After tuning up with a 3:40.19 win in the men's 1500 m A-heat in Fukagawa on Wednesday, South Korean Jae Ung Lee turned in the performance of the day at the second Hokuren Distance Challenge meet in Shibetsu Saturday. Going to the front after 900 m, Lee ran a 3:38.55 for the win, just enough to achieve his goal of breaking the 1993-era Korean national record of 3:38.60 and almost 6 seconds up on nearest Japanese competitor Rikuto Iijima (Ami AC), 2nd in 3:44.27. Na Yeon Park also repeated her Fukagawa win, slightly slower this time in 4:15.58 over Rose Wangui (Daiso), 2nd in 4:16.09.
Other standout performances included an 8:55.45 win in the women's 3000 m by Yvonne Jepchirchir Chepkosgei (Higo Ginko), a 7:52.11 win by Isaac Ndiema (Mazda) in the men's 3000 m, and a 14:55.45 win by Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) in the women's 5000 m. No Japanese athletes hit the qualifying standards for next month's National Championships at any distance. The next meet in the HDC series won't happen until after Nationals, picking up July 12 in Chitose.
Hokuren Distance Challenge Shibetsu Meet
Shibetsu, Hokkaido, 14 June 2025
Women's 1500 m A-Heat
1. Na Yeon Park (South Korea) - 4:15.58
2. Rose Wangui (Daiso) - 4:16.09
3. Yume Goto (Uniqlo) - 4:20.49
4. Karin Yasumoto (Memolead) - 4:23.50
5. Ayu Koyama (Iwatani Sangyo) - 4:27.17
Men's 1500 m A-Heat
1. Jae Ung Lee (South Korea) - 3:38.55 - NR
2. Rikuto Iijima (Ami AC) - 3:44.27
3. Atsushi Shobu (Kao) - 3:48.29
4. Kenneth Kipngeno (Sapporo Gakuin Univ.) - 3:51.17
5. Hayato Ichimiya (Ehime Ginko) - 3:54.90
Women's 3000 m
1. Yvonne Jepchirchir Chepkoskei (Higo Ginko) - 8:55.45
2. Martha Mokaya (Canon) - 9:13.98
3. Mayu Tsukamoto (Higo Ginko) - 9:14.73
4. Toshika Tamura (Hitachi) - 9:17.45
5. Riko Iijima (Nitori) - 9:23.69
6. Michi Kawanishi (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 9:24.55
7. Shiori Ogumo (Higo Ginko) - 9:27.24
8. Rina Sasaki (Sekisui Kagaku) - 9:29.60
9. Kanoko Nawa (Edion) - 9:30.82
10. Rion Furukawa (Nitori) - 9:33.31
Men's 3000 m
1. Isaac Ndiema (Mazda) - 7:52.11
2. Shoya Kawase (NTN) - 8:02.17
3. Ryotaro Yoshihara (Aichi Seiko) - 8:03.32
4. Yusuke Takahashi (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 8:04.53
5. Tomoki Nakano (Toenec) - 8:06.48
6. Kibet Mangata (Mazda) - 8:06.84
7. Daichi Takeuchi (Toenec) - 8:09.51
8. Hiroto Takamura (Toenec) - 8:19.33
DNF - Shoma Funatsu (Hiramatsu Byoin)
Women's 5000 m A-Heat
1. Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) - 14:55.45
2. Lucy Nduta (Ehime Ginko) - 15:07.55
3. Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) - 15:10.98
4. Miyaka Sugata (Japan Post) - 15:51.17
5. Yu Jin Kim (South Korea) - 16:00.41
6. Mao Kogure (Japan Post) - 16:01.76
7. Hikari Onishi (Japan Post) - 16:06.37
8. Momoka Kawaguchi (Uniqlo) - 16:07.94
9. Ayuka Kazama (Shiseido) - 16:09.27
10. Kaho Onishi (Route Inn Hotels) - 16:15.15
Men's 5000 m A-Heat
1. Raphael Dapash (JR Higashi Nihon) - 13:24.30
2. Anthony Maina (Toyota Kyushu) - 13:24.78
3. Kiprono Sitonik (Kurosaki Harima) - 13:26.56
4. Dennis Mutuku (JR Higashi Nihon) - 13:44.76
5. Muiru Muthoni (Press Kogyo) - 13:49.43
6. Kyosuke Hanao (Toyota Kyushu) - 13:49.71
7. Shunta Uchida (Toyota) - 13:53.28
8. Mahiro Yoshimoto (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 14:00.59
9. Reishi Yoshida (Honda) - 14:01.96
10. Hiroto Kuniyasu (Rikkyo Univ.) - 14:02.72
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17. Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko) - 14:15.67
Men's 5000 m B-Heat
1. Victor Kipkirui (Chudenko) - 13:35.64
2. Simon Musio Saidimu (Chuo Hatsujo) - 13:39.39
3. Shota Nishiwaki (JR Higashi Nihon) - 13:44.05
4. Nickson Lesiyia (Nishitetsu) - 13:53.35
5. Rinto Nakayama (Nishitetsu) - 13:56.58
Women's 10000 m
1. Nanaka Izawa (Starts) - 32:01.87
2. Miu Yagi (Iwatani Sangyo) - 32:49.76
3. Kaede Kawamura (Iwatani Sangyo) - 33:29.02
4. Mayuka Fujita (Route Inn Hotels) - 33:32.73
5. Misaki Ichida (Uniqlo) - 33:35.79
6. Fuka Fukunaga (Edion) - 33:36.00
7. Momoko Hanano (Hitachi) - 33:58.54
8. Anna Suzuki (Shimamura) - 34:24.01
9. Shiori Takase (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 34:47.98
10. Ayami Hirano (Noritz) - 34:54.08
Men's 10000 m
1. Taiju Nakashima (Chugoku Denryoku) - 28:38.67
2. Itsuki Koizumi (Kurosaki Harima) - 28:43.36
3. Masashi Nonaka (Toyota) - 28:46.25
4. Yuki Suzuki (Kao) - 29:11.23
5. Toshiya Sato (Toyota) - 29:11.48
6. Kaisei Sugiyama (Kay) - 29:12.94
7. Hitoshi Okahara (Chudenko) - 29:13.54
8. Kosei Matsunami (Kurosaki Harima) - 29:14.50
9. Yudai Katakawa (Asahi Kasei) - 29:25.25
10. Fumiya Oshima (Hosei Univ.) - 29:26.76
© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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