This weekend we have a new ATM Candidate Race in peninsular Malaysia by the team that also brings you Trail des Gombak in June. Projek Hijo’ Trail des Lenggeng, known in short as TDL, takes place in Dusunnas Farmstay & Campsite, Ulu Beranang in Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan. That’s the state roughly between Kuala Lumpur and Malacca.

On the race programme we find a 50km main category, with also a 30km and 15km for the less ambitious. There’s 1800 metres of elevation gain on the 50km long route and the start is scheduled at 3 am on 30 November. The shorter distances will commence at sunrise, 7 am. Main highlights on the route include the 140 years old SAK Dato Temple (Malaysia’s largest statue of Monkey King), Bukit Gondol Berup (Trig Station), and Kg Orang Asli Chelogeh

Projek Hijo aims to develop Trail des Lenggeng into a a premier event on the Malaysian and Asia Trail Master trail calendars. Foreseen is a 70km Grandmaster Quest distance in 2026 as well. Ulu Beranang and Lenggeng have natural beauty and cultural richness to attract plenty a trail runner. Lenggeng also aims to position itself as a sustainable eco-sport tourism destination and support environmental conservation, cultural heritage and rural economic development.

On the 50km start list this Sunday we find several known names such as Abdul Rasyid Mohd Salehuddin, Muhammad Asyraf Bin Zulkifli, Metussin Hidayat, Lim Wenshan, Henry Yang and on the 30km there is also Muhammad Faris, the highest ATM points scoring Malaysian of the past Season 10.

Last weekend’s SC 70 race in Santa Cruz, Davao, Philippines, gave runners another chance to add a Grandmaster point to their records. As announced, it was a tough one, and technical, with rain that made matters even more complicated. Up front there was of course also a competition. 2022 ATM Champion and local hero Arnie Macaneras crossed the finish line with an impressive time of 12 hours and 4 minutes as male race winner. It was his first real race in two months. Macaneras is also scheduled to run the upcoming Season 10 Championship Final at the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong. last year, he still finished 3rd in Season 9’s Final at Borneo TMBT. In second place behind him was emerging talent Rodel Angatan, followed by Elbert Ligan who took third on the podium.

Just two weeks after winning DASAL 80, Bukidnon’s Shally Yuson also proved strongest female in SC 70. Becoming ever more consistent and dominant on Filipino trails, Yuson led from start to finish and came in in 19 hours (also showing how tough the course was). Luzon’s Jennifer Comandante secured second place in 21 hours, followed by Dolly Alonso in third.

Trail runners can stick around in Santa Cruz and Davao, because next weekend is the next event already: the Mount Apo Sky Race. This year, the redesigned Mount Apo event is also a qualifier again for the ATM Championship points ranking.

Hokkaido’s Koken Ogasawara confirmed his pre-race status as favourite in the men’s race with a great win on the 43km course of Island Trail Awaji, a new points race in Season XI of the Asia Trail Master Championship. It’s his second victory in ATM after Izu Trail Journey last year. Ryoshin Hase and Kazufumi Ose joined him on the podium, while Yuta Matsuyama finished in ninth place. Tomohiro Mizukoshi came in 21st, indicating a high competitive level.

Fastest woman was Yuri Yoshizumi, ahead of Chisato Kario, one of the Japanese finalists in the upcoming ATM Championship Final at 9 Dragons, and China’s Wen Fangyuan.

Awaji is an island connected by bridge to the city of Kobe, not too far from Osaka. The island is known for its puppet theatre and for its oignons.

The next Japanese qualifier event is Izu Trail Journey on Sunday, 14 December.

Season 11 continues this weekend with a doubleheader for the ATM Championship points ranking, plus a third event valid for the Grandmaster Quest. It’s been a difficult month for trail running in Southeast Asia, particularly, with heavy rainfall causing landslides resulting in event cancellations or postponements in quite a few places. Especially Vietnam is hard-hit. Our Season 10 Final at Mu Cang Chai already got cancelled in early October, and in recent weeks also the two Dalat events Lam Dong Trail and Prenn Trail Summits have been compelled to postpone to a later date. For this weekend, the forecast in the three relevant countries looks good, though.

Malnad Ultra is still the only ATM qualifying event in India. Taking place in the Karnataka region close to Bengaluru, the programme has received a few little tweaks for this year’s edition but the bottom line has remained the same: a 50km loop in the large coffee plantation that can be done once or twice. Last year, Shashwat Rao once again took the win in the 100km, while a group of young Nepali runners featuring Rayma Rawal and Kalpana Budha stole the show in the women’s 50km race.

In Japan, we have a debut for Island Trail Awaji on the ATM Championship calendar. Recommended by 2-star Grandmaster and multiple race winner and Finalist, Yuta Matsuyama, this event features a very scenic 43km points race on Awaji island, off the coast from Kobe and Kansai. It’s an A to B race with no fewer than 2200 metres of elevation gain, so this one is quite treacherous. On the start list, several big names of the Japanese trail scene. 2024 Izu Trail Journey winner Koken Ogasawara is arguably the top favourite, but he will need to watch out for e.g. the experienced and former 9 Dragons winner Kazefumi Ose and the aforementioned Yuta Matsuyama. Island Trail Awaji is the first of potentially five Japanese qualifying events in Season 11 of the Asia Trail Master Championship.

Over in Mindanao, Philippines, trail runners will gather in Santa Cruz, near Davao, for the first race of a double weekender. Team Jegol is organising SC 70 starting this Saturday, one of the races on our Grandmaster Quest calendar. Next week, also in Santa Cruz, is the traditional Mount Apo Sky Race by Vertical To Sky, a qualifying points race event for the ATM Championship this season. Even without Mount Apo on the itinerary, SC 70 is certainly much more than a warm-up. No fewer than an estimated 4800 metres of elevation gain need to be conquered during the 72 km long ultra race. On the start list we find many familiar names of runners, Grandmasters or runners aiming to become Grandmaster. For the race victory, two big names stand out in the male and female categories: 2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras and Shally Yuson. A “home race” for Arnie, it will be interesting to see if anyone feels courageous to try and follow him this weekend. Shally Yuson hails from Bukidnon, but has proven this year she can win races anywhere now.

We are happy to announce that Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths in Vietnam returns to the ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar in 2026, after a one year break. The event is scheduled for its traditional first weekend of April from 3 to 5 April. On the programme are a 100km long ultra and 42km medium distance trail as qualifiers for the ATM Championship points ranking. Runners on the Grandmaster Quest can, besides the 100, also look at the 75km category.

‘CPJP’ quickly developed a reputation as one of the most challenging long rainforest ultras after the corona crisis. The 100km is gruelling, taking participants deep into primary rainforest in the second part of the race. One of those races in which elevation gain does not reflect the toughness of the course. Long ultra runners should also be self-sufficient to a certain degree, as there are large sections deep inside without any mobile signal and participants are required to look out for each other in case of need. In contrast, the 42km category is one of the more runable and technically easier races of our entire ATM Championship calendar. CPJP therefore offers chances for all types of trail runners.

Cuc Phuong is a national park and accommodation is relatively scarse, so you need to plan ahead if you are looking for more than a mattress. Transportation from Hanoi to Ninh Binh or Cuc Phuong directly is relatively easy to arrange in the capital city directly.

Nguyen Tien Vo and Tara Savage were the 100km race winners in 2024, with Nguyen Si Hieu and Akane Nemoto taking top honours on the 42km. Previously, also Hisashi Kitamura won the 42km race in 2023. Big names on the winners’ list in other words.

Another interesting newcomer on Mindanao’s trail scene in the Philippines: the Altra Philippine Ultra Trail 100. Taking place this weekend at the Freedom Park in Zamboanga City, the new event offers a range of distance categories, of which the Philippine Ultra Trail 100 is the flagship race. The event has obtained the ATM Candidate Race label for this first edition.

Zamboanga City is the second largest city in Mindanao, lying in the southwestern tip of the island - almost as close to Sabah in Malaysia as to Davao. It’s a busy port city with also tourism appeal, in particular the Old Spanish Fort stands out, as part of a long historical journey to the city’s present. Zamboanga City is also often referred to as the ‘City of Flowers’.

Both the 100km and 50km distance categories will commence at 4 am on Saturday morning. Total elevation gain for the 100 is estimated at a significant 6300 hm. The 50 km has about 2800 hm. Cut-off time for the 100 is 32 hours, which implies participants at the back of the field will need to keep moving. It’s 16 hours for the 50km runners.

A number of established championship and Grandmaster runners will be taking part in the new event.

Runners on the Grandmaster Quest can look forward again to a trip to Sarawak in Malaysia on Borneo island. Silabur Ultra Trail, aka Silabur 100, aka SUTRA 100, stays on the calendar with a 2026 event schedule of 2/3 May. The distance category to focus on is still the 100km . It’s race with relatively little elevation gain that often gets underestimated. On the other hand, a cut-off time of 33 hours for a 100km with “just” 2500 hm should already ring an alarm bell.

It’s trail running pur sang, this event in Sarawak, about 100km south of Kuching near the border with Indonesia’s Kalimantan province. Jungle and proper caves are on the intinerary. While the weather generally is dry, a rainshower can always occur and obviously expect a significant level of heat - we are deep in Borneo, after all.

Via the event’s facebook page you can stay up-to-date with new developments regarding Silabur 100. Organised by Alpha Sports Events, director Josh is known to always go out-of-his-way to assist runners with their needs. By the way, there is shuttle transportation to the race start venue from Sarawak’s main city Kuching. So, you do not need to stay in Kampung Batu Bedang, but it’s certainly a recommendation to spend a night or two at the local villages, known for their hospitality and support for the event.

One of the tougher Grandmaster Quest events of the season took place near Davao in Philippines last weekend. The Datu Salumay Invitational Trail Run, better known as DASAL has a 80KM race starting at 10:00 AM in Datu Salumay in the Marilog District. With a total elevation gain of 5,500 meters, the race is known as one of 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗼’𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 trail races. Also this yeart, DASAL pushed runners to their limits through steep climbs, technical terrain, and cold mountain conditions. Taking the top spots at the finish were ATM Finalists Jevie Cagatin and Shally Yuson from Bukidnon, both familiar faces in the Philippine trail running community. Cagatin finished together with new name Ulyses Esteva in 15h22. Elbert Ligan was third on the podium in 15h52.

Shally Yuson has really put herself on the throne in Mindanao over the past year, and her new victory just underlined this even more. She finished in 22h17, a good hour ahead of Razzil Sumalinog and Angelie Dawa.

DASAL80 continues to highlight the beauty and challenge of Mindanao trails while bringing together runners who share the same passion for endurance and adventure.

With special thanks to Pierre Vincent Pedrosa for the updates.

Heavy rainstorms continue to wreak havoc in Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam. This weekend’s Lam Dong Trail in Dalat, was postponed to a later date yesterday as the safety of runners, crew and volunteers could no longer be guaranteed for Saturday. Lam Dong Trail is a popular ATM qualifier for the ATM Championship ranking with its 85km race, which is also valid for runners’ Grandmaster Quest.

As the event committee announced: “Due to the increasingly complex developments of the storm and based on recommendations from local authorities, the Organizing Committee has decided to postpone Lâm Đồng Trail 2025 to ensure the absolute safety of all runners, volunteers, and operational teams.

Updates regarding the new race schedule will be announced as soon as possible on our official channels. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and continued support.”

It is the third cancellation / postponement of trail running events in a month’s time. Early October, also in Vietnam, Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail could not take place following the damage caused by another major typhoon. The event will now just skip a year and return on 3 October 2026. Also in Mindanao, Philippines, the Bislig Ultra got postponed to a new date on 18/19 April 2026.

The new ATM Candidate Race in Thailand’s northern Tak Province, Tulay Trail, left quite an impression. A big field of participants across the various distance categories, and a great event and race organisation. Tak Trail Series has been the new “kids-on-the-block” in Thailand for a while and we are looking forward to having them formally included in our Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendars with one or more of their events in 2026.

Tulay Trail, not entirely unexpected, proved to be a race for the tough guys and girls. Perhaps it was also no surprise then that all 100km podium placers were seasoned ultra trail runners aged above 40. In fact, it was good old Sanya Khancai, now 51, who won the race in 19h31 . The finishing time shows how hard the race was. Yotchai Chaipromma and Wassa Buranrat completed the podium together in 20h22. First female on the 100km was Chayanit Wapetch in 28h46. Kullanit Porrametthanapat was second and Isikarn Thubu third.

Chatchai Wanitthanom and Kunnika Tonsakul won the men’s and women’s 75km races respectively, in 14h21 and 18h00. On the 45km medium distance, Krisada Thongjib and Supamas Patchima taking top honours in 7h56 and. 9h58.

The 5th edition of Ultra Fish N Sheep between Fanling and Po Lam in Hong Kong did not miss its debut in our ATM Championship series. Tougher than expected, the 75km left a mark on the many participants, who nevertheless returned home satisfied thanks to a commendable race organisation. Dominator of the day was Lodewijk Vriens, who scored his second ATM race win of the year after BTR Bali 60k last May. From the Netherlands but based in Hong Kong, Vriens absolutely smashed it from the gun and did not leave co-favourites Jeff Campbell and Wai Hei Ng any chance for victory. Throughout the day, and in ever rising temperatures, the gaps between the top runners just increased ever more. Vriens came into the finish arena in a superb 8h33, half an hour quicker than Jeff Campbell, still our reigning men’s champion after the cancellation of Mu Cang Chai three weeks ago. Wai Hei Ng, one of the revelations of Season 10, was another half hour further back in third. With the new Season 10 Final now scheduled in Hong Kong at the 9 Dragons event, with many of the same trails as Fish N Sheep, Lodewijk Vriens has suddenly propelled himself into a top favourite role.

Behind the top trio, we saw a very solid performance by Nepal’s Santosh Tamang, who continues his comeback in Hong Kong with again clear signs of competitive progress. Tamang was a known race winner a decade ago, and has recently returned to trail running after a long break. Fourth place in Fish N Sheep, that’s a big points haul also with a view to next Season’s Championship Final. In fifth came another HKNTRA athlete, Limbu Yamanath, who was running together with Tamang until cramps hit him badly. In sixth place at the finish was Chin Ching Cheuk.

The women’s race actually had a bit more excitement than the men’s race. Nicole Lau was the fastest starter until and across Tai Mo Shan and the km 20 mark, but then saw Wong Tze Kei edging closer and closer to her. Tze Kei managed to overtake Nicole Lau about halfway into the race and ran towards her first ever ATM race victory in 11h25. Nicole Lau held onto second place over an hour behind, but only narrowly so. Kimmy Leung and Yuen Tze Kwan finished right behind her in three and four. Valerie Chan completed the top 5 a bit later, and Indonesia’s Ruth Theresia took sixth after a solid second half of the race. Cherry on the pie was her Golden Grandmaster title, for finishing 20 ATM ultras.

The next Hong Kong qualifying races for the ATM Championship ranking of Season 11 are The 9 Dragons (50-50 and 50km) and Lantau 70 .

Season 11 continues this weekend with a new entry on our ATM Championship calendar: Ultra Fish N Sheep is the third qualifier or points race event in Hong Kong. Taking place in the New Territories with start in Fanling on Saturday morning 8 a.m., the 5th edition of the popular event introduces a 75km category for both Championship and Grandmaster Quest points.

It’s a pretty serious race with an estimated elevation gain of 4400 hm for the 75km distance. Moreover, after a week of cool weather, the heat is expected to return to Hong Kong this weekend with temperatures reaching 30 degrees celsius. Normal conditions for the average South-East Asian trail runner, but in Hong Kong it remains a topic that circles around in runners’ heads. We could be seeing some surprises on the race leaderboard in other words.

The men’s start list shows some big names including the still reiging ATM Champion Jeff Campbell. It’s been three weeks since the cancellation of the Season 10 Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail , a race for which Campbell undoubtedly had prepared very well for. If he has preserved that form, he should be the logical one to beat on Saturday. However, this year in Hong Kong has also proven that he can be beaten at times. His T8 teammate Wai Hei Ng finished ahead of him at Lantau 70, for instance. One of the most exciting newcomers on the ATM scene in Season 10, Wai Hei Ng also won the 50km at The 9 Dragons in February and may be Campbell’s greatest challenger in the Fish N Sheep race together with Lodewijk Vriens, also Team T8. Vriens was the 50km race winner at this event last year, and also looked impressive in winning Bali’s BTR 60 last May. There’s 275 participants for the 75km race, let’s find out if anyone else can get between these three top runners.

On the women’s side, we will be paying attention to Indonesia’s Ruth Theresia, now based in Hong Kong. Our 2018 ATM Champion has had a decent training block over the past few months and looks ready to finally get that 20th ATM ultra race finish, which would mean her 4th Grandmaster star! If she completes Fish N Sheep 75, she will be the first Indonesian Golden Grandmaster and only the second female in general after Philippines’ Rhea Batac in July 2024. Of course, a strong Ruth Theresia also implies she won’t be far away from the podium and the women’s race win either. Other contenders are expected to be Nicole Lau, third on the 50km last year, Kai Hei Chan, Kimmy Leung and Nikki Han.

ATM will be reporting live from Ultra Fish N Sheep from start to finish. The race starts at 8 am local time.

Top favourite for the men’s race and still reigning ATM Champion: Jeff Campbell

Wai Hei Ng: finished ahead of Jeff Campbell at Lantau 70 and won the 50km at 9 Dragons this year

2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia aims for her 20th ATM Ultra finish: the Golden Grandmaster title

BTR 60 race winner Lodewijk Vriens will aim to give Campbell a run for his money