Skip to main content

Hokuren Distance Challenge Abashiri Meet and Overseas Results


Conditions were too hot at this season's last Hokuren Distance Challenge meet Saturday in Abashiri for many really good performances, but there were a few, mostly by Japan-based Kenyans. In the men's 10000 m A-heat collegiate record holder Richard Etir (Tokyo Kokusai Univ,) soloed a 27:37.85 for the win by almost 23 seconds, the only man to get under 28 minutes. Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) did the same in the women's 10000 m with a 31:02.70 PB for the win. Dolphine Omare (Uniqlo) and Rika Kaseda (Daihatsu) both made it under 32, Omare running 31:29.35 and Kaseda 31:42.92.

2025 national 5000 m champion Ryuto Igawa (Asahi Kasei) had what was probably the best Japanese performance of the meet, running a PB 13:23.13 for the win over Antipas Kibet (Komori Corp.). Fresh off a 3:36.58 PB at the HDC Kitami meet on Wednesday, Nanami Arai (Honda) was 3rd with another PB in 13:28.42. Top-tier Hyuga Endo (Sumitomo Denko) was one of the day's many DNFs. Stephen Muthini (Soka Univ.) beat 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura (Subaru) for the win in the B-heat 13:26.70 to 13:28.28.

Yvonne Chepkoskei (Higo Ginko) won the women's 5000 m A-heat in 15:09.06 by 20 seconds over Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post), with Mirriam Cherop (Shin Nihon Jusetsu Group) another DNF. Margaret Ekalale (Toyota Jidoshokki) won the women's 3000 m in 8:54.48, Nanaka Izawa (Starts) getting under 9 minutes for the first time in 8:56.33 and Deborah Chemutai (Univ. Ent.) 3rd in 8:58.40.

Overseas, NR holder Nozomi Tanaka (New Balance) was 7th in the London Diamond League women's 5000 m with a 14:34.10 season best. A corporate league quartet at the Night of Athletics meet in Belgium was dismal, first-year pro Taishi Ito (NTT Nishi Nihon) having the best performance of the four with a 13:40.89 for 10th in the men's 5000 m B-heat. Naoki Ota (Yakult), younger brother of 5 km and half marathon NR holder Tomoki Ota, was last in the B-heat in 13:59.51. 10000 m NR holder Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) was 2nd-to-last in the A-heat in 13:47.09, with half marathon collegiate record holder Kotaro Shinohara (Fujitsu) last in 13:55.90. Canadian Kieran Lumb won the B-heat in 13:12.54, with import local Isaac Kimeli taking the A-heat in 13:01.39.

© 2025 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