaru) - 13:26.81
3. Patrick Mathenge Wambui (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:43.15
4. Alex Cherono (Toyota) - 13:44.92
5. Dominic Nyairo Omare (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:45.57
6. Hideto Konde (Meiji Univ.) - 13:46.82 - PB
7. Bernard Muia (Toyota Boshoku) - 13:53.61
8. Tomoya Ogikubo (Josai Univ.) - 13:53.84
9. Willy Kipserem (Comody Iida) - 13:56.15
10. Frederick Mwnigirwa (Sekino Kosan) - 14:00.05

Women's 10000 m
1. Kyung Sun Choi (South Korea) - 32:46.20 - PB
2. Natsumi Matsushita (Tenmaya) - 32:52.97
3. Narumi Kobayashi (Meijo Univ.) - 33:00.53 - PB
4. Kotomi Tsubokura (Wacoal) - 33:01.74
5. Sara Miyake (Tenmaya) - 33:07.17 - PB

Men's 10000 m B
1. Atsushi Yamato (Toyota) - 28:19.98 - PB
2. Dan Kiplangat (JFE Steel) - 28:23.64 - PB
3. Yohei Urano (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 28:25.45 - PB
4. Hiroto Kanamori (Komori Corp.) - 28:31.35 - PB
5. Daichi Kamino (New Balance) - 28:32.30
6. Rintaro Takeda (Yakult) - 28:35.24 - PB
7. Ryo Hashimoto (GMO) - 28:35.37 - PB
8. Hideaki Sumiyoshi (Subaru) - 28:35.93
9. Yusuke Nishiyama (Toyota) - 28:49.60
10. Ryosuke Maki (Subaru) - 28:57.59

Men's 10000 m A
1. Bernard Kibet Koech (Kyudenko) - 27:26.11 - PB
2. Daniel Kipkemoi (Nishitetsu) - 27:38.78
3. Victor Korir Kipkirui (GMO) - 28:05.14 - PB
4. Hiroto Inoue (MHPS) - 28:08.10
5. Andrew Lorot (Subaru) - 28:08.27
6. Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei) - 28:08.69 - PB
7. Enock Omwamba (MHPS) - 28:08.77
8. Deje Tesfalem Weldu (Seisa Kokusai Shonan H.S.) - 28:10.59 - PB
9. Paul Kuira (JR Higashi Nihon) - 28:12.98
10. Dominic Langat (Konica Minolta) - 28:20.19
11. Jeremiah Karemi Thuku (Toyota Kyushu) - 28:20.87
12. Vincent Kipkemoi (YKK) - 28:21.58
13. Daiji Kawai (Toenec) - 28:26.06
14. Lawrence Ngure (Sapporo Gakuin Univ.) - 28:27.16
15. Sho Nagato (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 28:36.52

Hokuren Distance Challenge Shibetsu Meet

Shibetsu, Hokkaido, 7/13/19
complete results

Men's 1500 m A
1. Masato Saiki (YKK) - 3:42.69 - PB
2. Renya Maeda (Kanebo) - 3:43.04 - PB
3. Ryota Motegi (Sumitomo Denko) - 3:43.04 - PB
4. Riku Kimura (Tokai Univ.) - 3:43.10
5. Jae Ung Lee (South Korea) - 3:44.18 - PB

Women's 3000 m
1. Maki Izumida (Daiichi Seimei) - 9:14.74
2. Reina Hashino (Hitachi) - 9:15.60 - PB
3. Sora Shinozakura (Kawasaki Municipal H.S.) - 9:16.56 - PB
4. Yuki Nakamura (Panasonic) - 9:17.42 - PB
4. Yuka Hori (Panasonic) - 9:17.67

Women's 5000 m A
1. Pauline Kamulu (Route Inn Hotels) - 15:01.25
2. Dolphine Omare (Hitachi) - 15:16.80 - PB
3. Mary Shipuko (Hitachi) - 15:42.35 - PB
4. Minami Yamanouchi (Kyocera) - 15:43.01
5. Anna Matsuda (Kyocera) - 15:48.90 - PB
6. Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) - 15:49.06
7. Rei Ohara (Tenmaya) - 15:49.87
8. Toshika Tamura (Hitachi) - 15:50.20
9. Natsumi Matsushita (Tenmaya) - 15:48.53
10. Misuzu Nakahara (Kyocera) - 15:56.15

Men's 5000 m A
1. Bernard Kimeli (Fujitsu) - 13:26.72
2. Vincent Yegon (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 13:28.17 - PB
3. Alex Cherono (Toyota) - 13:30.56 - PB
4. Cleophas Kandie (MHPS) - 13:30.80 - PB
5. Enock Omwamba (MHPS) - 13:32.76
6. Ledama Kisaisa (Obirin Univ.) - 13:39.34
7. Ryota Matono (MHPS) - 13:40.44 - PB
8. Deje Tsefalem Weldu (Seisa Kokusai Shonan H.S.) - 13:42.06 - PB
9. Luka Musembi (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 13:45.15 - PB
10. Rintaro Takeda (Yakult) - 13:45.59 - PB

Women's 10000 m
1. Kyung Sun Choi (South Korea) - 33:03.03
2. Rui Aoyama (Univ. Ent.) - 33:06.91 - PB
3. Mao Uesugi (Starts) - 33:36.82
4. Maho Nishino (Starts) - 34:12.55
5. Hanae Tanaka (Shiseido) - 34:16.73

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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