The 3rd edition of Bukit Lawang Orang Utan Trail is set for Sunday morning, 12 May. The boutique event in the picturesque riverside town of Bukit Lawang in North Sumatra, Indonesia, has been one of the most popular newcomers on the ATM scene, offering a solid organisation in a great place featuring a fun arena with a big marquee tent, a varied running course and - of course - orang utans in the rainforest. Compared to last year, the start time of the 50km ATM points race has moved forward to 4:30 am, so more runners can avoid the heat of mid-day.

The race course is largely unchanged, which means a very runable first half around and through plantations followed by a technical second half characterised by single and hilly rainforest trails that can also be slippery. However, runners enjoy sliding on those descending trails in Bukit Lawang. The orang utans can be seen, too. They are roaming freely and approach the river in the early morning, so of course not every single runner may be fortunate to meet them. Incidentally, runners on the 25km and 10km short courses tend to have more luck in this.

The 50km race has seen the emergence of great young local trail talent over the past two years. Not in the least a year ago, when Erwin Simanjuntak and Andre Sinaga took the measure of a.o. Chris Timms and Luis Alvelais. Vanja Cnops was a very happy winner in the women’s race last season.

Accommodation is in local homestays, guesthouses or in one swiss-owned hotel on the other side of the riverbank for those looking for something more upmarket. It takes roughly 4 hours to reach Bukit Lawang from Medan airport and a shuttle bus will be arranged. For details on that you can contact the local organising team at Arras Adventures with info@asiatrailmaster.com in copy.

In Bukit Lawang we always discover new Indonesian trail talent

Last season’s exciting Japanese newcomer in the Asia Trail Master Championship is back on Sunday, 14 July: Mount Daisetsu Trail Journey near Asahikawa in Hokkaido. The 60km main race takes runners to a remote mountain landscape and long ridgeline with astonishing views across the whole area. Even seasoned trail runners like Hisashi Kitamura, who won the 2023 edition, and Singapore’s Trung Nguyen spoke only in superlatives about their running experience.

Mt Daisetsu Trail takes place on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, easily reachable via Tokyo. You can find flights to Sapporo or - closer - Asahikawa. Runners are also advised to consider hotel accommodation in Asahikawa, as options near the race venue are extremely limited. International participants are also encouraged to contact either the event directly via the form online (http://daisetsu-tj.com/country/pg5271098.html) , or via email hiro@katoru.net , cc info@asiatrailmaster.com for assistance on ‘how to get to the race venue’. Registration for the event is open via http://daisetsu-tj.com/pg5266569.html . Note that there are aslo 40km and 15km options for less ambitious runners.

The 60km ATM points race will start just before dawn after a gentle warm-up running in the plains, you will hit the mountain trail. As you can see on the elevation profile below, there are three distinct summit peaks in the race. Note that on the Hiroyama ridge trail, there is a approx 4km section where it is mandatory to walk - not run - by regulation to protect the flora along the ridge line. This is a conservation area managed by the Environment Ministry. Time of entry into this section will be recorded. Participants will be given a set time (last year 30 minutes) to walk through it. At the finish arena there are welcome refreshments in a pleasant setting.

If you like to take part in a Japanese trail ‘off-the-beaten-path’, this event is for you.

At Mount Kalatungan Ultra in Bukidnon, Philippines, Julie Ann Morales already grabbed her third victory of the current ATM season in the event’s 85km race! The Davao mountain ultra specialist took control on the long ascent of one of her country’s highest mountains and hung unto the lead despite the challenge of ultra long distance specialist Ann Jilian Pulanco. Morales finished before sunset. She now totals 1500 ATM Championship points, which could already be enough to qualify for Team Pilipinas in the ATM Final. Morales was part of the team in 2022, but not last year as she competed in just two events. Since the end of the covid crisis, the 32-year-old has collected five race wins in our series.

Pulanco managed to keep second place till the finish. Great performance by last year’s winner in Sierra Madre! She was 23 minutes behind Morales. In third place on the podium was local Bukidnon runner Mary Joy Sumanda, ATM Finalist last season and just like the race winner a new face that has emerged in the Philippines’ competitive field over the last two years. That also counts for Shally Yuson, who fnished in fourth place ahead of Chloe Base and Irish Glorioso.

The men’s 85km race saw two runners crossing the finish line together: Jevie Cagatin and Yoyong Sacayle. Cagatin had set the pace early on with Kik Suello and Anthony Paladin. The latter would fade away, but Cagatin and Suello climbed well. Two names that will not ring a bell with ATM followers. Suello is a newcomer to the scene, Cagatin first appeared on Mount Apo last December, where he scored second place on the podium. While Suello lost ground in the second half of the race to take third place, Cagatin pressed ahead but was nevertheless joined by local favourite and ATM Finalist, 7th last season, Yoyong Sacayle. The duo stayed together till the end, but instead of a sprint they came in hand-in-hand. Moments later, Sacayle suggested that Cagatin is the deserved race winner with him in second. Cagatin, Sacayle and Suello were remarkably far ahead of the others in what was a strong field. Bagtit 100 winner Maynard Encormal did not have the best of races and finished in 7th place. Florence ‘Enciong’ Alave was 12th. Mount Apo race winner Isaiah Paraiso found Kalatungan also tougher than expected. He came in fourth , but almost two hours behind the lead duo. Jomarc Ferrer and Marvin Buizon did well in five and six, with Sean Aying in 8th.

The busy Filipino season continues in a fortnight with Sierra Madre Trail in the Rizal mountains east of Manila.

The men’s top 3 at Mt Kalatungan Ultra with Jevie Catagin declared as official winner

Julie Ann Morales keeps winning: this was number 3 of the current ATM season!

Milton Amat continues his reign in his home state of Sabah. On Saturday, the local hero won BUTM 55km in 6:05:06 after catching and overtaking a fading Alessandro Sherpa around km 40. As often, the 2018 ATM Champion had started out fast and put distance between himself and the other competitors. Despite cloudy weather, the temperature and humidity were still very high and plenty of participants suffered from dehydration at some point during the day. Sherpa included. His pace dropped significantly and he even contemplated retiring from the race at aid station 4 while lying on the ground trying to take in sports drink. Both Milton Amat and the once again surprisingly fast Wilsen Singgin had just passed him at that point. After some time, Sherpa got back up and continued for the final 11km to the finish line. He still managed to score third on the podium, staying ahead of Yasbie Ismail by 13 minutes. Milton Amat took the victory, but it is a stretch to say he was just cruising home. It had clearly been a working day for Amat, and he also admitted as much. Wilsen Singgin had also kept the pressure on, actually running faster than Amat in some sections and finishing just ten minutes later. Are we going to see Wilsen Singgin finally exploiting all his talent this season? In the three months since the end of last season, Singgin has looked remarkably fresher and more competitive as already illustrated by his 50k win over Sefli Ahar in Brunei two weeks ago.

The women’s 50km was entirely dominated by the youngster Shamiera Auther. Leading from start to finish, Auther proved her competitive progress and maturity in taking her first ATM race victory ahead of experienced runners such as Kona Laiu , Vicki Zhu and the Lintanga sisters Lolita and Jessica. Auther even had an advantage at the finish of over 50 minutes! Jessica Lintanga, who still had the upper hand over Auther in TMBT half a year ago, ran together with her younger sister. It was the first time Lolita entered the top five of an ATM race.

The 105km ultra looked like a bird in the hand for local hero Daved Simpat. The obvious pre-race favourite also seemed very much at ease on the trails on Saturday morning, leading by quite a long margin over e.g. Oswald Maikol, Sulhan Mohd, Gustin Tiam and Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Chung. But in the afternoon drama unfolded as Simpat retired himself from the race at WS6, citing two spells of ‘fainting’ earlier on. Even Sabah’s own top runners are not immune for the heat and humidity! With Simpat out, suddenly a number of runners were looking at a potential prestigious victory. Another Sabah veteran, Gustin Tiam took control and opened up a gap towards Sulhan Mohd, a relative newcomer in the ultra scene who last year won UTOP 100 in Penang. By the last aid station, Tiam looked like he was safe to grab victory - his first ever in ATM at the age of 48. A fantastic performance, indeed! Sulhan Mohd ran an amazing final sector to reduce the gap to Tiam from nearly 30 minutes to 18 minutes at the finish. Did he leave it just a bit too late? Nevertheless, Sulhan looks like a solid new name in the Malaysian ultra scene. Sabah’s Oswald Maikol dropped back after a fast start and would settle for third place, just like in TMBT 100 last season. Maikol had to dig deep at the end because Wont Kudin ran a fantastic final few hours emerging into the top ten and finishing fourth eventually, ahead of Muhammad Hazim, Nguyen Van Chung, Haziq Asyraf and Atsushi Ito, for example.

The women’s 100km also had a bit of a thrilling conclusion. Pre-race favourite and last year’s winner Rejlen James was in control of the race from the start and built up a nice gap towards the other competitors. However, also she as a local began to suffer from the conditions and found it increasingly difficult to manage her fluid and food intake. James’ advantage was melting away and she had to stop several times feeling sick. A well-trained Adelinah Lintanga, in her best race since winning Penang Eco in 2019, came ever closer , but James held on by 13 minutes at the finish in the middle of the night. The rejuvinated Lintanga was pleased with her own return to form and second place, but also realised she had come close to a big win. Just like with Sulhan in the men’s, did she leave her ‘attack’ too late? This year’s BUTM 100 looks like a nice case study in ‘how to manage your efforts and the time gaps to your competitors’ . In third place, we found the still quite young Lynda Marylyn, who showed her ultra distance talent again. Last year, she already came 2nd in the Borneo Miler - also behind Rejlen James. The very experienced Celeste Teo took fourth, and Penang’s Pei Fen Goh fifth.

An important mental victory for Milton Amat with a view on what’s to come later this ATM season

The 100 km men’s podium with Gustin Tiam, Sulhan Mohd and Oswald Maikol

The 100 km women’s podium with Rejlen James, Adelinah Lintanga and Lynda Marylyn

Shamiera Auther: first victory in ATM for the Malaysian youngster

The Filipino ATM season continues this weekend in Bukidnon in Mindanao with the Mount Kalatungan Trail Ultra. A successful Candidate Race in 2020 just before the covid pandemic brought everything to a halt. Four years went by, and the team around Grandmasters Ramie and Rene Amigleo from the Ultra Runners Republic are delighted they can finally put the event back on. For non-Filipinos, Mount Kalatungan is a stratovolcano, albeit with no historical eruptions, and a serious altitude of 2860m making it just a bit smaller than Mount Apo near Davao. The ATM points race is 85km long with the ascent of Kalatungan located in the first third of the race. Runners better save some energy for after the big climb, in other words.

Bukidnon is the region roughly between Davao and Cagayan de Oro, from where lots of new trail running talent has emerged in the past few years. The Amigleo brothers did a lot for the sport there. Today, Yoyong Sacayle is arguably the best-known local top runner, Mary Joy Sumanda another up-and-comer. Both were ATM Finalists and top ten placers last year, and both will toe the start line in Pangantucan this weekend.

ATM Championship overall leader Julie Ann Morales will be aiming to make it three victories out of three races this season. Morales has been on a roll with wins on Mt Apo and last month at Bagtit Ultra. Another top performance would put her already in a very comfortable position to make Team Pilipinas for this year’s ATM Final. Her main competitors for the victory will be the aforementioned Mary Joy Sumanda, Ann Jilian Pulanco, Shally Yuson, Anne Maridol Rongavilla and Chloe Base. Keep an eye out for Sumanda, who on home soil could as well take her first ATM race win.

In the men’s race, Yoyong Sacayle will have to take care of Bagtit 100 winner Maynard Encormal, amongst others. Encormal looked solid three weeks ago, hopefully he has fully recovered from the effort. Sacayle ran the 9 Dragons 50/50, though, albeit rather anonimously. Perhaps that was calculated to be 100% for this weekend? On paper, Encormal and Sacayle look like the ones to beat, but there’s many other podium contenders in the race, such as Jonathan Pido, ATM Championship points leader Sean Aying, Florence Alave, Freddie Blanco, Henry Joe Cottilon and Ariehmar Bardoquillo.

ATM will be reporting from the Mt Kalatungan Ultra event on the usual channels.

Local Bukidnon runner Mary Joy Sumanda could go for her first ever ATM race win this weekend

Yoyong Sacayle: can he keep Maynard Encormal at bay ?

Maynard Encormal was a great winner at Bagtit 100 just three weeks ago

ATM Points Leader so far: Julie Ann Morales. Kalatungan is already her 3rd race this season

As usual, the Malaysian Asia Trail Master season starts a bit later and typically BUTM is the first big appointment in the country. Alternating with The Borneo Miler, BUTM is once again a points race event with the spotlights put on the traditional 100k and 50k races. The trail stars from Sabah are all expected to run - based on the start list - and also vice-2023 ATM Champion Alessandro Sherpa has planned to open his ATM account this weekend.

BUTM is often called the ‘little sister’ of the classic TMBT in September, but it is definitely wrong to underestimate the event as such. The typical ingredients of a Sabahan trail race are there - deep jungle alternating with ethnic village and river crossings, Kinabalu views and humid conditions. Trails are generally more runable than some other rainforest races, but that also implies hydration is essential in this race. Plenty of runners each year drop out due to major cramps. As TMBT, BUTM is mainly a daytime race with the start at 6am. That means the races are very scenery-friendly and is probably why they also keep attracting a lot of non-Sabah runners, including foreigners.

Milton Amat and Wilsen Singgin both warmed-up for this weekend’s home event in Brunei a fortnight ago. At the BDUTM loop race, they both won their respective races and especially Singgin impressed by beating local hero Sefli Ahar in the final kilometres. He is known to be at his most competitive at long and tough ultras, but Singgin seems to be changing tactics and working on developing his running speed. This Saturday he will be running the 50km and not the 100km. The same applies for Milton Amat and for Alessandro Sherpa, which confirms the recent trend that sees elite trail runners shying away from the ultra distances in favour of running more medium distance races. In theory, the trio of Amat-Singgin-Sherpa are the most likely victory contenders, but we won’t be surprised if they first need to chase the traditional fast-starter Sefli Ahar first again. And let’s not forget that the more runable BUTM course suits the Bruneian more than the BDUTM loop two weeks ago. Chris Timms could get himself in the mix, too. The Singapore-based Britain has been away from the ATM scene for a while due to professional obligations, but we remember how fast he is on 50k. Plenty of new names on the start list of nearly 300 runners for the 50k, so who knows someone pulls a surprise , too.

The women’s 50km could see a battle for victory between Jess Lintanga and Shamiera Auther, with also Kona Laiu as a standard contender for the prizes. Last time out at TMBT, Lintanga still had the better of the young Auther. Plenty of unknown names on the start list here as well.

Looking at the 100km ultra, Daved Simpat appears to be the one-to-beat, certainly if he shows the same kind of pace and grit as in winning TMBT half a year ago. Simpat had arguably his best competitive performance in five years on that day, and if he can replicate that form again it is hard to see who could follow him. Hisashi Kitamura won’t be there, the usual Japanese challenger will be running Tokyo Marathon this weekend instead. Perhaps Vietnam’s young Nguyen Van Chung can make Simpat nervous? Van Chung is an up-and-coming talent in Vietnam who recently won the Prenn Ultra Candidate Race in Dalat. What can Davao’s Rexell Aguirre do at BUTM 100? Aguirre looked great winning the 100 miles race at Ultra Trail Chiang Rai in Thailand last October. Malaysia’s Moo Sat, Bernardo Linus and Gustin Tiam will be in the mix for the podium, as well as Japan’s Atsushi Ito. Fuminori Kondo is another Japanese runner who is returning to the ATM scene after several months out due to injury sustained at Mantra 116 last year.

Rejlen James is the obvious favourite in the women’s 100km race. Last year she won the so-called Borneo Triple, which includes BUTM 100, The Borneo Miler and TMBT 100. However, it did seem to take something out of her, too, as she ‘only’ came fifth at MMTF and the ATM Championship Final turned out into a competitive disappointment with James even failing to reach the top ten. Presumably a few months of rest will have done her some good. Celeste Teo and Adelinah Lintanga are logical podium contenders, and let’s see what the younger generation like Pei Fen Goh and Lynda Marylyn can do this weekend.

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

Alessandro Sherpa starts his 2024 ATM campaign this weekend

Milton Amat: will 2024 be the year the Sabahan scores the championship title?

Rejlen James: unbeatable on home soil last year

Shamiera Auther: among the 50k favourites this Saturday

One of the toughest ultra races on our ATM Championship calendar since last year is Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths 100 in Vietnam. Not necessarily because of high-altitude mountains, but because runners go deep into ancient rain forest to get a real “Indiana Jones” experience. It is one those 100km races that makes every finisher proud of himself. However, runners who are more into faster and runable trail courses also find their playground at the CPJP event with the 42 km race. Both the 100km and 42km offer ATM Championship points, and if you’re only looking to score a Grandmaster finish point, there’s also a 70k option.

Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths is scheduled for the first weekend of April and registrations are open. The event by Race Jungle is quite easily accessible from Hanoi as runners can book and take the event bus to the race venue inside the Cuc Phuong National Park. Participants with more time on their hands can also explore nearby Ninh Binh and other very popular tourist areas such as Tam Coc.

If you are choosing to tackle the 100km, you will need to be prepared and perhaps even more mentally than physically. Know that in the second part of the race on the long way back to the start/finish arena you will literally disappear off the map as there is zero connectivity inside the deep forest. Marshals and event staff are present as well, of course, yet be aware that you are expected to be able to handle yourself for a while in case of injury or other issues. Runners are expected to show fair play and help people in need, too. Given the high degree of technicality and adventure (never mind leeches!), participants should also take the mandatory gear list seriously.

Last season, Nguyen Si Hieu and Shindy Patricia were the toughest of the bunch in the inaugural 100k race through the National Park. Hisashi Kitamura and Christine Mitchell were the fastest runners on the 42km distance.

All information and details can be found on the website of Race Jungle, including on travel and accommodation packages. if not yet registered, please do so quickly.

For the 100km runners: the path to the deep old rainforest of Cuc Phuong National Park

Brunei Darussalam Ultra Trail Marathon has claimed a rightful spot on the trail calendar with its daring loop concept. The inaugural event last weekend had received the ATM Candidate label and saw a fine competition on a 5km loop course that was - as so often in Brunei - more challenging than most had anticipated. Race-wise, we saw an impressive performance by Sabah’s Wilsen Singgin, who of course always thrives when the trails are tough. Singgin took victory on the 50km by passing local hero Sefli Ahar on the last lap. In the women’s competition, Mailin Salungin -also from Sabah- was the strong winner.

BDUTM took place at night time in the Tasek Lama Recreational Park and had over 3000hm of elevation gain for the 10-lap 50km race. Other than the 50km, there were also shorter distance categories, with Milton Amat winning the 30km, for instance, as he prepares for his upcoming ATM points races BUTM 50 and Lantau 70.

As in almost every race he starts, Sefli Ahar decided to set the pace from the beginning. A multiple race winner in ATM in the early seasons, Ahar returned to the scene at TMBT last year and scored second behind John Ray Onifa on the 50km. Now approaching 50 years of age, Sefli is still very fast, but the much younger and technically very skilled Wilsen Singgin turned out to have a little more power left at the end. Singgin will also be featuring at BUTM 50 and Lantau 70 in March. Sefli Ahar came second ahead of his countryman and ATM Grandmaster Alexander Chung Kwei Ming.

The experienced Mailin Salungin, who has scored podium places in a.o. TMBT in the past, was leading most of the race, with Kona Liau and Jennyifer Townsend joining her on the 50km podium.

In early June, runners can score ATM Championship points in Brunei as well at the Simpur Ultra event.

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