After Malaysia Eco 100 and Magnificent Merapoh Trail, the new UT Sabah will be the third Asia Trail Master race in Malaysia this year. The event, produced by the Merapoh team, is scheduled for 4 December and features a 60km and 30km option in Sabah on Borneo Island. It is a race from A to B, as the start is set in Mesilau on the fringes of Kinabalu NP, and the finish is in Kundasang town. The 60k is spicy with 3500 metres of elevation gain. Lots of rolling hills, a few river crossings and hanging bridges, combined with wonderful viewpoints. The humidity in Malaysia makes every race a serious physical effort, but 60k seems like the right distance for a race in December. 

Sabah is a great holiday destination for everyone. After the race, you can relax at one of the beach resorts near Kota Kinabalu. If you have energy left, you might even wish to climb Mount Kinabalu, with a summit at over 4000m one of the highest and easiest to climb mountains in Southeast Asia. 

Registration for the event is opening soon. 

The 2016 Asia Trail Master series has seen some superb trail racing and fantastic performances in the first half of the year. The stars of the moment are of course Manolito Divina and Tahira Najmunisaa, who both amassed 1050 points in the two races they have competed in so far. Meanwhile, Aleksis Capili has become our first Asia Trail Grandmaster by finishing six races of 70 km or more in less than two calendar years. Truly outstanding, and arguably THE run of the season so far was Divina's Malaysia Eco 100 miles victory in May. Both the Filipino and Malaysian athletes have set their eyes on winning the Asia Trail Master championship this year, so other runners with ambition will need to get passed them in the second semester. In any case, there will be challengers. 

As temperatures are rising high in most Asian countries, first there is a summer break. A welcome relief for plenty of runners, quality time to recharge the batteries. This does not mean there won't be any racing at all in summer. The next points scoring races are Magnificent Merapoh Trail (Malaysia) and Rinjani 100 (Indonesia) on the last weekend of July, closely followed by the oldest race on our calendar: the Mongolia Sunrise 2 Sunset on 3 August. Before that, however, we also have the new 2017 Candidate Race in Siberian Russia: Altai Ultra Trail. 

One important conclusion of the first six months of 2016 is that most events have shown great maturity. Problems with course markings, stewards and logistics, which characterised several events in Asia last year, were not absent but remarkably fewer. The Asian trail running scene has developed fast in a short period of time, and we congratulate the race organisers within our Asia Trail Master series for their great work and cooperation. Let's move on in the same way, at all times keeping the standards put forward by ITRA in mind, particularly concerning safety and security measures. As announced earlier this week, we now formally accept applications from event organisers to join the 2017 Asia Trail Master series. Please remember that we have a maximum number of races per country, so better to apply early rather than late. We will announce the initial race calendar for 2017 in the first week of August. 

Any companies or brands keen on sponsoring the Asia Trail Master series and/or runners are also very welcome to contact us on info@asiatrailmaster.com 

Returning to the 2016 points championship, remember that the best three points results for each runner will be taken into account for the final ranking at the end of the year. The last race is the grassroots race in Cambodia on 18 December, the Two Mountains Marathon. Two more SuperTrail events remain on the agenda: MesaStila Peaks Challenge in Central Java, Indonesia, on 8/9 October, and Clark-Myamit Falls Ultra in Philippines on 27 November. SuperTrails give finishers 50 bonus points. 

This weekend we have the 2017 Candidate race on Mindanao in the Philippines, Mt Hamiguitan Trail. We wish all participants a great race, and all other runners a fun and relaxing break! 

Top 10 Men:

1. Manolito Divina (PHI) 1050
2. Isaac Yuen Wan Ho (HKG) 900
3. Xu Xiutao (CHN) 800
4. Aleksis Capili (PHI) 737
5. Matthew Kennedy (GBR) 641
6. Guan Zhong (CHN) 640
7. Yunseok Yong (KOR) 600
8. Raymond Cheung Ching Yiu (HKG) 550
=. Hua Zhaohong (CHN) 550
10.Ali Ajis Rasil (BRU) 520

Top 10 Women:

1. Tahira Najmunisaa (MAS) 1050
2. Ma Yanxing (CHN) 550
=. Yuen Kit Shan (HKG) 550
4. Akmaral Meirman (KAZ) 500
=. Ann-Mari Lillejord (NOR) 500
=. Zhou Dongmei (CHN) 500
=. Yukaku Takashima (JPN) 500
=. Gretchen Felipe (PHI) 500
=. Yukari Fukuda (JPN) 500
=. Tseng Weiling (TPE) 500
=. Qu Lijie (CHN) 500
=. Xiao Jing (CHN) 500

Check the full rankings here. You can filter by nationality, search for your favourite runner, click on their points to see where they come from, and so on. 
 

Tahira (right) and her husband and equally strong runner Abdul Rahman

By finishing 12th in the Echigo Country Trail, South Korea's Yunseok Yong moved up to 7th in the 2016 Asia Trail Master ranking

We are happy to announce the inclusion of Ultra Trail Panoramic as one of the final big races in the 2016 Asia Trail Master series. It will also be the first ever race for points in Thailand! This is big ultra trail with a choice between 100 miles or 100 km in the north of the country. What's more: this race runs from A to B, from Maehongson to Pai, making it very special, indeed! Date of the event is 9 to 11 December. 

Event organiser is the renowned company Teelakow, who have built up expertise via their successful UTKC event each February (sneak announcement: UTKC will enter the Asia Trail Master series next year as Thailand's SuperTrail race!). Race Director Peeradon Suksawat is expanding his portfolio with this race and is keen to see many runners from all over Asia on the Panoramic Trail. The course has been tested this month by none other than Jan Nilsen, the Norwegian living in Thailand who has been a protagonist in many Asia Trail Master races already.  The Panoramic Trail offers a lot of variety, and has a lot of runnable sections as well. 7000 metres of elevation gain on 100 miles is highly respectable, but pure runners do have a chance here to get on the podium. However, they may need to anticipate in the race, as the biggest obstacle comes at the end: Mieang Mountain. Nearly 1200 metres of elevation gain on one long climb to a top altitude of 1682m. After crossing the summit, it is 15km all downhill to the finish in Pai. 

100 miles and 100 km, this means finishers on both distances score 1 point for their Grandmaster Quest . 

Check our event cover page for the key details of the race, as well as information about logistics. The international gateway closest to the two towns is Chiang Mai. There are plenty of options from there, but also from Bangkok if you have more time on your hands. 

Registration has opened. You can sign up easily via the event organiser itself, or via our Asia Trail Master registration portal (easy if you already have a profile). 

The Echigo Country Trail in Oguni Forest Park did not miss its debut on the Asia Trail Master series' calendar last weekend. A quality field of about 300 runners in total enjoyed an event that was superbly organised and received lots of support and visible enthusiasm from the local communities in the Japanese countryside around Nagaoka in Niigata. The men's race even got a local winner: Toru Nakamura. While that may not be surprising in some races, in this one it was given the presence of Japanese trail running stars like Shunsuke Okunomiya and Masahiro Onu. The women's race was won by a very strong Yukoku Takashima, who even finished in fifth place overall. 

The event began on Saturday evening with an opening ceremony, attended by the mayor of Nagaoka, followed by a local buffet dinner with some cultural performances to round off the experience. It was great occasion for the majority of runners to meet and greet before the race on Sunday morning. 

It was already very warm at 6 o'clock in the morning, and the temperature would continue to rise to 30 degrees. Moreover, it got increasingly humid later in the morning. For plenty of runners this turned the 52k Echigo Country Trail into a very tough day of work. Especially, as quite some areas were entirely exposed to the sun. Another characteristic of the course was the steepness of the hills. Echigo is again one of those races were numbers do not tell the whole story. 2000 metres of elevation gain is not extreme, but several of these hills actually were rollercoasters with steep gradients that for many people often required the use of a rope.

As expected, Okunomiya went off into the lead, but less expected was that Nakamura was able to keep him within range. Masahiro Onu, who is better on the ultra long distances than on 50k, took a relatively easy start and was running as far down as 8th place in the first 10km of the race.  Then, after the third checkpoint, around the 22km mark Okunomiya did a misstep and twisted his ankle in the process. The race favourite cleverly decided to stop running and prevent more injury. Nakamura gained the lead and would keep it till the finish. Behind him, Onu had been moving up the ranking throughout the race and arrived second at the finish. 

The women's 52k podium

Toru Nakamura wins the men's 52k 

Shunsuke Okunomiya was leading the race until passed halfway when he twisted his ankle

This weekend marks the beginning of the Asia Trail Master series in Japan, the country that has embraced the sport of distance running perhaps more than any other Asian country since decades. The Echigo Country Trail in the Oguni and Ojiya Nature areas close to Nagaoka in Niigata promises a great weekend out and a race that fits the time of year just before the real heat of summer kicks in. The event is very welcoming to international runners, which due to language barriers is unfortunately not always the case in Japan. As such, the Echigo Country Trail will provide runners from all over Asia a great opportunity to get a first hand experience of trail running in Japan.  

The 52k race course will lead participants through Echigo, Oguni and Ojiya counties on authentic local mountain trails.  Total elevation gain is respectable, yet not excessive with 2000 hm. The race is set to commence at 6 a.m. and the cut off time is 10 hours later. 

The event is organised by Hiroaki Matsunage, who has been a very familiar face on the Japanese trail running circuit for years. Exploiting his own extensive international running experience, Matsunage established the Echigo Country Trail last year in a shorter version, and has now beefed it up to a genuine long distance trail course with the support of the local authorities in Niigata. 

One of the race favourites for sure is Shunsuke Okunomiya. Winner of the Hasetsune Cup, a popular race with tradition in Japan, the 37-year-old has made it in the top 15 of UTWT races amongst the very elite. 

Shunsuke Okunomiya

"At Echigo there will be many famous and strong runners at the start line. So I have been quite excited for this race for some time already," says Okunomiya. "It will actually also be my first time running in this specific area, so I will be using all my five senses and have fun for sure. This race is also my first race in which I can score points for the Asia Trail Master championship. To be honest I had not yet heard about it, as this will be the first time points can be scored in Japan. Let's see if I could in the future target more races and aim for a high ranking at the end of the year. For sure I hope that Echigo will be joined by other Japanese events in the Asia Trail Master series. I want more international runners to come to Japan and enjoy our great trails and natural scenery." 

The Echigo Country Trail will be run on Sunday morning, but the event already begins a day earlier in the afternoon with a local fair and opening ceremony with dinner. As such, the event is about much more than just running, and is set up as a genuine cultural community event. 

As usual, we will be reporting live from the event on Saturday afternoon and Sunday throughout the race, subject to mobile connectivity, via our standard social media channels. 

A very authentic course map for the 52k race

This weekend we go to Japan for the Echigo Country Trail in Nagaoka, Niigata. It is the last points scoring race in the Asia Trail Master series of a busy spring period before a six-week break in the heat and humidity  of summer. Time for us to already plan ahead and put together the race calendar for the first semester of 2017. Several events are already confirmed for next year and weekend dates are filling up nicely. Today we can already guarantee that the new season will begin several weeks earlier compared to 2015 and 2016.

Any race organiser who wishes to join the 2017 Asia Trail Master series and enjoy the benefits of membership is now officially invited to approach us. As a first step, we kindly request to fill in this application form for us to get a better idea of your event. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via info@asiatrailmaster.com . You can also take a look at our PDF Guidebook (the 2017 version to be released soon). 

More news about the 2017 series, new partners, prizes, updated regulations and points tables will be officially announced during summer. 

2017 event application form

We are delighted to announce the new cooperation with Australian elite trail runner Majell Backhausen as our official coach and training consultant. Majell is a multiple race winner as part of the international Salomon and Suunto team, and is also a regular member of the national team of Australia for the world championship of trail running. Majell not only offers his practical running experience, but in his backpack he also carries advanced educational degrees in coaching, fitness and effective movement training,  project management, and nutrition. Everyone is invited to contact Majell. Be it for a proper training plan for that first 100km race, seeking a tangible improvement in your running output, or simply for advice on how to actively recover from a big ultra. 

Majell loves trail running, and is known for his friendly approach to all matters. From now on, he is happy to share  his knowledge so all of you can have an even better and more fun experience in your next Asia Trail Master race! 

Please read Majell's brief for the consultancy options that best meets your needs. 

Photos: Andy Lloyd Creative, Andrew Railton, Ben Read Photography

Trail running in Vietnam. When you say it, it sounds like the most logical thing. Yet little is known about trail races in the geographically very diverse Southeast Asian country, with the sole exception of the Vietnam Mountain Marathon in Sapa, organised by Topas,  a Danish-owned travel company. It is an event - part of our Asia Trail Master series - that has seen its international attendance grow year after year. Still, contrary to other places where trail running has boomed in the last few years, think of Indonesia or China, no other Vietnamese events have made it into people's consciousness. We thought it a good idea to try and learn more about the running scene in Vietnam, and spoke with Nguyen Tien Dat. A keen runner himself and reporter for the online sports magazine Web Thethao. And yes, he has even finished the Vietnam Mountain Marathon already, too! 

By K. Van de Velde

Where are you from in Vietnam exactly?

I was born in Ha Tay (in the vicinity of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam). Where I live, there are lots of beautiful landscapes, and many ancient temples with historical and cultural values. One of the most attractive spot is Perfume pagoda with splendid scenery of mountains, caves, and winding rivers all along. 

Is running an important sport in your country? what is the biggest sport in Vietnam?

Currently in Vietnam, running is not the most important sport receiving lots of attention. The favorite sport in Vietnam right now is soccer (football). However, the running trend has started to develop in a more organized way and in multiple running communities in Vietnam. 

Was running something you have always done, or is it a recent hobby?

Nearly 3 years ago, I thought I only needed to run 2 to 3 km every morning to stay healthy and I never imagined participating in international races. I met up with others who share my running hobby via social networks, as I was influenced by their running spirit. And gradually, I trained for longer distances of 10, 15, 25, then 30km leading to the first road marathon in my life, and then the Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM) a month later. Up to now, running is my joy in life. A week without running and/or cross training, I would feel empty, like missing something.

Are you member of a running club? 

I am a member of Long Distance Runners (LDR), which got established more than 2 years ago. Group members come from all over Vietnam, including expats working here and overseas Vietnamese. We organize regular runs together on Sundays. Close to races like VMM, we have more frequent trail running activities in the vicinity of Hanoi.

Do you have any sports idols, athletes you look up to?

Currently I don’t have any idol. Before, like other kids, I used to worship one soccer player - Eric Cantona. But then, no more. I like and admire the extraordinary talents of many international athletes, but don’t idolize them.

When did you discover your talent as a runner?

I don’t consider myself a talented runner. There are many better runners than me in Vietnam

What does your training plan look like? Do you have a coach?

I don’t have any personal trainer, I train on my own or with other members in the group. Regarding training plan for running, I usually have a long run on the weekends. On working days, I do shorter runs and other cross training/core workout.

Do you pay attention to your food before a race? Are there any special products you take in preparation for your race?

I do pay attention to nutrition prior to the race. I usually just eat regular food. Nothing special, I would bring some energy gel packs but i’m not used to it.

Do you also run road marathons? If yes, what is your personal best time?

I ran the Da Nang International Marathon. My official time was 4 hours 21 minutes. My next goal is to run a personal best under 4 hours at the Halong Heritage Marathon taking place in Ha Long Bay in November 2016 [more info and registration for this road marathon can be done via us here].

Vietnam's geography seems perfect for all kinds of trail running races, yet the Vietnam Mountain Marathon seems like the only one. Do you know of other races?

VMM used to be the largest trail running race in Vietnam. However, this year, there are 2 new trail running races: Vietnam Victory Challenge in Da Lat (March 2016) with the longest distance of 50km, and Ultra Trail Nam Cat Tien in the national park Nam Cat Tien (May 2016), with the longest distance of 60km. Even though the trail running community hasn’t really grown drastically, it has shown some promising signs. New trail running races create more playgrounds for trail runners in Vietnam. Besides, there are some small grassroots races organized by different groups and clubs.

What do you like so much about the Vietnam Mountain Marathon? Will you take part this year again? 

It is hard to describe what I like about VMM. I like the cool air there in Sapa, I like the changing scenery of all 4 seasons within a day, I like the simple ethnic minority people - innocent and friendly when we ran through their villages, I like small trails along the mountains covered in the ocean of clouds, i like the golden rice fields in the harvest time, I like the smell of mud after the rain, I like the stone walls spotted with wild flowers along the way, I like the challenging Silver Stone hill standing against the finish line to provoke runners. All my descriptions here, though,  can’t fully illustrate what it feels like in reality. You can only experience VMM in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range.

I will run VMM this year. A bit more challenging each year. I want to complete the first 100km in Vietnam after 2 consecutive years 42km (2014) and 70km (2015). This will be a great challenge with high risk for me as i don’t have any experience of trail running in such long distance, even though i have tried close to 90 km road running during the 12h challenge organized by LDR.

Have you taken part in trail races outside of Vietnam already? Which ones?

Unfortunately, I haven’t joined any trail race outside of Vietnam yet. I hope for next year to participate in marathon, ultra marathon, trails in other countries in the region - Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong or Singapore.

What was your best and your worst experience as a trail runner?

One of my most memorable moments is from last year VMM. At the last 7km, facing the Silver Stone, which is the last and hardest obstacle of the 70km race. It was already dark by then, and I kept dragging each heavy step trying to reach the top. Luckily, I didn’t get lost that day, suffered from cramps, or had to deal with any insects or reptiles.

What is your dream as a trail runner?

Like for many other trail runners, UTMB has always kept its magic and irresistable attraction.

What do you think about the Asia Trail Master series?

ATM series will motivate trail runners, adventurers seeking challenges and milestones to accomplish. Complete 6 ATMs long distance races and obtain the title of Asia Trail Grandmaster is a great honour for any trail runner!

In Cambodia we have seen several significant running events being developed in the past few years. Do you think Vietnam can follow this trend? 

Most definitely! As I mentioned above, the running community in Vietnam is growing. Many running clubs are being formed throughout the country. Many road marathons and ultra trails have already been organized, even though not yet reaching the scale of other countries in the region. It's still small, but the numbers of participants have increased. I am among the core team of the LDR and have been following the sport community regularly so i can witness these positive movements.

What is the biggest brand in Vietnamese trail running today?

The largest commercial brand for trail running in Vietnam is currently Salomon. They are the first and only sport brand with an official distribution in Vietnam. Hopefully, in the near future, other famous brands will try out the Vietnamese market.

Would you like trail running to become an olympic sport in the future?

Why not? Recently, I had a chance to follow and write up about triathlon in the Ironman 70.3 in Da Nang, Vietnam. Triathlon is an official Olympic sport. Challenges during trail running are not any less tough or gruelling, and just as emotional as for those triathletes. Trail running deserves to be recognized as an Olympic sport in the future.

What is your favourite running music?
I hardly listen to music while running. Actually, while running on the street, I want to listen to the sound of traffic and the sound of life. While trail running, sound of the woods, of birds singing, the sound of water running, and the shifting sound of the trail are way more attractive to me than any music. To me, those are best music.

Good luck in your forthcoming races, Nguyen Tien Dat! 

Picture by David W Loyd Photography

The 1st Baturu Trail is a race held in a place with the most weird name for racing in Chinese. It is a race with the most unique of old Manchuria features. It is a race with grueling challenges to test the warrior inside you. It is the 2017 Asia Trail Master candidate race, the Baturu Guanmenshan 50km in the Guanmenshan Scenery Zone of Benxi City, Liaoning Province, one of the main cradles and bases of the legendary Manchus, which established its own state and reigned China as the Qing Dynasty for 268 years with 12 emperors.

By Xiaozhao Zhao
 
The organiser of the Baturu Trail was honest: “We like making things harder, so runners will have an impressive and worthy tour and cherish their opportunity to race here with us more than in other places. Perhaps it is the most difficult 50 km in mainland China. The course is inspired by the selection of the Eight Brigades elite warriors under the direct command of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty. Only the lucky soldiers with extreme physical and mental competence were to be enlisted into the Eight Brigades in the early years of the Post-Jin state (Qing dynasty, later). Baturu is a Manchurian word referring to these ferocious soldiers. We also set an additional special time-trial reward for the runners who run the 50k: to every man finishing in 10 hours and woman smashing 11 hours, a big jade ring will be awarded. This jade ring was first used as a tool to drag the string of a bow, then it became gradually a symbol of bravery and power of the very influential Manchuria military leaders including the emperor himself. Of course, all race finishers will also be given an arrowhead-shaped medal, which is another feature of military traditions of the Manchus. ” 
 
The hot debate of the race's difficulty, along with the tale of the big jade ring had attracted lots of attention in the Chinese running community. How tough is the race? There is a joke about the name of the event's venue called “Guanmenshan” (关门山 in Chinese, pinyin: guan-men-shan). In Chinese, Guanmen (关门 in Chinese, pinyin-guan-men) stands for closed door, while the first priority in any race for trail runners is to avoid being cut off by struggling to the finish line before the deadline. Probably the weird venue name alone suggested the nature of the challenge. Judging from the basic data, we find 50 km, 3800m elevation gain, 800m drop (1100m highest/300m lowest) and 85% of the route natural trail. However, this is not the whole story about its toughness. There are 7 major steep ascents/descents. Runners have to climb up and down among big stones in woods, cut though creeks by jumping along the narrow and wet boulders and endure the scratches of bushes with thrones as well as scorching sunshine of nearly 30 degrees Celsius in daytime. What’s more, all these are supposed to be done in a pressing 14.5 hours with 5 checkpoints that each have their own time limit.
 
Benxi is a famous city in the history of Chinese industrialization because of its abundance in coal and iron mines etc. It had been regarded as The Steel City for a long time. Being a Baturu is the best way to find the nature around such a city with its full spectrum of heavy industry.
 
The race is not only an exploration of your limit of persistence, but also a discovery of natural beauty. The Guanmenshan Scenery Zone is a great museum of geology. There are many spectacular landscapes sculpted by the forces of nature over millions of years ago, such as peaks, caves and cliffs. A variety of animals also live in this area with dense plants. It boasts 50 kinds of Class II protected animals and 120 kinds of maples alone.

The race course was well marked overall. However, in the dense forest, finding the marks still required patience and good feeling at times. A handheld GPS with pre-load track and ISO height curves will help a lot in some parts to increase your confidence in orienteering.

Logistics were great and well-organised. Abundant nutrition was piled up at checkpoints with smiling volunteers waiting for runners. Delicious local food such as hot mutton soup was offered as well. What's more, in the rest zone at the finish, roasted strings soups noodles and beer were entirely free for runners!
 
143 runners took part in the 50km race, top 3 of each gender group as follow:
 
Male (123 in all with 58 finisher in gender group)
Bo CHEN 07:42:03
Fuyue LI 08:00:51
Chunfu WANG 08:52:54
 
Female (20 in all with 6 finisher in gender group) 
1Qian ZHANG 10:26:18
2Lihong ZHANG 11:13:21
3Yufen XIA 12:06:04

From the dawn to the dusk, in the end, around 10 males finished within 10 hrs and 11 females within 11 hrs. The total number of finisher is 64, that is to say, 45%. 
 
Among all the runners, the low-profiled and old-school local semi-pro Qian ZHANG is a familiar prize hunter in many Chinese races, from the toughest 100km to the 1500m on the track. Even in her fifties now, she still scores podium places and collects money from races frequently thanks to her exceptional endurance. In daily life, she is an ordinary worker in a big steel company with her beloved family. Qian Zhang was clear about the Baturu Trail afterwards: “It is the most challenging 50 km I have ever run! But the organizer did an almost perfect job to make such an amazing race possible!"

Fuyue Li, second in the men's race,  is also a familiar face on the podium of ultra trail races in Mainland China with a bunch of achievements such as winning the 2014 TNF 100 in Beijing in rain and mist. Running and taking care of his mother are all part of his very limited spare time as a plumber in Beijing Normal University. His kindness and his attitude of never complaining about harsh life conditions, has also built him a great reputation in  the running community along with solid results in races. In late 2014, he made his debut in a very inspiring short film about the promotion of the BNU.
 
Another local runner, Hao Chen, ranked 4th in Asia Trail Master’s Ultra Trail Tu Wenchuan in the middle of May. “I am very happy with my race here. I helped the organizer with field jobs during preparation. During the 9.5 hrs route recon we estimated it might cost around 8 hrs for the top runners. In the end the winner came in 7 hours 42 minutes!"
 
The Baturu Trail may have a focus on the toughness of its 50km, but the organisation also offers 30km and 5km categories for beginning or less ambitious runners. 
 
The campfire ceremony after the race added a great extra social element for all new running Baturus! 

The new Baturus with the big jade ring! 

That's the jade ring

Campfire, roasted meat and beer at the finish of the Baturu Trail! 

The Cordillera Mountain Ultra, follow-up to the Marathon organised in previous years, did not miss its debut in Dalupirip, Itogon yesterday. The first Filipino points race in the 2016 Asia Trail Master series saw a very close battle for victory in the men's 50k race, and drama in the women's. On the top step of the podium stood Marcelino Sano-Oy and Gretchen Felipe as the day's champions. Runners and spectators spoke of a truly well-organised event with a fantastic running course, which made the journey to the remote area very much worthwhile. "CMU was publicity for the sport of trail running," one happy finisher said afterwards. 

Marcelino Sano-Oy

Gretchen Felipe

The race started at 4 a.m. just before dawn, and runners only had a few kilometers to warm-up as the ascent of Mount Ugo began quickly. Marcelino Sano-Oy, a 26-year-old local runner, had already taken the lead, but was closely followed by the experienced Alison Telias. Sano-Oy is a previous winner of the Cordillera Mountain Marathon and knew the terrain very well. Yet, Telias kept chasing him and was at times less than a minute behind. In the descent of Mt Ugo the pressure seemed to be getting to Sano-Oy, as he had to stop and stretch to stop the cramps he started to suffer from. Telias caught up and passed him, but eventually Sano-Oy fought back in the late stages of the race and reclaimed first spot! At the finish, Sano-Oy took the victory with a 3-minute gap over Al Telias in 6:06:36. In a join third place were teammates Aldean Philip Lim and Eric Gueb in 7:05:19. One of the pre-race favourites, Thumbie Remigio, injured himself during the vertical kilometre race on Saturday, and opted to run the 21km instead. The shorter race was won by Roland Wang. 

The women's 50k race had a rather unexpected outcome as big favourite Majo Liao sprained her ankle in the early part of the race. Liao could not react to her challengers as for most of the rest of the race she could only walk and not run. Showing a high degree of mental strength, Liao nevertheless continued and finished ... even on the podium! These could be important points for her in the ATMs ranking later this year.  The race was won by Gretchen Felipe in 7:25:58, which is a strong result as well for the experienced runner. Next to Felipe on the podium in second place was Penny Nepomuceno (7:53:59). 

As part of the podium prize package, both Marcelino Sano-Oy and Gretchen Felipe have received free race entries for the Magnificent Merapoh Trail in Malaysia. 

Koi Grey

This Sunday's Cordillera Mountain Ultra is the first race for Asia Trail Master championship points in the Philippines this year. The 50km main event takes place on and around Mount Ugo in the vicinity of regional centre Baguio, and is organised to the benefit of environmental NGO Cordillera Conservation Trust. While current points leader Manolito Divina is still allowing his body to recover from the Malaysia Eco 100, several other strong Filipino runners will be starting this weekend. Among those is Majo Liao in the women's, who is the double winner of CM 50 Ultra, the Philippines' SuperTrail race at the end of November. Liao is expected to be one of the protagonists for the women's championship as the season develops. Quite a few women in the start list for CMU, though, so one never knows if someone causes an upset on race day. 

In the men's we have an open race on paper. Local area experience may boost chances of Thumbie Remigio, who earlier this week spoke of the challenge of climbing Mt Ugo the way they do in CMU, and Alison Telias. Jonel Mendoza and MTB champion Arnold Lozano are others to watch out for, along with a contingent of foreign runners. 

CMU follows the Cordillera Mountain Marathon that was organised last year. While Mount Ugo dominates the race profile, fast climbers will need to ensure to keep something in reserve for the final 8 km to the finish in Dalupirit. The start of the race is scheduled for 4:30 a.m. and as usual we will be reporting live on social media, subject to available connectivity. 

All runners are also encouraged to support the work of the Cordillera Conservation Trust. Every small donation counts, and, in any case, the local coffee is excellent!

Mount Ugo in CMU this Sunday

Runners will need to cross a few bridges this weekend

Majo Liao is a big race favourite in the women's 50k. 

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This weekend the Asia Trail Master series goes to the Philippines for the first points race of the 2016 season. The Cordillera Mountain Ultra in Dalupirit, one hour from Baguio City, is a 50km mountain run featuring Mount Ugo. The Cordillera is an area with loads of sporting and hiking activity. One man who is omnipresent, either as an athlete or as an event organiser, is 42-year-old outdoor specialist Thumbie Remigio. Often, Thumbie is nicknamed the King of the Forest in his neighbourhood. The former mountaineer quite simply loves the trails and when competing in triathlon or duathlon races he needs to force himself to forget his natural dislike for asphalt. Or to dream of his next Xterra event. Thumbie Remigio has achieved a great pedigree in trail running, so let's see what he has to say in advance of this weekend's race.  

By K. Van de Velde

Thumbie's favourite running tunes

TR: I don’t really listen to music when I’m running. Running in the mountains heightens my senses and I want to hear all the natural sounds of the environment as much as possible. But if I really have to, I prefer the music of the “Ramones”, Red Hot Chili Pepper”, “Cold Play”, “U2” and “Maroon 5”.

Q: Where are you from in Philippines exactly?

TR: Quezon city, Metro Manila

Is running your favourite sport, or do you prefer the MTB?

I prefer both although I’ve been spending a lot of times running lately, but every time I finish a big trail race, I do cycling as my recovery exercise.

You are also part of an event organisation team called Adrenaline Multisport. Could you tell us a bit more about your company?

We are a race organizing company that specializes on off road running, cycling, adventure races and multi-sport races, we’ve been into it since 1999.

Do you have any sports idols, athletes you look up to?

I have a few, yes:  Scott Jurek and Kilian Jornet in running, John Howard and Ian Adamson in adventure racing, Peter Sagan and Fabian Cancellara in cycling, and Manolito Divina as my local running hero.

What is so special about the outdoors for you?

What draws me into the outdoors is the sense of freedom, and the quietness and beauty of nature. Running or mountainbiking takes me away from the noise and the stress of living in the city.

What does your training plan look like? Do you have a coach?

I’m an old school guy, I don’t really follow a structured training regimen, and my training depends on what I feel and think that I should do on a particular day.  This style doesn’t cause me too much pressure and makes me enjoy what I’m doing. Usually, my day consists of a run and a bike ride (road or trail) in the morning and strength and conditioning in the afternoon then I try to squeeze in playing Ultimate Frisbee and sport climbing at least twice a week. My Saturday is for long runs and my Sunday is for long rides. I don’t have a coach but I look at the internet for training plans, programs, tips and nutrition.

Do you pay attention to your food before a race? Are there any special products you take in preparation for your race?

I usually take a lot of fluids a week before a long race, I also do my carbo loading a week prior to the race and i also take protein supplement for my recovery before and after a race. During a race I prefer to bring my wife’s specially made banana bread, bacon and lots of energy gels.

Have you run and road marathons? If yes, what is your personal best time?

I’ve run a few road marathons and my PB time is 3:35

These days there are so many trail running events in the Philippines, also in the Cordillera. What is special about CMU?

What’s so special about the CMU is the beauty and vastness of the place; you get to see the other side of Mt. Ugo, which is not frequently used by hikers and runners. The race will bring out the best in every runner as the course is very challenging and is properly and well organized by the Cordillera Conservation Trust.

Have you taken part in trail races outside of Philippines already? Which ones?

I’ve been to the Mt. Fuji  race, Vibram HK 100 in Hong Kong, Mild 7 outdoor quest in China, Sabah adventure Challenge in Malaysia, River Kwai race in Thailand, Action Asia races in HK, Thailand and Macau, AXN races in Malaysia, HK and Singapore ,and so on.. 

What was your best and your worst experience as a trail runner?

Best: Running 100 miles in the mountains of the Cordilleras

Worst:  Running 100 miles in the mountains of the Cordilleras

What is your dream as a trail runner?

To be able to run and see more of the Philippine mountains and trails, and run beautiful trail races around the world. Help improve the lives of people living in the mountain through trail running and hope that someday, trail running in the Philippines will get more support from the government in the same way as with road running.

What do you think about the Asia Trail Master series?

ATM is now hugely popular among trail runners in Asia and around the world. It’s a very good way of promoting trail and mountain running across Asia and it increases the competitiveness of runners in the region. It also showcases beautiful trail races in Asia that draws the attention of runners from other regions of the world.

Manolito Divina, your compatriot, has just run an astonishingly quick 100 miles in Malaysia and is leading the 2016 ATM championship ranking. Do you see any runners who can or have beaten him in the Philippines?

Right now, Manolito is at the peak of his running career and with his discipline, focus, experience  and good attitude, I can’t see any local runner beating him for the next  3 or  4 more years.

This year in the ATMs, we have races on Luzon and also on Mindanao. Is there a difference between the two regions?

In Mindanao Mountains, you usually run on volcanoes (active and dormant), in jungle and dense forest. In Luzon, specifically in the Cordillera, you usually run on mossy and pine forest and grasslands. Most of the Philippines' high peaks are in Mindanao and Northern Luzon, the challenge and the experience for the runners depends on how the organizers will present the race and the organizers capability in managing and conducting a good race.

How is trail running regarded in your country's society? 

Before, it was treated as a dangerous, dirty and expensive activity but thanks to social media,trail running is getting a huge boost and becoming hugely popular among regular road runners, multi-sport athletes and adventure seekers. Also the proliferation of races everywhere helped a lot in raising the awareness and interest in the sport.

Why do you think Filippino people love sports so much? 

I think it’s natural to us because of our environment; we are surrounded by the sea and the mountains and our natural instinct dictates that we explore them by swimming, running and riding through them.

Would you like trail running to become an olympic sport in the future?

Why not? With Manolito’s success in the Asia Trail Masters, he has shown that Filipinos can compete at a higher level in the international trail running arena. Maybe we can get our 1st Olympic gold in trail running.

Good luck in CMU this weekend!