Bromo Tengger Semeru key race for this year's championship?

This weekend the last of four big mountain challenges in Indonesia is on and Bromo Tengger Semeru Ultra in East Java could be a key event for the Asia Trail Master championship this year. Many hundreds of participants from several countries will see their abilities tested on the various courses. The high elevation gain does not seem to scare people off and  BTS, as it is commonly called, has certainly staked out a place for itself in the regional trail running community. 

The longest distance is the 170km with an accumulated gain of no fewer than 10 000 altitude metres. A genuine challenge for the experienced trail runner. There are several candidates for the victory this weekend, all of whom also feature high in our points ranking. 

To begin, our current leader in the men's ranking, Arief Wismoyono is in the race and after wins in Rinjani and MesaStila could be the first runner to win 3 Asia Trail Master races. If he does, he may also have secured the Asia Trail Master championship. Points for the winner of the 170km are 570 in total. There are direct challengers and some spoilers, too, for Wismoyono  this weekend. India's Ullas Narayana and Norway's Jan Nilsen are not flying in to be tourists. Respectively second and third at Broneo 100 TMBT last August, Nilsen in particular has reportedly set his eyes on the race win in Indonesia, and has registered for the next Asia Trail Master race in the Philippines on 22 November as well! Also on the local Indonesian side, Alan Maulana is just one who is capable of taking the prestigious win at Bromo Tengger Semeru. 

The women's race will be very interesting as well. Mila Marlina has just lost the lead in the Asia Trail Master ranking to China's Ma Yanxing, who took her second 100k victory of the year in Dali last weekend. However, Ma's lead is slender: 63 points. If Marlina finishes the 170km (she is the only woman on the start list for the biggest distance) she will regain the lead. 

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