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Midweek Track Results


Stop 4 on the 2026 Hokuren Distance Challenge happened Wednesday in Fukagawa. Things were pretty low-key, with the main results coming in the men's 1500 m and women's 800 m. In the men's 1500 m, Korean NR holder Jae Ung Lee ran the 2nd-fastest time of his career, 3:37.75, for the win. All 3 of his sub-3:39 performances to date have now happened at the HDC series, with a 3:38.55 in Shibetsu in June last year followed by his 3:36.01 NR in Kitami a month later. Atsuki Urushibata was 2nd in 3:38.98, his first time under 3:40.

American Nicole Montgomery took almost a second off her PB to win the women's 800 m in 2:02.29, with the top 5 all running PBs under 2:07. Japan's #2 800 m runner Ayano Shiomi opted to step up in distance, running a 6-second PB of 4:11.12 for 2nd in the women's 1500 m. Margaret Ekalale won in 4:10.49.

Women's 800 m NR holder Rin Kubo was in Canada for The Jerome Classic meet, where she was 3rd in a 3-way sprint finish in 2:02.57. Kiwi Boh Ritchie took the win in 2:02.46, with American Lauren Tolbert 2nd in 2:02.51. Fresh off his all-time JPN #2 1:44.32 in Edmonton a few days ago, Allon Clay won the men's 800 m in 1:44.51 which was still faster than the 3rd-fastest Japanese man has ever run. Kazuyoshi Tamogami was 6th in 1:48.89.

In Europe, men's long jump national champ Yuki Hashioka was the only Japanese athlete at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial meet in Budapest. A 7.91 m (0.0) jump there was good for 5th, with Greece's Miltiadis Tentoglou winning by 19 cm at 8.31 m (-0.6).

This year's Hokuren Distance Challenge series wraps up Saturday in Shibetsu, with a good number of Japanese athlete competing at Belgium's Night of Athletics meet the same day.

© 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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