Skip to main content

JAAF Announces Schedule for July's Hokuren Distance Challenge Series

On May 14 the JAAF announced the schedule and program for the five-meet Hokuren Distance Challenge series in Hokkaido. Scheduled after the end of the Olympic qualifying period, the series will still play a key role for middle and long distance athletes tuning up for the Tokyo Olympics and fall ekiden season.

Sat. July 3 - Shibetsu Meet
men: 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m
women: 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m

Wed. July 7 - Fukagawa Meet
men: 5000 m, 10000 m
women: 3000 m, 5000 m, 10000 m

Sat. July 10 - Abashiri Meet
men: 1500 m, 5000 m, T11-13 5000 m, 10000 m, 3000 mSC
women: 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m, T11-13 5000 m, 10000 m, 3000 mSC

Wed. July 14 - Kitami Meet
men: 800 m, 5000 m, T11-13 5000 m, 10000 m
women: 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m, T11-13 5000 m

Sat. July 17 - Chitose Meet
men: 800 m, 1500 m, 5000 m, 2000 mSC
women: 800 m, 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m, 10000 m, 2000 mSC

Entires for all five meets are open June 7-18 for all athletes who have met the qualifying standards since Jan. 1, 2020. International athletes who may already be in Japan ahead of the Olympics by then should contact the JAAF concerning entries and what will be needed with regard to including competing at any of the Hokuren meets in their registered pre-Olympic itineraries. Contact Satoe Hidano, Shizuka Hirose and Kaho Ono at the JAAF here: hokurendc@jaaf.or.jp

© 2021 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Most-Read This Week

'Kobe 2024: Aitchison, Athmani Lead Record-Breaking Thursday'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-aitchison-athmani-lead-record-breaking-thursday Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships are here .

Hirayama Breaks Osaka Half CR, Martinez Set Puerto Rican NR

The Osaka Half Marathon took another big step up the domestic half marathon rankings from a mass-participation race run alongside the Osaka International Women's Marathon to one of the country's top-tier races. In the women's race, the debuting Jecinta Nyokabi (Denso) went out fast, only to be run down by veteran Yumi Yoshikawa (Canon AC) by 10 km. Nyokabi faded to 6th in 1:10:41, but Yoshikawa pushed on to a PB 1:09:14 for the win. Rina Shimizu (Noritz), Yuna Takahashi (Shimamura) and Makoto Tsuchiya (Ritsumeikan Univ.) all broke 70 minutes, Tsuchiya taking the Kansai Region collegiate title in 1:09:32 for 4th overall. Everyone in the top 10 who wasn't debuting ran a PB, a mark of how fast the day was even with cold and windy conditions. The men's race went out on sub-61 pace courtesy of Yudai Shimazu (GMO), then got a big injection of speed when Kyuma Yokota (Toyota Kyushu) took off close to 60-flat pace. Yokota opened a 10-second lead by 15 km, but over ...

Marugame, Beppu-Oita and More - Weekend Preview

After the Osaka International Women's Marathon and Osaka Half Marathon last weekend Japan's winter road season rolls on with 3 big races Sunday. The Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon has a good field up front in the women's race with 5 runners, Eilish McColgan , Dolphine Omare , Isobel Batt-Doyle , Charlotte Purdue and Yuka Ando , with sub-1:09 bests and the debut of #1 collegiate runner Sarah Wanjiru of Daito Bunka University . 3 men in Marugame have recent sub-60 times, Emmanuel Maru , Richard Etir and Kotaro Shinohara leading the way. Shinohara was one of 2 Japanese men to break 60 at Marugame last year and missed the NR by 3 seconds in 59:30. After a 42:53 CR on his 15.3 km leg at the New Year Ekiden on Jan.1, 45:06 pace for 10 miles, he's looking to pick up at least another 4 seconds this time around. 14 other men in the field are at the 60-minute level, and Chuo University 's sub-28 10000 m runner Yamato Hamaguchi is making a highly anticip...