We are happy to announce the latest ATM Candidate Race that will in fact take place very soon at the end of this month. The Kadamaian Ultra in Kota Belud in Sabah, Malaysia, is part of a bigger adventure race festival and is a new addition to the calendar in the home area of renowned trail runners such as Milton Amat, Wilsen Singgin, Daved Simpat and the Lintanga sisters. Officially called the High 5 KAR Ultra, the main race is 70 km in length and has an elevation gain estimated at 3250 hm. As you can see in the course map below, it’s quite an organic loop with the highest peak coming in the middle. Start and finish is at Kg. Malangkap Baru, Kadamaian in Kota Belud, roughly one hour north of Kota Kinabalu. The race start is planned for 6 am. Shuttle busses will take runners from Kota Kinabalu, but be aware you need to sign up for the bus via a google form on the website (see button)

As the event takes place in 3 weeks, race registration is already closed, but ATM can make two runners happy with a free race entry still now! Stay tuned for details on how to win the entry later today.

Mantra Summits Challenge in Malang, East Java, once more confirmed its reputation as the toughest event on the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar. Heavy rainfall on Saturday night plagued runners even more and turned the 116k and 75k marquee races across Mount Welirang, Arjuno and Mahapena into a brutal adventure resulting in a long list of DNFs. Up front, however, we saw some fantastic performances, too. The Vietnamese duo of Quang Tran and Nguyen Si Hieu - in their first race in Indonesia - controlled the 116k race together from the ascent of Arjuno (3300m) onwards, even though Yusuf Aprian was keeping them wide awake throughout the night. On the 75k race, 2015 Asia Trail Master Champion Arief Wismoyono showed incredible speed reminiscent of his most successful years and at the mature age of 38 is clearly back at his best level.

After the start at Kaliandra Eco Resort at 5am, participants on the 116k immediately had to climb up Gunung Welirang with the summit above 3000m altitude. It was the surprising Hadi Mustofa who reached the summit first in 2h59’23”, followed by Yusuf Aprian and Rachmat Septiyanto. Quang Tran, Nguyen Si Hieu and Fuminoro Kondo were not far behind. Local dark horse Fauzi Imdadur unfortunately sprained his ankle and decided to quit the race after Welirang already. Also the Jakarta-based Japanese runner Kondo was compelled to slow down, having entered the race with a swollen foot already. Vietnam’s Trung Nguyen was going to play the long game, but the rain on Saturday night turned his Mahapena ascent and descent into a nightmare and he never managed to feature among the frontrunners. His countrymen Quang Tran and Nguyen Si Hieu on the other hand shifted to a higher gear on the alternative climb up Welirang and onto the highest summit of Arjuno. It’s essentially where they won the race. At the summit, they had nearly 30 minutes on Yusuf Aprian and an hour on Hadi Mustofa and Rachmat Septiyanto. Still, their victory was not yet in the bag because Bandung’s Yusuf Aprian, winner of the 75k in 2019 and the 55k in 2018, was not letting them get away any further and was matching their running pace for the next several hours. On Mahapena at night, Aprian made a brave and big effort to try and catch the Vietnamese. Quang Tran and Nguyen Si Hieu saw that while leaving the checkpoint at the summit and going back down Mahapena (it’s an out-and-back section). Their acceleration ended the hopes of Yusuf Aprian to take the victory. Just after sunrise on Sunday morning, the duo arrived back at Kaliandra Resort and crossed the finish line together. When Heru Prabowo, event director, asked them who had earned the ‘gold medal’ most, Nguyen Si Hieu insisted that Quang Tran did. Their finishing time of approx 25 hours is very impressive, yet Sabah’s Milton Amat was one-and-a-half hours quicker in 2019. Nguyen Si Hieu collects another 450 ATM Championship points to add to his 425 from Dalat in March: he is the new points leader in Vietnam. Yusuf Aprian took third place about an hour later, a great and robust run by the runner from La Sportiva Indonesia. Rachmat Septiyanto took fourth. Grandmaster and local hero Shindy Patricia was the only woman on the 116k this year, so all she had to do was finish the race to take the win and the ATM Championship points that come with it. Shindy did that in style and certainly did not hold herself back. She returned to the resort in just over 31 hours.

The 75k race essentially saw the return of Arief Wismoyono to peak form. The 2015 ATM Champion, now age 38, stormed to victory as he boomed down Welirang and Arjuno with incredible speed and skill. Nobody could or dared to follow him. Only Taofik Hidayat, also from Bandung, was able to limit the gap somewhat by checking in 30 minutes behind Wismoyono at Wenerejo before going up Mahapena. However, the leader was on a mission to make a big performance statement and was just flying on the last of the three major ascents of this race. Hidayat was able to retain his second place and steadily increase the gap to the rest of the podium candidates led by Thimo Kilberth, Nhon Trong, Pablo Diago Gonzales and Hammam Aulia. The Mahapena climb proved too much for Nhon Trong, first at Welirang summit earlier in the race. The fast Vietnamese runner had made quite a few tumbles in the descents and with his poles broken as well felt the energy was leaving his body. Halfway up Mahapena, he took a scooter back down. No extra points for the ATM ranking after his second spot in Dalat last March. Surprisingly, Mahapena was also the end station for Pablo Diago Gonzales, 3rd in 2017, 2nd in 2018. The Singapore-based Spaniard did not have an ideal preparation this season, and the 75k of Mantra turned out to be still a bridge too far. As he was struggling while coming back down from the summit to the Wenerejo checkpoint Pablo decided to DNF. Despite the strong effort of new name Hammam Aulia, Bali-based German Thimo Kilberth was quite safe and collected his second ATM third-place podium finish of the season after BTR Challenge in May. Visibly marked by his effort, Thimo was happy to strengthen his position as leader in the ATM Championship ranking in Indonesia.

The women’s 75k race was won by Siti Nairuni, who led the majority of the race. Sianti Candra and the highly experienced Novita Wulandari were keeping some pressure on, and Candra actually managed to come closer to Nairuni in the late stages of the race. Great to see two new Indonesian names on the podium.

Only 17 finishers on the 75k from 75 starters showed how tough the day had been. The finisher rate was higher on the 116k, with 23 out of 46. 2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia continued her comeback to peak form by winning the non-ATM 55k race category on Sunday.

Lots of multimedia material is available on our Instagram and Facebook channels.

Quang Tran ran his first race in Indonesia

Quang Tran and Nguyen Si Hieu stayed together and cruised to victory on the brutal 116k course

Grandmaster Shindy Patricia was the only woman on the 116k, but was not holding herself back at all

Fantastic scenery above 3000m altitude

The women’s 75k podium with Siti Nuraini in the middle

2015 ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono is clearly back in his best form since years

We are delighted to announce our latest premium partnership, as SUUNTO becomes the Official Sportswatch of the 2022 Asia Trail Master Championship series. Suunto, global leader in sports watches, dive computers and precision instruments.

Suunto GPS watches are designed and made in Finland in northern Europe with 100% renewable energy.

Inspired by the award-winning SUUNTO 9 Baro, the SUUNTO 9 Peak is designed for adventures and peak experiences, in a sleek form factor that fits seamlessly on the wrist for ultimate comfort.

Tested in the harshest conditions, the SUUNTO 9 Peak boasts up to 170 hours of GPS recording capacity in Tour mode, blood oxygen measurement, a full battery charge in one hour and built to match users’ high expectations for a sports wearable companion, training tool and adventure partner. The SUUNTO 9 Peak, the thinnest, most powerful and uncompromisingly durable watch in brand history.

The SUUNTO 9 Peak comes with all of the industry leading features the SUUNTO 9 family is known for: 80-plus sport modes like running, hiking, mountain biking, skiing and swimming, customizable screens to show the most relevant data for your exercise, an intelligent battery management system, accurate wrist-based heart rate monitoring, in-depth weather insights and expansive on-watch navigation capabilities.

Building on the success of the recently released Suunto 9 Peak, Suunto today released its sibling, the Suunto 5 Peak GPS sport watch, designed for outdoor fitness lovers looking for a light, compact, durable, and long-lasting partner to guide them towards reaching their fitness goals, but one that requires less financial investment to buy. The Suunto 5 Peak is an evolution of the older Suunto 5 model. The new watch is 41% lighter than its forbear, is sleeker due to the absence of the older model’s GPS nose, offers up to 100 hours of battery life, handy music controls on the watch, automatic, over the air software updates and features Suunto’s new design language, and a selection of easily changeable accessory straps to suit individual style.

The SUUNTO App integrates with the SUUNTO 9 and Suunto 5 Peak, enabling users to effectively plan routes with sport-specific heatmaps and popular starting points, which can be built and transferred to the watch for offline navigation. The mobile app allows user to discover new locations, create points of interest and a look back on previous adventures with personal heatmaps.

Syncing routes to your watch is quick and hassle-free. With built-in GPS and turn-by-turn navigation on your watch you are never lost and know exactly where to go. If you need to find your way back, the breadcrumb feature will quickly show you the way.

Now featuring SuuntoPlus™ and SuuntoPlus™ Guides to enhance your experience even more! Train or race with features that will provide you with invaluable information like weather insights and safe GPS coordinates, and on top you can now get personalized real-time guidance during your activity.

About SUUNTO: We stand for adventure. Pioneering exploration has been in our DNA since 1936, when Finnish orienteer Tuomas Vohlonen set out to create a more accurate compass, and subsequently invented a new method for manufacturing liquid‐filled compasses. Today SUUNTO is at the forefront of design and innovation for sports watches, dive computers and instruments used by adventurers all over the globe.

Eighty-five years from our founding, we are proud that SUUNTO products can take a beating, but are also designed with an everyday aesthetic that reflects our Nordic identity. SUUNTO’s headquarters and factory are still in Finland.

SUUNTO will be supporting a number of targeted ATM events in the busy second half of this season VII with booths and prizes, and the Top 5 in the male and female Asia Trail Master Championship in December will win a genuine SUUNTO Sports watch as well.

This weekend arguably the toughest mountain trail race of the Asia Trail Master Championship season takes place in East Java, Indonesia: it’s the 4th edition of Mantra Summits Challenge in Malang with start and finish at the Kaliandra Eco Resort. The two longest race distance categories, the 116k and 75k, are both points races with equal status for the ATM rankings, which naturally implies some of the top runners favour to start one or the other. As it happens, both retain a strong field of competitors - especially in the men’s races.

That is largely due to the important participation of six elite trail runners from Vietnam, indicating once again that the country is becoming a powerhouse on Asia’s trail scene. Leading the pack is Quang Tran, who has been the benchmark in Vietnam since the advent of competitive trail running over there. He is tackling the 116k and its gruelling 8500m of elevation gain. If you wonder just how tough and technical this 116k race is, just look at the finishing times of the 2019 edition - the last one before covid. Milton Amat won it by nearly four hours (!) over… Hisashi Kitamura in 23 hours and 23 minutes. It sounds like it is 200 km, but it is really “just” 116 kilometres.

Let’s hope for their sake that the Vietnamese runners, and the other internationals and Indonesians of course, know what awaits them. Perhaps the videos of previous race winners that we have been posting all week on our social media channels may give them some inspiration, or indeed, warning.

Former winner of the Vietnam Mountain Marathon in Sapa, Quang Tran will be flanked by his compatriots Dang Hieu Nguyen and his, perhaps, better-known brother Trung, Van Da Bui and Hieu Nguyen Si - this year already third in Dalat Ultra Trail. They will compete against some of the most reputed Indonesian trail runners such as 2019 winner on the 75K and 2018 winner on the 55k, Yusuf Aprian. His teammate at La Sportiva Indonesia, Rachmat Septiyanto finished just outside the podium three years ago and will be looking to make that up - also being more experienced running mountain ultras now. A dangerous veteran of Indonesian trails and former winner of Ijen Trail, Dzaki Wardana, proved he is in very good shape again just about three weeks ago by winning a 70k race against the likes of Thimo Kilberth and Fauzi Imdadur. The latter is also on the start list of the 116k and on this kind of highly technical entreprises for sure a podium candidate. Last but not least, what can Japanese runner Fuminori Kondo do at Mantra? Two Japanese women already won here, can Kondo be the first Japanese man to do so?

Asuka Nakajima won the women’s 116k race in 2019, the year she ended being third in the Asia Trail Master Championship. Nakajima will be succeeded by Shindy Patricia… if the local hero manages to finish, of course. Shindy is the only woman on the start list this year. Another sign of the trend that sees trail runners prefer shorter distances nowadays? In 2019 we still had Nakajima, Siokhar Lim and Surabaya’s Sri Wahyuni on a complete women’s podium. For the in-form Shindy Patricia, it is therefore just about finishing this weekend and collect not only the victory, but also the 500 ATM Championship points that will already bring her a good way forward towards being part of Team Indonesia in this year’s ATM Championship Final on 17 December.

Over to the 75k race, where we will find another Vietnamese top runner, Nhon Trong. Nhon Trong was second in Dalat Ultra Trail last March and has continued to be active since. A smart runner with regional trail experience, Nhon Trong could be the most dangerous favourite for the race victory given his fast running pace. He will be joined by his compatriot Duc Pham. They will be up against Singapore-based Spaniard Pablo Diago Gonzales, a regular at Mantra. On the podium twice but never as winner, and a DNF in 2019. Pablo Diago Gonzales plays down his chances, but he has seen the scenery of Mt Welirang and Arjuno already… It’s a brutal course, even the 75k, and when Pablo feels good they will need to pass him to win. There’s plenty of strong Indonesian runners as well. 2015 ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono is going well this season and long and high mountain climbs are his territory. Also from Bandung is Taofik Hidayat. Still relatively unknown outside Indonesia, but locally he has turned into a ‘one-to-beat’. Alan Maulana is a quick runner, always capable of a surprise. Thimo Kilberth, German but living in Bali for a long time already, has been prepping for this race and could be the dark horse. Kilberth is fast on the flat, but has improved a lot in the long mountains and … the 3000m altitude temperatures will probably please him more than most of the other podium candidates. Kilberth was third in Batur Trail Running Challenge in May already this Championship season.

Furtunately, there’s quite a few women on the start list of the 75k. There does not seem to be an outspoken favourite, but Novita Wulandari is a name of a very experienced trail runner always good for a podium. Singapore-based Malaysian Nicole Ng is another candidate. As always in trail running, maybe we will be surprised to see a new face emerging as well this weekend.

Asia Trail Master is in Malang and will be providing live race coverage as usual via our ATM social media pages on facebook and instagram in particular. The 116k race starts on Saturday morning at 5 am local time, the 75k runners are let go one hour afterwards.

Will Vietnam’s trail hero Quang Tran beat the local Indonesian armada this weekend?

Third in 2017, second in 2018, DNF in 2019. Pablo Diago Gonzales probably has a goal this season

Thimo Kilberth: highly motivated for a stellar performance this weekend

Taofik Hidayat: could this be his weekend to step out of the shadow of Arief Wismoyono in ATM?

Nhon Trong will be trying to score his first ATM race victory on the 75k this weekend

Not a crew member this year! Local hero Shindy Patricia is the only female starter on the 116k this weekend

The first Indian event on the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar opens the registration books this Friday, 1 July. Malnad Ultra welcomes runners from across the continent to run in the heartland of Indian coffee at elevations ranging from 800m to 1500m above sea level.

The 6th edition of this event, one of the country’s biggest trail events -if not the biggest -, is scheduled for the last weekend of November on the 26th and 27th. Taking place in the Western Ghats region of southern India, the routes on offer will be 100 km, 50 km and 30 km, whereby the two longest categories offer ATM Championship points.

The origin of the name Malnad is attributed to Male meaning Hill and Nadu meaning Land. So, Malnad is the land of the hills. The organisation is in the capable hands of the Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM), and further driven by a large team of enthusiastic volunteers. The races are challenging and across various types of terrain with accumulated elevation gain of approx 3400 hm for the 100 km and 1700 hm for the 50 km. In fact, it’s a 50km loop that 100k runners do twice. The courses take runners through the Mudigere area in the State of Karnataka, which has Bengaluru (previously known as Bengalore) as its capital. That big city is also the international gateway to the event. From there, busses will take runners to Attigundi, roughly 6 hours away, where the event is held. Please note Malnad Ultra is a real trail adventure and takes place in a remote area so allow for enough time to reach the final destination. International runners are recommended to email the event organisation or Asia Trail Master directly for details about transportation options to the event site. Accommodation is mostly homestays and are plentiful in the area. Detailed information about travel, accommodation and touristic options are available on the official website of Malnad Ultra now.

Alongside the three Vietnamese classics in the Asia Trail Master Championship series, we have a new points race this year that takes place in a stunning landscape as well: Mu Cang Chai Trail Ultra. The event, which will be organised for the 2nd time, is scheduled for 24 September and has a 50k as the main race category.

Mu Cang Chai is located in the Northwest of Vietnam, albeit somewhat lower than Sapa, the famous trekking and tourism town that functions as host of the Vietnam Mountain Marathon every year. This is hilly, if not mountainous, terrain and so one does need to spend some time on a motorised vehicle to reach it. Furtunately, the event organisation is having shuttle busses from Hanoi, and one package option also includes already the local homestay in Mu Cang Chai. The logistical details can be checked below and via the official event registration page.

ATM Championship contenders need to sign up for the 50k race to score points in their attempt to enter Team Vietnam for the ATM Final in December. Less ambitious runners can also opt for the 25k or 15k options. Great to see is also that the 50k main race will start at 5am, meaning participants actually get to see the breathtaking landscape of Mu Cang Chai. The precise route will be made public in due course. Registration is already open.

The rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai at their most stunning

Good news coming from Japan also after last weekend’s Echigo Country Trail: the iconic Izu Trail Journey is confirmed as a points race for the 2022 Asia Trail Master Championship series. ‘ITJ’ is scheduled for the second Sunday of December as usual, i.e. 11 December. The route takes runners across the Izu Peninsula south of Tokyo, and goes from A to B on an old pilgrimage route of 72 km in length. While many sections are runable, there’s typically over 4000 metres of elevation gain to be conquered here often in cold conditions. A few editions even had snow, making it a special race for South East Asians especially. Unforgettable are the majestic views of Mount Fuji and the Bay along the famous Nishina Pass.

The precise route of the 2022 edition will be made available in due course, and registrations are expected to open next month in the middle of July.

With Hakuba Trails still unconfirmed for this season’s ATM Championship series, Izu Trail Journey could be an important race for Japanese elites aiming to get a spot on their national country team at the ATM Final a week later.

Alessandro Sherpa and Salva Rambla had a good time in Tokyo before their dual to determine the outcome of the 2018 ATM Championship in the ITJ race

Hisashi Kitamura and Pablo Diago Gonzales had a good scrap at Izu in 2018

The Izu Peninsula is the home territory of Tomohiro Mizukoshi

2019 vice-ATM Champion Hisashi Kitamura proved to everyone last Sunday he may be better than ever this season by winning the Echigo Country Trail in Nagaoka, Niigata. It was the Kuala Lumpur-based Japanese runner’s first race victory in his native country. Kitamura had to work hard for it, however, as he was challenged by renowned ultra road running specialist Kiyotaka Imai. After 63 km in hot conditions, he was able to do his trademark karate kick into the finish, with Imai four minutes back in second place. Earlier this season, Hisashi Kitamura also crossed the finish line first at BUTM in Sabah, beating Milton Amat, but he got relegated to third place in that race due to a time penalty for missing a checkpoint and a mandatory gear item. Victory tasted sweet at Echigo, however, and the UGLOW Asia leader made no mistake about his ambition to win the 2022 Asia Trail Master Championship in December, three years after coming so close in the battle against John Ellis.

Another ATM protagonist of the pre-pandemic era made a highly remarkable comeback to trail racing: Tomohiro Mizukoshi came in third and scored the podium! A result that probably he himself had never aspired before the weekend, given over two years of hardship due to severe respiratory illness in 2020 and injuries afterwards as he was trying to get back in running shape. Echigo was his kind of trail race with its longer runable sections, and ideal to try a comeback. Tomohiro grabbed the opportunity with both hands and banked his first 425 ATM Championship points of the year.

The women’s race was won by Asami Komio, ahead of Motoko Ugajin and Mizue Ashida.

The 2022 Echigo Country Trail was held with Japanese and Japan-based runners only, still as a result of the covid 19 measures in the country. The event has been a points race in ATM since 2016 and we highly recommend it to everyone keen on having a Japanese trail experience next year.

It was Hisashi Kitamura’s first race victory in his native Japan

The Echigo Country Trail around Nagaoka in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, has been the traditional first Japanese points race in the Asia Trail Master Championship series since Season II in 2016. Several top runners have gone there for a weekend of what can best be described as sheer trail running pleasure. The race course has now been extended from 52 km to 63 km , but it remains one of the more manageable races on our ATM calendar despite the often very steep “muscle biters” inside the forests. Pre-summer heat, as is again forecast for this weekend, makes the race often harder than many expect it to be. Niigata is a region north of the well-known Japanese Alps.

The event is traditionally preceeded by a great welcoming party in the host town’s main hall, and many runners choose to stay also in a local homestay. After 2 years of cancellations due to covid, it is fantastic that the event is starting again.

Japan is still basically closed for foreign entries, so the race will see mainly Japanese and expat runners. As always in Japan - a country where people quite simply love running - we may see a surprising podium, but two ATM protagonists are determined to score a great result on Sunday: Hisashi Kitamura and the returning Tomohiro Mizukoshi. UGLOW Ace Kitamura will be entering his second ATM points race of the 2022 season after his 3rd place in BUTM (following time penalties). The Karate Kit is clearly in top shape as a recent string of excellent performances in high-level Japanese races have shown. Echigo might as well be his first ever Japanese race victory this Sunday! The ATM Championship is very much his 2022 goal, and Tomohiro Mizukoshi could become a very welcome ally in that masterplan. More experienced than Kitamura and a former race winner himself - think Plataran X Trail Bali in 2018 - Mizukoshi is coming back from serious illness and injury that plagued him throughout the covid crisis. His recent runs on training suggest that he is gradually getting back to his high level of 2018, but Echigo might still come a few months too early to compete with the younger armada.

Echigo will be an important race for Japanese elites in the context of qualifying for the ATM Championship Final in December. Given the ongoing restrictions on entering the country, races such as Hakuba Trails in September are not yet confirmed for ATM Championship points this season.

For Tomohiro Mizukoshi Echigo is a return to the ATM front after two very tough years

In-form Hisashi Kitamura is looking for a top result in Echigo this year

Tokyo-based Carole Fuchs was a protagonist in Niigata before the covid crisis

One of the most-anticipated events on the ATM calendar is now open for registration following the pandemic: Ulju Trail Nine Peaks in South Korea. Scheduled for 29/20 October, ‘UTNP’ is directed and promoted by Jsceno, known from Korea 50K, and offers an extensive programme with two race categories that provide ATM Championship ranking points. Long distance runners can look forward to a challenging 124km with over 9210 metres of elevation gain, which on paper makes this one of the toughest races on our calendar this season. Faster-paced medium distance enthusiasts can also opt for the 44km race (Ulju Trail Five Peaks), which nevertheless also has more than 3500 hm! Shorter distances are also available with ‘2 Peaks’ or ‘1 Peak’ , but these have no ATM points. People with more time on their hands and happy to stay in Ulju for some days can also choose to do the ‘9 Peaks’ in different stages (5 days, 4 nights).

It will be a tough but beautiful day in the office in the southeastern part of the country. International access is easiest via Busan, an enjoyable major city to visit in its own right. However, you could also fly to Seoul and take a train from there. The races of Ulju Trail Nine Peaks will offer you sweeping views of forested valleys and silverglass fields.

Registration for runners outside of Korea goes via an online form first, following which you will receive a payment link. Good news: enter ‘ATM’ in the field ‘affiliated organisation’ and get a 15% discount on the registration fee. Moreover, for visitors from outside Korea there are hotel options with free shuttle transportation and a free touristic tour! Practical details can be obtained via Jsceno

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

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

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

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

Ina Lydia Utari won the 42k race in great style

Thimo Kilberth had a great scrap with Arief Wismoyono

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

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

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

Real jungle trails at Bukit Lawang

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

The women’s podium at Sierra Madre

The men’s podium at Sierra Madre

The second of two new Candidate Races in the Rizal mountains east of Manila takes place this Saturday. However, the Sierra Madre Trail Ultra covers basically entirely different trails than the Santa Ines Adventure Run a month ago. Rather unique in today’s trail scene is that the event only offers one race distance category: 75 km, ultra distance no less! And it’s a challenging 75k as total elevation gain is well over 4000 hm. The winners of last month’s race are back, too.

Sherlyn Fugaban was a surprisingly strong female champion in one of her very first long distance trail races, and will be aiming to repeat that success this weekend. On the basis of her performance at Sta Ines, Fugaban could be the next Filipino female contender for this year’s Asia Trail Master Championship title, as Ces Wael is reportedly taking a sabbatical from competitive racing to focus on her advanced studies. At Sierra Madre, Fugaban wil need to watch out for the experienced Cheryll Navarro and for the 2018 vice Asia Trail Master Champion Aggy Sabanal, who is making her return to competition now as a young mother.

Elmer Retolado proved at Sta Ines that the covid pandemic did not affect him very much. The 2019 Akyathlon winner will now face the man he beat 3 years ago in the Cordillera race, Larry Apolinario. That should make for an interesting race, with also Richard Akol, Rudy Paghubasan and last-but-not-least, Al Telias, on the start list.

ATM will be on-site and reporting live from Sierra Madre Trail Ultra tomorrow.

Sherlyn Fugaban and Elmer Retolado can crown themselves as the Heroes of the Rizal this weekend

Aggy Sabanal returns to competition this weekend