Alternative Elfstedentocht in Japan
On February 26, thirty-four marathon skaters competed in the first 200-kilometer race ever held on Japanese ice. The site was Lake Akan National Park on Japan's north island of Hokkaido. Japanese and Dutch organizers put together a week-long series of races and tours to celebrate 400 years of Dutch-Japanese friendship. Hundreds of Dutch skaters traveled around the world to participate, and they were joined by 100 Japanese marathon skaters. The black ice on the lake was perfect for skating, but the weather was on the cold side, with temperatures ranging from -5°C to -15°C, and wind chills reaching -20°C.
Results - Alternative 11 City Race - 200 Kilometers Lake Akan, Japan, February 26, 2000
Rank	Name	Hometown	Time
1	Piet Kleine	Kerkenveld	6:10:43
2	Casper Helling	Amsterdam	6:10:53
3	Jan Eise Kromkamp	Wolvega	6:11:05
4	Henk Angenent	Alphen a/d Rijn	6:11:09
5	Rene Ruitenberg	Elburg	not recorded
6	Lars Hoogenboom	Roelofarendsveen	6:54:17

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