Great vibes all around in the 6th edition of the Kalaw Ultra Train Run last weekend, the first ever Asia Trail Master points race event in Myanmar. Almost 900 runners signed up for the various race distance categories, showcasing the great potential of trail running in the country. Aung Thiha, better known as Jack Speed, put the cherry on the pie for the home crowd by convincingly winning the 80k ultra on Friday. A day later, Wunna Lin managed the same on the 50k.
Kalaw has been a well-known venue on the backpacker tourist trail for a long time. The beautiful forested hills around the town remind some of the Cordilleras in the Philippines, and nearby Inle Lake is a magnificent drawcard even for laidback travel. The running event has been organised since 2016, but was promoted internationally for the first time this year. It exceeded expectations and we can see a bright future for Kalaw Ultra Train Run going forward.
The race courses are runable, but do have sufficient elevation and technical bits to keep the more adventurous and technically-skilled trail runner interested. It’s an event where marathon and road specialists can get a good first taste of trail. A good pacing strategy is nevertheless key if one wishes to end up on the podium.
Aung Thiha, or Jack Speed, is one of the more experienced of Myanmar’s trail runners, even though he has also only started running a year or two ago after having had to move to Mandalay from the conflict-ridden north of the country. Following the start a good hour before sunrise, he set the pace straightaway and was initially joined by a newbie runner who would later blow up and DNF. Behind Jack Speed, for a long time, was a duo consisting of Hong Kong’s Tyler Pun and cyclist-runner Thet Paeng Oo. While it was chilly at the start, temperatures rose quickly after sunrise and with the dry winter air many runners ‘forgot’ to hydrate themselves appropriately during the race. By km 70, even leader Jack Speed was looking for every bit of shade he could find. The gap to the chasers was big enough, however, for him to relax at the final aid station before tackling the tough last 10k of the course. He finished at the Kalaw Tower landmark under loud applause and appreciation from the local spectators in 10h48. Almost an hour later, Tyler Pun and Thet Paeng Oo crossed the finish line together, closely followed by the first woman and winner Aleta Phelps.
Aleta Phelps hails from Alaska but now lives in Vancouver and was initially engaged in an exciting competition with local Yi Yi Win and Yangon-based Kazakh Altyn King. Yi Yi Win was fastest out of the blocks, but sustained an ever painful injury and could not keep up her pace in the second part. Phelps and King caught up, and eventually Phelps went ahead by herself and approached the men’s duo of Tyler Pun and Thet Paeng Oo.
One day later was the 50k points race, in which we saw a dominant performance by marathon runner Wunna Lin, which nevertheless nearly unravelled in the final 10km. The extra mileage compared to a road marathon caused a significant drop in pace, and Lin saw his 30+ minute advantage over his chasers melt away rapidly. Those chasers were initially a trio consisting of 21-year-old talent Myint Myat, Aung Tun Lin and first female and fellow-marathon runner Myint Myint Aye. Soon after the third checkpoint at km 28, Myint Myat dropped out of the race with severe leg muscle cramps. Also on Saturday the rising temperatures in the morning caused issues for many people. Meanwhile, the French duo of Thibaud Allamand and Mael Rousseau came ever closer and would eventually overtake Aung Tun Lin and Myint Myint Aye. With Lin fading at the front, the question was if the French could still grab victory away from under his nose in the final kilometres. Luckily for the Myanmar runner, the gap he had built up proved sufficient and he won by nine minutes still. Rousseau and Allamand crossed the finish together, immediately followed by Aung Zaw Min, who ran a fantastic second half of the race. Aung Tun Lin settled for fifth, and first woman Myint Myint Aye - also visibly tired from the extra effort - was sixth overall.
Netherlands’ Dorie Meerkerk took second on the podium ahead of France’s Delphine Creatin. Singapore’s Claudia Tan came next and then it was Germany’s Uta Scholz. All are based in Yangon.
Kalaw Ultra Trail Run was a great introduction to the scene in Myanmar, and we are looking forward to the next edition already.
