Skip to main content

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

Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...

Hakone Ekiden Qualifying Race Entry Roster Sizes Increased from 14 to 16

Hakone Ekiden organizers KGRR have announced details for the qualifying half marathon for next year's 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The Yosenkai qualifying race will be held Oct. 17 in Tachikawa, Tokyo. The combined times of the 10 fastest finishers from each participating team will be used for team scoring, with the 10 fastest teams going on the the main event next January and top-placing individuals from teams that do not qualify being names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team. One change from previous years is that the number of runners each school can enter has been increased from 14 to 16. Teams will still only be allowed to have from 10 to 12 athletes on the starting line, but the move gives coaches greater flexibility in making the final decision on their starting rosters. No changes have been made to the qualifying times of 34:00 for 10000 m or 1:13:00 for the half marathon, and the new earlier starting time of 8:30 a.m. introduced last year in an effort to mitigate ...

Nomura and Odagiri Go 3-4 at Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km

2010 Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km Nijmegen, Netherlands, 11/21/10 Women click here for complete women's results 1. Genet Getaneh (Ethiopia) - 47:53 2. Florence Kiplagat (Kenya) - 48:07 3. Sayo Nomura (Meijo Univ.) - 49:43 4. Aki Odagiri (Meijo Univ.) - 51:37 5. Benita Willis (Australia) - 51:51 Men click here for complete men's results 1. Leonard Patrick Komon (Kenya) - 41:13 - WR 2. Abera Kuma (Ethiopia) - 42:01 3. Ayele Abshiro (Ethiopia) - 42:01 4. Abraham Kiplimo (Uganda) - 43:03 5. Berhanu Delale (Ethiopia) - 43:08 ----- 14. Kazuya Watanabe (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 45:31