After a thrilling race at Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, Hong Kong’s Jeff Campbell and Nepal’s Priya Rai crowned themselves as the new Asia Trail Master Champions. Both elite athletes came out on top of a star-studded field after over 80 km of racing on a treacherous course that saw various re-routes due to heavy rainfall preceeding the start. Campbell and Rai succeed John Ray Onifa and Rashila Tamang, winners of last year in the history of the ATM Championship, while Team Nepal claimed the ATM Team Championship ahead of Team Philippines and the home team Malaysia.

While Priya Rai turned out to be utterly dominant in the women’s competition, leaving Vanja Cnops and defending champion Rashila Tamang no chance, Canadian-born Jeff Campbell had to dig deeper than ever before to salvage an advantage he ran together halfway into the race. First 2022 Champion Arnie Macaneras, and then eternal competitor Hisashi KItamura, appeared hot on his tail in the final 10km , which is notoriously almost entirely uphill to the finish line.

After some early skirmishes following the 5:15 am race start , mostly featuring John Ray Onifa and four of the Nepalese runners, the men’s Final had a first decisive moment around aid station 4 (km 30). Nepalese runners Arjun Rai Kulung and Lokendra Rai missed a marker and went off course by a long way, effectively eliminating themselves from contention. Milan Rai, also still very young, paid better attention and arrived at the aid station in the lead with… Arnie Macaneras, closely followed by home hero Milton Amat, for whom the race seemed to be going perfectly. Jeff Campbell was just a minute behind, but Onifa came in later and visibly struggling with stomach cramps. Kristian Joergensen was next, not looking too happy either. Both Onifa and Joergensen would later throw in the towel at AS 6. Kitamura arrived 13 minutes after Campbell.

A long descent on a re-routed section, all on tarmac, proved ideal for Jeff Campbell to try a move. Gutsy, because we were not even halfway into the race yet. He opened up a substantial gap using his inherent road running speed and by aid station 6 even looked like he could cruise home with nobody really looking to chase him very hard. Not even Milton Amat, who by then showed signs of fatigue and was not in the best shape we had seen him in before when he won TMBT 100 in 2019 and 2022.

The last 28km loop was known to had the sting in the tail. Plenty of runners in the past have cursed the final 10km section over the years, known from the traditional 109km race course. That includes Hisashi Kitamura, who saw race wins go up in smoke there and who had never been able to make a fist anymore, having already burnt all his matches previously. Enter race strategy and race tactics, and the beauty of race pacing.

As a first-timer at TMBT, Jeff Campbell experienced what Kitamura and so many others had gone through before. His pace slowed, his legs began to hurt and the 15-minute gap was melting before the sun, which in fact managed to peak through the cloud cover as well on occasion. Arnie Macaneras had timed his last attack to perfection and came closer and closer as they started going uphill for the last 10km, as can be revisited via the GPS dot track asia platform. Campbell became aware of the threat, as he saw Macaneras arriving at the last water station just as he was leaving it again. However, what nobody had really noticed up until then was that Japan’s Hisashi Kitamura was also suddenly coming on strongly!

With 5km left to go, Campbell looked cooked, but so was Macaneras. Major cramps all of a sudden ended his challenge and attempt to secure the ATM Championship for the second time in his career. 'Arnie would settle for third, because Kitamura stormed by desperate to still catch Campbell in the dying moments of the race. In the end, Jeff Campbell managed to hold on to a slender advantage of just over two minutes to clinch his first ever ATM title, after scoring 9 race victories in our series already since early 2018. A wonderful achievement by someone who used to be the King of Short Distance, but has now fully grown into a long distance racer as well. Hisashi KItamura was nevertheless a happy second. His strategy nearly paid off, the question can be asked whether he left it a little too late.

The performance of the young Priya Rai should also be underlined as it was her first race of more than 50km. Winner of both Nepalese points races in April, she grabbed the bull by the horns nonetheless and immediately applied pressure on co-favourites Vanja Cnops and Rashila Tamang. Contrary to Jeff Campbell in the men, Priya did not slow down at all in the last uphill. A fantastic performance by another young talent of whom we have definitely not yet seen the last. Singapore’s Vanja Cnops again settled for second on the the podium, while Rashila Tamang took a solid third - being plagued by some leg discomfort. Rashila required her fighting spririt at the end to keep Vietnam’s Loi Leung at bay. South Korea’s Hee Joo Jang was a surprisingly strong fifth, finishing just over two minutes behind Loi Leung at the finish.

Photo by Priya

Outgoing champion John Ray Onifa and behind him co-favourite Kristian Joergensen both called it a day at AS 6 (km 55)

Season 9, the shortest season in the history of the Asia Trail Master Championship that ran from December 2023 to September 2024 will have an explosive conclusion this Saturday at Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia. The start list of the 78km long Championship race is full of regional trail elites, even to the extent that nobody can say for sure who will be the successors of John Ray Onifa, Rashila Tamang and Team Philippines as ATM Champions. In fact, we are happy to see that both Onifa (Philippines) and Tamang (Nepal) will be defending their titles so the likelihood of someone scoring a second ATM Championship victory are higher than ever - with also 2022 Champion Arnie Macaneras and 2018’s Alessandro Sherpa in the race along Mount Kinabalu on Saturday.

Borneo TMBT Ultra is one of Southeast Asia’s true trail classics and we are indeed delighted that the Borneo Ultras team led by Mr Claus Pedersen and Ms Aileen Yong decided to host this year’s ATM Final in cooperation with Sabah Tourism. TMBT hardly needs an introduction, it’s the 12th edition of an event where beauty and challenge go hand in hand. The runners in the ATM Final, who all qualified by scoring points in races on the ATM calendar throughout the season and finishing in the top five of their country’s points ranking, will embark on a modified and partially unique course of 78km with a separate 5am starting time. One hour later, at sunrise, there will be the flag off of the standard open public 110km and 50km races.

Trail fans can follow the race via the livestreams and video updates on Asia Trail Master’s Facebook and YouTube channels, with updates on Instagram as well. Moreover, a live GPS tracking platform allows anyone to follow one’s favourite runner in real time along the course.

John Ray Onifa is for several people still the top favourite to retain his title, but the Filipino star has been less dominant than he was last year. It is unlikely he will distance his closest rivals again by more than hour, as he did at Siksorogo Lawu Ultra in Indonesia last December. Still, Onifa is no stranger to TMBT - having won the 50km race here last year. He also returned from Europe two weeks ago with some frustration for not having achieved the results he had wanted. A competitive athlete whose pride got hurt can be double as dangerous. The fact that his compatriot Arnie Macaneras is also in the race on Saturday will motivate him even more. After all, Onifa and Macaneras both like to be considered the ‘number 1’ in their own country. In trail running, the top guys seldom compete against each other and, regardless of the others, Onifa vs Macaneras is a fantastic race-within-the-race that will keep Filipino trail fans on the edge of their seats this Saturday.

As long as they do not hurt each other so that someone else benefits to steal the bigger prize. Jeff Campbell managed to outpace Onifa in Singapore last June in his comeback race after a long injury break. Milton Amat is the home favourite in Sabah, having won TMBT 100 already twice in 2019 and 2022. In both races he managed to keep Hisashi Kitamura behind, the fast Japanese runner who has been chasing the ATM Championship title and a race win at TMBT for five years now. The ‘Karate Kit’ claims he is now in the best shape ever and has specifically trained on the last 10km of the course, the relentless uphill section where he got overtaken by Milton Amat the first time. Alessandro Sherpa is a pure Championship competitor and has been preparing himself in Bali and Chiang Mai since late July. After the title in 2018, 3rd place in 2022 and 2nd last year, the Italian hopes he will be the first runner to be crowned ATM Champion twice. Another expat, Kristian Joergensen from Denmark residing in Philippines, came third last year and is keen to improve on that result - having been successful in Malaysian races before. Joergensen had a wisdom tooth removed last week, so he may start with a handicap. The list of victory and podium candidates goes very deep, but one ‘dark horse’ is certainly worth mentioning still: Nepal’s Arjun Rai Kulung. The long ultra specialist will be making his debut in Malaysia and its heat and humidity levels, having qualified by doing both Nepalese ATM points races back in April. We know Arjun is strong and resilient. Does he have the fast pace to follow the others over 78km in the climate of Borneo? For sure, he is the biggest question mark of all the contenders in the men’s race.

The women’s race is projected to be equally exciting to follow. Rashila Tamang and Vanja Cnops will continue their battle of last year’s Final in Indonesia. While Cnops has the advantage of having already won TMBT 50km twice, Tamang also has some Malaysian racing experience under her belt. The defending ATM Champion seems fully recovered from the injury that plagued her early in the season and has been able to focus fully on her running over the months. Can she keep Cnops behind again? The Singapore-based Belgian is an outstanding short distance trail runner, but once beyond 50km her pace always seems to decline. Always smiling, Cnops does have a fighter’s spirit and after so many race victories in ATM, the motivation seems there to make 2024 her year. When the invitations were sent out to all qualified athletes, Vanja Cnops was the first to confirm her participation. However, it’s not only going to be between Rashila and Vanja. For starters, just like Onifa and his teammates, there are other Nepalese girls who might just as well win on Saturday! Priya Rai won both 50k races in Nepal in April and has been racing internationally before. One caveat: Priya has never gone beyond 50k in racing trim. That’s not the case for Padam Kumari Sunwar, winner of MTR 100km. And Chhoki Sherpa never finishes far behind Rashila when they race together. Could Vietnam’s Loi Leung take centre stage? Flying perhaps under the radar, let’s not forget she won Lam Dong Trail last year ahead of none other than Angelie Cabalo, who finished 3rd in last year’s Final behind Tamang and Cnops. By the same token, Loi Leung was pushed down to second place in Cuc Phuong 42km this year by Japan’s Akane Nemoto, another runner who should not be underestimated at TMBT. Small detail: Loi Leung and Akane Nemoto share the same coach as Hau Ha. What can we expect from the Philippines’ ladies this weekend? Julieann Morales won three ATM races this season and is faster than she’s ever been. TMBT will be her first race abroad, however. Also from Mindanao, Shally Yuson has probably been the young woman who has visibly been getting ever more competitive race after race. Clearly motivated for a good result in her first ATM Final, Yuson can be in the mix for the top positions on a 78km distance. The same applies for Cristine Montuya, another newcomer. Mary Joy Sumanda and the “reborn” Irish Glorioso complete a competitive and robust Filipino women’s squad, which gives them cards to play in their pursuit of also retaining the ATM Team Championship title. Team Malaysia will do everything they can to prevent that, of course. The 2022 Team Champions were off the pace a year ago, but now field a similarly strong team as the Filipinos. Rejlen James and Shamiera Auther are probably the two runners who can aim for the individual race win, with Adelinah and Lolita Lintanga, and Lynda Marylyn backing them up. Rejlen has been almost unbeatable on home soil in Sabah since the end of covid, and a year ago she had the better of Indonesia’s ultrarunning icon Shindy Patricia in TMBT 100. If Rejlen can keep her head together during the race, many people will be surprised how fast and tough she can be. But what about youngster Shamiera Auther? One of Malaysia’s greatest trail talents of late, Shamiera has been - wisely - restricting herself to 50-60k and shorter races, winning or podiuming them, but has accepted the opportunity to compete for Team Malaysia on the longer distance of 78km. Many insiders will be very keen to find out how she fares. She has been excellent in not attracting any attention to herself over the past weeks….

While Team Pilipinas and Team Malaysia are the obvious teams to watch for the Team Championship, one should not ignore some of the others. On paper, Team Hong Kong and Team Nepal are strong, and so is Team Japan. Also Singapore and Brunei have complete teams with three men and three women, the minimum requirement for a team ranking.

The outgoing and defending ATM Champions this Saturday: John Ray Onifa and Rashila Tamang

The home favourite: Sabah's Milton Amat has won TMBT twice already

Alessandro Sherpa: Champion in 2018, third in 2022, 2nd in 2023. Highly motivated to be number 1 again

The Dark Horse: Nepal's Arjun Rai Kulung runs in ATM for the first time outside his home country

After 3rd and 2nd the past two seasons, can Vanja Cnops win the biggest prize this Saturday?

Rejlen James: after covid she has been almost unbeatable on home soil in Sabah

Julieann Morales: pretty outstanding on home soil this season, can she also do it abroad?

Nepal's Priya Rai is used to 50km races. Can she keep her high level on Saturday's 78km?

The race course of the 2024 Asia Trail Master Championship Final at Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, has been finalised by the technical team of the event. The 78km long course will feature the usual highlights, such as Pineapple Ridge, plus a few unique and never before used trail sections. The start venue at Lingkubang and the finish venue at Perkasa Hotel in Kundasang are the same as for the 110km regular race, and the ATM Finalists will also pass by Kundasang already a first time for Aid Station 6, which is approx km 50.

As you can see on the map, runners go from the start in a mostly southern direction towards Kundasang, before entering a loop of 28km around Liposu (WS10) and Kibbas (WS11). From Kibbas it is basically uphill for 8km to the finish line, so contenders for the championship title still need a few matches to burn when they hit that final section! Remember local hero Milton Amat still passing Hisashi Kitamura for the win there in 2019!

Borneo is known to be potentially very hot and humid by nature. However, TMBT has always been more moderate in this context as the race course gradually goes upwards to above 1000m and even finishes at 1400m above sea level. The ATM Final also starts at 5am, one hour earlier than the open public race and therefore still in darkness.

Stay tuned in the coming few days for more updates on what promises to be a real nail biter this Saturday. Both the men’s and women’s race have several contenders for the victory and the title. Also the ATM Team Championship will likely see a tight battle between several country teams.

Season IX of the Asia Trail Master Championship series is gradually approaching its conclusion. With less than two months to go until Borneo TMBT Ultra, this year’s Championship Final race, the various country rankings are becoming increasingly definite. Still, the remaining four points race events on the calendar will be important for many runners aiming to qualify for their country’s team in Malaysia on 14 September. Particularly in this season’s home country Malaysia - the team champions of 2022 - the 10-person roster is not yet decided. The same applies for reigning team champions Philippines, although a few runners there are already certain of their qualification.

Among those are the reigning men’s ATM Champion John Ray Onifa and his predecessor Arnie Macaneras. Both obtained their wild card as former champions by finishing two ATM points races this season. They won’t be the only past champions in Borneo TMBT. Also current female champion Rashila Tamang from Nepal will aim to defend her title, most likely supported by several other Nepalese runners. Team Nepal could become a challenger for Phillipines and Malaysia in the team championship, which is based on the performances of the best 3 men and best 3 women in a team. Also Team Singapore can spring a surprise this season.

2018 men’s champion Alessandro Sherpa has been coming close to winning a second ATM title with a 3rd place finish on Mt Apo in 2022, and a 2nd place on Gunung Lawu last year. Nobody has ever won an ATM Championship twice, and Sherpa - always strong when it really matters - is going to try again at TMBT, a race he has already done before. Vietnam’s Hau Ha - female champion in 2022 - has also secured her wild card, but her participation is very much dependent on what happens in Chamonix at the end of august. Another certain qualifier , and one of the top favourites in the men’s race , is Japan’s Hisashi Kitamura. After having firmly settled in Tokyo, the Karate Kit is back at his best, as he proved on Mt Daisetsu by finishing 15 minutes ahead of Hong Kong’s Jeff Campbell, who in turn managed to beat John Ray Onifa in Singapore a month ago. With home runner Milton Amat most likely earning his spot in the team this coming weekend at KAR, the stage is set for a very exciting ATM Final once again!

Qualified runners will be contacted by ATM very soon, starting with those certain of their spot after the KAR Ultra event this coming weekend.

Meanwhile, runners can check our dedicated ATM Web section on Borneo TMBT Ultra here.

The (draft) course of the 2024 ATM Championship Final goes from A to B

Alessandro Sherpa: 2018 ATM Champion

Arnie Macaneras: 2022 ATM Champion

John Ray Onifa: 2023 ATM Champion

Rashila Tamang: 2023 ATM Champion

Hau Ha: 2022 ATM Champion

We are very happy to announce that the 2024 Asia Trail Master Championship's ‘Season’s Final’ will be held in Malaysia at the classic and very popular Borneo TMBT Ultra event in Sabah! The event hardly needs an introduction. TMBT is the oldest trail event in Malaysia and one of the oldest in South East Asia overall. It has been a member of our Championship series for many seasons already and - in line with our calendar readjustment - is the perfect host for the conclusion of Season IX (9). Scheduled for Saturday, 14 September 2024, the ATM Championship Final race will take place on a special and dedicated course of approx 78km with qualified runners only. The event programme of course also features the traditional 100km, 50km, 30 km, 37 km Night Run, 12km and 7.5 km family run, and these are open for the general public.

It will be the second time the ATM Championship Final takes place in Malaysia. In 2019, the Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival (MMTF) in Taiping took the honours and did so in great style. John Ellis and Veronika Vadovicova crowned themselves as the last champions before the covid pandemic. Borneo TMBT Ultra is centred around Mount Kinabalu, a world heritage site with spectacular views to the mountain throughout the race course. Racepack collection is in Sabah’s capital Kota Kinabalu and the event is organised and managed by the well-established local team of Borneo Ultra Trails, led by Claus Pedersen and Aileen Yong.

The ATM Final will be held on a specifically designed course that brings together the best and most scenic parts of the traditional 100k and 50k courses, connected by some brand new trail sections. The (in)famous Pineapple Ridge is of course also included. The total race distance will - as usual - measure around 78km and the total elevation gain is estimated at over 4500 hm, which is significant. There are some technical jungle trail sections, but the majority of the trails are quite runable, so the main obstacle for many participants will likely be the heat and humidity of the region. The race will start in Lingkubang at 5 am, roughly one hour before sunrise. The finish line is at the Perkasa Hotel in Kundasang.

As in the past two years since covid, runners need to qualify for the ATM Championship Final by scoring ATM points throughout the season. Per Asian country, maximum five male and five female runners - the highest point scorers - will receive the invitation to join the final race. A minimum of 2 ATM race finishes is required for everyone.

The reigning ATM Champions are John Ray Onifa (Philippines) and Rashila Tamang (Nepal). Both have already qualified to defend their respective titles at TMBT. The defending team champion is Team Philippines. Host nation Malaysia last held the ATM Team title in 2022.

Below is the Borneo TMBT Ultra event website, where you can find all details on the event and also register for the open public races.. All specific information and details about the ATM Championship Final will also be published, as usual, on the ATM Website on our dedicated webpage here.

Of course, the event is also open for everyone else with several race categories on offer

A 3-time winner of his home race, including in his last 2 appearances in 2019 and 2022: Milton Amat. Can he become the 3rd Malaysian ATM Champion after Tahira Najmunisaa (2016) and Steven Ong (2017)?

Podium placers in last year’s ATM Final in Indonesia

Last year’s ATM Team Champions: Team Philippines!

Have a genuine Borneo experience at TMBT!

Always around during TMBT : Mount Kinabalu

Last year’s Team Malaysia.

A little later than usual due to very heavy workload over the past few weeks, here is the Tale of the Trail video of the 11th Borneo TMBT Ultra from just over a month ago in Sabah, Malaysia. The 100 km and 50 km races were points races for the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking. Local Sabahans Daved Simpat and Rejlen James gave the home crowd great wins on the 100km, while John Ray Onifa and Vanja Cnops were unbeatable on the 50k. For Simpat it was his third 100k victory at TMBT after 2015 and 2018. Hisashi Kitamura bit the dust in second place for the third consecutive time. For Cnops it was her second consecutive victory on the 50k. Rejlen James successfully concluded her ‘Sabah Triple’ as this season she had already won BUTM 100 and Borneo Miler. Onifa broke the course record on the 50k, despite just ‘warming up’ in the first 15km of the race - leaving good old Bruneian Sefli Ahar, making his comeback, alone out in front for half of the race before reeling him in and dropping him by over fifty minutes. TMBT 2023 had a lot of big stories!

Borneo TMBT Ultra was part of our original series in 2015. After a brief hiatus, the event returned on our calendar in 2018 and has been there ever since.

Organised by Borneo Ultras, TMBT will return to ATM also in mid-September 2024 as well as BUTM in March.

After five long years, Daved Simpat ran himself to the top step of the podium again in his most prestigious home race Borneo TMBT 100, which he had also won for the first time eight (!) years ago. Simpat was outstanding and did not give Hisashi Kitamura any chance on his way to a course record of 13h55 - 27 minutes faster than fellow-Sabahan Milton Amat in 2019. It is not always fair to compare finishing times between editions of the same trail running event as conditions are different and the course is hardly ever exactly the same (e.g. since 2019 TMBT 100 is actually 109km long), but last weekend’s winning time does indicate Simpat is relieved from all injuries that plagued him over the past. few years and that at 40+, competitive trail life is not over yet.

The longest race of the 11th TMBT event was held in hot but dry conditions throughout for the faster runners. Ireland’s Mark Steacy, fifth a year ago and confident he could do a bit better this time around, was clearly the most awake at the traditional sunrise start. After km 12 and the initial 500 metres of elevation gain, Steacy found himself in the lead by himself by a nice margin. Thoughts of a potential upset-in-the-making were quelled quite soon afterwards, though, as Daved Simpat upped his pace and followed his former teammate John Ray Onifa - who. was running the 50km race (see separate news) - all the way up to Kitamura and then Steacy by aid station 2. Already at that point, Kitamura did not look like he had an answer to Simpat’s pace - much like last year, when he trailed Milton Amat the whole race in vain. The Karate Kit pushed Amat to the very limit in 2019 and ever since has hoped to add TMBT to his victory collection. It was again not to be. His flight from Tokyo to Kota Kinabalu suffered a delay of 12 hours and destroyed his race preparation. However, mentally it must have been even more difficult seeing the energy and enthusiasm of a rejuvenated Daved Simpat, whom he had basically beaten comfortably in all races they ran together over the past five years. For a long while he managed to keep the gap limited to about 8 tot 10 minutes. But around km 75 he threw in the towel. At least for Kitamura there was a big void behind him as well, so his third consecutive second place in TMBT was never in doubt as long as he made it to the finish. Which he did, and immediately lay down to sleep afterwards. That was nearly two hours after quite an emotional Simpat started his victory celebration. This was a very popular win for the large trail running fanbase in Sabah.

In third place we found a very nice performance by a young newbie on the long ultra: Oswald Maikol . Another Sabahan and one who has scored several podiums before in local races on the medium distance. Maikol kept the very experienced Gustin Tiam behind in 16h27, and was still smiling and within his comfort zone at the finish. One to watch for the coming years. Busy bee Amierul Amin - second two weeks ago at Penang Eco 100 miles - never featured at the front, yet managed to end his race in sixth place behind Willy Wilson. Mark Steacy suffered in the second half of the race, hiking the majority of it to arrive in ninth. That was still better than many other prominent runners, such as Amir Zaki, Andrew Farmers and even Wilsen Singgin, who all DNFd before km 60. The same happened in the women’s race: Sally Yap and Lynda Marylyn to name two retired from the race. Evidence that the course of TMBT 100 may be a little underestimated?

Victory in the women’s race was actually only decided in the last kilometre. New local star Rejlen James and Indonesia’s in-form Shindy Patricia had been running together all day unthreatened by the rest of the field. James seemed to have the upper hand as Patricia was struggling with a painful knee. Two weeks ago the latter still won Bali Ultra 100, while James settled for the non-points 50km race at Penang Eco in order to be fully fit for TMBT. A strategy that paid off. James outsprinted Patricia to take a big victory that goes into the record books also: Rejlen James scored the Borneo Ultra’s Triple Crown: winning BUTM 100, Borneo MIler and TMBT 100 in the same year! She certainly also looks to be the new benchmark in Malaysia’s competitive women’s field. Shindy Patricia was happy with second nevertheless, after three consecutive ATM race wins this season. With the ATM Championship Final in her home country in December, she will now take a rest to be in peak condition at Siksorogo Lawu Ultra. But that will also be Rejlen James next goal…

Until halfway the race Team Kolumpa’s Lynda Marylyn was in the game for third place, but serious digestive issues and cramps forced her to withdraw from the race. The young Marylyn was third in Borneo Miler in June and needs to find another race or two to try and get into Team Malaysia for the abovementioned Final in December. That seems not the case for Celeste Teo, who took third place and already seems to have her spot secured after a great season so far. Celeste Teo is not the youngest in the field but often showing her younger competitors how long ultras are done. Georgy Mimi Chu and Heliana Hj Mohd Arshad were four and five. 2022 Team Malaysia member Halimatun Sa’adiah backed up her decent Bali result with eighth place and appears to be slowly coming back to the type of form that gave her a great 9th place in the ATM Championship last season.

Check also:

Race Report 50 km

John Ray Onifa continues to look very much the part these months with another impressive display of speed and technical skill at the 11th edition of Borneo TMBT in Malaysia last Saturday. The Filipino demolished the rest of the competitive field on the 50km and finished in a new course record of 5h27’46”. Singapore-based Vanja Cnops was equally outstanding in the women’s race, albeit slightly slower than her own winning time of last year. From sunrise, the race was held in entirely dry conditions with less cloud cover than desired for many runners, which added to the often underestimated difficulty of this event.

Having already collected wins at MUSPO 100 and Akha 80 in July and August, Onifa was keen to start his first ever TMBT and already quasi ensure his qualification for the ATM Championship Final in December. The 32-year-old was so confident in his own ability, he allowed the returning Bruneian star Sefli Ahar run ahead in the initial 12km. Ahar was one of the great protagonists in the early years of ATM, scoring six race wins between 2016 and 2018 before a combination of professional duties and covid restrictions left him out of the spotlights. No longer the youngest now, Ahar for a while still looked like a serious challenger for Onifa. However, soon after the first aid station, Onifa switched on this engine, left his friend and former teammate Daved Simpat - who was running the 100k (see other news) - and began the chase. First he collected Sabahan Yasbie Ismail who was going well in second, and soon after, by AS 3, he already caught and passed Ahar en route to what would still turn out to be a crushing victory. Onifa was 53 minutes ahead of Ahar at the finish! Both the Bruneian and Ismail were also in their own league, followed by a surprisingly sharp Benardo Linus arriving in fourth place - his best ATM race result ever! Linus was preceeded at the finish by the first woman, Vanja Cnops. The Belgian repeated her win from a year ago, but had a little struggle in the downhills of section two, which largely explained her somewhat slower time. Second ATM win of the season, and sixth in her trail journey. Cnops was third in last year’s ATM Final on Mt Apo, and is looking to do at least one better this time around. More than an hour behind her, we had Philippines’ Angelie Cabalo - the surprising winner of MMTF 100 last year. Initially, Cabalo was running just a few minutes behind Cnops - close enough to be featured in our livestreams including at aid station 2. However, she did have to reduce her pace somewhat while at the same time knowing there was nobody else coming from behind. There was quite a nice competition for third place, though, and it was ‘good old’ Jessica Lintanga who used her many years of racing experience to outrun youngster Shamiera Auther and Kona Laiu to snatch her 10th (!) ATM podium, her first in five years. One of those ten was a 65k race win at Mesastila in Indonesia in 2016. She also beat her younger sisters Adelinah (11th) and Lolita (14th). What happened to Siet Fah Lim? Last year’s winner of TMBT 100 and Penang Eco 100 just two weeks ago, unfortunately, had her day of the month and had to settle for 9th place.

Bernardo Linus has been competing for years. TMBT 2023 was his best competitive result ever in ATM races.

The Lintanga sisters!

The 11th edition of the Southeast Asia classic Borneo TMBT Ultra is upon us this weekend with the traditional 100k and 50k as points races for the ATM Championship. ‘Beautifully brutal, brutally beautiful’ is the new tagline with which the Malaysian event enters its second decade of existence and the start lists at least promise another very exciting competition to follow. Hisashi Kitamura aims for a ‘third-time-lucky’ , albeit in the absence of eternal rival and local hero Milton Amat - who is in Chamonix this weekend.

TMBT is a reputed event with an exquisite stage (stunning views of Mount Kinabalu on many parts of the course) that every year attracts runners from virtually all continents. Therefore, let’s not be surprised if we get some surprising performances this weekend from people we had not yet discovered before in our series. Yet, runners like Hisashi KItamura and John Ray Onifa (on the 50km) nowadays have it in them to beat all comers. Now living in Tokyo again, the Karate Kit is not racing as often as before, but that is likely to make him even more sharp for every race he does compete in. We saw that already in his comeback race two months ago in Hokkaido, when he beat a quality field despite only having trained a couple of weeks since his nasty fall and broken wrist in Korea in April. Whoever wants to win the 100km this weekend, will need to pass Kitamura. Plenty of candidates who will give it a try, though. Amir Zaki, for one, boosted his self-confidence for long distances when he beat Andrew Farmers for the victory in the Borneo Miler event in June. Zaki was a very busy bee in that period, but wisely took a breather in order to be fully recovered and fit to tackle TMBT 100. Incidentally, also Australian Andrew Farmers is on the start list - and he might certainly fancy another podium in Sabah, where he has been living for a while. From Sarawak, there’s Irishman Mark Steacy who can challenge for a top position, from the Philippines we have the young John Ivan Zonio - excellent second place in Sierra Madre 75 behind Jeff Campbell ! - and from Malaysia we have several big-hitters such as Daved SImpat, former double winner of TMBT 100, Gustin Tiam, in-form but very busy Amierul Amin and Dzul Izwan Siri Ee - another newcomer on the ATM scene who has put in some great competitive results over the past months.

The women’s 100km is going to be exciting as well, featuring new local star Rejlen James. Winner of the Borneo Miler in June, and of BUTM 100 in March, James has her eyes very much set on winning TMBT this weekend. That would be a fantastic triple with TMBT of course the jewel in the crown as the most renowned event. In order to win, James will again need to finish ahead of Sarawak’s Sally Yap, which she did at BUTM early in the year. Both competed at Penang Eco just two weeks ago, with James winning the 50k non-ATM race, and Yap winning her debut 100 miler. It can be argued that Yap did not have to push herself to the limit in those 100 miles - still, from a competitive point of view it certainly was a risk if the ambition were to win TMBT against James, and some other strong runners in the field. We know also, however, that Sally Yap can suddenly be ‘switched on’ and extraordinarily focused to produce a sterling result like her second place in the ATM Championship Final last year on Mount Apo. In any case, both Rejlen James and Sally Yap will need to be awake on Saturday, because there is a serious contender from Indonesia on the start list, too. A very experienced ultra runner who has proven to be in the best shape of her life this season: Shindy Patricia. Just like her two Malaysian competitors, Shindy ran and won Bali Ultra 100 two weeks ago, so what counts for Sally, certainly also counts for Shindy. Will James benefit in the final 10km of TMBT from the potential fatigue of her two main rivals?

Other podium contenders on paper are Roan Biguasen, Celeste Teo, Aurora Santiago and Lynda Marylyn.

The 50km race also promises to be great with John Ray Onifa scheduled to face Brunei’s Sefli Ahar - he’s back! - and normally speaking Wilsen Singgin, who after winning the 100 miles of Penang Eco prefers the 50k over the 100k this weekend. Onifa requires no introduction, he’s been the star of the past two months winning both MUSPO 100 in Philippines and Akha Trail 80 in Thailand with remarkable ease and skill. Certainly, he is the hot favourite to add TMBT 50 to his victory trophy collection , but Sefli Ahar is not nobody and determined to have a good showing after years away from the ATM scene. Those who do not remember Sefli: the most awarded Bruneian runner grabbed six ATM race victories in the 2016-2018 seasons. His professional duties as a policeman prevented him from competing more and time doesn’t stand still, but just like a Daved Simpat and Gustin Tiam, Sefli Ahar can still be surprisingly quick when focused. There’s a number of Nepali runners on the start list, too, who could cause an upset. Other podium contenders are likely to be Amirul Tuah - also from Brunei and a Grandmaster, Yasbie Ismail and -who knows- our Filipino ATM contributor Richard Akol.

The women’s 50km has Singapore-based Belgian Vanja Cnops as the most likely winner, she also won the race last year. And yet, there’s a lot of other talent on the start list with Philippines’ Angelie Cabalo - winner of MMTF 100 last year - and Siet Fah Lim, winner of Penang Eco 100 two weeks ago. In addition, there’s Malaysia’s youngest developing talent Shamiera Auther - winner of BUTM 50 in March - , Nur Amaani and the 3 Lintanga sisters: Jess, Adelinah and Lolita. A race within the race: which of the three sisters is fatest in their biggest home race event?

As usual, ATM will be reporting live from Sabah on our usual channels with livestreams and multimedia updates throughout the weekend.

Hisashi Kitamura returns to TMBT. Without Milton Amat, who can stop him from winning?

John Ray Onifa: unbeatable in ATM so far this season. He is on the 50k this weekend

Indonesia’s Shindy Patricia: in the best shape of her life this year

Vanja Cnops: last year’s 50k winner wants to do it over

John Ivan Zonio was a great 2nd behind Jeff Campbell at Sierra Madre Trail 75 in May

Amir Zaki and Andrew Farmers: the 2 protagonists of Borneo Miler. Can they challenge Kitamura?

Lynda Marylyn, one of the local Sabahan newcomers this season

Angelie Caballo , winner of MMTF 100 last season

Every year one of the most anticipated events on the ATM Championship calendar is Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia. The 11th edition of the Southeast Asia classic mountain jungle trail is scheduled for 2/3 September, and as usual both the 100km and the 50km are points races for the Championship rankings. Registrations are closing end of this month.

Milton Amat has been the local hero over the past years following two famous victories against Japan’s Hisashi Kitamura. The latter has indicated he will be back again this season for a ‘third time lucky’ attempt. In the women’s 100k, the local home crowd now also has a major contender for the prestigious race win: Rejlen James. Having returned this season after a few years off and pregnancy, James won BUTM 100 and the Borneo Miler in impressive fashion. Sabah of course has an incredible trail running community, and the vibe and support is what makes TMBT even more special.

Technically it is not the toughest 100km on the calendar, but many argue it is therefore the most-balanced century run. There’s longish runable sections alternating with steep muddy single trails, with Mount Kinabalu almost always within sight. The 50k does have a very tough uphill finish - rather unique in ATM, and has seen some incredible scenes over the years. TMBT is not only one of the most exotic events, but also ranks consistently amongst the best organised, despite the absence of big or loud thrills (considered another big plus for the event according to many, in fact!) . TMBT is trail running in its purest form.

There’s several shorter race categories and a nighttime race on offer, if you’re not looking for ATM points.

Come prepared in any case, as the heat and humidity of Borneo always plays its role in the races. Registration goes via the website, where you can also read the conditions of entry the competition regulations. Access by clicking the button below.

A race summary of last year’s event is also re-posted for your viewing.

Mt Kinabalu is always around during TMBT

You can now watch our race recap of last weekend’s 10th anniversary of Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, on our ATM YouTube channel or just here below on ATM Web. It will also be uploaded to our Facebook Page. Local hero Milton Amat won the flagship 109km race for the third time after 2017 and 2019. Just like before covid, Amat had to deal with the challenge of Japanese star Hisashi Kitamura, but the latter did not manage to reach his full potential this time around. Yakov Kozlov was a great third on the podium. The women’s 109km was dominated by Sieh Fat Lim, ahead of Sally Yap and Izzah Hazirah for a Malaysia clean-sweep on the podium. Not so on the 50k race category, where Singapore-based Belgian Vanja Cnops dominated proceedings ahead of Law Guan Shin and Megan Davies. The men’s 50k saw France’s Pierre-Victor Morales take the victory in a superb battle with Yasbie Ismail. The latter, unfortunately, got penalised for a mandatory gear infringement after the finish line. This moved Muhamad Affindi up to 2nd place and Jude Maikol to third.

The next Malaysian points race in ATM is the 100km of Ultimate Trails of Penang on 8/9 October.

After two covid-related cancellations, Borneo Ultra Trails could finally celebrate its 10th anniversary of TMBT - its flagship trail running event and a Southeast Asian classic taking place around Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, East Malaysia. For months, competitive trail running enthusiasts were looking forward to the 109km race, which promised to be a second big battle between local hero Milton Amat and the colourful Japanese challenger Hisashi Kitamura. In 2019 they created a thriller at the end, ultimately won by Amat. Kitamura wanted revenge this season. Both ATM protagonists had been performing exceptionally well in the course of 2022, but Kitamura showed signs of fatigue in his previous two races. It was a foreboding, and indeed, Kitamura did not have the pace last Saturday to even follow Milton Amat, who already went solo on the way to CP 2. Milton’s early move resulted in his third win at TMBT after 2017 and 2019. A very dominant run and a finish time of 15h15 approx for the 109k course this year. Despite now being 40 years of age, the forever modest Milton seems to be in the best shape of his life. On current form, he will certainly be one of the men to beat in the 2022 Asia Trail Master Championship Final on Mt Apo in Philippines on 17 December! Not only does the Sabahan hero have the technical mountain skills, he has added extra running pace and an incredible dose of self-confidence. Last Saturday morning, he started totally at ease somewhere halfway the field of approx 1000 runners on the 100k and 50k race categories, while Hisashi KItamura and the other pre-race favourites immediately set the pace from the gun. The Sabahan then quietly ran his way to the front and took the lead in one go. He quickly built a gap towards his main competitors for the race victory, and when they suddenly came very close again at CP 8 (km 75) - he said because it was very hot in the afternoon, but also because he had received no pressure from the others - he just shifted to a higher gear again. Incredible stuff.

Hisashi Kitamura was happy to finish second on a day with 'bad legs'. He nevertheless fought bravely for another ATM podium. Kuala Lumpur-based Yakov Kozlov was a great third place on the podium, matching the pace of Kitamura and the others from the beginning. Kozlov is a former race winner in ATM, fastest in Tengri Ultra Trail in Kazakhstan in 2018, a race sadly no longer part of our series. Another Sabah star, Wilsen Singgin scored his third fourth place of the ATM season. He was followed by Ireland's Mark Steacy, who did well and proved that his 3rd place in the Jagoi Heritage race three weeks ago was no coincidence.

Below and on our ATM facebook page, you can find lots of videos, interviews and photos taken during the race. A few are pasted here below.

The women’s 109k race was won by ‘roadie’ Siet Fah Lim from Sarawak in 22h13. She was in front basically all day, as much as BUTM race winner Sally Yap, also from Sarawak, tried to catch her later on. The 53-minute gap at the finish made it clear that Siet Fah Lim was the strongest. Her first ATM race victory. In third place, only 14 minutes behind Sally Yap was 2021 Malaysia Trail Master Champion Izzah Hazirah, who is clearly getting back in top shape now. Norlela Ismail came fourth.

For the first time, also the 50km race on the TMBT programme provided points for our Championship ranking. The men’s race developed into a great competition between Pierre-Victor Morales, the surprising Yasbie Ismail, Muhamad Affindi and Sapirin Sumping. When the newbie Yasbie Ismail pushed hard halfway through the race, the group - also containing women’s star Vanja Cnops - splintered up. At the last checkpoint, however, Yasbie Ismail looked to be tiring and KL-based Frenchman Pierre Victor Morales caught him. Affindi and Sumping would be contesting third place. Morales and Ismail went head-to-head in the final very tough 10km, and it was the expat who reached the uphill finish line first. His first ATM race victory after some great showings in our virtual events at the beginning of this decade. Ismail held onto second and Affindi came in third, another podium for him and a now almost guaranteed entry into Team Malaysia for our ATM Final in December. Jude Maikol still managed to get ahead of Sumping to take fourth. That became third, however, as Yasbie Ismail received a time penalty at the renowned harsh post-finish mandatory gear check at TMBT. His hard-fought second place went up in smoke and he got relegated to sixth. Nobody contests the necessity of mandatory gear checks, but should it really be done after the finish line?

Vanja Cnops was in a league of her own in the women’s 50km. She finished 5th overall in a classy field.Law Guan Shin and Megan Davies were second and third on the podium , each with very nice runs of their own.