Watch Tale of the Trail: MUSPO Ultra 100

You can now watch the latest Tale of the Trail race recap video on last weekend’s MUSPO Ultra 100, the first points race of the 2022 Asia Trail Master season. The event had a lot of drama. Two hours into the 100k race, the skies opened and rain was pouring down on the runners for over four hours straight. The usually very runable trails turned into a mudpool, and the whole race suddenly became a lot more technical than anybody had thought. Early race leaders Larry Apolinario and Arnie Macaneras missed a marker at a critical junction and went off course on two separate occasions for a very long time. For Macaneras it was a reason to throw in the towel, for Apolinario, apparently, a motivation to get back to the race lead as soon as possible and win the thing. His first ATM points race victory after a second place in Akyathlon 2019 behind Elmer Retolado, the man he beat last May in the ATM Candidate Race in Sierra Madre… Apolinario could become a dangerman for this year’s ATM Championship battle that will unfold in his home country the Philippines on 17 December and the Mount Apo Sky Race.

Aggy Sabanal returned to the ATM Championship series after maternity leave and won the women’s race convincingly ahead of Ces Wael. The women’s race -and the event in general- was overshadowed by a nasty fall suffered by co-race favourite Sherlyn Fugaban - this year winner of the two ATM Candidate Races Santa Ines and Sierra Madre. Fugaban had to be evacuated and hospitalised with a right thigh fracture that will take many months to heal.