Between international travel and illness we've been AWOL for a while, but it's time to catch up on what's been going on. The Hokuren Distance Challenge series rolled on with two more meets in Kitami on the 16th and Chitose on the 12th. After shaving 0.05 off the South Korean men's 1500 m NR last month at the HDC Shibetsu meet, Jae Ung Lee took the NR into new territory with a 3:36.01 win in Kitami. He was pushed all the way by Nanami Arai (Honda), who moved up to all-time Japanese #3 with a 3:36.58 for 2nd.
The women's 3000 m in Kitami was fast too, with an 8:41.62 win from Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) and an all-time Japanese #5 8:48.90 PB from her injury-prone teammate Ririka Hironaka for 2nd. Margaret Ekalale (Toyota Jidoshokki) led the women's 1500 m in 4:09.64, with Na Yeon Park just missing the South Korean NR by 0.07 in 4:14.25 for 2nd. Ayano Shiomi (Iwatani Sangyo) inched back toward 2-flat to win the women's 800 m in 2:02.60, one of the fastest times of her career.
In Chitose Kariba had a big run in the 5000 m A-heat with a 14:48.28 PB for the win. Runner-up Dolphine Nyaboke Omare (Uniqlo) and 4th-placer Lucy Nduta (Ehime Ginko) both got under 15 minutes for the first time, Omare in 14:52.23 and Nduta 14:58.54. Hironaka was the top Japanese woman here too, running a 15:04.11 SB for 5th.
The biggest men's results were a 7:48.36 PB from Hakone Ekiden First Stage CR holder Yamato Yoshii (Toyota) for the win, and a solid 13:16.56 PB from 5000 m A-heat winner Tomonori Yamaguchi (Waseda Univ.). Already a 13:46.49 runner, Sei Yoshida (Tokai Sapporo H.S.) ran 13:35.14 for 7th, just cracking the Japanese high school all-time top 10. Ryo Omi (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) also ran a 13:56.91 PB in the men's 5000 m C-heat,
One more meet remains in the HDC series this year, with the Abashiri meet on the 19th bringing things to a wrap.
© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Comments
Good time for Yamato Yoshii as well.