The 3rd Bukit Lawang Orang Utan Trail in North Sumatra once again proved the depth of young trail running talent on the large Indonesian island. A clean sweep on the men’s 50k podium for local runners with Erwin Simanjuntak scoring his second consecutive race win in Bukit Lawang and even in a more impressive style than a year ago. In the women’s 50k it was wonderful to see our popular 2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia returning to victory lane after six years and this for the 11th time in her ATM trail journey - a new female record.

Traditional sunny and hot conditions for the race after the previous night’s heavy rainfall. The 50km started earlier than in previous editions at 4:30am, but followed the same pattern with a very runable 20km+ through plantations before the runners went steep up into the rainforest, where they disappeared on tough and often very technical trails. Erwin Simanjuntak, Lindra Mulfanis and Noel Pakpahan were jointly in the lead at that more or less halfway point, and Hong Kong-based Australian David Longo following closely behind. No Andre Sinaga this year, but Mulfanis and Pakpahan replaced him as solid challengers for Simanjuntak. Still, the latter confirmed his amazing talent by outgunning the other two and finishing in 5h47 - no fewer than 20 minutes faster than his own time last year! Lindra Mulfanis arrived in 6h21 as second - a fine result as well for a newbie. For reference, last year Chris Timms ran 6h18 in this race. Noel Pakpahan completed the top 3 shortly afterwards, and then it was David Longo and Slamed Riyadi.

Ruth Theresia on her part was leading the race more or less from start to finish. Her 11th ATM race victory came 5,5 years after her previous one at UT Nan in Thailand, where she secured her championship title at the time. Ruth focused on other objectives after that, and the covid crisis was not kind to her neither. Her comeback was marred by injuries, but this year she had already showed a return to competitive form at the 9 Dragons Hong Kong. By winning Orang Utan Trail she scored her wild card for this season’s ATM Final at Borneo TMBT in September, and she took the lead in the all-time female victory list. She now has 1 ATM race win more than Malaysia’s Tahira Najmunisaa, now mainly a duathlete, and four more than Australia’s Kim Matthews and Slovakia’s Veronika Vadovicova.

2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia had to wait 6 years to add an 11th race victory to her record

Lindra Mulfanis is a great young newcomer on the ATM scene with a second place

For David Longo, fourth was the highest achievable in Bukit Lawang

The third edition of Bukit Lawang’s Orang Utan Trail in North Sumatra this weekend is also Indonesia’s first ATM points race of the season. ‘BLOT’ is one of our series’ most exciting boutique events taking place in a remote but scenic river town catering for adventure, outdoor and - of course - orang utan enthusiasts. The race for ATM Championship points is the 50km, which is more or less a copy of last year’s with a runable first half through plantations followed by a technical second half through the jungle and into the orang utan’s natural habitat.

It’s an event that has always had a great vibe with a big marqee tent on the city square surrounded by local shops and restaurants and the wide range of sponsor booths. In order to minimise exposure to potential sun heat , the race start of the 50k has been moved forward this year to 4:30 am. Over the past two seasons, we have gotten to know several great trail talents from Sumatra, proving that there’s more to Indonesian trail running than just Java and Bali. Runners such as Erwin Simanjuntak and Andre Sinaga, last year’s excellent 1-2 in the men’s race ahead of established ATM protagonists such as Chris Timms, Jose Luis Alvelais and Thimo KIlberth was testimony to that fact. Unfortunately, it remains difficult for Sumatrans to take part in races elsewhere. Travel expense is often the main stumbleblock - even within Indonesia.

Andre Sinaga is confirmed as a participant again this weekend, at least on the start list. He will face David Longo, the Hong Kong-Australian from T8, in the battle for race victory in the men’s. Unless, as usual, there’s again new faces appearing on the scene. Risqi Kurniawan is unable to start due to injury sustained in another race two weeks ago. In the women’s 50k race, we will see 2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia back in action for the second time this season. Finishing this weekend means she gets the wild card for the ATM Final at TMBT on 14 September. She is the logical favourite to win as well, although Bangkok-based American Tara Savage may keep her focused during the race.

Stay tuned for our coverage of the event this weekend on our usual channels. The 50k race is scheduled for Sunday morning.

Vanja Cnops truly enjoyed her race last year

Local Sumatrans Andre Sinaga and Erwin Simanjuntak stole the show in the men’s race last year

You can now watch the summary of the 50km race in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, which took place on Saturday, 27 May 2023. The new ATM points race in Indonesia saw local talent Erwin Simanjuntak beating his fellow Sumatran Andre Sinaga in the final section of the race, which runs through the natural habitat of the orang utan in the second half. Vanja Cnops was fastest female.

In the battle for points in the ATM rankings, Alex Tilley (4th) and Roan Bisuagen (2nd) did a great job and took the overall points lead. That means both are currently in a comfortable position to get qualified for the ATM Championship Final on 2 December at Siksorogo Lawu Ultra in Central Java.

The 2nd edition of the Orang Utan Trail in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, again charmed all the event participants with its seemingly easy, yet surprisingly challenging 50k course, the brilliant arena with marquee tent and musical performances, and of course the wonderful orang utans in the grandstand, i.e. their natural habitat in the rainforest around the river village. And, just like a year ago, the local runners took the race by the horn and used the opportunity to show themselves in an international trail running context. As if to tell everyone: we are here, too!

Last year’s Candidate Race winners Ongki Saleh and Ina Lydia Utari did not join the 50k as they are both committed to the military marathon championship taking place next weekend. Their roles were especially taken over by two young boys, one military and one university student, by the names of Erwin Simanjuntak and Andre Sinaga. From the get-go at 6:15 am, they set the pace of the men’s race on the flat and runable wider trails, initially along with Singapore’s Chris Timms. The latter let them run ahead, however, just a couple of kilometres before the first aid station at km 10. Working assumption being they will drop back as soon as they hit the much more technical second half of the race inside the jungle on hilly and muddy single trails.

That proved to be underestimating the skillset and the stamina of these two boys, as Timms was unable to close the gap and had to settle for third ten minutes behind the winner. Simanjuntak turned out to have the fastest dash to the line as he attacked Sinaga on the final downhill trail section leading to a tarmac road towards the finish. A great victory in 6h07’51” for Simanjuntak. Sinaga arrived two minutes later. It is not easy for people on this large island to gain experience and even compete, but we surely hope to see them again soon on the ATM circuit. Especially with the Championship Final being in Indonesia on 2 December: Siksorogo Lawu Ultra in Central Java.

Penang-based Alex Tilley scored a superb 4th and kept even pace with the three guys in front during the second half, underlining he is one the best technical trail runners so far this season on our circuit. The winner of the V Trail in Laos, and 6th place in Cuc Phuong 42km in Vietnam, is now the new overall points leader in the men’s ATM Championship ranking. He already looks comfortable for a qualified entry into the ATM Finals. Another hilly jungle specialist, Jakarta-based Japanese runner Fuminori Kondo also showed his reputation is no joke, as he finished in fifth place after overtaking Jose Luis Alvelais, Mananakbo Washington and Thimo Kilberth. The latter actually suffered a heatstroke and was lucky to be able to walk to the finish in ninth place. Indonesia’s Rusmanto and John Sutanto sprinted for 7th ahead of him. Seiji Morofuji completed the top 10.

The women’s 50k race was dominated by Vanja Cnops, returning from a knee injury. It was her first race of the year, and she found a course she truly loved. She crossed the finish in 7h23 as 7th overall without needing to put extra pressure on her knee. For the SIngapore-based Belgian it was the 5th ATM victory in her running journey. Second place went to up-and-coming Roan Biguasen Gumangan, Filipino but living in Malaysia. It was her second podium of the season, and combined with a 7th place in Sierra Madre Trail a month ago that puts her ahead of Irish Glorioso in the women’s overall ATM points ranking. Gumangan is actually still new to running, having picked up regular training only during the pandemic. Third place went to Heroin Paraluan.

The next edition of the Orang Utan Trail is scheduled for the first weekend of July in 2024.

The next ATM points race in Indonesia will be Mantra 116 for the high mountain lovers, and two weeks later another altitude race, albeit shorter, Dieng Trail Run 50.

Live broadcast of men’s race finish

Finish of female race winner Vanja Cnops

Men’s Finish Compilation of Rank 4 to 9

Live Broadcast of the 50km start

Vanja Cnops was her usual smiling self in her first race of the year coming back from a knee injury

Chris Timms kept the pressure on the two local youngsters, but could not catch them inside the jungle

Penang based Briton Alex Tilley now leads the overall ATM men’s ranking with his 3rd result of the season

Malaysia-based Filipino Roan Gumangan is the new overall points leader in the ATM 2023 ranking

The 2nd edition of the Orang Utan Trail in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, marks the first of four ATM points races in Indonesia ahead of the Championship Final in the country on 2/3 December. Domestic runners therefore have a great and easy opportunity to score points in their own country and get qualfiied for Team Indonesia at Siksorogo Lawu Ultra. On Saturday, however, most will be absent and it’s international athletes who start as favourites on the 50km course in the home jungle of the Sumatran Orang Utan, who will undoubtedly be watching the show with curious interest again.

A year ago, Bukit Lawang and organiser Arras Adventures delivered a great newcomer on the trail calendar and put the large island of Sumatra on the ATM map. The Candidate Race gave us a bunch of new running talent with locals like Ongkeh Saleh even winning the main event of 42 km ahead of established competitors like Arief Wismoyono. Arief is out of action due to covid at present, so he won’t be taking revenge on Saturday. Thimo Kilberth on the other hand will give it another go. The Bali-based German was third last year and ranks among the top contenders tomorrow, having fully recovered from his ankle injury sustained in Vietnam two months ago. The Japanese tandem of Fuminori Kondo and Seiji Morofuji, both ATM Finalists last year, will be important challengers for Kilberth. Especially Kondo is very familiar with Indonesian trails, having lived in Jakarta for a while now. Coming into Sumatra from Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia are Chris Timms, Jose Luis Alvelais and Alex Tilley. Timms made a fantastic debut on the ATM circuit late last year with places of honour in the highly competitive MMTF 100 (5th) and the Mount Apo Final (9th). Technically, that means he was ahead of Kondo, Kilberth and Morofuji in that race. Different country and different trails, however. No high mountains in Bukit Lawang but a nice divide between a flattish and runable first half and a technical and bumpy second half on single trails inside the proper rainforest. Alex Tilley showed in February he can handle the latter very well by winning the V Trail in Laos, ATM’s season opener. A good result this weekend will put Tilley on number 1 in the overall ATM Championship ranking, which makes him very much a benchmark already for all expats wishing to qualify for the ATM Final. Alvelais was a great third podium placer on the runable 42km of Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths in Vietnam. For the Mexican of Hong Kong’s Gone Running squad it’s his third ATM race of the season, being one of the unfortunate DNFs at Korea 50k a month ago.

In the women’s competition we look forward to the return of Belgium’s Vanja Cnops. The Singapore resident had a stellar 2022 campaign with a.o. 3 ATM race wins, but suffered a tough injury in the beginning of the year whilst training. The Orang Utan Trail will be her return to racing. Cnops has always been outstanding on the short and medium distance, so if she’s fit it’s hard to bet against her. Other podium contenders are Roan Gumangan, Larissa Nelson, Desi Aryani and Ratna Sudarga. In the case of Malaysia-based Filipino Gumangan, a podium would propel to the overall number 1 spot in the women’s ATM Championship ranking ahead of her compatriot Irish Glorioso. Orang Utan Trail will be her third race of the season.

ATM will be reporting live from Bukit Lawang on Saturday via the usual channels. Livestream of the start and finish - subject to connectivity - and video updates throughout the day.

Check out the race summary of last year’s Candidate Race:

Singapore’s Chris Timms was 9th in last year’s ATM Championship. A podium in Sumatra is on the cards!

Vanja Cnops had a great 2022 season, but a tough injury kept her away from racing so far this year

Thimo Kilberth was 3rd last year and could use that experience to maximum effect on Saturday

Japan’s Fuminori Kondo knows Indonesia well and will be a contender on a 50k like Orang Utan Trail

One of the more eye-catching ATM Candidate Races last year was undoubtedly North Sumatra’s Bukit Lawang Orang Utan Trail. A new event in the spirit of Tahura Trail, which name wasn’t chosen for clickbait: runners were literally entering the forest inhabited by the sumatran orang utans, who presented themselves as interested spectators of the trail race. On the weekend of 27/28 May, runners are again encouraged to join the Bukit Lawang Orang Utan Trail event, now part of the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar. BLOT offers a 50km points race and two shorter categories for less ambitious participants.

Bukit Lawang is the name of the host venue, in a picturesque setting by a lake. The event has a similar feel to Vietnam Jungle Marathon in Pu Luong and Cordillera Mountain Ultra in Tinongdan. Local homestays and guesthouses are kindly being offered as the go-to accommodation option for the weekend. Bukit Lawang is situated roughly 3 hours by bus from Sumatra’s biggest city Medan, which is internationally connected by air. The forest is part of the vast Mount Leuser National Park.

The 50 km race will largely but not entirely follow the course of 2022, when it was a 42k distance. The main characteristic of the race course, namely a flattish and very runable first half followed by a technical second half in the deep jungle on single trails remains. Competitive athletes therefore need to manage their efforts well to prevent a knock of the hammer in the final hour. The Orang Utans will only watch you struggle, they are unlikely to assist you :-) .

Registration is open via the official website linked below.

Two ATM Candidate Races took place simultaneously in Indonesia and Philippines last weekend and both with considerable success and appeal for next year’s ATM Championship calendar. At Sierra Madre Trail Ultra 75, Larry Apolinario beat Elmer Retolado and Sherlyn Fugaban asserted herself as the new Queen of the Rizal. At Bukit Lawang, local Sumatran runners proved they can run trail, too, on an interesting course with impressive support from the local community and the indigenous inhabitants of the rainforest: the orang utans.

From the get-go, established race favourites Arief Wismoyono and Thimo Kilberth were put under pressure by the quick pace of local runner Ongki Saleh. The first half of the 42k long Bukit Lawang Jungle Trail is very runable and certainly not very technical, allowing for relatively easy sub-five minute kilometres. However, the second half is an entirely different story. Runners enter a thick rainforest on narrow single trails and have to negotiate two very steep ‘bukits’ or hills. The descent of which are just as steep and technical. Thimo and Arief were therefore not yet alarmed when they heard Ongi Saleh had distanced them by nearly ten minutes at km 22. However, the local athlete, seemingly inexperienced, was stronger and more resilient than expected. Ongi Saleh lost ‘only’ half of his advantage on the bukits, and came home solo in first place. A brilliant victory that was celebrated extensively by his friends at the impressive start/finish arena. In an intense battle for second place, 2015 ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono caught up again with Thimo Kilberth in the final few kilometres, but the Bali-based German had a little extra fuel left in the tank for the final slope uphill to the finish line. Two weeks after his third place at the Batur Trail Challenge, Kilberth proves again he is in the best running shape of his life. In the women’s 42k, a young woman from Aceh drew all the attention. Ina Lydia Utari arrived at the halfway point in fifth place overall, and just like Ongi Saleh in the men’s did not lose a lot of ground in the technical second part. Nice to see runners from Sumatra doing so well, and we hope to see more of them in the ATM Championship points races coming up this season.

The same applies for Sherlyn Fugaban in the Philippines after two convincing victories in the Rizal mountains in the past month. Fugaban outpaced Cecile Wael and Cheryl Navarro last Saturday on the tough 75k course of Sierra Madre. The first Filipino points race this season is MUSPO 100 in Budkidnon, Mindanao. Curious whether she can open her points account there with a full whack of 500 points. Fugaban is increasingly seen as a potential favourite for this year’s women’s ATM title. The returning Aggy Sabanal ran a solid race and even held second place until the halfway point, when she missed a marker and lost too much time to still feature up front in the race.

At Akyathlon 2019, Elmer Retolado had the better of Larry Apolinario, but the table got reversed at Sierra Madre 2022. The two of them were in a league of their own, but this time Apolinario had a little extra to take a great win. Anthony Calixterio grabbed third on the podium.

Ina Lydia Utari won the 42k race in great style

Thimo Kilberth had a great scrap with Arief Wismoyono

Arief Wismoyono showed a lot of grit but had to settle for 3rd just behind Thimo

Riverside at Bukit Lawang with rows of homestays, restaurants and warungs

The organisers of Bukit Lawang know how to build a great event arena, including a large marquee tent

Real jungle trails at Bukit Lawang

After winning Santa Ines last month, Sherlyn Fugaban also controlled Sierra Madre in another part of the Rizal mountains

The women’s podium at Sierra Madre

The men’s podium at Sierra Madre

This weekend’s Bukit Lawang Jungle Trail Run marks the first ever ATM-labeled event in Sumatra. A new destination for Indonesian and regional trail runners and we are looking forward to how the Candidate Race will unfold. On the programme is a 42k main race in which the bite comes at the end. Less ambitious and beginning runners will attempt the 24k or 11k races. Bukit Lawang Jungle Run largely follows the concept of Tahura Trail in Bandung and thus we will have a sunrise time start tomorrow.

The race venue is approx 3 hours from Medan, capital city of North Sumatra and also features the Gunung Leuser National Park, one of the richest rainforests in Southeast Asia. It is home of the Sumatran Orang Utan and a wide range of other animals. The race profile shows little dents and even goes slightly downhill until two peaks - the bukits - that need to be conquered in the last 15 km of the 42k race.

Some strong runners will take the start, including 2015 ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono and Bali-based Thimo Kilberth, who scored a third place at the Batur Trail Challenge just a fortnight ago. But it will also be interesting to see how some of the local trail runners fare in their home race.

ATM will be at the race venue and reporting live on Saturday morning.

Arief Wismoyono returns to the ATM scene this weekend at the Candidate Race in North Sumatra

It is a pleasure for us to announce our first venture onto the huge Indonesian island of Sumatra this coming spring time. The inaugural Bukit Lawang Jungle Trail Run near Medan has just been confirmed as a new ATM Candidate Race, and the event has been scheduled for the weekend of 27/28 May. On the menu we find several race categories, of which the longest is 42 km with approx 1730 hm of elevation gain. The technical organisation is in the hands of Arras Adventure and the event is receiving considerable support from the Ministry of Tourism.

Bukit Lawang is a tourist destination in Bohorok District, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra Province, which is located about 80 km northwest of Medan city. More than 90% of the land cover in Bukit Lawang is still primary forest. It is a tropical forest which is also the natural habitat and roaming area of ​​the Sumatran orang utan (Pongo pygmaeus abelli) , an icon for the tourism industry. In addition, Bukit Lawang has two more primate species, namely the long-tailed monkey (Macaca fascicularis), and the kedih (Prisbytis sp.). Other fauna are hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), stone srigunting (Dicrurus paradiceus), eagle (Haliartus sp). All these rare animals are key for the protection and maintenace of the balance of the forest ecosystem around the Gunung Leuser National Park. This big national park contains one of the highest volcanoes and has some of the most dense tropical rain forest in Indonesia all together. These animals also play an active role in spreading the vegetation in the forest throughout their home range. The forest is accompanied by the melodious flow of the fresh and clear Bahorok rive, a rafting tourist destination. Mount Leuser National Park was awarded an international title as a Biosphere Reserve in 1981, ASEAN Heritage Park in 1984 and a world heritage site, Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, in 2004 by UNESCO.

Bukit Lawang and the wider area is adopting the concept of sport tourism, especially as an arena for trail running sports on a national and also international scale. By joining the Asia Trail Master series, local stakeholders also wish to develop young and local running talent, and give them an opportunity to shine and gain media exposure.

The 42k main race promises to be an interesting one with a very runable-looking profile for two-thirds of the course, before two clear hill peaks catch our attention. Managing one’s efforts will be key for those runners looking to score a podium. Less ambitious trail enthusiasts can also opt for shorter race distances: 24km, 11km or 7km.

The nearest airport is Medan City, well-connected within Indonesia and with usually a few international connections as well. From Medan, it is roughly a 3-hour journey by car to Bukit Lawang. There is plenty of accommodation at the race venue, inn and guesthouse-style. Please see the PDF list below for further details on this.