This weekend we have a doubleheader on the Asia Trail Master circuit, which will kick off in the Philippines on Friday early morning with Pulag Ultra Trail. A Grandmaster-only event with potential to enter the Championship calendar as well in future. Mount Pulag is a fantastic mountain experience near Baguio in the Cordilleras. .

The event, managed by Intrepid Spirit from VJ 100 last December, is in fact an A to B race and has two Grandmaster distances on offer: 132 km and 65 km. The latter is short of 70km, but - as Mantra 65 in Indonesia - has more than 4500 hm making it eligible as a GM point race.

Pulag Ultra Trail 132km starts in Kabayan deep in the Cordillera Mountains and finishes in Baguio City. It is an exhilarating journey through the majestic landscapes that embrace Mount Pulag, Mount Awa, Mount Ugo and Mount Bidawan and the myriad of scenic landmarks that grace the path leading to Baguio City. Needless to say this is a pure mountain run you should come prepared for. It’s tough, but the untamed scenery will ease the pain Mount Pulag in particular is famous for its views from above the clouds. Official elevation gain for the 132km is 8827 hm and nearly 4600 hm for the 65km.Along the epic course you will also encounter enchanting villages and iconic landmarks that have stood the test of time. As the website reads: “Their presence will ignite your spirit and fuel your determination, as you draw inspiration from the rich tapestry of history and culture that surrounds you.”

The event has attracted quite a large number of brave souls, because this is indeed a serious Grandmaster Quest challenge and the finisher point will be hard-earned. Some well-known runners are taking the start tomorrow, including ATM Finalists and Grandmasters Mary Joy Sumanda, Eduardo Fuentes and Henry Yang from Singapore. Also, Poy Brillantes, a lover of long and tough ultras, will go for the 130k. Jeong Taeyun from Korea and Zheng Limin from Shenzhen (China) are also on the start list.

ATM will be reporting from Pulag Ultra Trail from start to finish on ATM facebook , plus ATM YouTube and Instagram.

Mary Joy Sumanda, double ATM Finalist in 2023 and 2024, will be attempting the 130

Henry Yang, ATM Finalist in 2023, is also aiming for another Grandmaster star

Poy Brillantes is a big fan of ultra long challenges

Julie Mae Marquez is going for the 65km option, which also offers a GM point as the elevation gain exceeeds 4500 hm.

After the cancellation of Tioman Ultra, we are happy to announce that the Penang Sky Race will take its place on the 2025 Asia Trail Master Championship calendar. Also organised by MMTF Consultant, the Penang Sky Race event programme offers a 50km category that will have ATM points on offer for the best 25 performers in the result. The event is scheduled for Saturday, 26 April with start at 3 am.

As the event name suggests, Penang Sky Race is also part of the global Skyrunner series and in particular the 30km race, which almost has the same elevation gain as the 50km (approx 2300 hm).

The 50km Sky Ultraks race category has start and finish at the Youth Park in Georgetown, main city in Penang. As such, this is a convenient event logistically with also an international airport to the south of Georgetown. The course will take runners on ondulating terrain with Penang Hill as a highlight. The highest point of the course is Western Hill at 833m above sea level. As we know from the longer UTOP races, Penang island is a trail running paradise as long as you are prepared . Hills can be very rugged and technical, and then there’s the heat and humidity. But once you finished, the beach is also not far away and Georgetown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site do definitely worth your time to wander about.

Registration is still open for the event and can be accessed via the official website linked below.

MEDIA RELEASE. - We are very happy to announce that the 2025 Asia Trail Master Championship Final will be held in Vietnam at the 5th edition of the incredibly scenic Mù Cang Chải Ultra Trail event in Yen Bai province, in the Northwest of the country. Mù Cang Chải was part of our 2022 ATM calendar and has only grown more in popularity since. The 2025 edition is scheduled for 4 October, making it a perfect host for the conclusion of Season 10, which began in Indonesia late September 2024. The ATM Championship Final race will take place on the 75 km long course with qualified runners in national country teams and with a separate start time. . The event programme of course also features other categories that are open for the general public, and three of those also offer a point for the ATM Grandmaster Quest: 100 miles, 100km and 75km. Less ambitious runners can also sign up for the 55km, 25km and 12km, implying that all ATM Finalists can bring lots of friends to Mù Cang Chải in moral support!

It will be the first time the ATM Championship Final takes place in Vietnam. Over the past few years, Vietnamese trail runners have become increasingly competitive and visible. Not in the least thanks to Hau Ha, the young woman and single mum, from nearby Sapa, who burst onto the ATM trail scene in 2022, winning our women’s championship on Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines. It was the beginning of Hau’s remarkable success story on the world stage . So far, Hau Ha is the only Vietnamese trail runner who has managed to win our championship, but great athletes such as Nguyen Si Hieu, Loi Luong and Julia Nguyen Thi Duong have been contenders and podium placers. With Mù Cang Chải as host of this Season’s Final, the Vietnamese community has home advantage and an excellent opportunity to show there is more than only Hau Ha!

Mù Cang Chải Ultra Trail is organised by the company Viet Jungle and is located in Yên Bái province, northwest of country capital Hanoi. It’s a large area famous for its spectacular rice terraces and hiking trails. It is mainly populated by the Black Hmong, a subgroup of one of Vietnam’s largest ethnicities.

As per tradition, the ATM Final will be held with all top runners together in one and the same race. The 75 km long course includes the best and most scenic parts of the Mù Cang Chải trail network and has a total elevation gain of 3700 hm. There are technical jungle trail sections, but the majority of the trails are quite runable, subject to weather conditions, of course. The race will start at Khuôn Viên at 5:30 am, roughly half an hour before sunrise. The finish line is at the same location.

As in the past three years, runners need to qualify for the ATM Championship Final by scoring ATM points throughout the season. Per Asian country, maximum five male and five female runners - the highest point scorers - will receive the invitation to join the Final. Former ATM Champions can score a wild card independent of the points ranking. A minimum of 2 ATM race finishes is required for everyone. The invitation includes 3 nights accommodation (1 in Hanoi, 2 in Mù Cang Chải), shuttle bus Hanoi-Mù Cang Chải-return, free race entry and the usual race pack collection perks. The top 10 male and female, plus the best performing team, will be invited to the ATM podium ceremony after the race.

The reigning ATM Champions are Jeff Campbell (Canada/Hong Kong) and Priya Rai (Nepal). Both are scheduled to defend their respective titles at Mù Cang Chải . The defending team champion is Team Nepal.

Below is the Mù Cang Chải event facebook page, where you can find all details on the event and also find the link to register for the open public races.. All specific information and details about the ATM Championship Final will be published, as usual, on the ATM Website on our dedicated webpage, and shared via our social network.

To get excited already, have a look at the 2025 teaser video and gallery below!

All details on the ATM Championsip Final will be made available on this dedicated web page.

Hau Ha is the only Vietnamese ATM Champion in our 10-year history

Last year, Loi Luong scored a great 4th place in the women’s ATM Championship Final in Malaysia

Nguyen Si Hieu was 6th in last year’s men’s ATM Championship at Borneo TMBT in Malaysia

The 5th edition of The 9 Dragons event in Hong Kong’s New Territories saw 2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa and Japan’s Kanako Edamoto emerge victorious after winning both stages on Saturday and Sunday. Both runners proved superior to their competitors, but nevertheless had to work as Oleksii Melnyk and Man Yee Cheung kept them honest all weekend. The 50km single day race saw fantastic runs by Hong Kong’s ever-improving Wai Hei Ng and France’s Aurore Dacier.

It was a warm edition of the 9 Dragons, which caused many participants to cramp up with dehydration at some stage during the two days. During the 50 Miles (or 82km) on Saturday, John Ray Onifa appeared to be using cruise control rather than going flat out from the start, as he usually tends to do. He nevertheless opened up a gap to HK-based Ukranian Oleksii Melnyk, second in the 50/50 category already last year behind Kristian Joergensen and determined to try and win this time around. Initally, also the young Japanese runner Shoma Maruyama accompanied the duo during the first six hours at nighttime. Maruyama would blow up later, while Melnyk managed to bridge the gap towards Onifa with some 22km left to run. It was arguably a wake-up moment for Onifa, who was - tellingly - wearing earpods. The Filipino shifted to a higher gear on the next hilly section and again took the advantage by a few minutes. However, while Onifa ran home comfortably to grab the stage win, his interview could not be completed because the resilient Melnyk finished just a single minute later. Just one minute difference between the two protagonists, there was no better way to raise excitement for Day 2 on Sunday. Hong Kong duo Tsang Kit Chuan and KC Chan still managed to get ahead of Murayma for third and fourth on the day.

In the women’s 50/50 group, Japan’s Kanako Edamoto was in command from the beginning. Hong Kong’s Man Yee Cheung and Austria’s Cornelia Oswald were keeping up, although the gap would increase ever more. Edamoto took 26 minutes on Cheung to go into day 2’s 50km. It was also her first ever ATM race victory.

There was also a 50 Miles single day race category, only valid for the ATM Grandmaster Quest and not the ATM Championship ranking, which saw former 50/50 winner Kazufumi Ose and Hong Kong’s Lai Shan Pak take the win in the male and female category, respectively.

Onto day 2 with a 7:30 am race start. Tradition says making it to the start line is the hardest part of the day for the 50/50 runners. Oleksii Melnyk had clearly recovered well as he started quick and even put some minutes on John Ray Onifa by CP 1 after 10 kilometres. Was an upset in the making? That thought did not last long, however, as Onifa was again clearly pacing himself. Flying up the subway stairs and the concrete uphill path aroundd CP1 (at Fan Ling), Onifa was saving his ammunition for later on in the day. He knew what was coming as he won the 50km single day race last year. The 50km course at the 9 Dragons is one of the toughest around. Meanwhile, the battle for the 3rd podium spot on the 50/50 was decisively going into Tsang Kit Chuan’s favour. Murayama was holding his own, but KC Chan seemed least recovered of the trio and would never look in contention on Sunday. Between CP 3 and C4 at Shing Mun, Onifa caught Melnyk and immediately pressed ahead as temperatures kept rising, which was an addtional difficulty for the Ukranian. It was the moment the race was won for John Ray Onifa. He would even still finish second overall on the 50km, behind one surprisingly quick local newcomer on the ATM scene. Melnyk did great in finishing just eight minutes later, showing again his mental strength as well. Tsang Kit Chuan impressed with third place, just 20 minutes behind Onifa. Murayama salvaged fourth place, ahead of Fo Lok Liu, who still managed to overtake KC Chan for fifth. Overall, this was one of Onifa’s most mature race weekends and hopefully illustrative of many more beautiful performances to come!

The one runner who managed to win the 50km outright was Hong Kong’s Wai Hei Ng. Part of T8’s Hong Kong team, Wai Hei Ng is not exactly a newbie, but someone who was out of the racing scene for two years before coming back and is seemingly faster than ever. The 9 Dragons was his first appearance on the ATM scene. He took control of his 50k race halfway when Filipino Randolf Gonzales disintegrated entirely, apparently the result of back pain. Gonzales was also new on the ATM scene, coming from obstacle racing. He set a blistering pace initially that nobody could follow. Besides back pain, also lack of experience may have done him in to ultimately finish down in 12th. Gonzales vowed afterwards to come back stronger next time. Kose Rodarte also was among the fast starters who suffered later on, but he still managed to get a third place on the podium of the 50k single race category. Even Wai Hei Ng appeared to be slowing down in the last section, but he nevertheless took a convincing victory in 6h20. That’s 14 minutes slower than Onifa did a year ago. A name to remember, Wai Hei Ng is also scheduled to run Lantau 70 next month. Behind him, Matthew Gay came second on the podium. Gay ran an excellent race, moving up the leaderboard in the second part, showing that his strategy worked. He even still overtook the first female runner, highly touted Aurore Dacier, winner in ATM already three times at MMTF 50, Lantau 70 and Bali Ultra 50. Dacier was unchallenged in the women’s 50km, but arguably gave herself a hard time by trying to follow the leading men. At checkpoints, Dacier would repeatedly say she is not feeling well , but she was also sixteen minutes ahead of the time schedule her coach had laid out before the race. Finishing in just under 6h59, Dacier gave evidence of the progress she has made as a competitive trail runners since last year. Unfortunately, the announced ‘dual’ with Eszter Csillag did not materialise as the latter was a DNS on Sunday. Quite a long way behind Dacier, there was nevertheless a nice battle for the remaining podium spots of the women’s 50km. Eventually, Nicole Lau had the upper hand, ahead of Philippines’ Trisha Reyes and Kimmy Leung.

The next ATM points race event in Hong Kong is Lantau 70 at the end of March.

Wai Hei Ng: winner of the 50km category

ATM Race win number 4 for Aurore Dacier de Biaisi on the women’s 50km

The 50k men’s podium

The women’s 50/50 podium

One year after the fantastic return of The 9 Dragons it’s time for the fifth anniversary of the Hong Kong event. The renowned 2-day stage race, with 50 Miles on Saturday and 50km on Sunday, is a challenge for even the toughest elite runners and it won’t be any different this weekend as temperatures are expected to rise to the mid-twenties despite still being so early in the year. 2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa is giving the 50/50 a go, having already won the 50k single day race last year. His main challengers for the victory will be Ukranian Oleksii Melnyk, KC Chan, Chun Kit Tsang and Shoma Maruyama. Of those, Melnyk can count on his experience from last year: he finished second behind the brilliant Kristian Joergensen.

The women’s 50/50 appears wide open with several runners who can realistically dream of victory and podium. Japan’s Kanako Edamoto, Hong Kong’s Man Yee Cheung and Cornelia Oswald, but also proven tough cookies such as Tara Savage, Rachel Chan, Chamelia Suhra and Cecille Wael. Resilience and coping with the weather conditions will be key.

As always, people could also choose to register for just the 50 Miles on Saturday or just the 50km on Sunday. The former is over 70km so there’s a Grandmaster point to be scored, but for Championship point seekers it’s the 50km that matters. On Sunday, many eyes will be fixed on 2019 ATM Champion John Ellis. Winner of the 9 Dragons 50/50 in 2018, the now 46-year-old is returning to racing these months after a long break while recovering from injuries including surgery. Ellis has always been more competitive on the longer ultras, but it will be a good indication of where he stands in terms of pure running pace. He’s up against other victory contenders such as Randolf Gonzales, Wai Hei Ng and Kieren Dsouza.

The women’s 50km promises to be a highlight in this year’s edition of The 9 Dragons with world level star Eszter Csillag beginning her 2025 campaign. The Hong Kong-based Hungarian won’t get the race win presented on a silver platter, however, as France’s Aurore Dacier will be keen to show her progress as an up-and-coming trail athlete. Dacier, based in Singapore, was the surprise winner of Lantau 70 last year and also took the win in Bali Ultra 50 in August. Since then she has been training a lot in Hong Kong and has familiarised herself with its specific trails and its many ‘stairs’. This could be an exciting race to follow on Sunday. Last year’s 50k winner Naomi Fung is also in it, and so is Kimmy Leung, Trisha Reyes and Meg Sterling.

ATM will be reporting live from Hong Kong on both days and on the usual channels (facebook, youtube, instagram), with the start of the 50 Miles scheduled at midnight on Friday night.

2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa tackles the 50/50 stage race this weekend

Also Ezster Csillag will make another appearance on the ATM circuit: 50km on Sunday

Victories in Lantau 70 and Bali Ultra for Aurore Dacier last year in ATM. Can she add the 50k 9 Dragons?

Also Cecille Wael returns to the scene this weekend after a prolonged absence

We are delighted to announce that the Ijen Green Trail event in Indonesia is joining the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar on 6/7 September with the Ijen Mountain Marathon race. This race is 50km in distance and includes the ascent of the fantastic Ijen volcano. The event has been organised successfully for several years already out of Banyuwangi in East Java. Ijen Mountain Marathon will be the last points race in Season 10, and thus the last chance for runners seeking last-minute qualification for the Championship Final one month later in early October.

The Ijen volcano has a long history in ATM. From 2015 to 2019 inclusive, Ijen Trail Running was one of the more remote yet more popular races on our calendar for international runners especially. That event, however, was by a different organiser and held out of Bondowoso, which is the regency to the west of Banyuwangi. The covid crisis meant the end of that event, but Ijen Green Trail has managed to survive - also because Banyuwangi is one of Indonesia’s hot spots in tourism development. You cannot go further east on Java island, and Banyuwangi City is just a short ferry ride away from Bali. As such, international runners can also consider flying into Bali and travel by bus/car/ferry to the event. Or by domestic flight. Banyuwangi has a small airport with connections to Jakarta, Denpasar and Surabaya as well.

The 50km on the programme is new and the precise course map and details will be made available soon. Those familiar with Ijen volcano mountain and the surrounding trails know that one should expect runable terrain, unlike many other big mountain ultras in Indonesia.

Indonesia is very fond of Instagram, so most event information can be found there on the Ijen Green Trail page (link below).

Great vibes all around in the 6th edition of the Kalaw Ultra Train Run last weekend, the first ever Asia Trail Master points race event in Myanmar. Almost 900 runners signed up for the various race distance categories, showcasing the great potential of trail running in the country. Aung Thiha, better known as Jack Speed, put the cherry on the pie for the home crowd by convincingly winning the 80k ultra on Friday. A day later, Wunna Lin managed the same on the 50k.

Kalaw has been a well-known venue on the backpacker tourist trail for a long time. The beautiful forested hills around the town remind some of the Cordilleras in the Philippines, and nearby Inle Lake is a magnificent drawcard even for laidback travel. The running event has been organised since 2016, but was promoted internationally for the first time this year. It exceeded expectations and we can see a bright future for Kalaw Ultra Train Run going forward.

The race courses are runable, but do have sufficient elevation and technical bits to keep the more adventurous and technically-skilled trail runner interested. It’s an event where marathon and road specialists can get a good first taste of trail. A good pacing strategy is nevertheless key if one wishes to end up on the podium.

Aung Thiha, or Jack Speed, is one of the more experienced of Myanmar’s trail runners, even though he has also only started running a year or two ago after having had to move to Mandalay from the conflict-ridden north of the country. Following the start a good hour before sunrise, he set the pace straightaway and was initially joined by a newbie runner who would later blow up and DNF. Behind Jack Speed, for a long time, was a duo consisting of Hong Kong’s Tyler Pun and cyclist-runner Thet Paeng Oo. While it was chilly at the start, temperatures rose quickly after sunrise and with the dry winter air many runners ‘forgot’ to hydrate themselves appropriately during the race. By km 70, even leader Jack Speed was looking for every bit of shade he could find. The gap to the chasers was big enough, however, for him to relax at the final aid station before tackling the tough last 10k of the course. He finished at the Kalaw Tower landmark under loud applause and appreciation from the local spectators in 10h48. Almost an hour later, Tyler Pun and Thet Paeng Oo crossed the finish line together, closely followed by the first woman and winner Aleta Phelps.

Aleta Phelps hails from Alaska but now lives in Vancouver and was initially engaged in an exciting competition with local Yi Yi Win and Yangon-based Kazakh Altyn King. Yi Yi Win was fastest out of the blocks, but sustained an ever painful injury and could not keep up her pace in the second part. Phelps and King caught up, and eventually Phelps went ahead by herself and approached the men’s duo of Tyler Pun and Thet Paeng Oo.

One day later was the 50k points race, in which we saw a dominant performance by marathon runner Wunna Lin, which nevertheless nearly unravelled in the final 10km. The extra mileage compared to a road marathon caused a significant drop in pace, and Lin saw his 30+ minute advantage over his chasers melt away rapidly. Those chasers were initially a trio consisting of 21-year-old talent Myint Myat, Aung Tun Lin and first female and fellow-marathon runner Myint Myint Aye. Soon after the third checkpoint at km 28, Myint Myat dropped out of the race with severe leg muscle cramps. Also on Saturday the rising temperatures in the morning caused issues for many people. Meanwhile, the French duo of Thibaud Allamand and Mael Rousseau came ever closer and would eventually overtake Aung Tun Lin and Myint Myint Aye. With Lin fading at the front, the question was if the French could still grab victory away from under his nose in the final kilometres. Luckily for the Myanmar runner, the gap he had built up proved sufficient and he won by nine minutes still. Rousseau and Allamand crossed the finish together, immediately followed by Aung Zaw Min, who ran a fantastic second half of the race. Aung Tun Lin settled for fifth, and first woman Myint Myint Aye - also visibly tired from the extra effort - was sixth overall.

Netherlands’ Dorie Meerkerk took second on the podium ahead of France’s Delphine Creatin. Singapore’s Claudia Tan came next and then it was Germany’s Uta Scholz. All are based in Yangon.

Kalaw Ultra Trail Run was a great introduction to the scene in Myanmar, and we are looking forward to the next edition already.

This weekend, runners on the Grandmaster Quest can also score a point at the Santa Ines Mountain Adventure in the Rizal mountains east of Manila in the Philippines. The tough 80km race crosses the summits of Mount Irid and Mount Tukduang Banoi, the two highest mountains in the Rizal area. The event is organised by The Pace Republic and directed by 4-star Grandmaster Rhea Batac.

Santa Ines alternates every year with the Bagtit Ultra event. Two years ago, the long distance race saw some great runs in both the male and female categories, but also showed the technicality of the course. Over 20 river crossings had to be negotiated by the participants. For this year’s edition the course has been amended here and there following runners’ feedback.

Maynard Encormal is back in Santa Ines this weekend. He finished third last time and could be the man-to-beat this year. Also Bhert Orpiada is in with a shot for victory. On the female side we have Grandmaster Cristine Montuya - winner of the other ATM promoted event in Rizal, Sierra Madre Trail Ultra, - Michella Aradanas, Metzy Alson and Krizia Bondad. There’s several other Grandmasters going for an extra point on their record: Jay Delgado, Jose Tindog, Ramsey Villanueva, Jux Castaneda and Ronald Natividad.

This Friday, the flag-off of the 80km at the Kalaw Ultra Trail Run event will mark the first ever points race in Myanmar in our ten year history. The large country bordering China, Thailand, Laos, India and Bangladesh has already been developing a road running scene since the inauguration of the Yangon Marathon in 2013, but in the context of trail running It’s the first year that an event is being promoted internationally. Organised by the Myanmar Ultra Trail Running Association, Kalaw Ultra Trail Run first of all gives local runners the opportunity to showcase their talents against a considerable number of ‘foreign’ runners. Both the 80km on Friday and the 50km categories on Saturday provide points for the ATM Championship ranking, which may lead to qualification for the ATM Season’s “Final” in early October.

Kalaw lies in Shan State and is quite well-known on the backpacker tourism circuit in Southeast Asia. The town has decent accommodation facilities and provides access to the majestic Inle Lake via a network of hiking trails. Some of these will be used this weekend for the run as well. It is dry season meaning most of the trails will be very runable, although there is of course some elevation gain to be conquered. The 80km category has nearly 2500 hm, and the 50km about 1700 hm. For competitive participants this implies a danger of running out of steam towards the end, especially given the 80k has a steep uphill part in the final section to the finish at the Kalaw Tower.

The races are probably wide open in terms of victory and podium contenders. No big names on the start list, as is usually the case for a first international edition in a new destination. We are therefore bound to get to know several new names and faces, including of local Myanmar runners. The 80k starts at 5am local time on Friday, with the 50k at 6am on Saturday.

Internet and mobile connectivity can be sketchy in Kalaw and Myanmar in general, with apps such as facebook and IG also not readily accessible. ATM will be reporting from the event on Friday and Saturday, but note that the livestream may therefore be restricted to our YouTube channel. Videos and other race updates will be uploaded to our Facebook and Instagram pages as soon as possible.

We are delighted to announce that the Philippine Mountain Trail Festival from 1-3 May will be the third Filipino points race event of Season 10 in the Asia Trail Master Championship. ‘PMTF’ is organised by Intrepid Spirit and consists of several branded races, of which H1 - Hardcore 100 Miles - and the Mount Ugo Marathon 47km are relevant for point seekers. Both are classic races in the country for well over a decade and are now under a new management headed by Robert Watson.

H1 is already legendary in South East Asia as being the first 100 Miler in Philippines and, on top of that, one of a selected few established global races with an elevation gain of over 10,000 hm! This is untamed and wild territory in the Cordilleras, yet with a course that follows international standards to test your physical endurance and psychological perseverance. The race starts at the Kayapa Central School at 23:30 on Thursday, 1 May, has 12 aid stations and a cut off time of 44 hours.

There is also a Hardcore 50 Miles race category for those slightly less ambitious or just interested in collecting a Grandmaster point. The 50 Miles is 84 km long and also has well over 5000 metres of elevation gain. The 50 Miles starts on the 2nd of May at 14:00 in the afternoon, and has a cut off time of 22 hours.

Hardcore 100 and 50 Miles particpants must pay special attention to the entry requirements, race regulations including mandatory gears, as there will not be any excuses tolerated. All details can be found on the event page of the Intrepid website, which you can also link to via the button below.

Shorter but equally famous and historical in the Philippines is the Mount Ugo Marathon. This is the second race of the Philippine Mountain Trail Festival that provides points for the ATM Championship ranking. Mt Ugo Marathon is obviously centred around Mount Ugo, already well-known in the Asia Trail Master series, and has a race distance of 47km with nearly 3200 metres of elevation gain. The start is on Saturday morning at 5:30 am and runners have 12 hours of time to complete the course. The summit of Mount Ugo comes roughly halfway into the race. The start and finish venue is the same as for the Hardcore 100 & 50 Miles, the Kayapa Central School. Kayapa lies east of Baguio.

All specifics for the Mt Ugo Marathon can be consulted on the event website, linked below. Registration is open.

The 10th anniversary edition of Tahura Trail in Bandung, Indonesia, saw the ‘older’ established guard comprehensively take the measure of the young guns in the 42km ATM Championship points race. Alessandro Sherpa scored his 7th ever ATM race victory and Vanja Cnops collected her 8th in the women’s category. Both have been around for many years now and behind them were 2015 ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono and 2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia. Risqi Kurniawan suffered a leg injury and finished outside the top 25.

The course of Tahura Trail had been completely redesigned for its first edition in five years. Heavy rainfall already in the days preceding the event turned many sections into a severe mudfest, which was certainly not to everyone’s liking or expectation. Luckily, at least on race day there was a pause in precipitation. Tough and technical running conditions, perhaps it was therefore no coincidence that those with more trail experience took the biggest prizes at the end. Sherpa is even a former mountainbiker and Cnops a former national team cross country runner in the typical muddy fields in Belgium. Bandung runners Ruth Theresia and Arief Wismoyono are also among the most technically-skilled trail runners, and in the case of Wismoyono it was even a mightily impressive feat to finish second just about three minutes behind Sherpa. Now over 40, Wismoyono had not looked this fast and competitive in several years. For Sherpa it was his second consecutive victory in Indonesia, after Bali Ultra 50 last August. In third place came Ujang Ahmad Saripudin, a newcomer on the ATM scene. He did great finishing just eleven minutes behind the winner, and nearly fourteen minutes ahead of the likes of Akhmad Nizar, Muhammad Faris from Malaysia, Taofik Hidayat, Mikdarulloh and Sobiri Haerudin. In ninth place we had a great run by Thimo Kilberth, another good old trail runner who exceeded expectations. Consider he finished ahead of Sobari Herdiana and Risqi Kurniawan. The latter, the top favourite before the race, still hung on the leaders early, but then faded away citing pain in his legs. Another former podium placer at Tahura, Margono, also settled for just 23rd place. ATM regulars Luis Alvelais and Abang Jamadi Rosli finished in 13th and 15th, respectively.

Vanja Cnops was, as expected, too fast for the other women. Fitta Emike Sari ran a great race competing with Ruth Theresia for second place. Previously, Sari had already scored a second place in Mantra 116 in 2023, so her performance in the hard conditions in Bandung did not fall out of the blue sky. Theresia ultimately took the upper hand at the end, but Sari came in just a minute later.

The next Indonesian points race on the ATM Championship calendar is BTR in Bali on the second weekend of May. That event, returning to ATM for the first time since 2022, offers 100k and 60k options for runners seeking qualification for the Season 10’s ATM Championship Final in early October.

We are happy to announce a new Candidate Race in Vietnam, organised by the Unique Events & Media team that also brings you Prenn Trail Summit. Brah Yang Trail Summit takes place in Di Linh in Lam Dong Province and features 60km, 35km, 27km and 10km options with the longest category scheduled to start on Saturday night. .

Brăh Yàng Mountain is a place with a lot of spiritual value in the region. The race will go through the wild terrain of Brăh Yàng peak and other large and small mountains in the middle of the vast Di Linh plateau. The trail course will see a lot of green tea hills, but also goes through coffee fields and villages of the K'Ho Sre ethnic group. Those choosing the 60km need to be aware of the elevation gain in the race: 3900 hm, which is quite serious. The highest altitude is 1848m above sea level, so runners should also be mindful of potential chilly conditions.

Information on accommodation options and transportation can be checked on the comprehensive event website, linked below via the button. Important to note for international runners is that you can fly to Liên Khương International Airport in Đức Trọng, which lies between Dalat and Di Linh. From Ho Chi Minh City there is a bus travel time of approx 7 hours, so you might wish to opt for the domestic flight instead.