We are happy to announce that Taman Negara Ultra in Malaysia has received the ATM Candidate Race label for its upcoming edition on 24/25 October 2026. Organized by Persatuan Rekreasi Taman Negara, the event centres around Kuala Tahan in Jerantut and aims to showcase the area as a premier eco tourism destination. It is also the gateway to the world's oldest rainforest.

The event programme features four distance categories, of which the 100km and 50km claim most attention. Less ambitious runners can also sign up for the 30km, 15km and 7,5km. As the website reads: “Participants will embark on a journey through pristine trails surrounded by lush greenery, cascading waterfalls and the dense humidity of Taman Negara, offering one of the highest levels of tropical immersion in the world.”

The races have a decent number of altitude metres to conquer as well. The 100km measures approx 4560 hm and the 50km almost 2400hm. The cut-off time for the 100km is set for 35 hours after the start on Saturday morning. The medium distance runners have 20 hours of time for what is planned to be a nighttime race.

Participants in the event will also discover the rich heritage of the Orang Asli, the indigenous people of the region. On the website we read: 'These remarkable communities share their timeless traditions and harmonious way of life, which are deeply rooted in their connection with the natural wonders of Taman Negara. From traditional crafts to captivating stories of the rainforest, runners will gain a deeper appreciation of this region's cultural richness.”

Taman Negara has major ambitions and is much more than just a sporting event.

“ Aligned with the vision and mission of Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS) to shape a more prosperous, harmonious and united Malaysia through youth development and the culture of sports, this event supports the holistic advancement of youth and sports to fulfill the nation's aspirations. By participating, runners not only celebrate health, unity and the spirit of adventure but also become ambassadors of Malaysia's rich natural and cultural heritage.”

You can find all details on the official website linked below, and you can follow the latest news and announcement via the facebook page. There, you can also see the event’s extensive transportation schedule - including from Kuala Lumpur to the event venue in Kuala Tahan. Plenty of accommodation options and activity options are also on offer.

For any queries, you can also contact Miss Hani as mentioned on the poster below.

The 2025 course map for 100km. The updated 2026 map is coming in due course

The 2025 course map for 50km. The updated 2026 map is coming in due course

The overall Philippine Mountain Trail Festival in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya, Luzon is confirmed to take place this year between 30 April and 2 May. Just like a year ago, the legendary H1 race and the H60k race on the event programme are qualifiers for the ATM Championship points ranking, which leads to potential qualification for our Season 11’s Final in Vietnam on 3 October. Grandmaster Quest enthusiasts need to focus as per GM regulations on H1 and H50.

Intrepid Spirit took over the management and organisation of H1 as part of a bigger festival that caters for trail runners from all levels and experiences. Apart from the three main distance categories mentioned above, there’s also three short distances on offer so everyone can be part of the event.

Needless to say that H1 is a 100 Miles race that requires proper physical and mental preparation. In fact, the distance goes even above 170km and the estimated total elevation gain is higher than 9500 hm. Famous for its big challenge and high DNF rate, we actually witnessed quite a number of successful finishes last year with Rhys Pawid and Shally Yuson taking top honours.

The H60K replaces last year’s Mount Ugo Marathon on the programme and is a serious middle distance ultra measuring 63km and nearly 4000m of elevation gain. Kristian Joergensen and Japan’s Chisato Kario were the fastest women last year.

Details and registration can be found on the Intrepid Spirit facebook page linked below. To sign up, you need to scan a QR code provided also below. Just follow the steps. The event location is not too far from Baguio. Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya is a province east of the perhaps better known Benguet.

Outgoing ATM Champions Jeff Campbell and Priya Rai looked awesome while fine-tuning their form for the upcoming title defence at the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong in three week’ time. Both runners won their 50km race in Kalaw with relative ease and made it clear that whoever wants to win the ATM Championship race will need to pass by them. As last year, the Kalaw Ultra Trail Run event in itself was again a great experience for the nearly 1200 participants spread out over four distance categories and further evidence that Myanmar is now truly on the trail running map in Southeast Asia.

Jeff Campbell led his 50k men’s race from almost start to finish. Local hero and last year’s winner Wunna Lim initially tried to put up a brave challenge, but it did not take long before Campbell took command. He then gradually built the gap. Wunna Lin resisted to the best of his ability, but paid the price in the final 20km. Campbell crossed the finish line in a superb 4h52! Russia’s Evgenii Makarov, based in Phuket, eventually was a great second in 5h37, immediately followed by female race winner Priya Rai. Makarov had taken a conservative start, but collected the fading Wunna Lin at the end. Luckily, the Myanmar runner still managed to hold onto third place on the podium with a finish in 5h59 - still faster than his winning effort a year ago. Very close behind him in the end was the amazing Thailander Santi Phongsraphang! The latter is an ATM Finalist who had just completed a 500 km race two weeks prior !

As fifth male, talented Myanmar youngster Myint Myat Maung left all his injury troubles from last year behind and ran a prudent, but solid race to get back on track. Antoine Valcke from Switzerland was the next arrival in sixth, ahead of Myanmar’s Nay Myo Thet and Zaw Myo Htet.

Priya Rai won the women’s race , finishing right behind Makarov in 5h38. Also Priya had to cope with some pressure from. last year’s local winner Myint Myint Aye. At km 28, the gap between them was still just about three minutes! However, as the sun rose Priya got really up to speed and - as Campbell ahead of her - began to extend her advantage. Priya looked solid and relaxed crossing the finish line: mission accomplished.

Myint Myint Aye finished second in 6h12 and sixth overall. Great performance by the local runner, who just like Wunna Lin at least gave it a shot. The last step on the podium went to popular Htwe Nyein Ngal.

Hanoi-based SIngaporean Trung Nguyen won the 100k in his ATM comeback race after nearly three years’ absence. Trung won in a great time of 12h38. It was his fourth ATM race victory in his running career, the first in four years. Trung took the lead firmly on the way to CP 9 and extended the gap to Roman Pankov, Oscar Thet Paing Oo and a fading Jack Speed progressively. He also scored his 10th ATM ultra finish, so he is now a Bronze Grandmaster .

Russia’s Roman Pankov grabbed second place about 20 minutes later in what was a very composed effort, too. Team Myanmar ATM Finalist Oscar Thet Paing Oo came in as third and completed the men’s podium in 13h25.. He was an early race leader, but could not respond when Trung Nguyen caught up. China’s Jiang Deyvan finishes fourth, just ahead of Belgium’s Antoine Deligne and Meng Kong Aik. Last year’s 80k winner and another early race leader Jack Speed slipped down the rankings towards the end and finished in seventh place, suffering from a chest infection it turned out later.

Altyn King won the women’s race in 16h28! The Myanmar based runner from Kazakhstan was already second last year and today used the experience to gain the upper hand on the other ladies in the race. Yi YI Win finished second and Hong Kong’s Silver Grandmaster Ellen Yin Kwan Cheng third.

The next Myanmar qualifier on our calendar is the Mount Popa Jungle Trail, organised by the same team at MUTRA. The event is scheduled for the last weekend of June.

Reigning ATM Champions Jeff Campbell and Priya Rai will both be fine-tuning their preparations for the defence of their titles at the Kalaw Ultra Trail Run in Myanmar this Saturday. Both runners from the T8 Team are the stars of the 50km race, held on a runable and dry course with start at 4am local time. Kalaw is the last event before our Season 10 Championship Final at the 9 Dragons in three weeks’ time.

KUTR was one of the highlights of the season last year, characterised by a smooth event organisation and a wonderful vibe among the many hundreds of runners across the various distances categories. Kalaw is a backpacker tourism hub in Myanmar’ Shan State, a short domestic flight north of Yangon or a five-hour car drive south of Mandalay. It is often combined with a visit to the majestic Inle Lake nearby. Trail runners can expect a runable course, especially as it is dry season right now, but should nevertheless take into account some elevation gain. After all, approx 1700 hm for 50km is not nothing. The participants on the 100km - an upgrade from the 80km last year - have about 2600 hm to conquer. Both distances are qualifiers for the Season 11 Championship points ranking, the 100km automatically also valid for the Grandmaster Quest.

Jeff and Priya are the logical favourites to claim victory on the 50km. The question is only how much they will push, given both are very keen to retain their ATM Championship title in Hong Kong soon. They have both been working specifically towards that goal and this weekend’s Kalaw race is part of their individual training programmes. Can anyone challenge them on Saturday? We are in Myanmar, very much still a new destination in Asian trail running and a community that is still in full blossom. Who is to say we won’t discover a brand new local talent? In any case, last year’s 50k race winners are also back on the start list. Wunna Lin won the men’s race in 6h13 a year ago, and Myint Myint Aye was best female in 6h43. Quite a few as yet unknown expat and international runners’ names on the list, too.

The 100km long ultra features last year’s extremely popular race winner and ATM Finalist Jack Speed, also known as Aung Thiha. He is Team Myanmar’s spearhead at the 9 Dragons in three weeks, and also for all of them Kalaw is the final big preparation. Thet Paing Oo, second last year, Thein Hto Aung, Aung Zaw Min and female runner Yi Yi Win are all on the 100k start list. Can anyone take top honours this Saturday? Certainly possible, but there are international challengers. Vietnam-based Singaporean Trung Nguyen is a very experienced long ultra runner and Grandmaster making a return to competition in ATM with a view to the Season 11 Championship Final in October. On his day, Trung can be really quick. Also Malaysia’s Golden Grandmaster Kenneth Mun Keat Yow could be in the mix for a podium place. Belgium’s Antoine Deligne was 3rd in Luang Prabang, Laos, in October. Vietnam’s Dung Vu Tien Viet could be the one nobody saw coming.

Yi Yi Win was 3rd on the 80k last year, albeit injured on the day. She will again be up against Myanmar-based Kazakh Altyn King - second a year ago -, but also Hong Kong’s Ellen Yin Kwan Cheng. A silver Grandmaster and previous race winner at V Trail in Laos. Malaysia’s Melissa Woo is also here.

To note is also that Golden Grandmasters Masafumi Yamamoto and Kenneth Mun Keat Yow will both begin their journey on the Trail to Immortality this weekend. That’s the new extension to the Grandmaster Quest as announced in December, for those having reached the Golden Level of 4 stars.

ATM will be updating live from Kalaw Ultra Trail Run starting at 4am local time (5:30 am HK time).

Jeff Campbell, 2024 ATM Champion

Priya Rai, 2024 ATM Champion

Jack Speed - last year’s popular winner of the. 80km

Trung Nguyen, 2020-21 ATM Points King, returning to the scene

Ellen Yin Kwan Cheng, Silver Grandmaster with podium chances this weekend

Kenneth Mun Keat Yow, Golden Grandmaster could eye a Top 3 this weekend, too

Masafumi Yamamoto: embarking on the Trail to Immortality

When trail runners think of Dalat in Vietnam, they generally see runable, gently rolling pine forest trails passing by several coffee and tea plantations. Time for something spicier. Brah Yang Trail Summit promises to cater for the lovers of tougher mountain terrain and high elevation runs. Organised by Unique Events & Media that also brings you Prenn Trail Summit, this event from 6 to 8 March will show a different side of the wider Dalat region and offers two qualifiers for the ATM Championship points ranking (100km and 50km) and also two Grandmaster Quest distances (100km and 70km).

Already last year, when Brah Yang was a Candidate Race, runners were surprised by the diversity of terrain. The 100km is a challenge. Starting at 9pm on Friday, runners have 37 hours to complete the course and conquer the nearly 9000 metres of elevation gain.

Conquer Brăh Yàng, Yan Doan, Ba Mountain, Co Tien Peak, and many other summits within a mighty mountain range.  At the same time, be immersed in the symphony of old-growth forests and cascading waterfalls, listening to the deep mountain sounds. Lose yourself in mythical tales weaving through each summit, live among the cultural richness of the K’ho people, and bask in the stunning natural beauty.

The 50km is a challenging yet breathtaking route that takes you to the legendary Yan Doan summit. As the website reads: “ To reach it, you’ll journey through an endless pristine rainforest where sunlight filters through the canopy, birds sing melodiously, leaves rustle in the wind, streams babble urgently, and your footsteps crunch softly over a carpet of forest leaves. It's peaceful and strangely enjoyable.” The 50km race has a total elevation gain of nearly 3500hm, making it one of the toughest of the season! The start is scheduled for Saturday at 5 am, making it a daytime race for most. Lucky, the temperatures in Dalat usually remain moderate. The cut off time is 21 hours.

Grandmaster Quest runners can also choose the 70km category with 5200 elevation gain. 

No matter which distance you pick, this is a race to prepare for physically and mentally. You can find all details via the website below, and stay up to date via the event’s facebook page. Make sure you read through the mandatory gear requirements and general race regulations when signing up. The host venue is the Kala reservoir irrigation dam at Di Linh Cultural Park. To get there you can take busses from Ho Chi Minh City, or domestic flights to Liên Khương International Airport in Đức Trọng (Dalat), from where you can take taxi or grab.

A Taiwanese and Singaporean race winner in the male and female 70km race underlined a very international edition of Vietnam Trail Marathon in Moc Chau last weekend. For Ricky Sung it was the maiden race victory, while Dening Lo already scored her fourth in our Championship series. Nearly 600 runners took the start for the longest distance of the event, held in quasi perfect weather conditions.

Ricky Sung had already shown great form in Izu Trail Journey in Japan last month, a very competitive race in the wet in which he finished 15th. At VTM, he looked composed and unfazed when local newcomer Vung A Tung set the pace early on as the sun was rising. Sung caught him on the way to CP5, which more or less marked marathon distance. While the gap to Vung A Tung and also Lo a Dao did not grow that much, Sung never looked in trouble to grab the race win in 6h40’51”. He is also the first Taiwanese race winner ever in ATM. Vung A Tung still held onto second with Lo A Dao closely behind in third. Also for them it was the first ever podium finish. Germany’s Phillip Seckers finished fourth ahead of fellow Europeans Nick Van den Bleeken (BEL) and Scott Pugh (GBR/SGP). Yuta Matsuyama, a pre-race favourite, had to settle for seventh and was never in the hunt for victory. He had hoped for less runable terrain.

Dening Lo arrived shortly after Matsuyama as eighth overall. The Singaporean, who says she actually does not like racing, was in control of the race throughout.. Initially, though, Nguyen Ngoc Anh gave her some pressure by staying only around 3 minutes behind, but by CP 5 the gap had begun to increase. It’s Dening’s fourth ATM race win and she looks podium material for next month’s Season 10 Championship Final. Nguyen Ngoc Anh took a great second place , ahead of last year’s winner Giang Linh. The latter said the weather in her native Sapa had not been ideal in recent weeks, preventing her from proper training.

Claire Stone took fourth, ahead of. Ta Thi Linh in fifth place. Nguyen Thanh Thuy concluded her race in sixth.

At VTM this year, two Silver Grandmasters also managed to reach level 4 of their Grandmaster Quest: 20 ATM long ultra finishes. Yvette Chong Mi Chin is the first Malaysian female to become Golden Grandmaster. Mario Yap is the second Filipino male to achieve this great feat.

The next Vietnamese qualifier for the ATM Championship points ranking this season is Brah Yang Trail Summit in the Dalat area in the south next month.

It won’t get as cold as last year, but some light rain might make the course of Vietnam Trail Marathon treacherous in parts. The 70 km race is one of the key ATM Championship qualifiers in Vietnam and sees ever more names and countries on its start list. Only the long distance category already features at least 585 runners this year! Everyone is looking forward to enjoying the truly fantastic Trails of Moc Chau on Saturday.

Both the men’s and women’s races could very well see some new names emerging at the top of the result sheets. Especially the male category does not have an obvious pre-race favourite, in the absence also of last year’s brilliant winner Nguyen Si Hieu. Expect Japan’s multiple ATM race winner Yuta Matsuyama (Mantra 116 last year, 2x UTCM before) to be close to the front in any case. Matsuyama is also prepping for the ATM Championship Final next month , a race where he always wants to look and be good - especially now that his country team Japan looks like a major challenger for the ATM Team Championship title. He also enjoys moderate temperatures and can combine pure running speed with a significant technical skill set. Could Singapore’s Scott Pugh, host of the Endurance Asia podcast, cause a surprise? Also Scott is prepping for a significant goal in a few weeks and could certainly be on or near the podium this weekend. He did score an ATM race podium in Vietnam before. On the local Vietnamese side, we should keep an eye on Vang A Tung and Lo A Dao, two up and coming runners who may step out of the shadows this weekend. As always, there’s a list of international runners who are lesser known on our scene and could steal the show. Poland’s Michael Lesniak and Germany’s Philiip Secker, for example.

The women’s 70km perhaps has two slightly distinct favourites for the victory. Not in the least last year’s winner Giang Thi Linh, who returns to try and score a back-to-back victory. It was her only ATM race last year, meaning she unfortunately did not qualify for Team Vietnam at the Championship Final. A protege of Hau Ha, Giang Thi Linh would otherwise certainly be a Top 10 contender, perhaps even Top 5. Let’s see the progress she has made this Saturday. She is up against Singapore’s Dening Lo, a runner with several ATM race wins on her record in various countries and also a Championship podium contender next month in Hong Kong. Other runners to watch out for are Tran Thu Trang, third last year, Le Thi Hang (let’s see if she recovered from Prenn Trail Summits last week), Nguyen Ngoc Anh and why not India’s Ashwini Bhat and Malaysia’s Syarifah Hamzah, who had some great competitive performances in ATM last season.

VTM 70 is also part of the ATM Grandmaster Quest of course, and this Saturday two Silver Grandmasters can earn their 4th star to become Golden: Philippines’ Mario Yap and Malaysia’s Yvette Chong Mi Chin (see also yesterday’s news post).

ATM will be reporting live from VTM all Saturday starting at 4:45 am for the race start at the event hotel in Moc Chau.

The Trail to Immortality is the long-awaited extension to the Grandmaster Quest announced two months ago (see link below). This weekend, Vietnam Trail Marathon in Moc Chau officially launches the ‘TTI’ with its 70km race category, the first ‘Grandmaster distance’ of 2026 in our series.

The Trail to Immortality opens for runners who have collected all four stars of the Grandmaster Quest, i.e. who have finished 20 long ultras on the ATM race calendar. They are also called “Golden Grandmasters”. At present, eight people have managed to complete this extraordinary feat, but many more are on the way, underlining the increasing popularity of ATM’s Grandmaster Quest. Following popular demand, we have introduced an extension to the Grandmaster Quest, so runners of all performance levels continue to have a clear goal to run and train for. The Trail to Immortality has two sections. Broadly speaking, when you score 500 points (1 km = 1 point) in minimum five different countries, you Become Legend. When you score 1000 points in ten different countries, you Become Immortal.

Details can be checked via the announcement linked below.

The 8 Golden Grandmasters in ATM so far are:

• Hisashi Kitamura (JPN, male)

• Masafumi Yamamoto (JPN, male)

• Rhea Batac (PHI, female)

• Tomohiro Mizukoshi (JPN, male)

• Munin Sundram (MAS, male)

• Kenneth Mun Keat Yow (MAS, male)

• Alfredo Reyes Jr (PHI, male)

• Ruth Theresia (INA, female)

This weekend at VTM, two Silver Grandmasters are going for their 4th and golden star: Malaysia’s Yvette Chong Mi Chin, who can be the first Malaysian female to achieve the Golden Grandmaster title, and Mario Yap, who can be the second Filipino male to become Gold.

What do you do when you collected all four Grandmaster stars? Become Legend, Become Immortal!

Yvette Chong Mi Chin

The 11th edition of Tahura Trail in Bandung, Indonesia, saw a number of surprising names popping up on the top of the finisher’s sheet. The top 3 in the men’s race was entirely claimed by local runners who are especially known as road runners. Putra Julio Ekdo Badayu and Rudi Febriadi sprinted for victory at the end with Putra Aldo Hamzah taking third a couple of minutes later. Last year’s winner Alessandro Sherpa had to be content with fourth place. He stayed just ahead of Japan’s Hiroyuki Matsuda. Former Mantra 116 winner Ma’mun Khariri took sixth. 2015 ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono, last year still second in this race, now had to settle for tenth, two places ahead of Daniel Ortiz.

The 40km qualifier race for the Asia Trail Master Championship points ranking was held on a last-minute modified course following a nasty rain storm during the night that caused a few trees to fall and block the trails. As a consequence, participants had to run the short distance loop of 22km twice.

IIn the women's race it was good old Eni Rosita who remarkably won the race in what was her first ATM appearance in nearly a decade. Septiana Nia Swastika came second. The third step on the podium went to Anggia Noviarta Sari, who finished just ahead of Manis Manis. Yustina Wardhani was sixth.

The next Indonesian qualifier for the ATM Championship is BTR in Bali in the middle of May.

Men Top 8:

1. Putra Julio Ekdo Badayu in 3h05'31"

2. Rudi Febriadi 3h05'32"

3. Putra Aldo Hamzah 3h08'44"

4. Alessandro Sherpa 3h20'15"

5. Hiroyuki Matsuda 3h20'32"

6. Muhammad Ma'Mun Khariri 3h22'04"

7. Sobiri Haerudin 3h30

8. Slamet Riyadi 3h31'31"

Women Top 5:

1. Eni Rosita 4h41'50"

2. Septiana Nia Swastika 4h45'42"

3. Anggia Noviarta Sari 5h04'16"

4. Manis Manis 5h05'02"

5. Nuth Fasa Tirani Abditi Mandiri 5h06'07"

6. Yustina Wardhani 5h15'56"

Season 11 of the Asia Trail Master Championship series continues this weekend after the Christmas and New Year’s break with the classic Tahura Trail in Bandung. The 11th edition of the event, which returned to the calendar last year after a five-year-break, is the first Indonesian qualifier of the ATM season and also one of the shortest. Sticking to tradition, Tahura Trail retains its 42km ‘trail marathon’ as the longest category. Last year’s male winner Alessandro Sherpa will once again toe the starting line on Saturday morning.

Over the years, It’s not become any easier for IBA to organise Tahura Trail in the big park carrying the same name. For this edition, registration could only open two months ago. Nevertheless, runners signed up en masse for the various categories and more than 400 runners will compete on the 42km. The late scheduling did have some impact on the ‘elite’ field, which seems less dense than in previous editions. That could make for some exciting open racing, though, with newcomers grabbing the opportunity to get themselves known on the international scene.

Alessandro Sherpa is the logical favourite in the men’s race, of course. The Italian began his preparation for next month’s ATM Championship Final about two months ago after a lengthy work-caused break and Saturday’s race will be an indication where he stands competitively right now. After several podium places Sherpa won last year’s Tahura ahead of another former ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono. This weekend, his main challengers are likely to be Abdul Aziz Dermawan, who had a great Season 10 and is signed up for Team Indonesia in next month’s ATM Championship Final at the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong. Also, Yusuf Aprian remains a dangerman, even though he has shifted his attention mainly to the very long ultras in recent seasons. Indonesia-based Colombian Daniel Ortiz and Sobiri Haerudin can also eye a podium result, if not more.

The women’s race does not seem to have an outspoken favourite. Look out for Yustina Wardhani and good-old Eni Rosita to finish towards the front in any case. Singapore-based Vanja Cnops won the race a year ago ahead of local hero and former ATM Champion Ruth Theresia.

Tahura is a big park just outside Bandung City, which makes it also accessible and nice for the whole family to spend a weekend there. The park has lots of great restaurants, coffee bars and sightseeing activities.

ATM will be reporting live from the race on Saturday morning on the usual channels.

Alessandro Sherpa won the men’s race last year

Yusuf Aprian in the 2019 edition of Tahura Trail

Daniel Ortiz

We are excited to announce that Tulay Trail in Thailand enters the ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendars on the weekend of 24-25 October, making it one of the first events in Season XII. Tulay Trail is a popular event and already open for registration: be quick to get a bib!

On the programme are three relevant distance categories, of which the 100km and 45km are qualifiers for the ATM Championship points ranking. Grandmaster Quest chasers should choose between the 100km and the 75km. Tulay Trail was a very successful ATM Candidate Race last October.

Tulay Trail is organised by RunRun and is part of the Tak Trail series in northern Thailand. The Tak Trail series’ events aim to elevate the regional trail running scene to international standards and showcase its natural and cultural richness. Elevation gain and technicality should be taken seriously before signing up. Tulay Trail 100 has an estimated elevation gain of 6300 hm and has a cut-off time of 34 hours at the finish line. The 100 km offers a very nice natural loop with the longest climbing coming immediately after the 3:30 am start, going from approximately 200m to 1400m above sea level. The start and finish venue is the Ban Mae Chawang School in Tha Song Yang District. The main village, however, is located about 7km before the school. It has several shops and restaurants. Note that the “100km” is actually 108km long. The 45km race starts at 4:30 am and has 2800 metres of elevation.

Tak is rather remote, but worth your effort to travel for a few days. The event organiser will assist international runners to make their journey as smooth as possible. You can contact the relevant team via the event facebook page below, or you can also contact info@asiatrailmaster.com first. There is a domestic airport called Mae Sot, from where you drive about 3 hours to the race village. From Chiang Mai and Bangkok the journey takes longer.

Last weekend’s ATM Candidate Race in Libertad, Misamis Oriental saw two of today’s biggest Filipino trail talents collect another race win. Bukidnon’s Godwin Mirar and Kimberly Flores were too fast for the competition on the 42km long main race of the event, held for the first time and organised by Bakyard. The event had to deal with a rather last-minute change of location and race course a few weeks ago, but nevertheless took place without any major hiccups.

Misamis Oriential is the province around Cagayan de Oro in the northwest of Mindanao. The 42km course had about 1750 metres of elevation gain and was run mostly at nighttime. Godwin Mirar completed the course in 4h45. That was 19 minutes quicker than Eric Candelanza and Edward Candelanza. Godwin will be one of the dark horses at the upcoming ATM Championship Final in Hong Kong (The 9 Dragons).

Ever since mid-2025, Kim Flores has been scoring race win after race win in her home region. Last weekend, she was 34 minutes faster than Maria Dannica Embalsado to win in 7h05. Merry Luz joined them on the podium with third place.