The 6th edition of Mantra 116 (previously known as Mantra Summits Challenge) in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, was arguably its best so far. A wonderful high mountain trail festival with very competitive races, a considerably upgraded safety protocol and superb support from the community. It was very foggy on the summits this edition, but that also made the temperatures quite cool and comfortable for the runners. Despite 500hm less elevation gain this year, Mantra remains one of the toughest and more extreme trail races on our ATM Championship calendar, and yet there were only smiling faces at the Kaliandra Eco Resort.

Most of the current Indonesian trail stars proved to be inspired as well this year to take on Mantra. The 116km and 65k race categories were points races for the ATM Championship ranking in a season that has the Final in Indonesia, and not even so far from Malang: Siksorogo Lawu Ultra in Karanganywar, featuring another 3000m+ mountain climb, Gunung Lawu. The 65 km race at Mantra with Gunung Welirang and the extension to Arjuno in particular is therefore a good indication, albeit 13 km shorter and more technical than the ATM championship decider on 2/3 December.

Risqi Kurniawan was the impressive winner of the 65km race on Saturday, after a great competition with fellow youngsters Akmad Nizar and the surprising Hilman Maulana. Also Bali-based Egyptian Ahmed Bedair and Sobiro Haerudin played along with the top three guys on the ascent of Welirang. The Malaysians, such as Amir Zaki, Amierul Amin and a very strong Ahmad Tanjong did the same. After Arjuno summit, Kurniawan, Nizar and Maulana pushed the throttle even more and it became clear they would contest the podium. Nizar twisted his ankle in the descent and the pain began to bother him more and more. Kurniawan opened the gap and arrived solo at the finish. A first ATM race victory on his debut! Kurniawan is from Magelang in Central Java, and one could argue the upcoming ATM Final takes place in his home area. He will need another ATM race first to have a chance to be qualified for Team Indonesia, though. The same applies for Hilman Maulana, who took second, and Akmad Nizar, who limped into the finish. In two weeks there is Dieng Trail Run 50km, the next points race in Indonesia.

Fourth place went to Ahmed Bedair, who stayed ahead of Amir Zaki, both fell victim to a confused marshal who sent them onto the wrong trail after the descent of Arjuno. Zaki lost a lot of time, but showed his mental resilience by fighting his way back up the leaderboard to fifth place.

The women’s 65km was won for the second consecutive season by Jakarta’s Siti Nuraini. In the lead from the start, she nevertheless could not take it easy as the surprisingly solid Yustina Setyowati kept the pressure on.

On the 116k , Indonesia’s long-time stars Arief Wismoyono and Shindy Patricia took top honours with convincing performances. Wismoyono made the different once again in the descent of Arjuno, having run up the mountain in the company of Fuminori Kondo, Nhon Trong and Rachmat Septiyanto. Kondo sprained his ankle badly and immediately called it a day. Nhon Trong and Septiyanto were trying to keep the gap to Wismoyono small, but towards the end of the race - at night time already - they had to acknowledge the 2015 ATM Champion and 2017 vice-champion was just too fast. Vietnam’s Nhon Trong even had a bit of a scare on the last hillclimb of the day: altitude sickness. With less than 15km to go , he tumbled from third to seventh on the leaderboard. Septiyanto came in second with a big smile: previously he had come in fourth in 2019 and 2022. Finally a podium for the event organiser of our ATM Championship Final, Siksorogo Lawu Ultra. Philippines’ Sean Aying put the cherry on the cake of his great race: third place on the podium.

Shindy Patricia has been around for so many years now, and yet she seems to be running stronger than ever in 2023. Her fourth place last December in the ATM Final, including the fastest summit attack time of all women on Mt Apo, was with hindsight already an indication of her new-found competitive form. Shindy has always been a podium and race win contender, but her overall performance level just seems to have gone up a notch. Best example: her winning time yesterday was almost 5 hours faster than what she did a year ago at Mantra. Five hours, that’s not because there was 500 hm less elevation this year! Indeed, even though a dozen women took the start of the 116k - a record - Shindy was in a league of her own from the get-go. She was even able to keep up with the men for a large part of the Welirang ascent. Ultimately, Shindy finished third overall behind Septiyanto but ahead of Sean Aying and the rest. Her local community in Malang even sounds impressed by her accomplishments this season. It’s her second ATM race win in 2023 following Cuc Phuong in Vietnam in April. With this kind of form, Shindy Patricia will rank among the top favourites for the ATM title win at Siksorogo!

Applause for the three other female runners who completed Mantra 116. Fitta Emike Sari, Nia Swastika and Sianti Candra.

On our ATM social media channels you can find loads of videos and photos taken during the weekend.

Local star Shindy Patricia wins twice in a row but this year with a time nearly 5 hours faster !

Siti Nuraini also won for the second consecutive year on the medium distance at Mantra

Risqi Kurniawan finally appeared on the ATM scene and with great style: victory on the 65km

Akmad Nizar and Hilman Maulana: two more youngsters taking the podium on the 65km

At last on the Mantra podium: after 2 times 4th in previous years, Rachmat Septiyanto is second on the 116km

Davao’s Sean Aying scored a superb 3rd place on the 116k, second time a Mindanao runner grabs podium in Mantra after Elias Tabac won it in 2018.

It’s Mantra time again! The high-altitude classic in Malang, East Java, Indonesia is celebrating its fifth edition this weekend with two points races for the ATM Championship - 116km and 65km - and quite a number of big names on the start lists. Arief Wismoyono, still the Indonesian mountain runner to beat, is arguably the top favourite on the 116km, especially after his fantastic display on the 75k last year. Wismoyono will need to deal with some very solid international competitors, however. Vietnam’s Nhon Trong returns to Mantra after his DNF last year. It was a defeat that bothered him, and already early in the season he announced he would try it again and try to follow into the footsteps of his compatriots Quang Tran and Nguyen Si Hieu, who dominated the 116km race a year ago. Nhon used to be a speedster, but has been focusing more and more on the ultra distances, recently. Another Indonesian ace has been 4th on the 116km already twice. Rachmat Septiyanto, La Sportiva ambassador and driving force behind this year’s ATM Championship Final Siksorogo Lawu Ultra. Can Septiyanto get on the podium this year? Other podium contenders are Japan’s Fuminori Kondo, Philippines’ Sean Aying, Malaysia’s Rasyid Salehuddin and Hafizan Lamin, and Vietnam’s Thang Hoang Huu.

Local Malang resident Shindy Patricia will again line up for her home race as well. Patricia won the 116km as only female finisher last year. Now there’s more women giving it a try on the redesigned course, which has become easier on paper after the initial climbs up Gunung Welirang and Arjuno at an altitude of over 3000m. The Mahapena ascent and descent have been taken out of the course following runners’ feedback. Shindy will need to focus to win again as Jakarta’s Sianti Candra was second on the 75km last year and has been rising through the Indonesian ultra running ranks. ATM Overall Points Leader Roan Biguasen is also present again for already her fifth ATM race of the season. Three second places so far, can she claim that first victory this weekend? Septiana Nia Swastika is another strong and experienced Indonesian who can score her maiden win in our series. Tamae Harada can also never be underestimated, and who knows Halimatun Sa’adiah finds her great form from last year back.

Grandmasters Rhea Batac and Yvette Chong are also on the start list.

On the 65km medium distance, we keep our eyes on the performance of Central Javanese up-and-comer Risqi Kurniawan in his ATM debut. One of those Indonesian young talents who have been a bit shy in leaving their comfort zone. Will Mantra 65 be his launchpad to regional fame? There’s quite some challengers for the race victory, including Malaysia’s Mohamed Affindi, who has already won twice in Indonesia in his ATM career. In-form Amir Zaki is running, and so is Amierul Amin, Ahmad Tanjong and Husnan Huzin from Malaysia. There’s another Indonesian youngster, Akmad Nizar, who was third in Jember Hills 70k last season. There’s nearly 200 names on the start list so we are bound to discover some new people as well.

The women’s 65km features last year’s winner Siti Nuraini as the one-to-beat. The battle for the podium is also likely to include La Sportiva’s Norlela Ismail, ATM Finalist for Malaysia last year and Dian Pradina from Bali.

ATM will provide live race coverage on our usual channels starting this afternoon at the race pack collection in the Kaliandra Eco Resort in Malang, and later at night for the start of the 116k and 65k. Mantra 116 takes place in a remote mountain area with little mobile connectivty, but all 116k runners and elite 65k runners will carry our GPS trackers from DTA, so everyone can follow his favourite runner throughout the race.

Arief Wismoyono was flying on the 75km last year. Now he is tackling the 116km longest category

Shindy Patricia was the only 116k finisher a year ago. Now she will have more competitors

Sianti Candra was 2nd on the 75km last year. What can she do on the 116km?

Rachmat Septiyanto has been 4th twice at Mantra 116. Finally a podium this weekend?

One of the great newcomers on the ATM scene last year was Dark 45 in Hong Kong’s New Territories. A nighttime race on the famous Maclehose Trail between Shui Long Wo and Tsuen Kam Au Rotary Park, one of the most popular sections of that long trail. A year ago it was the first bigger event in Hong Kong that was permitted to take place following the covid period. Now it will be organised by a new team, however. The Peak Hunter is a local trail community and charity foundation founded by Hong Kong trail ace Wong Ho Chun, and also including rising trail star AND cancer survivor Angie Yan. Rendez-vous at midnight on Sunday, 1 October.

For Hong Kong trail runners, Dark 45 is the second ATM points race of the 2023 season after Lantau 70 in March. No 9 Dragons yet this season, so for Hong Kongers these two are the only options to score points at home and get potentially qualified for the ATM Championship Final in Indonesia on 2/3 December (minimum two Top 25 race finishes). For non-Hong Kongers, this is a 45k with quite a bit of spice in it as the 2800 hm of elevation gain indicates.

Jeff Campbell was the fastest runner in Dark 45 last season. It was a race that saw the emergence of David Longo as a serious podium contender in any race, and also the renaissance of injury-plagued and then-still reigning ATM Champion John Ellis. Meg Sterling took the women’s victory after a nice battle with Natalie Webster.

Details can be consulted via the Peak Hunter’s Instagram and facebook pages. Registration opens shortly.

The tough 100 miles race at the Deep Japan Ultra event in Niigata last weekend was won by one of the country’s long-standing trail star Takashi Doi. He was an hour and a half quicker than Saguchi Tatsuya and Taro Ueda. India’s ATM Grandmaster Shashwat Rao took 7th place. The women’s 100 miles went to Hiroko Suzuki, who finished over 3 hours ahead of Rieko Seki. Kaori Asahara claimed the final step on the podium.

The 80km race developed into a nice battle between Satoru Geya and Kazufumi Ose - winner of the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong in 2018. Geya took it in 9h10 minutes, nine minutes ahead. Yosuke Abe was third in 10h21. Tomohiro Mizukoshi was a solid 6th in 11h52. The women’s 80km race saw the victory of Miki Saito in 13h24. Yumiko Ooishi was second 20 minutes later. Chikako Inoue completed the podium.

News from the event came through very late, hence the delay in reporting.

The Trail of Man night race in Chiang Mai City delivered some outstanding performances by runners new to the Asia Trail Master Championship series. Victory in both the men’s and women’s 54km points race went to locals: Thosaeng Kunno and Nisachon Morgan (picture left). Especially Kunno had to battle hard for it as he was under consistent pressure from Vietnam’s youngster Tran Van Nghia, France’s Chris Devoize and Hong Kong’s Luis Alvelais. Kunno finished in 7:28, just four mnutes ahead of Tran Van Nghia from Run For Life , who is now the second youngest ATM race podium finisher at the age of 22 , after Filipino Godwin Mirar, who took 3rd at The Punisher last year at the age of 21. Nghĩa Trần is a member of Run For Life club in Ho Chi Minh City and hails originally from Dalat. This was his first ATM points race, as it was for Kunno. Devoize placed 4th in April’s Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths, just behind Luis Alvelais. In Chiang Mai they switched positions. Both in any case did a fine job to boost their chances to get into the ATM Championship Final in December. Julien Petit from France was fifth. He scored two third places at VMM 70 back in 2017 and 2018 and is now returning to the front, apparently.

The race was more technical than most expected, but runners gave the thumbs up for the course and overall organisation. Some argued it would be better to race in daylight so you can actually witness and enjoy the scenery.

Nisachon Morgan won in 9h 11 and was 7th overall. She was out on her own and had wide margin over the other women. Roan Biguasen came second, for the third time this season in an ATM points race. The Filipino, based in Malaysia, is basically guaranteed already of her spot in Team Pilipinas for the ATM Championship Final with those results. Biguasen has been active all season, running well and selecting the races as to the best of her own ability. She also takes over as overall women’s points leader in the ATM rankings from her compatriot Irish Glorioso, who also already has four results in the bag this season. In the second semester of the year, they both can focus on trying to eliminate their worst result as only a runner’s best four results count in the ATM ranking. Third place in Chiang Mai went to Nachpraewa Srichokhtam ahead of Singapore’s Poh Suan Puah.

On Saturday night, the first Thai points race of the 2023 ATM Championship season will take place in Chiang Mai City. Trail of Man is a 55km race catering for medium distance specialists who don’t mind running at nighttime. Most of the course will be on the trails used in last year’s world championship event. With start and finish very near to the city centre of Chiang Mai, it makes for a great weekend trip to northern Thailand.

With the sudden forced cancellation of UTKC in January, it’s indeed taken nearly six months before Thai runners get a chance to open their ATM 2023 points accounts. Luckily, after Trail of Man there’s also still Akha Trail early August and the classic Ultra Trail Chiang Rai in October. Nevertheless, several Thailanders are already on the points board. For example, Jay Jantaraboon won Korea 50k, and Narin Kongsiri won the V Trail 55km in Laos. Kongsiri fearures on this weekend’s start list, too, and ranks among the several podium candidates. So does his countryman Amorn Kimnguan. But there’s quite a number of international runners who will be challenging them. Ho Chi Minh City-based Frenchman Gaetan Morizur is on the start list. Having won several races in Vietnam since covid, Morizur took a break from trail running after VJM last season as he became a father. Let’s see if he is already back in shape to fight for a victory in Chiang Mai. Hong Kong-based Jose Luis Alvelais will be starting his 4th ATM race of the season and a win would put him on top of the men’s overall ranking. In any case, Alvelais is making it clear he wants to be part of Team Hong Kong at the end of the year in the ATM Final in Indonesia. Firmeza Washington and Chris Devoize are also contenders, having already scored a top placing in earlier ATM races this season. From Vietnam, the young Tran Van Nghia is one to watch out for.

In the women’s race, KL-based Filipino Roan Biguasen, already twice on the podium this year, is also competing for the fourth time and could reclaim the overall ATM points lead at the expense of her compatriot Irish Glorioso.

Gaetan Morizur was strong winner of Dalat Ultra Trail in 2022

Roan Biguasen will be starting her 4th ATM points race of the season and may claim the overall top spot in the women’s ranking again

Jose Luis Alvelais will be competing already for the 4th time in ATM this season

Fans of remote ultra mountain trails will keep a close eye out on Deep Japan Ultra 100 in Niigata as of Friday morning. 100 miles or 80 km ATM points races through and around the Mt Asakusa Park with serious elevation gain (approx 10,000 hm for the 100 miles) and even still snowy sections. This is a miler that will challenge everyone, the brainchild of reputed Japanese trail runner Hiroaki Matsunaga, original founder of Echigo Country Trail (which this year took place with only short distance race categories following heavy flooding last autumn).

The start list shows many ‘big’ Japanese names and also global elite runner Gediminas Grinius from Lithuania, who is becoming an annual visitor to Asian trail races. Grinius logically starts as the race favourite on the 80 km course, even though he will have to deal with strong contenders such as Kazufumi Ose. Also Tomohiro Mizukoshi, well-known contender in all kinds of ATM races since many years, has appeared at ease with the terrain in Niigata, courtesy of his third place in Echigo last year.

A lot of runners are going to give the 100 miles a try in this event. Takashi Doi is one of the big names here. Kei Kukushima and Sota Agawa are other well-known competitors, as is Indian mountain ultra specialist and ATM Grandmaster Shashwat Rao - always a dangerman when he is on his day. Last November, for example, Shashwat won the 100k of Malnad Ultra in 12 hours without any proper sleep the night before.

As everybody knows there’s a lot of fast and strong runners in Japan so we are highly likely going to get to know several new names as well. Some known ATM competitors in the start list are Grandmaster John Eruel Oquino and Mary Ann Leovis from the Philippines and Cao Wei from Singapore.

Amir Zaki was arguably the biggest name on the start list of Janda Baik Ultra, in the last-minute absence of Chris Timms, and the recent winner of The Borneo 100 Miler in Sabah showed again he has had a fantastic first semester in 2023 by grabbing another victory on his beloved 50km distance. He had to work for it - not surprisingly so short after a tough miler - but in the end Zaki managed to open up a gap of 20 minutes over Akmal Mansur and Malaysia-based Japanese runner Atsushi Ito. Zaki found it amusing he finished just five seconds above the 6 hour mark. In the women’s 50km we had ultra specialist and Grandmaster Siokhar Lim, back from the world championships in Europe, but it was Singapore-based Japanese Hanayo Brighton who took the race victory at Janda Baik. Brighton arrived 10th overall and eight minutes earlier at the finish than Lim, who for sure still had to cope with some jet lag. Third place went to Vivian Shin Yiing Tong, who stayed just ahead of Jenny Holloway.

JBU also offered a 100km option, and that race saw a tight battle between Mohamad Syahmim Nazmy and Maihazan Nurafendy. For quite some time it looked like Nazmy would take it, but he developed an injury in the final descent of Gunung Nuang and had to slow down. Nurafendy had kept something in reserve for late in the race, and overtook Nazmy for the race victory in 17h26’. In third, more than one hour later, Grandmaster Beng Siong Lee finished seven minutes ahead of Italian Francesco Floris.

In the women’s 100km, we saw a rather surprising victory by Nur Amaani Razilan. The young and every more competitive Razilan was 11th overall and ran more than 1h40’ faster than more established names like Sum Mei Soh and Norlela Ismail. A win that propels Razilan up the performance ladder in Malaysia!

Janda Baik Ultra was a solid ATM Candidate Race, taking place not too far from Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. It’s been an established event in Malaysia for quite a few years already and one of the few taking place in the first semester. Lots of videos shot by Mark Jinmin can be watched via our ATM facebook.

Podium of the men’s 100km

Podium of the women’s 100km

The strongest girls on the 50km

The next ATM Candidate Race on our 2023 programme takes place in peninsular Malaysia and is actually already quite a popular event: Janda Baik Ultra. Janda Baik is the name of the host village in Bentong, only some 35 km from Kuala Lumpur. It’s a popular weekend trail running spot for KL and Putrajaya residents, also because of the slightly cooler temperatures in the hills.

On the menu are 100km, 50km, 30km and 16km races. This weekend’s race coverage on our usual ATM channels will focus on the 100km and 50km categories. Some well-known runners feature on the start lists, including last year’s race winner Chris Timms from Singapore. Timms was third in the Orang Utan Trail in North Sumatra a month ago, and is preparing for Mantra 116 and Dieng Trail Run, his next two ATM points races. Someone who has just scored the maximum points (525) in a race is Amir Zaki, co-winner of the Borneo 100 Miler just two weeks ago. Zaki features on the 50km start list this weekend, and he as well is eyeing a trip to the high mountains around Malang in East Java next month. Many other podium candidates on the start lists, such as Jack Oh, Seiji Morofuji and Beng Siong Lee.

​The 100km flag off is at 4 am on Saturday morning, and the 50km one hour later. Follow our race updates via ATM Facebook and ATM Instagram.

The latest ATM Candidate Race in the Philippines was organised just outside Clark in Luzon by the Pace Republic last weekend. Bagtit Ultra includes some of the region’s most scenic trails over a total distance of 80 km for the most ambitious. Julius Iglesias and Shekinah Velasquez were the strongest in the male and female categories respectively.

The event was a last-minute announcement as Candidate Race and very much a test-event with a view to international recognition and participation in 2024. ‘Bagtit’ is the local Ilocano translation of the word ‘crazy’. The course has an accumulated elevation gain of 3890 hm and has five distinct peaks. Mount Damas and Mount Sem-ilya. One can experience a panoramic view of the Tarlac and Pangasinan plains and Mt. Arayat from afar. Mt. Damas may arguably have the distinction of being the most scenic mountain in Tarlac. But it is the less explored trails on Mt Sem-Ilya that are considered to be the highlight of the event. The start and finish venue is in Mayantoc Town Plaza. Ambition is to foster a healthy lifestyle amongst its citizens and to boost the tourism industry in the area.

Runners had to cope with some wet weather during the race last Sunday, making the trails even tougher. Julius Iglesias, quite an experienced ultra runner, came out on top together with Arnulfo Aquino. Carlito Miranda completed the podium in third place. In the women’s it was Shekinah Velasquez who took top honours ahead of Grandmaster Cheryl Bihag and Jennifer Commandante.

Grandmaster Cheryl Bihag took a nice second place in the women’s race

The inaugural edition of The Borneo Miler was a genuine success thanks to a solid and detailed organisation that provided exciting races and winners on a beautiful running course, despite very hot and dehydrating weather conditions. Amir Zaki celebrated his second ATM race win in his 100 miles debut - jointly with the more experienced Australian Andrew Farmers - , and local star Rejlen James confirmed her rising status in the Asian trail scene with a dominating performance in the women’s competition.

When you run 100 miles on Borneo island, you will always feel like a boiled egg at some point, but a race start at 6 am ensured the 140 participants enjoyed fantastic scenery from the get-go. This is not a race to be taken lightly, but when you are properly prepared physically AND mentally, you will have a Southeast Asian trail running experience you won’t forget any time soon.

The battle for the win in the men’s race rather quickly involved five runners, who would not give away much to each other for many hours. Amierul Amin, a nice fifth in Koboi Malaya Classic just two weeks ago, took the bull by the horns and took the lead by himself on Bukit Bongol, the first serious hillclimb of the race with the second aid station at the hilltop after 25 km. Andy Lee and Andrew Farmers came a few minutes later. Amir Zaki, had been running together with them, but took a wrong trail during the climb and lost approx 20 minutes as a result of his misjudgement. Good old Gustin Tiam, from Sabah, was a bit further back.

Amierul Amin pressed on and stayed ahead for the next couple of hours, until in the late afternoon Amir Zaki would return to him just when Andy Lee began to suffer big time from leg cramps. Farmers and Tiam stayed close, and at AS 5 on Saturday late afternoon, the leading quartet found themselves together in the aid station. In a rather suprising move it was Gustin Tiam who left that station first and so the eldest of the quartet effectively took the lead of the race! That next section, however, was a flat and runable section, which was at the mountain climber’s disadvantage. Amir Zaki and Andrew Farmers caught up with him, but Amierul Amin had a bad moment and lost touch with the three others as he hiked where others could run. For Andy Lee the cramps became too severe and he threw the towel in the ring.

Amir Zaki increasingly looked like the most comfortable runner, but his inexperience running ultra made him also seems nervous. Andrew Farmers had had already completed a number of ‘milers’ and kept pace with Zaki, albeit two to five minutes back. Farmers caught up with Zaki at each aid station. At dawn the next morning, it looked like Zaki would finally try to keep the gap conquered on Farmers by spending less time at the aid stations. When he left the final aid station 12, Zaki had 3 minutes on Farmers and with 7km left to go. And yet, there was long straight uphill bit, and Farmers - using poles - went all-out to try and still catch Zaki. Amazingly, he even managed to bridge the gap and with 3 km to the finish, Farmers and Zaki were back together! Those who were looking forward to an exciting sprint finish were left disappointed, however, as the duo came across the line celebrating together. The regulations of The Borneo Miler allow for a joint finish (but not the ATM points regulations, according to which Amir Zaki receives the winner’s points haul of 500 as he was ahead at the last CP. Farmers collects 450). For Kuala Lumpur’s Amir Zaki it was his 2nd ATM race victory after Doi Nhok Trail 58km last autumn. Zaki was already 4th in Koboi two weeks ago, so his 2023 ATM campaign is indeed going very well. Securing a spot in the national country team of Malaysia is one of the toughest in Asia. For Farmers it was his first ever.

Their winning time was 27h52’52”. The podium was completed by a visibly exhausted Gustin Tiam half an hour later. Amazingly, it was the 48-years-old Tiam’s first ever ATM podium finish. Amierul Amin did well to hang on to fourth, also emphasising his chances to earn a place in Team Malaysia at the end of the season.

Another two hours later, the first woman arrived at the Kadamain Square near Kota Belud as fifth runner overall: Rejlen James. This year’s superb BUTM 100 winner - not a points race this season - had secured the lead at AS 3 when Singapore-based Czech runner Paulina Svoboda slowed down and eventually decided to DNF a while later. Svoboda had looked solid early on, but inexperience and a lack of preparation meant that ultimately it would always have been very hard to keep James behind. James kept on going and keeping a steady pace throughout. No other woman even came close to her. James crossed the line in 32h53’ , seven hours ahead of the second-placed woman, newbie Lynda Marylyn - herself a podium placer at BUTM. Marylyn actually was impressive herself on her debut, and coming from way outside the top 5 early on to overtake established ATM frontrunners such as Ann Jilian Pulanco, Irish Glorioso and Emily Raga. Adelinah LIntanga was looking at a podium spot, when she suddenly felt unwell at night and decided to call it a day. Marylyn, who belongs to the Lintanga’s Kolumpa Team, did not show any signs of slowing down and finished over two-and-a-half hours ahead of third-placed Celeste Teo. The latter also came back from a significant slump in speed in the middle part of the race. The Filipinos did not have an easy time on Borneo - from a race competitive point of view. Pulanco, who won last month’s Sierra Madre Trail Ultra in her best ATM showing ever, suffered from the heat and could not unleash her full potential. In the end, she had to settle for sixth. Still a good points haul for her. Irish Glorioso never featured in the top 5 and came across the finish line in 9th place just ahead of Yvette Chong. Emily Raga had a good second part of the race and moved up the leaderboard to finish 5th, behind the Malaysian Edna Robert - a new name.

The next ATM points race event in Malaysia is Penang Eco on 11-13 August, where the 100 miles and the 100km categories offer points.

What was still a 100 miles category at BUTM in 2020 is now a stand-alone event: the Borneo Miler will see 146 registered athletes attempt to complete a trail running adventure in and around Kota Belud in Sabah, Malaysia. Without some of the State’s and the country’s biggest trail stars like Milton Amat and Wilsen Singgin, as they are in Austria to give it a go at the World Championships next week. This implies the Borneo Miler is wide open from a competitive point of view, and for several participants it will in fact be their very first ‘miler’ experience.

Among those is Amir Zaki, a great fourth only just behind Mohamed Affindi two weeks in Koboi Malaya. Zaki has planned his inaugural 100 miles meticulously, and if he can manage his efforts during the long race may be a top contender for sure. Zaki’s ‘teammate’ at Sportlicious Malaysia and Team Crampfix Jeffery Budin is another one who is likely to be in the mix, even though he seems to be downplaying his own chances. Budin won UToP last October and had a similarly great race at the ATM Championship Final on Mount Apo. Bernardo Linus is capable of a surprise, being a local Sabahan. Another local is Gustin Tiam, definitely not to be excluded from the long list of potential winners in the men’s race. Amierul Amin Shamsul Kamal (5th in Koboi!), Ahmad Tanjong and Dzul Izwan Siri Ee (6th in Koboi!) will also attract attention. And so are Brunei’s Ibni Nudin - second his home country’s ATM candidate race Simpur Ultra last February, and Australia’s Andrew Farmers - one of the Finalists on Mt Apo last December. Farmers knows the Borneo trails very well. Last year he scored 6th and 10th in BUTM and TMBT respectively.

The women’s race may have a couple of runners who arguably have one star more than others in the list of contenders. Rejlen James was a superb winner of BUTM 100 last March - ahead of Sally Yap! - and is a local. The one who can follow her will be close to the victory on Sunday. Manila’s Ann Jilian Pulanco, fresh from her very first ATM race win at Sierra Madre a month ago, is an ultra specialist and may be James’ biggest challenger. But there’s also Paulina Svoboda - fast and strong when in form -, Adelinah Lintanga - who appears keen for this race -, Irish Gloriso - who may take the ATM points lead again this weekend with her 4th race of the season already -, Siriporn Leumathong from Thailand and - according to some - a local dark horse from the Lintanga sisters’ Team Kolumpa: Butet Lynda Marylyn.

We will be following the Borneo MIler from start to finish. A live broadcast of the 6am start on Saturday and the finish of the winners, with multimedia updates throughout the two days on our usual ATM channels. The Borneo Miler also have live GPS tracking of the lead runners on https://live.asiatrailmaster.com/borneo100miler2023/

First time 100 Miles for Amir Zaki this weekend

Dzul Iswan Bin Siri Ee was 6th Malaysian in Koboi just two weeks ago

Adelinah Lintanga won Penang Eco 100 Miles in 2019. Can she add her home Borneo 100 Miles to her record?

Ann Jilian Pulanco was in great shape at Sierra Madre just a month ago