We are happy to announce that Harkor Ultra Trail Balakayo Mountain in General Santos in the south of Mindanao in the Philippines has obtained the ATM Candidate Race label. The event features a 75km main race distance with over 4000 metres of elevation gain, but is known to be quite runable. The event is organised by the Drunken Runners Team and Team Akbri and scheduled for 31 May/1 June.

Registration for the event is already open and can be accessed via the button below. There is a quota on the participation numbers, so if you are keen - better be quick.

The 75km has a cut-off time at the finish of 25 hours. Less ambitious runners can also opt for shorter distances, such as the 42km, 25km and 12km. 2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa tested the trails of Harkor and gave a thumbs up, saying the trails reminded him of those in France.

General Santos has an international airport, but Davao is another bet - if you don’t mind some bus travel from there.

The 5th edition of the Manjushree Trail Race along the Kathmandu Valley Rim saw the same race winners as last year in the main distance categories, each essentially conforming their status among the elite crop of trail runners in Nepal. Reigning female ATM Champion Priya Rai ran her first race since winning the ATM title in September last year and once more showed her ever growing competitive form by going more than half an hour faster compared to herself a year ago on the 50km. Arjun Rai Kulung and Nirmala Rai both took second consecutive wins on the longest ultra, the 100 Miles, and Man Kumar confirmed his potential as a 2025 ATM title contender by taking the men’s 50km victory. 2023 female ATM Champion Rashila Tamang also showed good firm in winning the 100km as her first of two mandatory steps towards a wild card for this year’s ATM Championship Final in Vietnam in October. The men’s 100km, a distance that only provided a Grandmaster point to finishers and no championship points, saw Bishal Rai finishing first.

The Manjushree Trail Race 2025 enjoyed a much higher international participation rate than ever and established itself further as the leading trail event in the Himalayan country. The relatively easy event access of course helps with that, and the technical organisation, support and enthusiasm of the Nepalese trail communities - including those from Jumla in the far west of Nepal provides the extra boost that makes many runners want to return every year. MTR is far from an easy race, however. Elevation gain and technicality is serious, even for the 50km - as Priya Rai herself confirmed : “MTR for me is harder than the even higher altitude run at Jumla Rara Ultra”- (the second ATM points race event in Nepal this coming 10/11 May). Despite that, the DNF rate of the 100 Miles this year remained well below 50% , showing that runners have become aware and are better prepared than in previous years. The 100 Miles is a test of physical and mental strength and endurance, coping with significant temperature swings to boot. On the other hand, there is the exciting 50km that often leaves on-lookers speechless when witnessing the incredible speed at which the top runners negotiate the challenging single trails.

Arjun Rai Kulung won the 100 Miles for the second consecutive year, and did it 23 minutes faster! 525 ATM Championship points in the pocket for the Nepali long ultra star, who was 10th in last season’s ATM Championship Final at Borneo TMBT. Arjun should be able to do better this season. After a short nap at night, following which Ramesh Limbu came back to him, Arjun simply had too much pace for Limbu and the others. He finished in 26h29. Milan Kulun Rai was second in 28h15. Also Milan was an ATM Finalist last season. Third on the podium is Sher Tahur. A new name and one who ran a cleverly paced race. In fourth was Bijay Rana Magar, followed by Pritam Rai. India’s Shashwat Rao came sixth , Homraj Tamang seventh and early race leader Ramesh Limbu eventually finished in eight place.

In the women’s 100 miles, Nirmala Rai took control from the very beginning. Whereas a year ago, she ran together most of the day with Anita Rai, the latter this time was unable to match the pace of Nirmala. The winner’s finishing time was 33h29’50”, one-and-a-half hour quicker than in 2024! Incidentally, Nirmala Rai is the elder sister of Priya Rai. Kathmandu-based American Zoe Skoric claimed second place and Anita Rai settled for third place on the podium. For a long time, Ang Furba Sherpa looked like she was going to finish first runner-up to Nirmala, but she DNFd close to the end with what appeared like a knee injury. Fourth place went to Denmark's Stine Heiselberg, who has done. the MTR race since the first edition.

In the women’s 50km, it was victory time for Asia Trail Master champion Priya Rai. Despite her fever and flu earlier in the week, a still coughing Priya took the bull by the horns from the start and kept a small gap over 17-year-old Kalpana Budha from Jumla. Budha lost ground towards the end but still ran an astonishing race given her age, and held onto second place 30 minutes behind Priya. Raja Laxmi Rawal, winner of Malnad Ultra 50 in India, could never threaten for victory , reportedly suffering from a knee issue. Still, she gets another good 425 points haul with third place today and looks already set for a place in Team Nepal at this season’s Final in Vietnam. In fourth place there was another strong runner from Jumla, Sandipa Budha.

In the men’s 50km , Man Kumar took an impressive victory in approx 6h25! After a group of nine runners glued together for the first 10-15km, Kumar took the lead by himself just before half way the race. Afterwards , it turned out he had dropped some mandatory gear at the last water station 5km before the finish. The RD gave him 15 minutes time penalty, but that still was enough to keep victory over Lokendra Rai, ATM Finalist last year, finished 19 minutes behind Man Kumar and ran a great final 10km . Third on the podium was Jumla’s Dhir Badur Buddha, followed by Sher Bahaddur Buddha. Prabin Tamling was actually second across the line, but got penalised for lack of mandatory gear and dropped down to fifth place in the race result.

The next Nepalese event with points for the ATM Championship ranking on offer is Jumla Rara Ultra 50km on 10/11 May.

Arjun Rai Kulung took his second win in the 100 Miles category at MTR

Also for Nirmala Rai it was the second win in a row at MTR 100 Miles

ATM Champion Priya Rai took control of the women’s 50km race early on despite illness early in the week

Up-and-coming talent Man Kumar scored an impressive win in the men’s 50km

2023 ATM Champion Rashila Tamang looked at ease in winning the 100km of her own event

17-year-old Kalpana Buddha stunned everyone by finishing a wonderful second in the women’s 50km

Malnad Ultra 50 race winner Raja Laxmi Rawal, with knee issues, grabbed 3rd: her ATM Final ticket beckons

The fifth edition of the Manjushree Trail Race in Kathmandu, Nepal, shows an extensive and highly international start list for the various distance categories this coming weekend. It is the second year the event is part of the Asia Trail Master Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar and following last year’s great runners’ feedback, ‘MTR’ is now a proper highlight of the Nepalese trail scene. Runners will hit the Kathmandu Valley Rim for a challenging race at altitude and with considerable elevation gain. Nearly all Nepalese trail stars will take part in either the 100 miles, 100km or 50km, of which the 100 Miles and the 50km are the two distances that offer points for the ATM Championship Ranking, which determines the qualifiers for the ATM Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October. Given it’s still not so straightfoward for Nepalese runners to travel abroad, MTR and Jumla Rara Ultra in May are their two great opportunities to score as many points as possible.

While the 100 Milers already start their competition on Friday, a lot of attention will go to Saturday’s 50km race featuring reigning ATM women’s champion Priya Rai. After winning the title in impressive style at Borneo TMBT Ultra in September, it will be her first appearance on the ATM circuit since. Priya won the MTR 50 last year already, ahead of then-champion Rashila Tamang and Chhoki Sherpa, in what was - with hindsight - a first milestone in her development as a competitive trail runner in Asia and future ATM Champion. Now part of the T8 Team, Priya aims to qualify again for the Championship and defend her title in October. For this, she only needs to finish two ATM races this season, just like Rashila Tamang. Contrary to last year, there won’t be a dual between the two on Saturday, as Rashila has opted to run the 100km race. Nevertheless, several Nepalese and other runners will be trying to make a statement. Jumla’s Rajya Laxmi Rawal, for example. At 20 Rajya is even younger than Priya, and one of the next upcoming talents. In her home race Jumla Rara last year, she raised eyebrows by forcing Priya to dig very deep and scoring a superb second place in her debut. This season, Rajya has already scored her first ATM victory and she even did it abroad: she won the Malnad Ultra in Karnatika, India, last November - finishing third overall and proving she is not only skilled on mountain trails, but also fast on runable trails. Chhoki Sherpa is also in the 50k once again, and so is another very young talent, Mimu Budha.

The men’s 50km has Man Kumar on the start list. This exciting hopeful won the 100k last year, and is also working on his development as a competitive international runner. Very keen to get into Team Nepal at the ATM Championship Final, Man Kumar is likely the man to beat on Saturday. However, there’s also Lokendra Rai, who showed great speed at Borneo TMBT last September, before fading in the last 30km towards the finish. 50k could be more his thing , also he is still very young for a trail runner. Observers are also curious for the performance of Philippines’ John Mahinay in his ATM points race debut. Mahinay, from Davao, eyes the podium on Saturday and hopes for a breakthrough-performance on foreign soil.

The 100 Miles starts on Friday morning already and of course does the entire Valley Rim. Last year’s winners are back in action: Arjun Rai Kulung in the men’s and Nirmala Rai in the womens’s. They are the race favourites once again, but victory is anything but a done deal. Shashwat Rao leads an interesting contingent from India, and from Japan we have the experienced Yuta Matsuyama, a triple race winner in ATM and double ATM Finalist for Team Japan over the past few years. Nirmala Rai will probably meet up with Anita Rai again, like last year. A lot can happen in a 100 Miles race in the high mountains, and so the many ATM Grandmasters from Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Philippines on the start list may also have a chance for a podium spot.

ATM will be reporting live from Kathmandu as of Thursday, with pre-race photography by Adventure III, and video from the start and the races as of Friday morning local time.

Anita and Nirmala Rai will again face off on the 100 Miles this weekend

Arjun Rai Kulung will be aiming to score another win at MTR this weekend

India’s only ATM Grandmaster so far: Shashwat Rao

Priya Rai won the 50k last year ahead of Rashila Tamang and Chhoki Sherpa

Lovers of the high mountains and technical trails every year look forward to early July, because that’s when Mantra 116 is on. The Indonesian event in Malang, East Java, remains for many the toughest challenge in the Asia Trail Master series, at least if you are going for the ‘signature race’, the 116km. 7400 metres of elevation gain is not the most, but those metres are hard to conquer at Mantra, and even the long descents do not provide a lot of relaxation. Still, the 116 route has been made a bit more palatable compared to the first years with the removal of the out-and-back section on Mahapena after the two main peaks Welirang and Arjuno. Runners have 33 hours of time to complete the course.

As always, runners score ATM Championship points and Grandmaster Quest points on two distance categories at Mantra: 116km and 68km.

The 116 journey starts and finishes at the event centre at Kaliandra Eco Resort (770 above sea level). Immediately after the start, runners climb to the peak of Mt. Welirang (3156 mdpl), then descend to Cangar (1600 mdpl) to climb back up again towards the peak of Mt. Arjuno (3339 mdpl). For safety reasons, the runners should reach the peak of Mt. Arjuno before 15.00 o’clock, to ensure the downhill from Mt. Arjuno is not done in the dark. For those who didn’t manage to reach the peak before 15:00, they will go down with the sweeper team towards the evacuation point. The race, however, will enter a long downhill to Bukit Kuneer at 55km point, the location of the first dropbag point. The trail continues passing Budug Asu towards UB Forest, until arriving at Wonosari at 88km point, the location of the second dropbag point. The sting is in the tail at Mantra 116, the route to Sepilar Temple features a technical and tough climb followed by a steep downhill. Afterwards, the finish line beckons.

The 70km course, named “The Double Summits” and technically measured at 68km, begins with hiking to the summit of Mt. Welirang and then onto the summit of Mt. Arjuno. After that, this route takes you down towards Mahapena, passing the beautiful Lincing savannah before continuing to Budug Asu and Wonosari Tea Estate. Finally, it’s Sepilar Temple in the last climb segment before the finish. While just under 70km, this race course has 5000m of elevation gain, which means all finishers can score a Grandmaster point as well. The cutoff time at the finish back at Kaliandra Eco Resort is set at 22 hours. The last couple of years, this race has been the playground of Indonesia’s Risqi Kurniawan - winning in 2023 and 2024.

Registration for Mantra 116 is open and can be done via the official website, linked below. Needless to say this is an event to prepare well for.

Gateway to Mantra 116 is Surabaya, unless you can fly domestic to Malang directly. From Surabaya, it’s a two hour drive to the Kaliandra Eco Resort. Information on logistics is also available on the website.

The 2nd edition of Vietnam Ultra Marathon in Mai Chau lived up to its hype as the men’s and women’s 75km were exiting races to follow from start to end. Both John Ray Onifa and Hau Ha had to work for their new triumph, making it all the more sweet, of course. The Filipino 2023 ATM Champion had to fend off a late attack by the surprising Alex Neyrinck, while the fast-starting Vietnamese 2022 ATM Champion was forced to defend a mere five minute gap against Veronika Leng the entire race. To note was also the superb third place on the podium of Nguyen Si Hieu, who ran the best race of his life to finish ahead of Lodewijk Vriens, Kristian Joergensen and others.

His 15th ATM race win also earns John Ray Onifa his wild card for this year’s ATM Championship Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail, also in Vietnam on 4 October. Hong Kong-based Briton. Alex Neyrinck, part of the T8 Team, gave Onifa a hard time in the second half of the race as he returned to the front after the long descent. Ultimately, Onifa still had a little extra in the tank for the last hill with under 10k to go to keep the advantage. He crossed the line in 7h15 , three minutes ahead of Neyrinck. Important for the rest of the season, he will run Lantau 70 in three weeks next, which may put Neyrinck in a strong position to get qualified for the Championship Final in October.

Nguyen Si Hieu, winner of VTM 70 two months ago and 6th place at the ATM Final in 2024, outgunned another Hong Konger, Lodewijk Vriens, in the final kilometres to get the podium. Amazingly, this happened just nine minutes behind Onifa. Kristian Joergensen settled for fifth place. He was always there until, a little surprisingly, he wasn’t anymore. He would finish just behind the first female, Hau Ha. Nguyen TienVo was the second Vietnamese runner in the finish, in sixth place. Also for him that was a fine result and an improvement compared to VTM in January. In 7th place, we have fast-starting Le Tan Hi. The Vietnamese runner dropped down the leaderboard after bravely trying to follow John Ray Onifa early on, but managed to catch his breath again and passed Singapore-based American Humberto Baeza, winner of Lam Dong Trail in Dalat last November, in the last section. Britain's Kristian Morgan takes 9th place, and Vietnam's Tu Do (Nguyen Duc Tuan Anh) completed the men's top 10.

In the women’s race, Hau Ha - in her new team colours - opened a small gap early on in the race and then managed to defend those four-five minutes throughout the entire 75km race. Eventually, Veronika Leng, the 2019 ATM Champion, understood the Vietnamese superstar was not going to slow down and crossed the finish line nine minutes behind her. The two global trail stars were split up in the result by Kristian Joergensen, proving what a high level they were performing at. Hau Ha was visibly delighted with her victory after a few weeks of change and turmoil, including a race defeat against the same Veronika Leng back in January. The latter nevertheless confirmed that 2025 is her definite return to the high-performance trail scene.

Third place on the podium went to China’s Wu Yuanyuan, who was basically running on an island - nobody immediately ahead of her, nobody behind her. In fourth and fifth came Tran Thu Trang and Christine Mitchell.

After Lam Dong Trail, Prenn Trail Summit, Vietnam Trail Marathon and Vietnam Ultra Marathon, all four Vietnamese points races of Season 10 have been wrapped up. The next Vietnamese event is the conclusion of our season: the ATM Championship Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail on 4 October. Runners can of course continue to score ATM points in order to qualify for that Final in all the remaining races on our calendar .

It is a trail blockbuster weekend in Vietnam with the Vietnam Ultra Marathon points race event in Mai Chau in the north, and Brah Yang Trail Summit near Dalat in the south as an ATM Candidate. Organised by the URS Team that brings you Prenn Trail Summit towards the end of each year, Brah Yang has attracted quite some Vietnamese trail stars including Loi Luong and Nghia Tran. The 60km main race stars at 9 pm on Saturday evening, meaning it is mainly a nighttime race.

As it is an ATM Candidate Race, there are of course no points to be scored. Loi Luong can afford to side-step away from VUM as she already has two big results in the pocket this season and is the top ranked Vietnamese female in our current Championship ranking. For Nghia Tran it is a bigger gamble. He scored a great second place in Lam Dong Trail last November, but certainly requires at least one more good result to finish the season in the top five of the men’s ranking and receive the invitation to join his country team in the ATM Finals at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail on 4 October. The same applies for Nguyen Van Chung, second in Prenn Trail Summit last December, and also choosing Brah Yang over VUM this weekend. And so are a few others solid local runners. Plenty of ATM points races still to go this season, however, and the attendance of many competitive runners certainly makes a great case for the new event, Brah Yang Trail Summit.

A few other expected contenders for the podium are To Tan Tai, Dau Tuan Kiet and Nguyen Dang Quang (4th in Lam Dong Trail). In the women’s 60km race, there is also Nguyen Thi Nguyet (2nd place in VTM), Truong Vo Bich Phuong and perhaps the young Kon Tap Trang.

Loi Luong choosing this weekend’s ATM Candidate over VUM

Nghia Tran

One of the female podium contenders: Truong Vo Bich Phuong

We are delighted to announce that Shiga Kogen 100 in Yamanouchi Town, Nagano, is entering the Asia Trail Master calendar on 5-7 July! The Japanese trail event features a very scenic 100km race with 5100 hm elevation gain that will provide points for the ATM Championship ranking and for the Grandmaster Quest. The event is organised by the Shiga Kogen 100 Race Committee and Mr Koji Otsuka, one of the country’s most experienced trail running event organisers. Shiga Kogen is one of Japan’s main national parks and also a UNESCO Eco-Park. Despite the considerable amount of elevation gain, the 100km is considered runable.

As the official website reads, Shiga Kogen occupies the center of Joshinetsu Kogen National Park. It is a famous ski resort that hosted the Nagano Olympics (1998) in the winter. During the green season, Shiga Kogen is a treasure trove of nature, with beautiful alpine plants and beautiful lakes and wetlands that can be enjoyed in the vast plateau area. The Shiga Kogen, which has been certified as a UNESCO Eco Park, is an attractive area where nature and human society coexist.

This is a mountainous area so. even in summer temperatures remain cool and are ideal for endurance sports. The start and finish venue lies at about 1600m above sea level, and the highest point of the course is at 2200m. Less ambitious runners can also opt for a 55km category or a 21k category, but these offer no points for ATM. In any case, the organisers are confident that that despite the elevation gain, the 100km is a great introduction to the classic ultra distance for those who have never done it before.

100km participants are expected to collect their race pack on Friday afternoon, 5 July. The race flag-off is scheduled for 4:30 a.m. on Saturday early morning. The cut-off time is 26 hours, meaning Sunday morning 6:30 am. The podium ceremony will take place after that.

Registration is open via the official website, where you can also find details on accommodation. International runners are most likely best of flying to Tokyo and take a train or bus to Nagano from there first. Information can be obtained via shiga100@ktf.or.jp .

The 2nd edition of Vietnam Ultra Marathon, the newest event by the Topas Team, takes place in Mai Chau this Saturday and appears set to be one of the highlights of the season. Both the men’s and women’s 75km long main race category are filled with some of Asia’s finest trail running talent, including a number of former ATM Champions. Three weeks after winning the 9 Dragons 50km race, 2023 Champion John Ray Onifa is going for his wild card for this year’s Championship Final, but for a new victory he will also need to get passed Kristian Joergensen, Lodewijk Vriens and Nguyen Si Hieu - to name a few. In the women’s, we can look forward to a rather unique dual between 2022 ATM Champion Hau Ha and 2019 ATM Champion Veronika Leng (previously Vadovicova), who is making her first appearance on the ATM circuit since then.

VUM on paper seems to be the easiest of the four events that Topas is putting on each year. The weather can of course throw a spanner in the works. Looking at the 75km course profile, by far most of the 3300 hm is concentrated in the first part of the race, basically the opposite of last week’s V Trail in Laos. As always, this implies participants need to leave something in the tank for the more runable second part. The start and finish is in a place called Ban Lac. Flag off for the 75km is scheduled for 3 am, which implies a few hours of nighttime running.

Since the start of the year, there’s been quite a bit of hubbub around Vietnam’s leading trail star Hau Ha. First, there was a slightly disappointing result in Hong Kong, comprehensively outpaced by Sunmaya Budha and Veronika Leng, and then came the sudden announcement of a change in main sponsorship and two weeks later even a change in her coaching support. After four successful years with Mude Sports, Hau Ha has embarked on a new adventure and VUM will be her first appearance in new colours and with new support crew. How much all of that will be on her mind at the starting line this Saturday remains to be seen, but in any case Hau Ha will need to be focused on the race at hand if she wants to be victorious. Veronika Leng has clearly returned to peak form after the covid years and after giving birth. She’s even not new to Vietnam. In 2019, Veronika scored a fantastic win in Vietnam Jungle Marathon and nearly beat Hisashi Kitamura on that occasion! Side-note: it was super hot that day, too. Both runners have ascended the competitive ladder via ATM in the past and are now genuine world class trail runners. It is unlikely, and very understandably, they will not feature in our ATM Championship for the time being, but we are delighted to seeing them both compete in a race on our circuit once again. Regardless who finishes first on Saturday, the main winner will be the sport and the fans.

There is still a third spot on the podium, of course, with several potential contenders for it. China’s Wu Yuanyuan, Vietnam-based Christine Mitchell and Philippines’ Julie Mae Marquez, if she recovered from last weekend’s Mount Kalatungan 55km in which she finished a surprising second place.

Just how long can they keep up with the men, by the way? John Ray Onifa normally tends to go out very fast, but in recent months he has been showing a lot of maturity and perhaps more clever race tactics than ever before. Onifa knows all of his expected competitors for this Saturday very well. If he allows Kristian Joergensen and Lodewijk Vriens to set the pace initially, it may boost the chances of Nguyen Si Hieu to get in the mix for the biggest prize. Si Hieu is a master-tactician and is coming off a great victory and confidence-boost in Vietnam Trail Marathon last January. For Dutchman Vriens, VUM will be a slight step into the unknown. Based in Hong Kong, we know him from winning the first stage of the 9 Dragons last year. Ahead of Kristian Joergensen that day. Positions were reversed the day after, but it does mean Vriens has the speed to give everyone a run for their money. Let’s also see what Singapore-based American Humberto Baeza can do this weekend. Baeza is the joint overall points leader in the ATM Championship ranking together with Chris Timms. He won Lam Dong Trail 75 in Dalat last November, and also scored a 2nd place in the more technical Dieng Trail Run in Indonesia at the start of Season 10 late September 2024.

Hau Ha: a fresh start this weekend

Back on the ATM circuit for the first time since her title-winning year 2019: Veronika Leng

Winner of VTM 70 two months ago: Nguyen Si Hieu

John Ray Onifa: outstanding at 9 Dragons three weeks ago

After a DNF in Lam Dong Trail and a 5th place in Vietnam Trail Marathon, Filipino youngster Godwin Mirar has finally gotten his 2025 ATM Championship season really on track. Mirar won the tough Mount Kalatungan Ultra Trail 55km in his native Bukidnon region against an established field and with margin. He led the race nearly from start to finish, despite suffering also from blisters and a fall in the descent of Kalatungan, at 2880m one of the highest mountain peaks in the Philippines.

Almost 30 minutes later, Roberto Cain III finished second to kickstart his 2025 ATM campaign. Perhaps for Cain the 55km distance is a bit on the short side as he has recently been excelling in longer ultras. Kik Suello took third place, just one week after also finishing third in BUTM 100 in Malaysia! That’s a great start of his campaign to once again try to be part of Team Pilipinas in the ATM Final in October. Suello was 7th at TMBT last September - his best result to date. At Kalatungan, he was marginally ahead of Jevie Cagatin - winner last year of MTKU 85 and also an ATM Finalist in 2024.. Newcomer Johnkisler Lamigo came in an excellent fifth!

In the women’s 55km race, Angelie Cabalo confirmed her pre-race favourite status by taking a convincing win without too much pressure from the others, which was impressive when seeing the names of those. The number 3 of the 2023 ATM Championship Final missed out on last year's team qualification, but she launched her 2025 campaign in the best possible way, collecting 500 ATM points for her victory. It's Angelie's 4th career win in ATM.

A good hour behind her, Julie Mae Marquez scored her best performance in an ATM-promoted race with a superb second place. Last year’s race winner Julieann Morales took third on the podium this season. Shally Yuson settled for fourth place and in fifth, we had a nice performance by Belinda Ortiz.

MKTU also had a longer 85km distance, which this year was only relevant for the Grandmaster Quest. This category was won by 2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras, who only needs to finish two ATM races to collect a wild card for this year’s Final. The women’s 85km saw a very popular win by local Kimberly Flores.

The next Filipino points race is scheduled for 5 April, one of the young ‘classics’ in the country, the Sierra Madre Trail Ultra in the Rizal mountains near Manila.

Roberto Cain III : second best male behind Mirar

Eye-catching performance by Julie Mae Marquez: second in the women’s 55k behind Cabalo

After 3rd in BUTM last week, Kik Suello scored another 3rd at MKTU

2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras ran the 85km (Grandmaster-point-only) and won it easily

Local hero Kimberly Flores was fastest woman on the 85km

While Alessandro Sherpa and even Francisco Faria were initially able to keep pace with Jeff Campbell, the reigning ATM Champion went solo already before halfway and even increased his advantage in the very technical second and mountainous half of the V Trail in Laos.

The Hong Kong-based Canadian was out of his own comfort zone but completed the 53km course in approx 8h39, a little faster than Arnaud Beck last year. Second victory for him this season, after Prenn Trail Summit in Dalat, Vietnam, in December. As such, Campbell collected his wild card for the ATM Final at Mu Cang Chai in Vietnam on 4 October. It was a tough day out there in Vang Vieng, with temperatures well above 32 degrees as of noon.

Jeff Campbell winning a 53km race in 8 hours and 39 minutes, that certainly does not sound like Campbell. But this is how difficult the V Trail course, especially the second half, really is. Anyone who knows the ATM Champion for some time is aware that he has never been a fan of these ‘technical hiking’ courses and prefers to make use of his fast running speed. Kudos to Campbell for nevertheless always giving these type of trail races a try. Eventually, one can only learn and develop further as an all-round competitive trail runner here in Asia, where terrains can be very varied, indeed. It’s clear that Jeff Campbell will not relinquish his ATM Championship title easily this coming October at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail !

In second and third on podium we saw Phissanuwat Inon from Thailand and Nizar Surydratama from Bali, Indonesia. A great and unexpected result for both. A nice introduction to Inon, especially. Both runners finished in just under and just above ten hours. 2018 ATM Champion Alessandro Sherpa went off course in the mountain area and lost significant time to end up in fourth place. Thailand’s two-time Finalist Amorn Kimnguan was fifth, followed by Antoine Deligne from Belgium. Portugal’s Francisco Faria in the end dropped down the leaderboard to finish 8th in 13h19.

First female was Italy’s Anna Turrini, who led basically from start to finish but had Tara Savage closing in on her earlier on the day. For Turrini, who hails from Florence in Tuscany, it’s the first ATM race win. She crossed the line in 13h09, underlining again how tough V Trail really is.

Tara Savage finished half an hour later to grab second place on the podium. Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Huong is third, just ahead of local runner Toukta Inthavong, who was third in Luang Prabang last October as well and is practically certain of being the first Lao qualifier for the ATM Championship Final on 4 October.

The next ATM points race event in Laos will be Luang Prabang Ultra Trail in late October, one of the very first events of Season 11.

This weekend’s second points race for the ATM Championship ranking is taking place tomorrow in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines. It’s the Mount Kalatungan Ultra and it’s also the first Filipino points race event in Season 10 of our series. The focus is on the 55km, while the 85km category is valid for the Grandmaster Quest-only. So, the same as in Laos’ V Trail today - the first event of this ATM doubleheader weekend. 

Mount Kalatungan is the second highest mountain in Mindanao after Mount Apo. Just like APo, also Kalatungan is not always open for outdoor enthusiasts, so the trail running event by the Amigleo brothers and the Ultra Runners Republic is a special treat. Both the 80km and 55km courses go to the summit of Kalatungan. 

Among the expected victory challengers are mainly local Filipino runners. In the men’s 55km, we can look forward to an interesting confrontation between Roberto Cain III and Godwin Mirar, with ATM 2024 Finalists Jevie Cagatin, Kik Suello and Jomarc Ferrer lurking in the shadows. Either one of these five can come out on top tomorrow. In fact, Jevie Cagatin is last year’s winner, ahead of Yoyong Sacayle and Jomarc Ferrer on that day. Godwin Mirar looked like he was going to take victory in Vietnam Trail Marathon 70 two months ago, until the cold temperatures literally froze him. He will be keen to do better than fifth in Kalatungan to ensure qualification for this year’s ATM Final as part of Team Pilipinas, one of his key goals of the season. But that is also the case for Roberto Cain III, who has been winning several races in the Philippines including ATM Candidates and Grandmaster-only races. We are very keen to find out what Cain III can do when real championship points are up for grabs. Cagatin finished just outside the Top 10 in the 2024 ATM Championship Final last September, and this will be his first ATM rendez-vous since. For Kik Suello, much will depend on how much he has recovered from last week’s 100km in Malaysia, BUTM, where he finished third on the podium. 

Outsiders for a podium are Bernie Bauyot, Sean Aying and Bhert Orpiada, but we for sure will also get to know some new names. 153 starters are expected for the 55km. 

The women’s race is likely to see a competition between Shally Yuson and Julieann Morales for the victory. Shekinah Velaquez can also be a contender, as she has been developing her performances ever more since last year. 

The 85km race category has no Championship points on offer, but finishers will of course collect a Grandmaster point as it’s longer than 70km. Important for 2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras, who will try to score his wild card this month with both Kalatungan 85 and Lantau 70 on his race schedule. As former ATM champion, he only needs to finish 2 ATM races during the season. 

ATM will be updating live from Bukidnon the whole Sunday from start to finish on our usual channels. 

The Asia Trail Master Championship series continues in Laos this weekend with the 5th edition of the V-Trail, the country’s first major trail running event since 2018. It is known as one of the more scenic, but also one of the toughest ‘jungle trails’ on our circuit. The event has remained largely unchanged with Vang Vieng, a tourist town between Vientiane and Luang Prabang as host.

This season the 55km will attract most attention as the points race for the ATM ranking and thanks to the participation of reigning ATM Champion Jeff Campbell and 2018 Champion - and V Trail race winner that year - Alessandro Sherpa. For both runners it will be the second race of their season, meaning they both can score their wild cards for the 2025 ATM Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam on 4 October. Incidentally, Campbell and Sherpa also won their first race in Season 10. Campbell was superb in Prenn Trail Summit in Dalat, Vietnam, last December. A few weeks later, Sherpa returned to his winning ways with a great run in Tahura Trail in Bandung, Indonesia. On Saturday, we could see a nice battle between the two. Campbell may have more natural speed, but Sherpa - on his day - has a large toolbox on technical trails like those in Vang Vieng - plus he has already done this race before and knows what he is getting into. In fact, Sherpa has been staying in Luang Prabang for several weeks already, too.

Bali’s Nizar Surydratama, ATM Finalist last year, is one of the other podium contenders, along with Thailand’s Amorn Kimnguan, also a double ATM Finalist in 2023 and 2024. There’s quite a few international names on the start list as well, so we might get a few surprises. One major podium and even victory contender is Danon Rattanatumrong, but he is running the Grandmaster-only distance of 86km this weekend.

In the women’s 55km race, Tara Savage may be the one to beat on paper. Local Laotian runner Toukta Inthavong may be the biggest challenger. She came third in last October’s Luang Prabang Trail.

ATM will be reporting live from V Trail from start to finish on Saturday on the usual socials.