24-year-old Filipino Godwin Mirar scored the biggest win of his still young trail running career by outgunning Sabah’s Wilsen Singgin on the toughest uphill section, Penang Hill, halfway into the race. Anyone who thought Mirar had put his cards on the table too soon was proven mistaken as he kept extending the gap to an impressive 18 minutes at the finish! It was his second ATM success of the season after his home victory at Mount Kalatungan Ultra 50 in Bukidnon at the start of March. Wilsen Singgin, surprised by Mirar’s speed, finished just ahead of female race winner Hau Ha, the 2022 ATM Champion. Hau Ha was being challenged by current ATM Champion and former teammate, Priya Rai, but Penang Hill proved decisive also in the women’s race. Just before the hardest bit of the climb, the young Nepalese had already been distanced by a few minutes as she had missed a marking sign and gone onto a wrong trail. On the summit, the gap was just a good two minutes but Hau Ha built on that gap in the descent - as always her biggest strength. To her credit, Priya Rai kept her chin up and even managed to get a bit closer again in the tough 6 km long final section. At the finish, the gap was 9’31”. Hau Ha remains unbeaten in ATM and now has 9 race victories on her record. She also ran with a bit of a sour throat and revealed she also in training for her first ever 100 miles race scheduled for June. The Vietnamese star collected her wild card for this year’s ATM Final in her home country, Mu Cang Chai Trail Ultra on 4 October, but it remains to be seen whether she will take part given her obvious global ambitions. Priya Rai also got her wlld card already to defend her ATM title.

The 2nd edition of the Penang Sky Race was held in brutally hot and humid conditions around the island’s Youth Park. With over 2700 metres of elevation gain, this was a very spicy course for a distance of ‘only’ 46km. For most, it was more than long enough given the conditions. The four aforementioned runners dominated the proceedings. Behind them was a substantial gap to several other established competitors, which illustrated even more what a performance Mirar, Singgin, Hau Ha and Priya Rai delivered on the day. Mirar finished in 5h41, Hau Ha won in 6h01. Both Mirar and Singgin took important steps towards qualification for their country’s teams in the ATM Championship Final later this year. In fact, for Wilsen Singgin it was his second consecutive second place of the season after BUTM 50.

Third place on the male podium was claimed by Singapore’s Chris Timms, winner of UTOP 60k last October and overall points leader in the current ATM Championship ranking. Timms was able to follow the leading quartet initally together with his Falcon’s teammate Humberto Baeza, but on the Botanical Garden loop between CP2 and CP3 they found the pace too high. Baeza also sustained a knee injury and would later DNF.

Next up were a solid group of Malaysian runners Min Keong Chai, Kee Ming Lim, Assyrul Aminur and Johari Mohd Ali. Singapore-based Scott Pugh took eighth, followed by Penang resident and former Penang Eco winner Alex Tilley, who had a tough final section. Between Timms (3rd) and Tilley (9th) are just 27 minutes.

Third place on the female podium went to Russia’s Antonina Dmitruk, who held onto the place from beginning to end. In fourth we found Malaysian Syarifah Hamzah, who had already scored a place of honour at BUTM in February. She was followed by Pei Fen Goh and Thailand’s Siriporn Leumathong, who arguably would have liked the race to be a bit longer. Singapore’s. Joy Sim finished in seventh, but was later disqualified for missing a checkpoint (CP3 at the Botanical Garden). Her place was inherited by Sue Phin Leam. 2024 ATM Finalist Lolita Lintanga had a rough day and took eighth, still collecting some useful ATM points for her 2025 ranking..

The next Malaysian points race is Trail des Gombak near Kuala Lumpur on 21/22 June.

PSR 50: Breakthrough win for Godwin Mirar while Hau Ha remains unbeaten