Amir Zaki was arguably the biggest name on the start list of Janda Baik Ultra, in the last-minute absence of Chris Timms, and the recent winner of The Borneo 100 Miler in Sabah showed again he has had a fantastic first semester in 2023 by grabbing another victory on his beloved 50km distance. He had to work for it - not surprisingly so short after a tough miler - but in the end Zaki managed to open up a gap of 20 minutes over Akmal Mansur and Malaysia-based Japanese runner Atsushi Ito. Zaki found it amusing he finished just five seconds above the 6 hour mark. In the women’s 50km we had ultra specialist and Grandmaster Siokhar Lim, back from the world championships in Europe, but it was Singapore-based Japanese Hanayo Brighton who took the race victory at Janda Baik. Brighton arrived 10th overall and eight minutes earlier at the finish than Lim, who for sure still had to cope with some jet lag. Third place went to Vivian Shin Yiing Tong, who stayed just ahead of Jenny Holloway.

JBU also offered a 100km option, and that race saw a tight battle between Mohamad Syahmim Nazmy and Maihazan Nurafendy. For quite some time it looked like Nazmy would take it, but he developed an injury in the final descent of Gunung Nuang and had to slow down. Nurafendy had kept something in reserve for late in the race, and overtook Nazmy for the race victory in 17h26’. In third, more than one hour later, Grandmaster Beng Siong Lee finished seven minutes ahead of Italian Francesco Floris.

In the women’s 100km, we saw a rather surprising victory by Nur Amaani Razilan. The young and every more competitive Razilan was 11th overall and ran more than 1h40’ faster than more established names like Sum Mei Soh and Norlela Ismail. A win that propels Razilan up the performance ladder in Malaysia!

Janda Baik Ultra was a solid ATM Candidate Race, taking place not too far from Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. It’s been an established event in Malaysia for quite a few years already and one of the few taking place in the first semester. Lots of videos shot by Mark Jinmin can be watched via our ATM facebook.

Podium of the men’s 100km

Podium of the women’s 100km

The strongest girls on the 50km

The next ATM Candidate Race on our 2023 programme takes place in peninsular Malaysia and is actually already quite a popular event: Janda Baik Ultra. Janda Baik is the name of the host village in Bentong, only some 35 km from Kuala Lumpur. It’s a popular weekend trail running spot for KL and Putrajaya residents, also because of the slightly cooler temperatures in the hills.

On the menu are 100km, 50km, 30km and 16km races. This weekend’s race coverage on our usual ATM channels will focus on the 100km and 50km categories. Some well-known runners feature on the start lists, including last year’s race winner Chris Timms from Singapore. Timms was third in the Orang Utan Trail in North Sumatra a month ago, and is preparing for Mantra 116 and Dieng Trail Run, his next two ATM points races. Someone who has just scored the maximum points (525) in a race is Amir Zaki, co-winner of the Borneo 100 Miler just two weeks ago. Zaki features on the 50km start list this weekend, and he as well is eyeing a trip to the high mountains around Malang in East Java next month. Many other podium candidates on the start lists, such as Jack Oh, Seiji Morofuji and Beng Siong Lee.

​The 100km flag off is at 4 am on Saturday morning, and the 50km one hour later. Follow our race updates via ATM Facebook and ATM Instagram.

We are happy to announce Janda Baik as a new ATM Candidate Race on the weekend of 17/18 June. The 5th edition of the peninsular Malaysian event in the Pahang region has been gradually gaining prestige and popularity over the years. The lush green mountain scenery and the relative proximity to Kuala Lumpur (approx 30km) are two key assets, as well as the cool breeze that tends to go through Janda Baik making temperatures somewhat more agreeable for long distance running. Janda Baik is a small village that has been developing itself as a nature resort destination for weekend trips from KL and Putrajaya.

Janda Baik Ultra has four race categories with 100km, 50km, 30km and 16km. The longest distance starts at 4am on Saturday, with the 50km one hour later. Cut-off times at the finish is 30 hours and 12 hours respectively.

Registration is already open and can be accessed via the link below. All details including the GPX files are also available on the official event website.