We are happy to announce that Kokol Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, joins the Grandmaster Quest calendar in 2026. The event was a Candidate a few years with good review, but with (too) much tarmac on the running course. Redesigned since then, Kokol has grown in popularity and will be a great new addition on our GM calendar. The 2026 event i scheduled for the weekend of 23/25 October with a 70km as main distance category.

It’s not so common for events to open registration so early and therefore the event organisers also have the opportunity to provide a limited set of 40% discounted bibs. The 70km is the race that matters, of course, but less ambitious runners can also choose the 50km, 35km, 21km or 15km distance categories. The registration link is pasted below.

Cut-off time for the 70km is set at 24 hours. It is advised to pick up the race pack on Friday, 23 October.

The event is organised By Expertise and is quite easily accessible from Kota Kinabalu, the main city in Sabah where the airport is also located. Follow the event’s facebook page to stay up to date with the latest developments.

The 9th edition of Malnad Ultra in Karnataka near Bengaluru saw several outstanding performances in both the 100km and 50km categories, which both counted towards the Season XI ATM Championship ranking. Vishal Valavi was an amazing winner of the double loop race, finishing the 100km in less than ten hours! He crossed the line in 9h59’25”. Even when Malnad is not the most technical of trail races, this remains an eye-opening performance by Valavi, who also made his debut in an ATM promoted event. For reference, the well-known winner of the past three editions, Shashwat Rao - absent this year - scored a 12h14 in 2023. Second placed runner this year was Subhash Fauzdar, who completed the course in 12h48, and Manikandan was third in 13h17. Let’s hope we get to see more of Vishal Valavi in the months to come, as with that kind of 100k pace he looks like a genuine new Championship contender.

The women’s 100km race was won by Soma Dotta in 18h56. She was roughly half an hour ahead of Grandmasters Isabelle Bedard and Siti Hajar Razali.

The 50km category was split up in a daytime 50km and a nighttime 50km, of which only the former provided ATM Championship points. Also here we saw some remarkable runs by various people. The men’s race was tight and ultimately won by Sanjay Negi in 4h53’09” - very fast. Only some two minutes later, Prajwal S Y took second. Dutchman Frank Meiland completed the podium in third in 5h06 - still fast. Jinesh Pillai was fourth just two minutes behind him. The women’s race went to Australia’s Hayley Anderson in 5h57 ahead of Eline Gerritse from Netherlands and Anna Boessneck from Germany in third.

Malnad Ultra is still the only ATM qualifier in India on the calendar. Runners from the country can look towards Nepal and the Manjushree Trail Race in Kathmandu to score additional points for the 2026 Championship without traveling too far.

The new Malaysian ATM Candidate Race in Lenggeng in Negeri Sembilan had an interesting conclusion of its main race distance, the 50km. Three runners came together into the finish and two of these were female! Mukminah Paiman and Azzatie Intan Suraya Zamani finished the race in 8h18 together with first male Aiman Azmi. Jie Jun Chua came next four minutes later. Then it was Azri Hasmi as third male. Third step on the female podium was taken by Aliah Ismaei.

One of Malaysia’s top runners in the last two years, also the highest Malaysian point scoring runner in Season 10, Muhammad Faris, won the 30km race. Albeit in a sprint against Ahmad Asyraaf Abas. KL-based Filipino Ritzy Amor also proved her status as one of Season 10’s best points scorers by winning the female 30km.

Trail des Lenggeng is organised by Projek Hijo, the team that also brings you Trail des Gombak in June.

Photo credit: DeeDee TDL25

He was the biggest pre-race favourite and he totally lived up to the expectations: Roberto Cain III also added the Mount Apo Sky Race to his ever expanding list of trail race wins. Cain was strongest in the very tough inaugural 100 Miles race ahead of Yoyong Sacayle, who made a great return to championship racing himself. For Cain it was his second ATM points race win of the year after BTR Bali 100 in May. He is part of Team Pilipinas for the upcoming ATM Championship Final at the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong on 28 February. Sacayle was on the podium as eighth in the Season 8 Championship Final and finished 13th last year at Borneo TMBT in Season 9’s conclusion. He did not take part in any qualifying races since then, but aims to be back in the team in 2026.

There were only six finishers on the 100 Miles with Kenmark Ladrillono grabbing the final spot on the podium. Australia’s Andrew Farmers was running in third for a long time, but he was one of many who called it quits after the skies opened and runners got battered by heavy rainfall (truly a common theme this autumn).

100 Miles Finishers:

1. Roberto Cain III (Davao City) - 39:47:20

2. Joselino Sacayle (Malaybalay City) - 40:14:15

3. Kenmark Ladrillono (Koronadal City) - 41:38:15

4. John Marvin Buizon (Valencia Bukidnon) - 44:15:01

5. Jovane Adam (Tagum City) - 44:15:02

6. Leoniel Perez (Cabadbaran City) - 44:15:03

The 42 km was the second ATM Championship qualifier, designed for medium distance enthusiasts. As expected, Jomarc Ferrer and Kimberly Flores took top honours in this category. Ferrer was faster than Grandmaster Reymar Taleon and Oliver Enot. For Ferrer it was the first ever ATM points race victory, for Flores the second after winning The Punisher last August.

The next Filiino qualifying points race event is New Corella Trail Ultra in Davao del Norte on 20/21 December.

A classic on the ATM Championship calendar is opening registration this weekend. The 11th edition of Tahura Trail in Bandung, Indonesia, is scheduled for 24/25 January 2026 with the 42km once again a qualifying points race for Season XI in our Championship. Tahura Trail will be the first qualifier of 2026 and the first of a triple header before lunar new year, with Vietnam Trail Marathon and Kalaw Ultra Trail Run coming up the weeks after.

Many ATM stars have run and won Tahura, which used to be our traditional season opener in the years before the corona crisis. Jeff Campbell (twice), Tahira Najmunisaa, Mohammed Affindi, Kim Matthews and last year’s Alessandro Sherpa and Vanja Cnops are just a few of the big names on Tahura’s list of race winners. The 42km course is also great for the beginning of a new year, with many returning to competition after a festive break. An idea mix of runable and technical sections, people do get a good idea of what trail running is about. Weather always plays a role. When wet, it gets muddy and slippery as well.

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.

Bandung has a small, but international airport. Access via Indonesia’s capital Jakarta has also improved over the years, with a fast train now linking the two cities. Travel time can be as short as one hour.

Registration opens on Saturday, 29 November via the website linked below.

Season XI of the Asia Trail Master Championship continues this weekend with the Mount Apo Sky Race, one of the oldest and more prestigious events in Mindanao. The races from the sea to the summit of the highest mountain in the Philippines have been redesigned for its 8th edition and for the first time features a 100 Miles distance category., alongside a 80km, 42km and 21km category. Runners aiming for Championship points need to choose between the 100 Miles and the 42km , while runners looking to score a Grandmaster point can also opt for the 80km besides the 100 miles.

Despite it’s decade-long history and impressive winners’ list, the Mount Apo Sky Race has always remained a boutique trail running event with modest participation rates, but by design. Event director Doi Calbes from Vertical To Sky is himself a 2-star Grandmaster and fan of ‘authentic trail experiences’ . No big mass at the starting line this weekend, but a group of distinguished and experienced ultra trail athletes. The traditional Mount Apo Sky Race was already a tough and in parts technical affair (the Boulderface towards the summit of Apo is legendary, not in the least after the event hosted the ATM Championship Final in 2022 with Hau Ha and Arnie Macaneras as winners). Now adding another 60-80km to the course creates a lot of unknowns for every participant, so it’s clear this cannot be someone’s first miler.

Roberto Cain III is one of the big favourites in the men’s race. Winner of BTR 100 in Bali this year and ATM Finalist for the upcoming Season 10 Final at the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong, Cain has already won several of the toughest ultras in Mindanao. Mount Apo is still missing on his record, though. He will be challenged for the win by Yoyong Sacayle, who is making his return to the ATM Championship after a break of more than one year. Sacayle is also no stranger to adventures. Rexell Aguirre will also be a serious contender. A runner who doesn’t race often, but usually performs well when he does. The dark horse will be Sabah-based Australian Andrew Farmers. Used to similar mountainous jungle terrain, Farmers will in any case not be afraid of the 100 miles distance. He likes doing even longer ultras! Incidentally, the same can be said of the women’s race favourite, Ann Jilian Pulanco. A race winner at Sierra Madre in 2023, Pulanco can collect her second ATM race win this weekend.

The 42km race does not go to the summit of Mount Apo and caters for medium distance trail runners. ATM Finalist Jomarc Ferrer will be the one to beat, on paper, with Kimberly Flores the favourite for the women’s race.

Start and finish is still at the Playa de Oboza resort venue on the beach in Santa Cruz, close to Davao City. Last year, the event offfered GM points only and was won by rising star Godwin Mirar on his 100k debut. Rizalyin Lauron was strongest woman last year.

You can follow the action live on our ATM Facebook page this weekend, with focus on the 100 Miles and 42km races.

Last year: Godwin Mirar on the famous Boulderface

ATM Finalist Roberto Cain III won BTR 100 in Bali this year

ATM Finalist Jomarc Ferrer is the favourite in the men’s 42km race

Returning to the ATM Championship after a one-year break: Yoyong Sacayle

Ultra long distance specialist Andrew Farmers will keep the Filipinos honest this weekend

It’s quite likely that Ann Jilian Pulanco scores her 2nd ATM race win this weekend on Mt Apo, after Sierra Madre in 2023

Kimberly Flores won The Punisher 80 this year. She can add the Mt Apo 42 to her record this weekend

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.