Fast High School 5000 m Times at Nittai and Kyoto

After the great men's 10000 m and women's 5000 m results on day 1 of the last full Nittai University Time Trials meet of 2025, day 2 brought a lot of great 5000 m times from high schoolers, both at Nittai and at another meet in Kyoto.

At Nittai, Bilith Boi (Sapporo Yamanote H.S.) downed 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura (Subaru) in the last of the 35 heats of 5000 m, running 13:27.52 to Miura's 13:28.61. Ryo Goda (Yasukawa Denki) also got under 13:30, running 13:29.41 for 3rd, with 40-year-old Yuichiro Ueno (Hiramatsu Byoin) rocking on with a 13:32.12 for 4th. James Karuri (Aomori Yamada H.S.) was 8th in 13:35.46, with 17-year-old Naoya Doma (Sera H.S.) running an excellent 13:39.13 for 10th.

Samuel Gayu and Yua Hayashi also got under 14 minutes in the same heat to make it 3 sub-14 for Sapporo Yamanote H.S. In Heat 34, Chien Tzu-Chieh (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) ran a Taiwanese NR 13:48.99 for 4th, with Yui Kudo and Yugo Yamamoto running sub-14 to bring the Aomori Yamada H.S. total for the day to 3 as well. Heat 33 saw Suma Gakuen H.S. get onto the scoreboard too with a 13:58.27 from Riku Umeda.

The Kyoto Time Trials meet the same day served as the selection race for Japan's U20 teams for January's World XC Championships in Florida. The top 6 in the boys' race, all high schoolers, went sub-14, led by Haruki Niizuma in 13:49.59. 16-year-old Mona Utsunomiya (Sapporo Yamanote H.S.) took the girls' race in 15:37.61, 10 seconds behind what her crosstown rival Ayami Yoshida (Sapporo Sosei H.S.) had run at Nittai the day before. The top 3 was an interesting mix, with Mei Hosoda (Meijo Univ.) 2nd in 15:40.89 and corporate leaguer Michi Kawanishi (Toyota Jidoshokki) 3rd in 15:42.59.

325th Nittai University Time Trials

Yokohama, Kanagawa, 30 Nov. 2025

complete results

Men's 5000 m NCG Heat 1 (Heat 35)

1. Bilith Boi (Sapporo Yamanote H.S.) - 13:27.52

2. Ryuji Miura (Subaru) - 13:28.61

3. Ryo Goda (Yasukawa Denki) - 13:29.41

4. Yuichiro Ueno (Hiramatsu Byoin) - 13:32.12

5. Edwin Kisalsak (Yamanote GX) - 13:32.86

6. Shoya Kawase (NTN) - 13:33.51

7. Yeneblo Biyazen (Hiramatsu Byoin) - 13:35.18

8. James Karuri (Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 13:35.46

9. Keisuke Morita (Subaru) - 13:38.22

10. Naoya Doma (Sera H.S.) - 13:39.13

11. Joseph Mumo (MABP Maverick) - 13:42.66

12. Nixon Lesia (Nishitetsu) - 13:46.94

13. Tatsuhiro Taniguchi (NTN) - 13:47.37

14. Ruon Oikawa (ND Software) - 13:47.71

15. Haruto Koshizuka (JFE Steel) - 13:49.55

16. Samuel Gayu (Sapporo Yamanote H.S.) - 13:54.09

17. Hiroto Takamura (Toenec) - 13:55.25

18. Justus Mwathia (Fujisan GX) - 13:55.84

19. Shintaro Kudo (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:56.28

20. Shota Morishita (Meiji Univ.) - 13:56.94

21. Yua Hayashi (Sapporo Yamanote H.S.) - 13:57.12

22. Daisuke Shimojo (ND Software) - 13:58.25

23. Patrick Kamau (Jobu Univ.) - 14:02.29

24. Brian Kiptoo (Comodi Iida) - 14:03.89

25. Muthoni Muiru (Press Kogyo) - 14:04.27

26. Haruki Furukawa (Morifu H.S.) - 14:19.24

27. Rijun Nishizuka (Sapporo Gakuin Univ.) - 14:20.63

28. Shuhei Yamamoto (Aichi T&F Assoc,) - 14:35.12

DNF - Takumi Yokokawa (Gunma T&F Assoc.)

Men's 5000 m Heat 34

1. Dale Carroll (Australia) - 13:46.26

2. Victor Kiptum (Yasukawa Denki) - 13:46.65

3. Daiki Sasaki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 13:46.97

4. Chien Tzu-Chieh (Taiwan/Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 13:48.99 - NR

5. Felix Muthiani (Yamanashi Gakuin H.S.) - 13:51.91

6. Yui Kudo (Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 13:52.00

7. Yuki Seto (Fujisan GX) - 13:52.61

8. Kazuki Kawamura (Toenec) - 13:53.47

9. Yuto Nakahara (NTN) - 13:54.21

10. Kiyoto Ono (Juntendo Univ.) - 13:54.42

-----

20. Yugo Yamamoto (Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 13:57.85

Men's 5000 m Heat 33

1. Shun Osawa (K-project) - 13:53.97

2. Tomoki Nakano (Toenec) - 13:54.65

3. Kenichi Hashimoto (Josai Univ.) - 13:56.23

4. Kosei Tanimura (Kansai Univ.) - 13:57.02

5. Nagi Miyamoto (Josai Univ.) - 13:57.04

6. Soya Mizuno (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 13:57.28

7. Riku Umeda (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 13:58.27

8. Sho Fukuda (Chudenko) - 13:58.93

9. Keito Suzuki (Fujisan GX) - 13:59.30

10. Takumi Shiobara (Juntendo Univ.) - 14:00.00

8th Kyoto Rikkyo Time Trials

2026 World XC / Asian XC U20 Selection Race

Kyoto, 30 Nov. 2025

complete results

Women's 5000 m Heat 3

1. Mona Utsunomiya (Sapporo Yamanote H.S.) - 15:37.61

2. Mei Hosomi (Meijo Univ.) - 15:40.89

3. Michi Kawanishi (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:42.59

4. Yui Onotora (Tohoku H.S.) - 15:43.74

5. Airi Majiba (Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 15:49.95

6. Wakana Fukuyama (Saitama Sakae H.S.) - 16:06.86

7. Yui Otani (Hamamatsu Shiritsu H.S.) - 16:17.66

8. Serie Fukuda (Niigata Meikun H.S.) - 16:31.32

9. Nanami Okawa (Wakayama Kita H.S.) - 16:42.30

10. Mirai Sakamoto (Shiga Gakuen H.S.) - 16:42.47

Men's 5000 m Heat 14

1. Haruki Niizuma (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) - 13:49.59

2. Ojiro Honda (Tottori Johoku H.S.) - 13:56.87

3. Kain Inagaki (Rakunan H.S.) - 13:57.82

4. Rikuto Iketani (Komazawa H.S.) - 13:58.32

5. Junsei Murakami (Tottori Johoku H.S.) - 13:58.87

6. Kota Tamura (Kansai Soka H.S.) - 13:59.74

7. Shinta Igarashi (Suijo H.S.) - 14:00.01

8. Sota Iihoshi (Chiben College H.S.) - 14:03.31

9. Koki Niizuma (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) - 14:04.20

10. Kyosuke Murao (Josai Univ.) - 14:09.64

Fukuoka, Hofu, Valencia and More - Weekend Preview and Streaming

It's another massive weekend of racing in Japan before championship ekiden season really hits. Proving that it's always time for track time trials, Saturday's Edion Distance Challenge meet in Osaka has high-level women's 3000 m, 5000 m and 10000 m races on the menu. 5000 m NR holder Nozomi Tanaka will take her annual stab at the 10000 m against Dolphine Omare , Tabitha Njeri Kamau , Pauline Kamulu and more, with domestic competition including Queens Ekiden First Stage winner Kana Mizumoto . Anchor stage winner Rina Sasaki leads the 5000 m A-heat with support from Lucy Nduta . Streaming starts at 12:05 p.m. local time. Complete meet schedule and entry lists here . Sunday is the 50th running of the world's #1 10-miler, the Kumamoto Kosa Road Race . This is really the last big tuneup for the New Year Ekiden and Hakone Ekiden, and every year it's fast up front with the kind of depth of quality you see in the bigger half marathon and marathons. There are too many...

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