The first ATM Candidate Race in Sarawak on the Malaysian side of Borneo delivered a great classic dual between Hisashi Kitamura and Milton Amat. On paper, the Jagoi Heritage Trail Run of 50km and 1250 hm looked ideal for the Japanese to assert his characteristics as a runner, but Sabah’s Milton Amat turned out not have any issues at all with the set pace and almost made his victory look easy by outgunning Kitamura in the final technical descent to the finish line. A significant psychological victory for Amat, or should we say ‘blow’ for Kitamura, in light of the upcoming Borneo TMBT Ultra 100 - one of the highlights of the ATM Championship season, and a race Kitamura has targettedr to win after a narrow defeat by the same Milton Amat in 2019.

The Jagoi 50k race was not a first edition, but the first time the competitive field was robust. The local organisers and local village community were also delighted to see some of ATM’s top stars taking part in their race - even though no points were up for grabs as it was a candidate race. It rained heavily the afternoon and evening before the race, which turned some of the trail sections muddy and more technical than previously anticipated. Ireland’s Malachy Kirwan - still relatively new at trail running - was struggling with the conditions and in the end had no answer to the pace set by Kitamura from the start. The Karate Kit was quick out of the blocks and tried to put pressure on Milton Amat straightaway. However, the Sabahan remained visibly relaxed and had no issue letting his classic trail rival go in front by 20-30 seconds. For about 20km they were joined by a third runner, in fact. Mark Steacy, also from Ireland and residing in Kuching, was the surprise of the day. Eventually Steacy had to slow down a bit, and saw Wilsen Singgin still catching him and overtaking him in that final descent for third place. Nevertheless, a great new name who will also compete at TMBT 100. Up front, Kitamura felt it coming at the last aid station before going up the longest and toughest hillclimb. Amat was still right on his tail (see video on facebook). Amat took over towards the summit and used his technical downhill superiority to win the race.

The women’s race was dominated by local hero Sally Yap and Sabah’s Mailin Salungin. Both runners stayed side-by-side all race and decided not to sprint it out for the overall win (both won their respective age groups). Afterwards, Salungin was all praise for the youngster Sally Yap, who is one of the new names in Malaysia post-covid. After winning BUTM 100, she will also try to score TMBT 100 in three weeks’ time, and in so doing secure her spot for Team Malaysia at the ATM Championship Final in Philippines on 17 December. An impressive third place in Jagoi went to Grandmaster Siokhar Lim, who was coming very close to the lead duo on the final hillclimb. 50k and 1250 hm are peanuts numbers for Siokhar, who typically excels in the long and tough mountains ultras, but yesterday she showed her general running pace has increased, too. Celeste Teo, third at MMTF 2021, also looked solid in taking fourth place yesterday.

You can replay the race of the leaders via our ATM DTA platform here: (laptop/desktop required)

On our Facebook page, you can find several videos and photos of the race, too.

There have been quite a few ATM Candidates in Malaysia already this season and this Sunday we have the next one, but it’s a rather unique one. The T8 Jagoi Heritage Run is the first trail event with an ATM logo in Sarawak. Originally scheduled for 2020, finally this event can take place roughly one hour south of Kuching. Jagoi features a 50k main race that has attracted some very strong runners from the region. Hisashi Kitamura and Milton Amat, for example, are set to race each other in what could be a great teaser for the big Borneo TMBT 100 clash in three weeks from now. Yet, Jagoi is only half that distance, and seemingly more runable than TMBT with just 1250 hm. Kitamura may thus have an advantage on paper this weekend, but for both ATM stars it is likely to be just a psychological game this weekend. And when two dogs fight for one bone, a third may run away with it. WIlsen Singgin is also at the starting line on Sunday, and also Singapore-based Irishman Malachy Kirwan. For ultra distance specialist Singgin the Jagoi 50 might be a bit too short to assert himself, but for Kirwan this distance and elevation chart looks ideal. Coming from road running, Kirwan suffered a knock of the hammer at the BTR Challenge in Bali to finish fourth, but he will have learnt from that experience and might as well put his name firmly in trail runners’ minds this weekend.

Also the women’s 50k will be an interesting one to follow. Home runner Sally Yap is present, and so are Mailin Salungin, Siokhar Lim, Laslin Sarawi and Celeste Teo - to name a few.

ATM will be covering the race live from Sarawak on our usual channels, and also via our live tracking platform.

Home favourite Sally Yap, number 1 in ATM Malaysia Ranking, will be keen to deliver a good run this Sunday

Three years after the first edition of ‘Kiss the Rain’ - the nickname of the Ultra Trail Chiang Mai event - runners are again gathering at the Ban Noen Wittaya school, a couple of hours outside Chiang Mai City this weekend. Despite the predicted rainfall - it’s wet season - a lot of trail runners are attracted by the conditions and will toe the line in one of six race categories. Two of those matter for the ATM Championship points and the Grandmaster Quest. Competitive runners are aiming for the 104km and 65km races, GM chasers need to focus on the new 100 miles and the 104km. A lot of categories of course means the competitive field is spread out. It is great to see that the 2019 race winner of the 104km, Japan’s Yuta Matsuyama, is returning to Thailand to try and repeat his victory. He is joined by his partner Yuuka Maeno, who could be a podium candidate herself in the women’s race. She will have some stern competition from Malaysia’s Siokhar Lim and UTKC 100 winner Chonlada Kappiyanond. The former only three weeks ago completed the brutal Transnaning Adventure Challenge, but we know Siokhar Lim is able to digest a lot of mileage and elevation in a short timeframe. Moreover, she took part in UTCM already three years ago. Kappiyanond is one of the new names in Thailand, and with another strong race result could already secure her spot in Team Thailand for the ATM Championship Final on 17 December at Mt Apo in Philippines. Another woman who can boost her chances of entering her country’s team for that ATM Final, is Malaysia’s Halimatun Saadiah. With two third places this season already, she is aiming for at least the same in the 65km race this weekend. As usual in Thailand with such a huge population of trail runners, we will be getting to know many new names, too.

2019 Race Winner Yuta Matsuyama likes to mix the wet with the dry. This year he ran EcoTrail AlUla in Saudi

Singapore’s Deric Lau has a great and consistent run at Cultra last month with a 5th place as a result

Malaysia’s Siokhar Lim will be one of the favourites in the women’s race against Bangkok’s Chonlada Kappiyanond

On the 65k, Halimatun Saadiah continues her impressive first ATM season

We are happy to announce Gold Rush Trail Challenge in Philippines as a new ATM Candidate race event on 17/18 September. The event, organised by Oarokya ni Basti Happy Feet Ultra Trail Runners, will mainly be held on a 15 km loop with 926 hm in Sibutad, Zamboanga del Norte. That is a province in the southern Philippines situated within the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. The longest race category will be 5 loops or just over 80km and 5000 hm. No walk in the park in other words. Less ambitious runners can also opt for 42k, 21k and 15k options at the event. The main loop is very scenic and reaches a ridge with a great vista over the region. Registration is already open and has been extended so last-minute deciders still can join the races.

A smart run by Dedy Yusuf landed him a first ATM race victory in the inaugural Jember Hills Classic in East Java, Indonesia, yesterday afternoon. Starting from the Rembangan Hills outside the city, the 70k trail race was controlled by three runners who stayed together from the second aid station onwards: Yusuf, Akhmad Nizar and Thimo Kilberth. In the final couple of kilometres, Yusuf - who had been saving energy throughout the day - had too much speed left on the road towards the centre of university city Jember. An impressive win by the 36-year-old from nearby Lumajang, especially given the two guys next to him on the podium. Nizar was second and Kilberth third - for the third consecutive time in an ATM points race this season. He is practically assured of a place in Team Indonesia for the ATM Final in December. Kilberth has been living in Bali for over ten years.

Jember Hills Classic offered a varied and green course with nine bukits or hills as guideline. The vistas on some of these summits were impressive given the clear weather, which of course also resulted in elevated temperatures after 10 am. Adrian Tuankotta, I Dewa Geda Astawa, Hadi Mustofa and Fuminori Kondo were chasing the lead trio most of the day, but in particular Tuankotta and Kondo suffered as they went off course after 18km for some time. Tuankotta and Kondo recovered strongly and finished fourth and fifth. The same occurred to Shindy Patricia in the women’s race, which placed Indah Wardhani, Rhea Batac, Mila Marlina and Trisha Yuen ahead of her on the way to AS 3. Shindy recovered, however, and was able to distance the other women again on the way to her second ATM race victory of the season. After the finish, Shindy did admit it was time for a bit of rest after a very busy race schedule in the past couple of months. She is basically already guaranteed for her place in Team Indonesia for the ATM Championship Final on 17 December, and Mount Apo in Philippines is exactly the kind of mountain that Shindy likes…. Rhea Batac secured a great second place, equalling her best ever race result on the ATM circuit (2nd in V Trail in Laos in 2019). That’s a rather unexpected big points haul for her Team Pilipinas ambitions for the same ATM Final in December. Third place went to Bali’s Indah Wardhani and fourth to Trisha Yuen, also a very busy trail bee of late and her best race result on the ATM circuit.

Jember Hills offers some amazing vistas along the varied course around the university city

Nice getting to know you: ‘clever’ Dedy Yusuf wins the inaugural Jember Hills Classic

Shindy just keeps on going: busy bee scored her 2nd ATM points race victory of the season beside all the local candidate races

Talented Akhmad Nizar opened his 2022 account with a 2nd place after his misfortune at Mantra Summits

Thimo Kilberth was happy to have scored his third consecutive third place in an ATM points race

Rhea Batac scored a great 2nd place and does a wonderful job for her ATM Championship ranking in Philippines

This Sunday we have the third and potentially last Indonesian points race of the 2022 ATM season in East Java. The Jember Hills Classic is new on the trail calendar and is produced by the crew of Ijen Trail, an event that is unlikely to take place this year as the region is still recovering from the covid crisis. Jember Hills is part of a bigger running festival that also features a road marathon, half marathon and 10k fun run. The trail race is 70km in length , has 9 bukits or hills for a total elevation gain of just over 3000 hm.

With the high likelihood of Ijen Trail’s cancellation, and Tahura Trail not being scheduled for this year at all, there may indeed be only three ATM Championship points races in Indonesia this season. A good occasion therefore for the Indonesian runners to boost their ATM points total with a view to qualification for the ATM Championship Final in Davao on 17 December. One runner who has his eyes firmly set on just that is Bali-based Thimo Kilberth. A busy runner with lots of races under his belt, but one who plans and prepares his targets carefully. Kilberth will be one of the men to watch this Sunday, alongside Nizar. In the women’s, we may be looking at the first ATM dual in a long time between in-form Shindy Patricia and 2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia, who has returned to high level trail racing. Shindy can do a good job for her ATM Final qualification this weekend, and as a former champion Ruth just needs to secure two ATM race finishes this season.

After a difficult period during the covid crisis, Ruth Theresia has returned to competitive level this summer

It was almost a repeat of the 2019 men’s race at The Punisher on Babak Samal island, just off the coast of Davao City. Hisashi Kitamura and Arnie Macaneras finished one and two again last weekend, and Godwin Mirar was third, whereas three years ago he was fourth. While that may sound a tat bit boring, the race certainly was not. Local hero and man-with-a-mission, Arnie Macaneras pushed Kitamura a lot in the nighttime hours after the start at midnight. However, as in Cameron Ultra a month ago, Kitamura is not only running with his legs this year, but also with a truckload of racing experience and a very healthy mindset. At around halfway the 80k race, the Japanese UGLOW runner shifted to a higher gear and managed to open up a gap. At the finish, his race time was just 3 minutes slower than in 2019, even though Kitamura said he felt a bit tired and struggled with some pain in his knee and foot. Nevertheless, it’s victory number 3 this ATM season and Hisashi Kitamura is assured of a spot in Team Japan for the 2022 Asia Trail Master Championship Final on Mount Apo in Philippines on 17 December. Macaneras opened his ATM account this season with a second place, after DNFing at MUSPO three weeks ago. Same for Godwin Mirar, still only 22, in his first ATM race this season. Yojo Sacayle took fourth and Sean Aying fifth. Former winner of the Punisher Rexell Aguirre claimed sixth place.

In the women’s race we saw the first ever victory of Julie Ann Morales. The 30-year-old from Tagum took her first ATM podium at MUSPO three weeks ago, finishing a few minutes behind Ces Wael in her first 100km race. Last weekend, she finished 26 minutes ahead of the same Ces Wael! Both of them and Emily Raga battled for victory throughout the race, but Morales again seemed to have most juice left at the end. If she keeps improving at this rate, could Morales be the dark horse in December’s ATM Final?

Julie Ann Morales scored her first ever ATM race win after a 3rd place at MUSPO three weeks ago

Another second place for Ces Wael

Godwin MIrar, still very young, completed the men’s podium

Three weeks after MUSPO Ultra, we are back in the Philippines, and even back in Mindanao, for the next ATM Championship points race of Season VII. The Punisher on Babak Samal Island, just off the coast from Davao City, has become a bit of a classic entry on our calendar, and one which especially attracts people with a good running pace in their legs. Despite what the event name might suggest, The Punisher is arguably not the toughest race, especially when it’s dry weather. This makes it appealing for some to give an ultra distance of 50 miles or 80km a go for the first time. Also, The Punisher is incredibly varied in terms of running terrain, between sandy beaches, grassy fields, hills with superb vistas and some tough single jungle trails to spice things up a notch. Back in 2019, the last time the event was held before the covid crisis, it turned out to be the perfect race course for Hisashi Kitamura, who kept his ATM Championship bid alive by beating John Ellis and the surprising local newcomer Arnie Macaneras in very convincing style. No wonder Kitamura returns this year to The Punisher, and this time to basically secure his spot on Team Japan for the ATM Championship on 17 December - the Mount Apo Sky Race. For the Karate Kit, this weekend will already be his fourth ATM race of the season (2 wins, 1x 3rd place) so on this year’s ‘best-four-count’ system it’s unlikely any other Japanese runner will bump him off the team.

Can Kitamura win The Punisher for the second time, too? It is certainly possible, and his main rival is likely again to be Arnie Macaneras. The Davao running star had an unfortunate DNF at MUSPO after co-leading the race for a long time. Macaneras ATM counter therefore still reads 0 points, and with many Filipinos eager to get qualified for their national team in December, he needs to collect big this weekend to avoid unnecessary stress in the coming months. Another top runner from the Mindanao area, Godwin Mirar, also needs to open his 2022 account still. Mirar was a shocking 4th in this race in 2019 - aged only 19. Now he has more racing experience and maturity, could he be capable of an upset on Saturday?

More podium candidates on paper are Sean Aying, lest we forget 2nd at MUSPO 100, Ronie Torlao and former winner Rexell Aguirre. And why not our LBRY Sports & ATM reporter Richard Akol? Always fast on runable terrain.

On the women’s side, eyes will again be fixated on Cecile Wael as the woman-to-beat for the race victory. Aggy Sabanal had the better of her three weeks ago, but at present she does not feature on the start list. Julie Ann Morales, however, does. She was 3rd in her first 100k at MUSPO, and only a few minutes behind Wael. Another victory candidate is Emily Raga, Filipino but based in Singapore. Raga scored 8th at Cameron Ultra but did a very long road ultra afterwards, too. Has she recovered enough to compete with Wael and Morales?

Stay tuned for updates from Babak Samal Island starting on Friday. The race flag off is at midnight.

The race winners in 2019: Jcy Ho (Hong Kong) and Hisashi Kitamura (Japan)

The event is not always as ‘punishing’ as its name might suggest

As previously announced, the V Trail in Laos is returning to the ATM Championship event calendar on 12/13 November. Registration for the event in Vang Vieng is now open as well. On the programme are the traditional race categories, of which the 85k is the targeted event for the points seekers.

This was the inaugural event in the country back in 2018 and quickly established itself as one of the more adventurous and technical races on the ATM circuit. While the 30K and shorter distance categories offer a great introduction to Southeast Asian trail running, the 85K main race is one to prepare yourself for - physically and mentally. You get to the event in Vang Vieng, a tourism hotspot, via the national capital Vientiane.

Organised by Green Step, a company with a lot of ambition in Laos, the V Trail relaunch post-pandemic is wonderful news for the Lao trail running community, which practically had just been building itself up when covid hit.

We are happy to announce Kokol Ultra as the next ATM Candidate Race in Sabah, Malaysia, on 15 October 2022. Kokol Ultra is an inaugural event starting from Kokol Haven and featuring a delightful course to run, with several stunning viewpoints including Kampung Lawa Mandau, Kampung Kebayau, Kampung Natai , Kampung Poring Poring & Kampung Kokol. The longest race category is 50km, making this event a great opportunity for faster legs to showcase themselves, while ultra specialists can run it as warm-up for their next ultra long race. There’s also 30K and 10K options for the less ambitious. Kokol Ultra 50k will be flagged off at 6 am.

Elevation gain is over 2200hm, which is not extreme but the toughest part of the race is the second half, so it will be crucial to manage your efforts well in the beginning. The course map and elevation profile is below.

The Ibis Styles Hotel in Kota Kinabalu serves as an event hotel, from where shuttle busses will take runners to Kokol Haven. It is also possible to stay overnight in Kokol Haven.

The event is organised by Expertise Event Management.

Last weekend two ATM Candidate Races took place in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Malaysian Transnaning Ultra Challenge, directed by 2017 ATM Champion Steven Ong, turned out to be an extremely tough effort for even the most experienced and toughened ultra trail runners. That was expected, too, of course, and it was no real surprise that the two winners of the “Legend” five-loop race - 100 miles+ with almost 12000 hm - were Wilsen Singgin and Siokhar Lim. Singgin already had credentials for this type of challenge, having won the Ultimate 230 of Ultra Trail Chiang Rai in 2019. Siokhar Lim was 5th in the ATM Championship and is a Grandmaster who showed numerous times already that she will be there up front when things get really tough. The cut-off time of the Legend Race was 60 hours. Wilsen needed just under 50, and was over four hours ahead of Chin Han Keong and six-and-a-half ahead of Oh Jin Heng. Siokhar Lim timed her effort so as to finish within the cut off in 59 hours and 37 minutes. The other two finishers were Maihazan Nurafendy and Yuen Loong Ho. Milton Amat won the 4-loop race, Ahmad Tanjong the 3-loops, Mohammad Syahmim Nazmy the 2-loops together with Seiji Morofuji and Wai Kit Wong was quickest on the single loop. Sanisah Bujang was fastest female over 34km, Ellie Pang Hui Yi over 2 loops, Leumathong Siriporn over 3.

Over in Bali, many of the top runners were present around Mt Batur in Kintamani for the Candidate Race Bali Ultra Trail, which had been planned since 2019 but never happened until last weekend due to the corona crisis. On the programme 80k and 50k as the main race categories, with also a surprisingly competitive 25k and 10k. Overall, BUT also proved to be tougher than expected, with more technicality than the BTR Challenge last May.

The 80K race was won by “good old” 2015 ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono, who once again proved to be back at his best level. Initially, he was dropped by Lombok’s Abdul Salem and Sulawesi’s Rachmat. Two very fast runners who have made name for themselves on the domestic Indonesian scene. Wismoyono knew, however, that his favourite terrain - Mt Batur - would come at the end and he was able to stay within ten minutes of the lead duo. Rachmat Septiyanto once again had to settle for a fourth place just off the podium, as he was ‘best of the rest’. Wismoyono actually still made it look easy in the last part of the race and finished with an ample bonus of 45 minutes over Salem and 1h15’ over Rachmat. With this kind of form, Wismoyono will be top contender to regain the Asia Trail Master Champion’s title on Mount Apo in Philippines on 17 December.

On the 50k we also had a very strong quartet competing for the podium. Initially they were even five, but Alan Maulana oncemore suffered from stomach cramps and pulled out over halfway distance. Up front, the twin brothers Sobari and Sobiri battled with their fellow-Bandung runner Taofik Hidayat and Riyadi Slamet. The latter was quickest before the first climb, Mt Abang. Later, Sobari looked like the strongest of them all, having opened up a gap of over 15 minutes to Hidayat with just 5k to go. But Sobari suffered from a heatstroke and dehydration on a sunny hot day in Kintamani and struggled his way to Resto Apung and the finish. He made it by only two minutes. Hidayat second, Sobiri third and Riyadi fourth.

Shindy Patricia added another victory to her ever-growing collection in the women’s 50k race. At the first aid station it looked like she could get some serious competition from Singapore’s Hu Xiaoqin, but this year Shindy has been performing really well in the mountains and in the end she was able to cruise home. Hu Xiaoqin took second. Thimo Kilberth took a nice and sold win on the 25K, which also included a double ascent of Batur. Kilberth chose to run the shorter 25k in preparation for Jember Hills Classic in a fortnight, a race where he could already secure himself a place in Team Indonesia for the ATM Championship Final in December.

Sabah’s Wilsen Singgin showed his remarkable endurance talent again at Transnaning Ultra Challenge

Shindy Patricia runs a lot, but also keeps on winning on the domestic Indonesian scene

Sobari Herdiana won the 50k race in Bali

Arief Wismoyono was again unstoppable and won the 80k very convincingly

Taofik Hidayat came close to Sobari Herdiana, but settled for 2nd place

Hu Xiaoqin, yet another Chinese SIngaporean coming to the fore in the women’s races recently

We are happy to announce Perak Ultra in the famous Lenggong Valley as the next official ATM Candidate Race in Malaysia on the weekend of 3/4 September. This will be the first ever Ultra event in Lenggong Valley, known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for past 10 years, and also as National Geo Park Site. The trail routes will go through magnificient places such as caves, durian orchards, deer farm, the Raban Lake and many more. Organised by the Comrades, who also bring you a.o. The Great Malaya Trail, Perak Ultra will offer several race categories. Flagship category is the 100K, which will have minimum 70% of offroad - the requirement to join ATM. There’s also 50k, 30k and 20k races but note these have at least 50% of road in them.

Registrations as usual go via Checkpoint Spot: https://checkpointspot.asia/event/perak-ultra . The race pack collection will be here: Dewan Tasik Raban Resort, Lenggong, Perak

 

The Longgeng Valley (photo from Perak Ultra facebook)