A big and very impressive winner at Ijen 100 this year: Job Tanapong of Team Siangpure in Thailand. The 28-year-old youngster , who works as a coffee barista, scored his second ATM points race victory of the 2019 season after Moon 100. It brings his total of Championship points to 1000, and with 2 race victories out of 2 races he does better than John Ellis and Hisashi Kitamura, to name just a few. Job Tanapong will be a serious contender for the ATM Championship victory later this year! 

At Ijen 100 nobody was able to match his quick pace. Tanapong finished the 109 km (!) m and 5000 hm in 14:17 without breaking too much sweat, although he admitted the final 20km were tough. 

Central Javanese newcomer to the trail scene, Rachmat Septiyanto, who was 4th in Mantra Summits Challenge three weeks ago, scored a sold second place today in 16:50. Septiyanto is still young and certainly talented. Mantra 116 was very technical, Ijen 100 is very runable and he does great in both! Third place went to Thailand as well, with Sukrit Kaewyoun crossing the finish line together with Sri Sritabitha Wahyuni . Another fine race for Sukrit means he will cement his top five ranking in the Championship.

After four points finishes and one DNF, the surprisingly versatile Asuka Nakajima has conquered the top of the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking at the expense of Veronika Vadovicova after her 100k victory in Ijen. Based in Jakarta, the smiling Japanese runner is having a fantastic debut campaign on the trails and has already won three A-races plus a third place. She now totals 2025 ATM Championship points, 45 more than Vadovicova, who has scored four race wins but one was a B-race with fewer points. Suddenly, Nakajima is the benchmark as the women's championship is beginning to heat up! In Bondowoso, Nakajima stayed ahead of an in-form Sri Wahyuni, who scored yet another ATM podium but is still chasing that very first victory. Before the Ijen race, another contender has most chances of grabbing the points lead, but Fredlyn Alberto dropped out of the race with a twisted ankle after around 40 km. Alberto adopted a better safe than sorry approach and did not want to jeopardise the rest of her season. Another strong newcomer in the Asian women’s scene is Thailand’s Wipawee Cartoon. Second behind Vadovicova in Tsaigu 80 last April, Cartoon was an unfortunate DNF while leading Moon 100 after 80 km. At Ijen, she decided to go for the 70k rather than the 100 and smashed that one to grab her first ATM points race victory, albeit the 70K B-race. On the 100, behind Nakajima and Wahyuni there was a nice battle between Montha Suntornwit and Melanie Hingpit, decided in favour of the Thai UTCR 230 winner from last year. Hingpit did lose a lot of time by missing a key marker halfway through the race, though.

Thailand’s Job Tanapong did the job very smoothly and bagged his second ATM points race win!

Asuka Nakajima is the new ATM Championship leader after winning Ijen 100

Rachmat Septiyanto is a welcome new face in high level Indonesian trail running. Coming from Solo.

Wipawee Cartoon decided to go for the 70K B-race, which she won. Still, she misses out on important ATM Championship points

Photo: teelakow

The 4th edition of East Java’s iconic Ijen Trailrunning was held in excellent weather conditions in Bondowoso, Sempol, last weekend, although runners had to cope with a lot of dust at the end of the region’s dry season. While we were in the east, it was a western Javanese runner who claimed most of the spotlights as she won the women’s 100k in a nearly perfect manner: Ruth Theresia. Feeling recovered enough from an ankle injury and the gruelling Bandung Ultra 100 just two weekends ago, Theresia was a last-minute addition to the 100k start list and her gamble paid off in gold. With five ATM points race victories this season, Ruth Theresia has accumulated 2650 total points and it is hard to phantom anyone else still beating that in the remaining ten races of the 2018 championship season. However, purely mathematically it is still possible for other race and SuperTrail winners such as Carole Fuchs, Corinne Williams and even Evelyn Lek, so the celebration in Ruth’s home base in Bandung is still on hold.

Ruth ran a very smart 100k at Ijen - a race she also won last year in a sprint against Shindy Patricia. She allowed Surabaya’s Sri Wahyuni - returning from prolonged inactivity due to injury - to set the pace and followed a minutes behind. She knew she had had the better of Sri Wahyuni already on a few occasions earlier this season. The only objective was to win the race and pocket the 500 ATM points, in order to eliminate her off-day at Cordillera Mountain Ultra from the total points ranking under the five-best-count rule. In the last 25 km, Ruth began to accelerate a bit, caught and overtook Sri Wahyuni. Her last 10 km to the finish in Bondowoso were faster than the leading men, so she clearly had a lot of reserves still in the tank. Her winning time was 18:39. Ruth Theresia was visibly delighted with what-could-be the championship-winning race victory. After ending the 2017 title race in third place but very close behind Kim Matthews and Tahira Najmunisaa, it will be a textbook example of determination when Ruth Theresia is mathematically certain of the ATM Championship title in November. Indonesian women continue to flock podiums of ultra distance races in the region, because behind Sri Wahyuni (20:36) Bali’s Grandmaster Lily Suryani grabbed third place, also coming back from injury and a multi-day stage race in Europe.

The 70k women’s race - a B-race for the ATM championship but also a Grandmaster Quest qualifier - was won by Canada’s Carrie Stander. It is her second podium of the season after finishing second in the Tengri Ultra Trail in Kazakhstan last May. Stander keeps getting better on the trails, and is also entering the top 10 of the women’s championship. Her finishing time of 10:34 is a fine feat! Septiana Nia swastika took second and Philippines’ Ira Hernandez third.

Over to the men, where we witnessed a remarkable upset on the 100k. South Korea’s Sungsik Joh had the run of his 2018 campaign as he took a surprising victory over the likes of Laurent Tuffi, Suparmin and Rexell Aguirre. Experience certainly seemed to have aided him, along with basic running speed. At the first checkpoints, Sungsik was always in fourth or fifth position behind fast starters Shashwat Rao (India) and then Rexell Aguirre (Davao, Philippines). Bali-based Frenchman Laurent Tuffi was just behind along with Surabaya’s Suparmin. Halfway-through, Rao had to throw in the towel citing a few missed markings and feeling unwell. The same occurred to Aguirre. Alone up front, the Filipino mountain runner suddenly became dizzy and even briefly collapsed around km 70. Very wisely he decided to respect his body’s emergency signal and waived a motorcycle rider to bring him to the nearest aid station. Laurent Tuffi inherited the race lead, but was unable to hold off the charge of Sungsik Joh in the final stages of the race. The South Korean crossed the line as winner in a time of 16:46. Tuffi got second in 17:04. Suparmin was third male in 18: 57. Sungsik enters the top 10 of the ATM Championship ranking with his 6th result of the season, eliminating his worst result, 76th in Echigo Country Trail in Japan last June.

The men’s 70km had a lot of talent at the start. 22-year-old Bandung runner Yusuff Aprian was able to keep up with Spain’s Salva Rambla until the Ijen summit climb halfway through the race. As dawn set in, Rambla shifted to a higher gear and left Aprian in his wake, yet it was another strong run by the young Indonesian who earlier this season won Mantra Summits 50k, amongst others. At last a new top gun for male Indonesian trail running? In third place, also promising, was Thomy Wibawa, only 3 minutes behind Aprian. Salva Rambla set a blistering winning time of 8:01:39. After struggling to third place in the more technical BDG 100 two weeks ago, Rambla clearly seems to be at his best on more runable terrain. The participants in the upcoming Plataran X Trail in Bali better take note…

South Korea’s Sungsik Joh scored a great first ATM race win on the 100k

3rd In BDG 100, now a win for Salva Rambla on Ijen 70

Based in South Korea, Canada’s Carrie Stander also claimed her first ever ATM race victory on the 70K

Indonesian women are still outstanding on the ultra distance: Ruth Theresia, Sri Wahyuni and Lily Suryani occupy all the steps on the podium of the 100k

The men’s 70k podium with Salva, Yusuff and Thomy

The 4th edition of Ijen Trailrunning takes place this weekend in Bondowoso, close to Banyuwangi in East Java. It has become one of Indonesia’s iconic ultra races with a good share of international participation, yet has very much retained its local east javanese feel. Ijen is still a remote place, and while the newly opened Banyuwangi airstrip hosts flights from Jakarta and Surabaya, participants do need to bring a good sense of adventure when they attend the event. Having said that, Ijen offers cut-off times (e.g. 32 hours for 100k, 4300 hm) according to common international best-practice and that gives many domestic runners also an opportunity to complete their first 100k race. The event offers four race distances in total, of which the 100k and 70k provide ATM Championship points and Grandmaster Quest points.

As last week in Vietnam, most attention will go to the women’s 100k race at Ijen. Indonesia’s leading lady in trail running, Ruth Theresia, will attempt to win her fifth ATM race of the season and lay claim to the 2018 Asia Trail Master title. It has only been two weeks since Theresia won her home race in Bandung. A narrow victory, one should say, as plagued by an ankle injury Theresia was not at her peak level and received a stern challenge by Jocelyn Cheung. However, this week she feels recovered enough to give it a go. Should it not work out this weekend, Theresia has another chance for a 5th win at Plataran X Trail Bali next week.

A fifth race victory would mean she eliminates her off-day at Cordillera Mountain Ultra last March from the ATM total points ranking. The five-best-count system is in place, and with five victories - including two SuperTrails with 50 bonus points each - Ruth Theresia would raise her score from 2388 to a massive 2650 points. Mathematically speaking, that boost her chances of becoming the 2018 Asia Trail Master Champion to over 90%. In sports, however, it is not over until it is over and - even when unlikely - a few other race winners this season could potentially still tie with her… or overtake her on points. There’s still quite a few points races left on the calendar, including the Japan SuperTrail - Izu Trail Journey - and a 100 miles race - HK 168 - both of which offer 50 bonus points on top of the regular 500 for the race winner. Theresia needs to keep an eye out in the next weeks what other race winners this season such as Carole Fuchs, Corinne Williams and Evelyn Lek will still do. Fuchs, who recently moved from Thailand to Japan, won the Philippines SuperTrail and needs 4 more race wins, including at least Izu Trail and HK 168 to jump ahead of the Indonesian. She got injured in Hakuba earlier this month, though. Corinne Williams won the Hong Kong SuperTrail, 9 Dragons, and Borneo TMBT Ultra 100 last month. She needs 3 more race wins, including Izu Trail and HK 168. In Sabah, however, Williams indicated other life priorities may prevent her from racing again this season. Singapore’s newcomer-on-the-scene Evelyn Lek needs 3 more wins, including the two abovementioned key races to tie with Theresia. Bottom line: mathematically-speaking, Ruth Theresia will only be 100% sure of having won the ATM title after the CM 50 Ultra and Compressport Trail Blazer race weekend on 25 November, but the stars look bright for the always smiling trail runner, who - let’s not forget - only became competitive two years ago. Last year, she missed the ATM title only by a small points margin and after putting up a great fight with Kim Matthews at CM 50 Ultra. If she wins this year’s championship, it will be truly well-deserved!

Bandung’s Ruth Theresia has scored 4 ATM points race victories so far in 2018

Back to the race-at-hand: Ijen Trailrunning. Ruth Theresia will of course not run by herself, and she also needs to win again if the scenario described above were to unfold. This weekend she may be pushed ahead by Surabaya’s Sri Wahyuni as in Mantra Summits last July. Sri Wahyuni had to forfeit from Bandung Ultra with injury, but feels strong enough to start on the 100k tonight. Also Bali’s Grandmaster Lily Suryani returns to the Asian scene after a long excursion to Europe mid-year. Given the beauty of the Ijen volcano and its famous blue fire, the event every year attracts runners from other parts of the world who may turn out to be podium or even victory contenders as well. Let’s see if that is the case also now on the 100k, but it certainly is for the 70km. On the second Grandmaster distance, Spain’s Salva Rambla will be a serious candidate. Rambla came third in the more technical Bandung Ultra 100 and will find Ijen closer to his characteristics as a trail runner coming from Europe. A lot of international runners like Rambla will be at the starting line for the 70k, including from Japan, Malaysia, China and South Korea. Yohanis Hiareij from East Java was second on the 100k in this home race of his, but will now try to achieve one podium step higher on the 70 km. For all the internationals, Hiareij could be the benchmark. The 100 km is wide open could see the emergence of new names. Surabaya’s Suparmin will be a contender, but Davao’s Rexell Aguirre will be a serious opponent. Aguirre has been preparing very well for this race, which reminds him of his home area and Mount Apo. Let’s not forget: Aguirre finished second in the Mt Apo Sky Race last year.

Stay tuned all weekend for the action from Ijen!

Both the 100k and 70k start at midnight time

Egon Trails, organiser of Ijen Trailrunning, is happy to announce a special tour package in East Java for trail runners, in conjunction with Asia Trail Master. After the Ijen race on 29/30 September, runners can bridge the gap to the following week's Plataran X Trail Bali race (6 October) by climbing Gunung Raung and do four days of exquisite sightseeing and trail training! 

Gunung Raung is the famous highest peak (3334m above sea level) of the Ijen mountains cluster and one of the most active volcanoes on Java.  The scenery is phenomenal. Beginning on Monday after the Ijen race, the guided tour package consists of 4 days and 3 nights, of which 1 on the mountain itself. The climb of Raung is a genuine training session, but other than the physical exercise there will also be plenty of cultural and more easy-going activities before taking the bus and ferry to West Bali and the Plataran resort for the X Trail event. 

The price for the package is very democratic and depends on the number of runners or people taking part. Please note that these are also special prices for participants in the Asia Trail Master points races Ijen Trailrunning and Plataran X Trail Bali Menjangan only. 

Spending a week in the breathtaking volcanic mountains of East Java and ending with beach and pure relaxation in Bali! 

More details can be obtained via info@egon.co.id and info@asiatrailmaster.com . 

News from East Java: the Ijen Trailrunning event in Bondowoso has to be postponed from July to 29/30 September this year due to a local political event. As such, Ijen Trail will be the fourth points race in Indonesia this season, two weeks after Bandung 100 Ultra on the westside of Java island. Egon Trails, technical organiser of the event, apologises for the inconvenience this may cause to runners who had already planned to race in July, but this date change is beyond their control. 

Registration will open by next week. Both the 100K and 70K courses are points races for the Asia Trail Master Championship, but there's also shorter distances available if you're a beginning runner or simply not that much into long distance: 42km or 21km, it's all on the menu at Ijen.

Please note that Ijen Trailrunning is one of the very few ultras in Indonesia with a relatively generous cut-off time of 32 hours for the 100 km. So, if you want to try and finish a 100k race, this one is a perfect opportunity. The 100K has 4200 metres of elevation gain, which does mean you need to keep moving nonetheless. 

Ijen Blue Fire Trail

Indonesia's Ruth Theresia is the new points leader in the women's Asia Trail Master championship after scoring her third race win of the season at Ijen Trailrunning in Sempol, Bondowoso, East Java. It didn't come easy. Shindy Patricia looked like having the victory all wrapped up, until Theresia came back in the final kilometres. The two leading ladies of the Indonesian trail scene then sprinted for the win. An amazing conclusion to a 100k race, and arguably also a symbolic one: Patricia was last year's Indonesia Trail Champion, but this year Ruth Theresia seems to have taken over. With 2020 ATM Championship points in 4 races, she now leads the standings at the expense of Cheryl Bihag, who also sees Lily Suryani overtaking her. Both Bihag and Suryani already completed 5 races this season. Last year's champion Tahira Najmunisaa has three races so far. The best five results count at the end of the year. 

Ijen Trailrunning offers one of the most beautiful trail courses of the year with the impressive Ijen volcano crater as the centre point of the race. The weather conditions were unusually cool at the nighttime start of both the 100k and 70k races, which was of course pleasant for the participants. While Shindy Patricia had the best start in the women's, local running star Yohanis Hiareij put the hammer down in the men's 100k. Hiareij finished second in a close finish with Arief Wismoyono at Ijen last season, and was determined to win this time around. Having notched up places of honour at Tahura Trail and Coast To Coast Night Trail, he was keen to take his first ever major race win. But alas, as with the women's race, and just like last week in Penang Eco, the race is not over until it is over. Hiareij was in control for over 90 km, and then Central Java's dark horse Dzaki Wardana ran up to him. Wardana is known to mix stellar results with average ones, but at Ijen he clearly felt great. Wardana caught Hiareij and dropped him to win his first career ATM race! At the finish the difference was about ten minutes. His race time was just under 17 hours for the 100k and 4200 hm. Vincent Chalias from France looked set to gain third place, but in the end Sam Samides took it. 

The field of participants on the men's 70k on paper looked even stronger. With this year's new regulations, each Grandmaster distance race offers the same championship performance points. All eyes were set on Grandmaster Jan Nilsen, making his comeback from injury, and Spain's Pablo Diago Gonzales, king of Mount Apo on Mindanao last month. Before the start, there was a third runner popping up who could spoil the party for both established runners: Indonesia's Ari Masrudi, second at Tahura Trail in January ahead of Wismoyono, Dessy, Hiareij and others, is a roadrunner looking to find his way on the trail. Ijen 70 was his first 70k ever. In the race, Gonzales went to the front quickly and coming down from the volcano crater had a gap of approx ten minutes on Jan Nilsen, who did very well in his first race in 2,5 months. Gonzales kept the advantage until the finish. Masrudi followed with Philippines' Jared Tevis closely behind in fourth place. The latter duo would change places later on, making it an interesting non-indonesia podium for the 70k race. 

In the women's 70k, Switzerland's well-known and very experienced Katja Fink proved to be the fastest. Fink led from start to finish. Grandmaster Ina Budiyarni was in second for over three quarters of the race until hydration issues slowed her down to see Elisabeth Perez (USA) come past with 13k to go and grab second at the finish. 

After the dramatic races at Penang Eco 100 in Malaysia, the Asia Trail Master Championship series move to Indonesia this weekend for already the third time this season. Ijen Trailrunning is on the agenda, also
known as the the Race to the Blue Fire, after the blue glow runners will see at night as they climb the  Ijen volcano in East Java. Contrary to the ultra tough MesaStila Peaks Challenge and Bromo Tengger Semeru Ultra races later in autumn, Ijen Trailrunning is in fact quite runnable. Nevertheless, this year the event by Egon Trails has also seen a face-lift as a new 100 km category has been added to the programme,  with total elevation gain of approx 4200 Hm. That is comparable with the biggest trail race in Hong Kong each January, and the good news is that also the same cut-off time is being applied at
Ijen. That means every runner has a good chance of completing the distance and return home happy, especially those who are attempting their first ever 100K.

Sempol, which serves as the race venue, is a very remote location and it takes time to get there, but the several hundreds of participants will certainly not be disappointed. The Ijen volcano is a fantastic sight to see.

Looking at the start list, we find many big names of the Asia Trail Master circuit, but one man might steal the show: Grandmaster Jan Nilsen. The amazing Thailand-based Norwegian is making a bit of a comeback this weekend after being out of action with injury for quite some time. Jan Nilsen stole the hearts of many people in the Asian trail running community last year with a string of outstanding performances in the most brutal of trail races on the continent. Seemingly never tired, Nilsen was unbeaten in Indonesia in 2016, demolishing the field at MesaStila Peaks Challenge, Bromo Tengger Semeru 100 miles and Rinjani 100 as the cherry on the pie. Nilsen was
the only finisher of the 100k race at Rinjani. Not bad for a 50-year-old from chilly northern Europe!

Urban legends have been going around about Jan Nilsen. One of the weirdest, which he later denied, was that on weekdays he works and trains on a container ship running around the containers at sea. Nilsen was also always sick or injured, until he crossed the finish
line in first place. But at the end of last year, the many long and demanding efforts did catch up with him. Nilsen lost out on the ATM Championship in a direct confrontation with Manolito Divina in Clark at CM 50, and vowed it was time to take a rest. However, he did not and continued taking part in tough ultra trails. After a few uncharacteristic DNFs, Nilsen did take a little break, eventually. But the damage to his foot had already been done. He returned early March
at the Cordillera Mountain Ultra and could not do better than fifth place: not what one expects from Jan Nilsen in a mountain trail race. He realised it as well, and at last put a stop to his running
activities. Acting like a true professional, he switched to cycling to keep his body in motion and retain his stamina. Now, two-and-a-half months later, the Grandmaster returns to the trail scene. Not yet fully convinced of his performance level, Nilsen has opted to go for the 70K rather than the 100K. It will be great to see him back in action, and competitive as he is, he will go for the race win. However, that might not come as easy: Pablo Diago Gonzales is also on the 70K start list! The Singapore-based Spaniard was the King of Mount Apo on Mindanao last month, and finds at Ijen a course with similar characteristics, only less technical. Gonzales is an excellent road
runner and has ATM Championship ambitions. He starts as the man-to-beat on the 70K, which is a Grandmaster distance and as the 100K accredited with 400 performance points.

The local Indonesian stars are nearly all going for the new 100K race distance. Last year's winner Arief Wismoyono is still recovering from his efforts at Penang Eco 100 last weekend, but his rival from twelve months ago is back to claim that elusive race victory. Yohanis Hiareij has been going very well so far this year and a 10th place in the current ATM Championship ranking proves that. Hiareij is a local from the area and knows the terrain. Last year, he was the only runner able
to follow the pace of Wismoyono. Hiareij seems the favourite to win the inaugural 100k, but will need to watch out for the likes of Vincent Chalias and Laurent Tuffi from France, and Aris Supiandi Muklis. And of course, in any trail race of this nature, unexpected names may turn up...

The women's competition is currently a bit unpredictable. Ruth Theresia, Lily Suryani and Shindy Patricia are expected to start at Ijen, yet the decision on which race distance is pending. Both took part at Penang Eco 100 last weekend, a race that of course cost an enormous amount of physical and mental energy. Ruth and Lily both can claim the top spot in the ATM Championship ranking, led by Cheryl Bihag, this weekend, though. For both it would be the perfect end of
the first semester of 2017. Ruth Theresia in particular can put the pressure on her main championship contenders Tahira Najmunisaa, Sandi Menchi, Kim Matthews and co.

Mila Marlina is another podium and potential race win candidate on the 100k, and on the 70k we can expect Grandmaster Ina Budiyarni to be close.

As usual, signal permitting, we will be reporting live from Ijen
Trailrunning throughout the weekend.

Yohanis Hiareij (right) was officially second in last year's race behind Arief Wismoyono

Next in our 2017 Race Preview is Ijen Trailrunning, an event that deservedly got rave reviews for its second edition last May. The 70k race to the Blue Fire of Ijen volcano in East Java witnessed a grand sprint for victory between Arief Wismoyono and Yohanis Hiareij - almost unheard of in the trail world after a 70k race -, as well as a majestic run by Singapore-based Norwegian Ann-Mari Lillejord in the women's. But what made people like the event even more was the quality of the technical organisation and the well-balanced trail course with appropriate cut off time. The climb to the Ijen crater is the highlight, but there are plenty of runnable sections in this race. 

Egon Trails, the outdoor company based in Surabaya and main organiser of Ijen Trailrunning, has announced that in 2017 a new 100k will be introduced to the event alongside the existing races over 70km, 42km, and 21km. Other than Ijen, the new longest distance will also feature another climb. Race venue is set to remain Bondowoso, with Surabaya as main international gateway on Java, but Bali as an attractive alternative. As with many trail races in breathtaking venues, getting there and away does require some time but at least you have 9 months left to plan. 

Asia Trail Master championship points will be scored on the 100, 70 and 42k distances, and the 100 and 70 also qualify for the Grandmaster Quest. 

Stay tuned in the next weeks as more technical details of the 100k become available. 

Please check the race report of the 2016 event. 

Preliminary 2017 Asia Trail Master calendar

* more races will be added in due course

22/01/17 - Indonesia - Tahura Trail
29/01/17 - Philippines - Rizal Mountain Run
17-18/02/17 - Thailand - UT Unseen Koh Chang - SUPERTRAIL
25-26/02/17 - Brunei - Beach Bunch Trail Challenge
04-05/03/17 - Philippines - Cordillera Mountain Ultra
23/04/17 - South Korea - Korea 50k
24/04/17 - Nepal - Ultra-Trail Nepal - Run for Recovery
07/05/17 - Kazakhstan - Tengri Ultra Trail
13-14/05/17 - Malaysia - Eco 100 - SUPERTRAIL
20-21/05/17 - Indonesia - Ijen Trailrunning
 

© Kuai Sports Promotions Ltd. All rights reserved. 

The 2nd edition of Ijen Trailrunning in Bondowoso, East Java, Indonesia, had an awesome conclusion of the main 70km race as 2015 Asia Trail Master champion Arief Wismoyono and his compatriot Yohanis Hiarei sprinted to the finish line after 70 magnificent kilometers of running. It was Wismoyono who had the fastest dash to the line, and in so doing the Bandung Explorer ace took his third career victory in an Asia Trail Master race after Mount Rinjani Ultra 52k and MesaStila Peaks Challenge last season. An important victory for the 31-year-old Wismoyono also, as other Asian top runners such as Manolito Divina, Yuen Wan Ho and Xu Xiutao have in the past weeks emerged as serious contenders for this year's overall title. 

Arief Wismoyono

Before the race, Wismoyono had already expressed confidence in his ability, despite a tough winter in which his two Hong Kong objectives did not bring what perhaps he also had hoped. Cold conditions are clearly not his thing. Back in Indonesia, Wismoyono felt like a fish in the water. His finish time of 9:21 was above his goal of under 9 hours, yet more than 1 hour faster than he achieved last year on this Ijen course. The defending champion had to dig deep, though, as Hiairei - in his debut on the Asia Trail Master circuit - pushed him to a rarely seen sprint in a long distance trail race. 

Central point of the event is the climb of the famous Ijen volcano, where runners can witness the so-called ' blue fire '. Because this natural phenomenon is best seen around dawn, the race starts at nighttime and the front runners therefore have their headlamps switched on for most of the race. An advantage of climbing at night is of course cooler temperatures. Participants enjoyed a fantastic day in fine weather during a well-organised event by the local Surabayan company Egon Trails. Ijen Trailrunning offers four race distances, and with 2450m of elevation gain on 70km has the most runnable course of all Indonesian races in the ATMs. The ascent of the volcano is the only significant, but tough, climb of the race. 

Ann-Mari Lillejord

Ina Budiyarni had the scare of a lifetime when monkeys jumped on her at dawn

The women's winner at Ijen stunned everybody with her performance. Arriving only 36 minutes behind the leading duo and in fourth overall was Singapore-based Norwegian Ann-Mari Lillijord. She was nearly two hours ahead of Boonthanit Suksodkeaw, after local favourite Ina Budiyarni first missed a marking, then got attacked by a male monkey at dawn and ultimately also suffered from stomach cramps. A series of events that dropped Budiyarni down the order from second to fifth at the finish. "I haven't done so many trail races yet, " said winner Lillejord. "I am very happy with my race, and this race was  beautiful! I did not expect the volcano climb to be that steep, though, but it went well" . In fact, last year she also competed in the Vietnam Mountain Marathon - another points race in the Asia Trail Master series at the end of September - and came fourth, indicating she has upped her performance level since then. 

The 42k B-race of the event was won by Matt Phillips Long and Laure Geroud. 

Top 5 Men in 70 km:

1. Arief Wismoyono (INA) 9.21.09. 
2. Yohanis Hiarei (INA) 9.21.10. 
3. Carlos Paz (INA) 9.47.49
4. Elivas Paai (INA) 10:26:18
5. Vincent Chalias (FRA) 10:31:42

Top 5 Women 70km:

1. Ann Mari Lillejord (NOR) 9:58:03
2. Boonthanit Suksodkeaw (THA) 11:49:27
3. Wu Xiabingqing (CHN) 13:11:18
4. Patricia Shindy (INA) 13:20:39
5. Ina Budiyarni (INA) 13:54:41 

Winner 42k Men:

1. Matt Phillips Long 5:00:08

Winner 42k Women:

1. Laure Genoud 5:39:02

After the superb racing in Malaysia and Southwest China last weekend, the Asia Trail Master series moves to Indonesia for the first points scoring race in the country this year. The 2nd edition of the Ijen Trailrunning in Bondowoso, East Java, will see the first appearance of 2015 Asia Trail Master champion Arief  Wismoyono, who has been quietly preparing in recent weeks to be in top shape as he begins the defence of his title. The event, organised by Egon Trail, is completely centered around the beautiful Ijen volcano. The climb to the crater rim, where runners can witness the so-called blue fire, is the highlight of the trail, and also the only serious difficulty. The main race is 70km long - just enough for finishers to score a point in the Grandmaster Quest - and has a total elevation gain of approx 2500 hm, which is relatively moderate in comparison to the other Indonesian races on our calendar. Fast runners therefore have a chance to do well on Sunday. 

Wismoyono of course starts as the favourite to win the 70k Ijen Trailrunning. He also won this race last year together with Alan Maulana, the latter not featuring on the start list this season. The star from the Bandung Explorers team had a difficult winter as both his Hong Kong adventures, HK 100 and Lantau 100, suffered from extremely cold weather spells, which literally froze his chances for a good result. Let's see how Wismoyono fares back at home on  familiar soil. 

In the women's race, also Ina Budiyarni, fourth in last year's Asia Trail Master championship, will make her 2016 debut at Ijen. Budiyarni has been going well in other trail and road races in Indonesia  all year - find a race where she is not taking part in and win a fruit basket - , but on the start list are several women who could surprise her this Sunday.

Ijen Trail running's start has a lot of  international names this year, and for sure we will discover some new interesting athletes. As always, you can follow the action live via our social media channels this weekend.