After five years The 9 Dragons Ultra in Hong Kong truly returned with a big bang, as the 50/50 format proved its value and unpredictability once again. It’s become a bit of cliche’ to state that the real race only begins on Sunday morning when you have managed to get to the starting line for the 50km after the grueling 50 miles (86km) of the day before. But Sunday’s race showed it is quite simply the truth. Kristian Joergensen lost nearly 20 minutes to HK-based Dutchman Lodewijk Vriens on Saturday, but recovered it all by halfway in Sunday’s 50k race. The same scenario was unfolding in the women’s 50/50 race with Saturday’s fantastic stage winner Angie Yan losing her 19-minute advantage as well against China’s Xie Wenfei on Sunday morning. Whereas Vriens was unable to find his second breath and even still lost second place to the incredibly gutsy Ukranian Oleksii Melnyk, Angie Yan refused to let go and fought back like a lioness to reduce the time gap to Xie Wenfei sufficiently and win the women’s overall 9 Dragons race!

That’s only in a nutshell what happened for the victories, but it was the same for the podium and other top placings. A brave Solomon Wettstein had to be content with fourth place again, just like in 2019, while Arnie Macaneras suffered on the traditional Hong Kong stairs to finish his stage race behind Nepal’s Limbu Yamanath, who ran an incredibly strong 50k on Sunday that contrasted with a below par 50 miles on Saturday. Another top Filipino, Yoyong Sacayle, also found his debut on the HK stairs to be more challenging than expected, but managed to complete the 50/50 in 14th place. In the women’s stage race, a third runner was very much in the mix for victory: Ki Chun Wong. The local runner actually finished second behind Angie Yan and ahead of Xie Wenfei on Saturday, but unfortunately she had suffered a slight injury and limped across the finish line. A day later, Ki Chun Wong just focused on salvaging her podium spot. Angie Yan can no longer be considered a newbie in Hong Kong, but in ATM it was her debut and what stood out was her amazing fighting spirit. On both days, her ‘second split’ was ‘better’ than her first half. Xie Wenfei was surprised in the final 10km on Saturday: “she caught me and still had so much pace! I was unable to follow, and so was Ki Chun Wong.” On Sunday, Angie Yan was reported as over 20 minutes behind Xie Wenfei at some point, but at the finish the gap was hardly 9 minutes. She visibly ran her heart out to score the prestigious 9 Dragons 50/50 win - and it was very well-deserved. Both women also finished ahead of the 50km solo race podium, which shows how strong they performed this weekend .

On Sunday there was also a “solo” 50km race category, which also offered ATM Championship points, and therefore had a great competitive field, too. Reigning ATM Champion John Ray Onifa initially had to leave a gap to USA’s Anthony Lee, from Colorado but with roots in Macau, and also found the Indonesian youngster Risqi Kurniawan again on his tail - just like at the ATM Final early December. Once Onifa’s engine was warm, however, he went looking for the American and in no time caught and passed him. Risqi Kurniawan was unable to follow Onifa’s rush to the race lead, but he did not give up and maintained a fast and steady pace himself, which resulted in him catching Anthony Lee come halfway the race. Onifa probably did not enjoy his best of race days, yet his advantage kept growing - slowly but continuously. The question then became if he could break 6 hours, but cramps decided otherwise. Onifa scored yet another ATM race victorty in 6h05. Anthony Lee showed resilience in still beating Risqi Kurniawan for second place - both also in historically fast times for this 50k course. It was great to see the talented youngster from Indonesia bounce back so strongly after what was a disappointing DNF at the ATM Final more than two months ago. With more experience in international racing, Risqi Kurniawan has the potential to become a top star in - at least - Asia’s trail scene. KC Chan from Hong Kong, tipped by some as a challenger for Onifa beforehand, settled for fourth place, just ahead of Chi Kan Yuen. With a finish time of 6h49, these two guys showed how high-level this race was. Note; 50/50 winner Kristian Joergensen finished second overall behind Onifa… , which also underlines the superb competitive performance he put in this weekend!

The women’s 50k solo race was - yet again - a very exciting affair with alternating race leaders. Xu Zhonghuang and Angelie Cabalo set the pace earlier on, but saw Naomi Fung coming back and then accelerating. Just when Fung looked like a certain winner, Angelie Cabalo found another gear in the last but technical 10km and nearly caught the Hong Konger at the finish. Fung was 10 minutes ahead, but at the finish it was just 2’20'“. Cabalo - in her HK debut - proved once more she is a serious competitor within Asia and not only in Philippines. Xu Zhonghuang was a happy third , and Xiaojing Mo - never in the mix for podium before that - suddenly fourth and only 14 minutes behind race winner Naomi Fung.

The 9 Dragons Ultra this year will undoubtedly be ranked as one of the absolute highlights of Season IX in our Asia Trail Master Championship. While the fine running weather, especially on Saturday, is certainly also down to luck , the overall technical organisation, the great vibe between the participants , the filled and varied aid stations - some with major Filipino input - , the mobile network coverage at strategic places to allow for proper live race coverage and the respect everyone has for one another, it all just came together at this year’s 9 Dragons event. It was a blueprint of how trail running events can be a very satisfying experience for everyone even without the availability of big budgets.

Men’s Top 15 50/50

1. Kristian Joergensen 17:05:15

2. Olekssi Melnyk at 19'51"

3. Lodewijk Vriens at 21'44"

4. Salomon Wettstein at 36'28"

5. Limbu Yamanath at 1h32'59"

6. Arnie Macaneras at 1h44'08"

7. Michael Ormiston at 2h59'21"

8. Dina Nath Bagale at 3h17'49"

9. Chi Keung Chan at 3h50'19"

10.Kam Wai Pun at 3h54'03"

11. Hyun Chang Chung at 4h23'00"

12. Kwong Hang Leung at 4h29'43"

13. Jeremy Ritcey at 5h11'01"

14. Yoyong Sacayle at 5h14'27"

15. Carlo Chiong at 6h30'56"

Women’s Top 10 50/50

1. Angie Yan 20h22'39"

2. Xie Wenfei at 11'06"

3. Ki Chun Wong at 1h11'50"

4. Hayley Teale at 3h21'05"

5. Hong Kiu Kimmy Leung at 3h41'35"

6. Chamelia Suhra at 4h41'34"

7. Rhoda Cheung at 5h17'35"

8. Rachel Chan at 5h32'53"

9. Mariko Kirihata at 6h40'25"

10.Sheree Rowling at 6h42'47"

This weekend there is also an interesting ATM Candidate Race on the programme in Brunei. BDUTM, shot for Brunei Darussalam Ultra Trail Marathon, is taking place in the capital city on a 5 km loop course, which should create a running festival atmosphere. The longest race is 50km, i.e. 10 loops. The start of the main race is at 21:00 local time on Saturday, which implies a night time race in cooler temperatures.

The event is organised by HJ Khai Event Management and is centred around the Tasek Lama Recreational Park. BDUTM is meant to promote the country as an outdoor and trail running destination with the Tasek Lama Park being the most iconic region to do so. Estimated elevation gain for the 50km is 3100 hm, which is considerable! Moreover, people who have been running in Brunei know the hills are often quite steep and more technical than expected.

The event has attracted very competitive field for its first edition, mainly coming from Brunei itself and other parts of Borneo island. That includes, amongst others, Wilsen Singgin and Gustin Tiam. Both from Sabah and unafraid to test the waters of something new. They will face very well-known local stars such as good old Sefli Ahar, last season still second at TMBT 50 behind John Ray Onifa. Sefli certainly has home advantage and could be the top favourite for the victory. Amirul Tuah and Alexander Chung are other ATM Grandmasters who can shine this weekend.

Also the women’s 50km looks very good on paper. Here we find Sarawak’s Sally Yap on the start list. Still young for trail standards, Sally was the 2022 vice -ATM champion. 2023 did not really go as planned - from a racing point of view - and Sally has also picked up further university studies again, restricting her options to travel and compete. It will be interesting to see how she fares this weekend, as the extra rest between races might actually do her some good. Experienced Sahabans Kona Liau and Mailin Salungin are other contenders, and Laslin Sarawi cannot be underestimated either.

ATM will be reporting live from the BDUTM event from start to finish on our usual channels.

After five full years, the 9 Dragons finally return this weekend in Hong Kong’s New Territories. The unique 2-day event, featuring a 50 miles race on Saturday and a 50 km race on Sunday with the aim of combining and finishing both, has been long awaited by Asia’s challenge-seeking trail running crowd. When former participants argue that “getting up to toe the start line on Sunday morning for the 50k is the hardest part of the entire weekend” it sums up why this race is so special. While certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, the start list once again proves that organiser RaceBase managed to find a way to stand out in Hong Kong’s overcrowded trail calendar.

The 50/50 category has attracted big guns like 2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras and multiple ATM race winner Kristian Joergensen, as well as several global competitors such as Lodewijk Vriens (NED), Oleksii Melnyk (UKR) and Coree Woltering (USA). Both Vriens and Melnyk have proven already before that they can deal with Hong Kong’s particular trail courses with the many stairs and are therefore very serious contenders for the podium against the perhaps better-known locals and Asians. Coree Woltering is very interesting as he actually took part in the 2019 9 Dragons and DNFd rather anonimously, despite already being a marquee trail runner at the time. It speaks volumes that Coree has decided to return to the event this weekend, and the other favourites better watch out. During those five years and the covid pandemic, the American had a battle with alcohol but has since chosen sobriety as a lifestyle. His competitive performances have reached his arguably best level yet and he is in training for the southbound Appalachian trail fastest-known-trail record attempt. In any case, Manila-based Dane Kristian Joergensen is taking the race very seriously as he has been in Hong Kong for two weeks to leave nothing to chance this weekend. Arnie Macaneras very much looked the part in VMM 70km last September, but five months have passed since. He was surprisingly beaten by Larry Apolinario in a 50km domestic race in Philippines in December, which might indicate that the star from Davao is now truly focusing on the ultra race distances, though. So much can happen in a tough 2-day race that we should also consider other podium candidates such as Hong Kong’s Salomon Wettstein, Limbu Yamanath and Hyan Chang Chung. Bukidnon’s Yoyong Sacayle is the second Filipino iron in the fire. Proven to be very resilient in tough conditions, Sacayle may lack the top speed of some other favourites, but his 7th place in the ATM Championship Final last December - not too far behind Hisashi Kitamura - shows that he can cause the upset when motivated.

Resilience is also what characterises Guangzhou’s Xie Wenfei, one of the top favourites in the 50/50 female race. While perhaps no longer among the youngest competitors, Xie Wenfei has an enormous amount of racing experience - including victories - in the toughest of events worldwide. The 9 Dragons has been on her bucket list for months, so for sure she comes to Hong Kong motivated. Australia’s Hayley Teale is expected to challenge for the female victory as well, a major competitor who has notched up a series of wins. Local competitors Ki Chun Wong, Angie Yan, Kimmy Leung and Natalie Webster are not to be underestimated either.

Runners can also choose to run just one day at the 9 Dragons event, which means that also the medium distance trail stars have a 50k race to look forward to. Sunday’s 50km race also offers ATM Championship points and has attracted reigning ATM Champion John Ray Onifa to take part. Three weeks after winning a 30km ATM Candidate Race in Cebu, Onifa is once again squaring off against his younger compatriot Godwin Mirar, age 23, who has been incredibly impressive in his young trail running career. Keen to learn and improve his competitiveness ever more, Mirar is making his debut in Hong Kong this weekend. Can he challenge Onifa, who is perhaps less motivated these days to run the HK stairs but has years of experience on them? Another upcoming Asian talent who is seeking some form of rehabilitation after misfiring in his home ATM Championship Final race at Siksorogo Lawu Ultra early December is Risqi Kurniawan. The 26-year-old Indonesian, unbeatable in his home country on the medium distance last year, is also making his debut in Hong Kong. It will be interesting to see how he copes this time around with having potentially faster runners around and ahead of him, a learning process that all domestic ‘champions’ need to go through when they move up to a higher international level. Guided by 2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia - who herself will be running the 50 miles solo race on Saturday - Kurniawan has appeared relaxed as he arrived in HK. As with Godwin Mirar, however, it still remains to be seen how he deals with the stairs - it really is not something for everybody. Locals KC Chan and Fuk Cheung Tsang can deal with the specific terrain and will certainly be in the mix for the win and the podium.

The 50km women’s race has an incredibly long start list, which in itself is already a big success. It does imply we are likely to discover several new names. Amongst the well-known athletes we find Angelie Cabalo from the Philippines, 3rd in last season’s ATM Championship Final. Cabalo has always been fast on the medium distance, so she certainly starts with victory chances.

ATM will be reporting live from the 9 Dragons from start at midnight on Saturday until the finish on Sunday afternoon.

Kristian Joergensen: ready to tackle the 9 Dragons

Angelie Cabalo: victory contender on the 50km on Sunday

2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras

‘Kapheer’ Xie Wenfei: the woman-to-beat on the 50/50 for women?

Indonesia’s youngster Risqi Kurniawan will be making his HK debut on the 50km

Reigning ATM Champion John Ray Onifa will be facing Godwin Mirar again on Sunday’s 50km

Bagtit Ultra in Tarlac, Philippines, lived up to its name last weekend. The heat of day particularly turned the 100km into a ‘crazy’ sufferfest on top of the 4800 metres of elevation gain. Luzon’s Maynard Encormal proved to be the most resilient on Saturday and grabbed his first ever ATM race victory after a few podiums in previous seasons. Maynard was at the top the leaderboard for basically all day and completed the course in 18h56. When all was said and done, ultra race experience and effort-management played a big role at Bagtit Ultra as Julie Ann Morales also showed in the women’s 100k race. The Davao runner started very modestly and was not even placing in the top positions on the leaderboard early in the day. But at the finish, she arrived in third overall (!) and just two minutes behind second placed male Geza Oszacki. Morales already won Mt Apo 100 in December and thus so far collected 1000 ATM Championship points, making her the female leader in this season’s ranking.

Geza Oszacki was second, also after a solid second half overtaking a.o. Bhert Orpiada and Ariehmar Bardoquillo. Bardoquillo was leading the race together with Encormal early on, but in the end he fell off the top 3 podium. Kimberly Gaela managed to hold onto second place in the women’s race after leading for 75 km and until Morales caught her. For Gaela it was her most competitive ATM result as well. Michella Aradanas, winner of the Grand Malico Ultra Candidate Race a few weeks ago, arrived in third place, but she was later relegated for missing a checkpoint during the day. Ann Jilian Pulanco therefore was announced as the third woman on the podium.

Pre-race favourite Elizabeth Dangadan was a DNS at Bagtit Ultra 100.

Marjones Abugan from Davao del Norte won the 50k men’s points race in 9h42! His first race victory in ATM after leading throughout. Henry Cotilllon was trying to keep up initially, but dropped back in the second half. Cotillon saved his great second place nevertheless, finishing just ahead of Noy Gentoleo. All three go home with remarkable results, showing competitive improvement still in the early part of this ATM season.

Pre-race favourite Cecille Wael indeed won the 50km race at Bagtit Ultra, but it was harder than it perhaps seemed. ! After arriving in Tarlac basically just in time after work commitments in Manila and with a significant lack of sleep, Cecille took a modest start but found herself in the lead nonetheless by halfway. Anne Rongavilla from Mindanao applied enough pressure to keep her concentrated in the heat of day. Her Finish time was 12h02, roughly 20 minutes ahead of Rongavilla. It's Wael's 4th career ATM race win and 2nd within six months, having won Matanao Mountain Marathon 70k last October. Rongavilla also scored a podium place (2nd) in Mt Apo Sky Race 100 in 2019. In fact, the female 50km podium was almost a mirror copy of that race’s podium as Melanie Hingpit took third in Bagtit. Five years ago, Hingpit won on Apo with Wael in third.

Julie Ann Morales bags another impressive win on the ultra distance

Marjones Abugan: debut ATM race win on the 50km

Season IX of the Asia Trail Master Championship series continues this weekend in the Philippines with the 3rd edition of Bagtit Ultra in Luzon. On the programme are both 100km and 50km races for ATM points. The event, organised by the Pace Republic, replaces last season’s Santa Ines on our calendar, and was a Candidate Race last June. That day we learnt that the race course of Bagtit is to be taken seriously.

‘Bagtit’ is the local Ilocano translation of the word ‘crazy’. The 100km course has an accumulated elevation gain of 4800 hm and has five distinct peaks. 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 of the 100km is in Mayantoc Municipal Hall. Runners are required to toe the line on Saturday morning 6am. The 50km has a different start location: the Papaac Basketball Court (Camiling, Tarlac) and only starts at 1am on Sunday early morning - meaning the first four five hours will be in darkness.

The list of participants looks very solid as expected for any race that offers points for the ATM Championship ranking and the Grandmaster Quest. However, in the absence of ‘super elites’ like John Ray Onifa and Arnie Macaneras, the battle for podium on the 100k and 50k is wide open. Especially in the men’s category. Maynard Encormal is from Luzon and could be the one to watch out for most on the long distance. Already a podium placer on a few occasions in ATM races, Encormal may be keen to finally get on the top step of the podium. He was qualified for last year’s ATM Final but decided against participation. Sean Aying, Ariehmar Bardoquillo, Avelino Versola III and Florence Alave will certainly be challenging him. Also last year’s 80k race winner Julius Iglesias is back on the start list, and so is good old Angelito Vertudazo, who could produce the upset.

In the women’s 100k, the runner-to-beat is Elizabeth Dangadang. Part-time obstacle racer, part-time trail runner, Elizabeth Dangadang was a convincing race winner a year ago at Santa Ines, well ahead of Angelie Cabalo and Cecille Wael no less. While she may start as the favourite, plenty of other women will contest the podium, and -who knows- apply pressure on Dangadang. Davao’s Julie Ann Morales has been in great shape recently, also winning the Mount Apo Sky Race 100 in December in a solid time. Ann Jilian Pulanco showed in Sierra Madre Trail last season that she should never be discounted when the going gets tough and when she decides to go for it. And just a month ago, Michella Aradanas won the Grand Malico Ultra (ATM Candidate Race) in great style. Furthermore, there’s Shally Yuson, Kimberly Gaela, Cheryl Bihag, irish Glorioso, Roan Biguasen and Manilyn Mamugay.

On the 50km we have a similar set-up as on the 100 with a more pronounced female race favourite and an open field in the men’s. Looking to return to her most competitive level after a difficult 2023, Cecille Wael had a great start of the year at the Danao 50k just two weeks ago. The victory eluded her, but she showed her speed on technical trails is coming back. This weekend she will be up against a.o. Melanie Hingpit, Anne Rongavilla and Jennifer Commandante.

The men’s race looks very open with Noy Gentoleo and Aleksei Rodionov as solid podium candidates. Gentoleo is also returning to the scene after a long break during the pandemic.

ATM will be reporting live from the Bagtit Ultra event on our usual channels, and subject to connectivity along the race course.

Florence “Enciong” Alave: third on Mount Apo in December

Avelino Versola III : ATM Finalist in 2023

Sean Aying starts his 2024 campaign this weekend

Julie Ann Morales: race winner in Mindanao a number of times already. Can she also be victorious in Luzon?

Shally Yuson: 3rd on Mount Apo last December

Winner of Grand Malico Ultra just a month ago: Michella Aradanas

Two weeks after finishing 2nd in the Danao Candidate Race, Cecille Wael is aiming for the 50k win at Bagtit

Jumla Rara Ultra is the second Nepalese event on our ATM Championship calendar this season taking place the weekend after The Manjushree Trail. The 5th edition of this event is set for Saturday, 13 April and keeps the exciting A to B course to the Rara Lake, measuring just under 50km. Organised by Karnali Sports, JRU and the organising team of MTR are collaborating to facilitate transportation and overall logistics for runners aiming to attend both events. Jumla Rara Ultra is set on the other side of Nepal in the west, a region considered a ‘hidden gem’ by people and adventurers familiar with the region. The JRU event has been establised to boost adventure sports and tourism in this remote part of the country, as well as to provide local athletes with an opportunity to shine and attract national and regional attention.

The Jumla Rara Ultra starts from Jumla bazaar at an altitude of 2305m, and finishes at the Rara lake higher up at 2990m above sea level. The course is officially measured at 49 km. The course is undulating nonstop, but there are three steeper and distinct peaks with Danphe (3500m), Kavra cave, Bhulbhule (2950m) and Chuchemara (4017m). For international runners, having spent the weekend before in Kathmandu for the MTR event will clearly be a bonus to be adjusted to the high altitude of especially the Chuchemara pass.

The 4th edition of the event was an official ATM Candidate Race in 2023, won by Dal Bdr Kunwar in 4:54:10, just three minutes ahead of second-placed Dhir Bdr Budha. The women’s race went to Manju Rawot in 6:06:23.

We are very happy to announce that The Manjushree Trail Race and Jumla Rara Ultra in Nepal have been added to the 2024 Asia Trail Master Championship calendar on back-to-back weekends in early April. It is the first time since 2018 trail runners can score points for our ATM Championship in Nepal, and a logistical cooperation between the two events will even make it feasible to run both races in one trip to the Himalayan country. The Manjushree Trail Race takes place near country capital Kathmandu and on the famous Kathmandu Valley Rim, whereas the Jumla Rara Ultra event is set in the far west of Nepal, from Jumla to the Rara Lake - considered a hidden gem. Race dates are 5/6 April and 13 April , respectively.

For more on Jumla Rara Ultra, please go and read here

The 3rd edition of the Manjushree Trail Race event features four race distance categories, of which the 100 Miles, 100 km and 55km offer points for the ATM Championship ranking. Runners aiming for Grandmaster points of course need to focus on the 100km or 100 miles only. The 100 miler is a special one here and not only because it’s the only real one in Nepal. As the official website says: ‘The race route takes runners along the famous Kathmandu valley rim ridge line and across the seven peaks that surround the valley. As part of this, the racecourse also crosses the two national park (Nagarjun and Shivapuri) that border the valley. Over 85% of the route is single track, where it sometimes takes hours before runners come across a little settlement. Even though you are technically still within the Kathmandu valley, you will feel like you are far away from urbanization many times during the race.’ Looking at the course map, you see one big natural loop that measures 175 kilometres (so it’s actually longer than 100 miles). The names of the seven peaks are Jamacho, Shivapuri, Nagarkot, Pulchowki, Champadevi, Basmandur and Chandragiri. Total elevation gain is estimated at over 12000hm, meaning this is a race you need to be physically and mentally prepared for. The race starts on Friday early morning and the cut-off time at the finish will be reached after 52 hours.

The MTR 100 km and 55km races will have different start and finish locations along the same route as the 100 miler. The 100km will have an evening start and has a cut-off time of 26 hours, which considering the overall altitude and elevation gain is indeed quite tight. Note that pacers are allowed for the 100k participants from the start till dawn the next morning. Details can be obtained via the very informative official MTR website. The 55km race will start at 7am in the early morning on Saturday and finish 16 hours later. As much as a running competition, MTR will be an adventure and provide people with a lifetime of memories.

Where does the name Manjushree comes from? The website exlains: ‘The Kathmandu Valley Rim 100 miler is named after the god Manjushree. According to the legend, It is believed that Manjushree arrived at the edge of the valley while being on a pilgrimage, encountering a large lake that once filled the valley. Upon arrival, the god saw a lotus flower in the centre of the lake, which emitted brilliant radiance. Having walked around the valley rim, the god reached Chovar, where Manjushree used its flaming sword to cut a gorge, allowing the lake to drain and the Kathmandu valley to appear. The place where the lotus flower settled became allegedly became the Swayambhunath Stupa and with the valley being no longer under water, it became habitable and Kathmandu was founded. This has left Manjushree in a way to be the patron of the valley and to leave tales of the route the god walked before cleaving the rim and allowing the land to emerge. There are different opinions on what the exact route is that Manjushree travelled and so the Manjushree trail race is in no way trying to exactly replicate this or claiming to be a pilgrimage in anyway. Rather than that, it is inspired by the legend and therefore has chosen to honor this in its name and logo.’

This event has not suddenly emerged from nowhere. MTR is the result of years of work by trail pioneers even including international stars such as Lizzy Hawker and Seth Wolphin. Also. our reigning female Asia Trail Master Champion Rashila Tamang is a proud member of the MTR Team. The 2024 edition is already the third and the previous two have received widespread praise.

You can find all details on the event via the official website, as well as the registration facilities. Please note that after the event, transportation will be organised for local and international runners to travel to West Nepal for the Jumla Rara Ultra 50km race the weekend after on Saturday, 13 April.

We are happy to announce that Mude Sports has extended its cooperation with Asia Trail Master as our official customisation partner for Season IX. Mude Sports is a high-performance sports wear brand for running, cycling and triathlon with a specific focus on recycled fabrics and other sustainable solutions for the industry. While also sponsoring and coaching Vietnamese elite trail runners such as ATM Champion Hau Ha, Mude Sports’ bread and butter is customisation to produce products ‘outside the limits of a catalogue’. Whether you are a competitive sports team, a corporate or friendly training club, an organiser in need of event and finisher tees, or just an individual keen on wearing your own design, your own colours and using high quality and eco-friendly materials, Mude can customise everything to suit your wishes.

A special focus this season goes to the increasingly in-demand Mude hydrovest. Coming in various colour schemes, both the Summit 1 and Peak 1 hydrovests have become popular items among trail runners in Vietnam - including Hau Ha. The hydrovests are very light, but nevertheless robust to carry all your mandatory gear and with a special and convenient compartment for your poles.

Environmental protection is a key objective for the brand. When founder Guim Valls, originally from Spain, cycled around the world with an e-bike a good decade ago, he was confronted with the huge plastic pollution problem around the planet, damaging the soil, oceans and rivers, poisoning humans and wildlife. When he learnt that polyester fiber - the main fabric used in modern-day sportswear - is essentially also made out of PET, the main component of plastic bottles, the idea for Mude was born.

Creating polyester fabric from plastic bottles has an enormous positive impact on the planet. Traditional polyester depends on the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. Using recycled polyester instead makes use of the millions of plastic bottles already in existence. The process on how this all works can be read and learnt on the website of Mude Sports linked below.

Mude emphasizes that their recycled fabrics have the exact same properties as traditional Polyester fabrics, as proven by international and independent testing and industry certifications.

Mude Sports can be contacted directly for all your customisation needs via info@mude.vn

The 4th edition of V Trail in Vang Vieng, Laos, saw a few interesting new names appear at the top of the male and female leaderboards. While still being a very tough mountain jungle course, V Trail received applause from participants for its technical event organisation.

Victories on the long distance course of this season's only Lao event on the ATM Championship calendar went to South Korea's Hee Joo Jang in the women's and the Thai duo Sittisak Suwannee and Puttasit Wiwatsriprapha. Hee Joo Jang was clearly the quickest as she finished almost 2h50' ahead of Thailand's well-known Siriporn Leumathong, ATM Finalist last season, and Patchara Buagun, also from Thailand. Belgium's Olivia Becu was fourth ahead of the first local runner Nakin Visisombat.

The male duo crossed the line together. Suwannee and Wiwatriprapha had a 26-minute advantage over China's Lyu Meng. Also among the 86k finishers were Malaysia’s Grandmaster point chaser Phua Cho Kai in 7th and Japan’s 4-star Grandmaster Masafumi Yamamoto in 9th place. For Yamamoto it was the second time he ran V Trail.

V Trail 55 km - France's Arnaud Beck was clearly the fastest on the 55km course, finishing in 8h44'47". Second place went to Indonesian young trail talent Surydratama Yanizar from Bali in 10h27, and third to Australian Fergus McLeod in 10h45. Nedyalko Terziev from Singapore took fourth, ahead of Thailand's experienced Amorn Kimnguan.

The women's 55km went to local Yoth Soulivanthong in 12h19, clearly ahead of two other Lao runners - showing the competitive growth of the scene in the country. Hutsadar Matsouvanh and Viravone Thepsimuang joined Soulivanthing on the podium. Yumei Chan of SIngapore crossed the finish line in fourth place.

With special thanks to Amorn Kimnguan and Masafumi Yamamoto

This weekend the spotlights are put on Laos again for the only time in our ATM championship season. It’s time for the 4th edition of V Trail in Vang Vieng, the first international trail running event in the country. Now exclusively organised by Green Step, V Trail has kept the traditional courses of 85km and 55km with significant elevation gain in them (5470hm and 3290hm, respectively). Considered as one of the very toughest mountain jungle races in Asia, V Trail is as much as mental challenge as a physical challenge.

Participants on the 85km and 55km score points for the ATM Championship ranking. That’s also important for the local Lao runners, who only have one chance in their own country to put themselves on the board. The Lao community has been growing since 2018 - year of the first V Trail - and last year we even celebrated a local victory in the women’s 55km race: Sou Soulivanthong even finished third overall. We are curious to find out if anyone will follow into her footsteps.

The 85km start list shows lots of different nationalities and several well-known ATM Grandmaster point seekers, including 4-star Grandmaster and 2022 ATM Finalist Masafumi Yamamoto of Japan, and Malaysia’s Phua Cho Kai. The battle for the podium places appears open on paper in both male and female categories. Siriporn Leumathong, ATM Finalist for Thailand last season, might as well have an opportunity to score her first ATM race win. Belgium’s Olivia Becu could be a challenger, too.

The 55 km start list for men has Thailand’s Amorn Kimnguan on it, ATM Finalist last season and always a contender for a top placing. Kimnguan has plenty of experience in tough ultra trails, and alread ran V Trail five years ago - finishing fourth on that occasion. France’s Arnaud Beck has a decent trail record in his home country and could be a potential winner, too. Of course, running in France is not the same as in the tropical rainforest in Laos. We also look forward to the performance of two Indonesian youngsters: Surydratama Yanizar and Zenal Arifin.

The 85km starts in the early morning at 6 am, the 55km half an hour later.

We are happy to announce that the redesigned Pacific Mountain Coast Trail Festival in Luzon, Philippines, has obtained the ATM Candidate Race label for the event on 6/7 July. General Nakar is a large municipality located to the east of Manila in Quezon Province, passed the Rizal mountains. On the event programme we find 100km and 50km as main race categories, but less ambitious runners can also choose for the 25km or 12km. There is also a kids race foreseen. This event coincides with the towns' founding anniversary, celebrating bounties and culture through the Gapo and Palusong Festival.

The new PCMTF event is in a way not brand new. A previous version was held back in 2018 under a different management. Back then, the event had a runable terrain, but according to the new race director there will be more technicality in the hinterland this time around. General Nakar itself, of course, lies by the sea. The precise course map will be made available soon.

You can find more information via the webpage and the facebook page linked below.

The first Danao City International Ultra Trail in Cebu, Philippines proved to be a great addition to the Filipino trail calendar and was a successful ATM Candidate with promising years ahead. Andy Toniacao and Chloe Base won a very tough 100km race, but performance-wise it was probably Larry Apolinario who raised eyebrows the most with a stunningly dominant win on the 50km, 1h35’ ahead of second place…

The new event received large support from the Danao City authorities and featured a start & finish arena in the centre of town, which always boosts the festival atmosphere and the enthusiasm of the local population to be involved. Runners were given a technical course that was well-appreciated, including well-stocked aid stations that had about anything you could imagine. Especially the 100km ultra distance turned out to be a genuine challenge for the majority of participants. The 6300 metres of elevation gain were a warning sign on paper, but those numbers never say anything about technicality and gradients - both uphill and downhill. Experienced Filipino runners argued that Danao 100 comes close to being the toughest 100k trail in the country - and it was not even raining. The race winner’s finishing time of 20 hours and 37 minutes of course already says a lot. That winner is Andy Toniacao, a well-known and respected competitive trail runner in the Visayas region of the Philippines. Not a so-called nobody. He was in the lead from the start and soon build up a big advantage over the other runners. Despite slowing down slightly in the final sections - it was Toniacao’s debut on the 100 km - he arrived back in the bustling city centre of Danao on Saturday evening with an advantage of 1h15’ over Jensen Pasaforte and Juan Salang. Only one female runner managed to beat the 30 hours cut-off time: Chloe Base. She was probably the one who managed her efforts in the most efficient way, as during the whole of Saturday she was never reported to be inside the top three.

While the 100km was clearly a race for the toughest of trail runners, the 50km and 30km races were more manageable for the standard runner. Mind you, also the 50k was reviewed as ‘technical to very technical’. All the more impressive was Larry Apolinario’s pace as he blasted away from everyone else. At CP2, he already led the field by 25 minutes after just 15 kilometres. The majority of runners struggled their way to the finish, but Apolinario looked as if he had just gone for his regular Sunday’s jog. His race performances outside the Philippines, particulary in ATM races, have somehow been mostly below-par but on home soil he has firmly set his foot besides Onifa and Macaneras. His finish time was 6h25. Dante Soreno, all cramped up, finished second in 8h00’ , followed by Rodney Ortega in 8h16’.

The women’s 50km saw a very nice dual between local hero Kathleen Ligan, from Compostela - the town between Cebu City and Danao City - and the established competitor Cecille Wael. Both stayed together until aid stations 3 just over halfway. Then, Wael went off course for too long to still have a fighting chance against Ligan. Both of them were in good shape, finishing fifth and seventh overall. Let’s see if Ligan can build on this victory to become yet another contender for the already strong Pilipinas Team in our ATM Championship. From her side, Wael, was happy to have finished a technical race without the injury pains that plagued most of her 2023 season.

For once, the 30km category also attracted a lot of interest from trail followers due to the presence of reigning ATM Champion John Ray Onifa and the young up-and-comer, some would say ‘The Prince’ , Godwin Mirar. Still only 23 years of age, Godwin caught everyone’s eye already back in 2019 when he finished fourth behind Kitamura, Macaneras and John Ellis in the Punisher 80k race on Babak Samal island. One of those talents with a potentially big future in the sport. Godwin Mirar has been doing things the smart way: no long ultras for him yet, it’s all about body development, speed training and gaining technical experience in shorter races first. Already in VMM last year he showed the progress he had made since 2019. On the 50km he finished third behind Onifa and Joergensen, but just a mere 11 minutes behind. In Danao, Godwin Mirar could have a go at John Ray Onifa. It’s only 30km and Onifa is in recovery from a serious 100km in Hong Kong a week ago. Indeed, the Prince put the pressure on the King. At CP2, Godwin Mirar arrived a minute ahead of Onifa, who did twist his ankle just before. The ATM Champion realised he was in a serious race, grit his teeth together and managed to catch him again before opening up a gap. Mirar also missed a marker somewhere to eliminate his victory chances, but his bravery of taking the fight to Onifa can only be applauded. At the same time, John Ray Onifa showed his resilience to continue racing with a damaged ankle. After he crossed the line, he went straight into the ambulance. Luckily, it soon turned out to be relatively okay despite a swelling. His participation in the 9 Dragoons in three weeks is not in danger.

Chloe Base as the only female finisher of the 100 km

Kathleen Ligan: impressive victory on the 50km

Larry Apolinario: man of the weekend?