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 unknown on our scene and could steal the show. 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 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.

A nice return to the ATM calendar: Akha Trail in the far north of Thailand comes back after two years and will be one of the last qualifier events for the Season 11 Championship points ranking. Organised by Route Map Co, Akha Trail is scheduled for the first weekend of August and features a flagship race of 80km - which is also valid for the Grandmaster Quest.

Nicknamed “The Way of Tribes” , Akha Trail stems from the people inhabiting the mountain region, an ethnic group spread out over mountain areas in Thailand, Myanmar, Yunnan (China) and Laos. The Akha people are quite well-known on the tourist trail for their colourful and distinctive traditional customes. Their home terrain in the north of Thailand is spectactular mountainous jungle with a number of caves in the mix as well. Runners will face a challenge, especially on the long distance of 80km with over approx 4600 hm. The course goes up and down, although there’s one long uphill climb, too, that follows a long descent to the second checkpoint at km 14. The last 20 km is a test of strength for many runners, although overall the course has been made a bit easier compared to the first editions of 2023 and 2024.

Less ambitious runners have three more shorter distance categories to choose from, but bear in mind that only the 80km offers ATM points.

To get to Akha Trail, you can fly to Chiang Rai where shuttle busses can be booked to the event venue at Pha Hee Village. Information on these can be seen below. If you prefer to be independent, it is even possible to fly to Chiang Mai and arrange a Grab or other transportation there.

Registration for the race is already open. Click on the button below to find the details. It is also recommended to follow the Akha Trail facebook page to stay updated on latest news.

One of the most exicting and successful newcomers on the ATM Championship calendar last year was Trail des Gombak, near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The 5th edition of the event organised by Projek Hijo retains the same weekend of June with the race dates fixed for 20/21 June. As in 2025, both the 100km and 50km are qualifiers for the ATM Championship points ranking. Being over 70km long, the 100 also offers a Grandmaster Quest point for finishers.

New this season is a brand-new start & finish venue and some redesigns to the trail course. TDG will be hosted by the Stadium Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS), offering a more dynamic race village, improved facilities, and a world-class start/finish environment for runners, crew, and supporters. The running route has been redesigned to better highlight Gombak’s unique forest landscapes, cultural heritage, and trail diversity. The precise course map will be revealed in due course.

Trail des Gombak is tougher than many expect. The 100 km has an approximate elevation gain of over 6000 hm, which already puts it in the ‘rather serious’ category. The start of the race is also an unusual 2 am on Saturday early morning. The 50km will be flagged off two hours later at 4 am and features about 3200 metres of elevation gain. Yes, you are close to Kuala Lumpur but it is surrounded by hills!

There’s hotel accommodation nearby the race venue if you wish to stay close. There’s also a shuttle bus service scheduled with details to come soon.

Registration is already open and can be accessed via the button below. The web page also contains all other necessary information.

Last year, the 100km was won by upcoming Vietnamese talent Nguyen Phuong Hieu and Nepal’s Dilu Limbu in the women’s. The 50km also went to first-time race winners in ATM, Muhammad Faris and Ritzy Amor.

After a successful stint as ATM Candidate in 2024, we are delighted to announce that Danao City International Ultra Trail has joined the Grandmaster Quest calendar for its third edition on 18/19 April 2026. It will be the first time trail runners can score ATM Grandmaster points on the popular island of Cebu in the Philippines. Focus hereby is of course on the 100km category, the only category of 70+ km at the event.

The Danao 100 km is a tough one with well over 6000 metres of elevation gain, accumulated via numerous ups & downs in a real rollercoaster of a course. Start and finish is in the city centre by the sea. A beautiful setting for a challenging trail run. Less ambitious runners can also choose for the 50km, 35km or 15km.

Danao is located roughly one hour north of Cebu City and its airport, which has several international connections within the region. Known as a popular tourist destination outright, this is certainly one of the easier events to get to. You will need to fly in on Friday as the 100km starts at 3 am on Saturday morning. The cut-off time is set at 33 hours. The official course for this edition will be revealed soon but is based on last year’s, which is pasted below.

Interested runners should follow the facebook page linked below to stay up-to-date on news and information about the event. Registration will open soon.

Running back in time

A bit later on the calendar in 2026 due to a rather late lunar new year in most parts of Asia, BUTM will celebrate its 10th anniversary edition on the weekend of 11/12 April. Taking place in Kiulu, Sabah, the event programme retains its 100km and 50km categories, which both offer points for the ATM Championship ranking. The 100 is of course also valid for the Grandmaster Quest.

Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon, in short BUTM, is really no longer the “little sister” of TMBT. Organised by the same team, BUTM is a wonderful event in itself taking place in a different part of Sabah, in and around Kiulu. For international runners the set-up is very similar: you fly into Kota Kinabalu and can base yourself in the city. Shuttle busses will take runners to the starting line at night. The 100km and 50km races start together at 6 am.

The overall layout of the race courses with start and finish area at Kiulu will be retained, but the actual location has been changed as the Riverside Park has been closed due to ongoing construction works for a road bridge. Having Kiulu as a central start/finish area works well logistically and is convenient for runners - in particular for those driving to the venue themselves. All race categories make single loops out from the start/finish area. The 100km is still kind of a figure 8 loop. The 50km keeps the redesign that was done last year. While the total elevation gain of 5270 hm for the 100km is not excessive (2315hm for the 50km), the heat and humidity can make it feel a lot more than that. Unless it rains like last year, turning some parts of the course into genuine mudfests. In general, BUTM is a pure jungle trail experience!

Registration for the event is open and can be done after checking the website with the necessary details to read. Pay attention to the mandatory gear list and requirements. The organisers here are very serious about it and for good reason. .

Last year’s fantastic Top 3 in the men’s 50km with the Sabahan Stars

Kadamaian Ultra, perhaps better known as KAR Ultra has redesigned its event in order to celebrate its 10-year-anniversary in style. Scheduled from 24 to 26 July, KAR offers a new 100 Miles category and 80km category - both providing ATM points for the Championship ranking and the Grandmaster Quest. KAR is organised out of Kota Belud in Sabah, Malaysia.

As the official event website reads: “Each category leads runners deep into Sabah’s wild landscapes through dense rainforests, across clear rivers, and up the steep slopes of Bukit Bogung, where the terrain demands both strength and determination. Along the way, participants will witness the natural wonder of Kadamaian Valley, framed by the towering majesty of Mount Kinabalu, axx UNESCO World Heritage Site.” As beautiful as it is tough, however. Sabah is on Borneo island, and runners not only need to conquer the rugged terrain, but also the high degree of heat and humidity.

The new 100 Miles category will be a serious test of strength and determination, as we also remember from the 2023 Borneo Miler, organised by the TMBT team in Sabah. The cut-off time has been set at a generous 52 hours, however. The 80km is tough in its own right and has a COT of 29 hours. KAR 2026 is a true long ultra edition. The precise course maps will be revealed in February, but the estimated elevation gain for the miler is 6500 to 7500 hm.

KAR has been a remarkably popular event over the past decade. According to the event organisation “ it’s a movement built on passion, perseverance, and people. The event continues to embody the spirit of Kota Belud, with the unwavering support of the local Kadamaian community, volunteers, and runners who return year after year to celebrate the trail-running spirit of Borneo. Recognized internationally for its challenging terrain, cultural warmth, and unmatched natural scenery, KAR Ultra stands as a symbol of endurance and unity among runners across Asia and beyond.”

To get to Kota Belud, you fly to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. Details on the event shuttle busses can be found on the website and checkpointspot page, where you can also register for the races. Please note that the registration has been open for a while and has been a tremendous success. BE QUICK if you still wish to be part of the 100 Miles in particular.

Running back in time

Over the years V Trail has built up a reputation of being one of the - if not THE - most brutal trail running events in Southeast Asia. But now in 2026 things promise to be quite different! The event in Vang Vieng, organised by Green Step, has undergone a true face lift in order to make the races more digestible and fun, in line with modern trends in trail running. All races will take place on Sunday, 15 March with the flagship race the 50km starting at 5 am, i.e. more or less at sunrise. That’s correct: no more 85km jungle torture. At least not in 2026.

The 50km is an Asia Trail Master Championship qualifier and is also redesigned compared to last year’s course, won by Jeff Campbell (male) and Anna Turrini (female). Whereas in 2025 our reigning champion Campbell still required almost 8 hours and 40 minutes, expectation is that the new layout is much faster and runable. Still, Vang Vieng remains surrounded by hilly rainforest and nearly 1900 metres of elevation gain needs to be conquered. The start and finish is at the Vang Vieng lower secondary school, very close to the river that flows through the town. The cut-off time has been set at 12 hours, i.e. 5 pm at the finish back at the school.

Less ambitious runners can also opt for a 30km, 18km and 10km. Vang Vieng is a popular travel destination in Laos and connected on the high speed railway network between country capital Vientiane and China’s Kunming in Yunnan. From Vientiane airport, it takes a good hour to reach Vang Vieng by highway. Busses are available. Stay tuned for latest updates on the events’s facebook page.

International runners can get registration and accommodation information via whatsapp number +856 20 9221 1556 . You can also send an email to info@asiatrailmaster.com , our team can redirect to the event organising team in Laos.