Welcome to Pilipinas Akyathlon!

The Philippines is rich of exciting trail running events and today we are excited to introduce one that is a great newcomer for the 2018 Asia Trail Master Championship series. The Pilipinas Akyathlon has been recommended to us by the most experienced trail runners in the country, and we are delighted that the organisers of Philippines Skyrunning Association have indeed engaged in a cooperation with us for the next two seasons. Scheduled for 4 February 2018, the Pilipinas Akyathlon’s main event is the 46 km race from Binga Lake in Itogon to the summit of Mt Ugo and back to the lake via a different route. Two shorter races are also on the programme, but it’s the 46 km that counts for ATM points. 

While 46 km is not particularly long, it is a typically crisp course with no fewer than 3257m of elevation gain to be conquered! It’s therefore the perfect addition to our 2018 early season roster, and follows the Rizal Mountain Run a week earlier. Runners coming from a bit farther away or outside Philippines therefore have a chance to spend a fantastic week in the country taking in two ATM points races in one go! A training and sightseeing programme for in-between the two race weekends can be designed for people interested. 

The course of the Akyathlon is very scenic and features rice fields in remote villages, pine forests and hanging bridges crossing the mighty Agno River. And there’s of course the long and often steep ascent of Mount Ugo. For those who wonder, the Akyathlon goes up this famous mountain via a different route than the Cordillera Mountain Ultra, so both races are very distinct, indeed. Kian Vicera, race director, does emphasize that this is a race for runners with already a few trails on their record. 

Registration for the Pilipinas Akyathlon opens very soon via Raceyaya. Stay tuned!