This weekend we also have a new destination on our championship event calendar in Laos! The Luang Prabang Ultra Trail in the old UNESCO World Heritage city follows into the footsteps of the renowned V Trail in Vang Vieng, member of ATM since 2018. Green Step manages also this event, which has the potential to grow into a trail classic. Luang Prabang was the royal capital of the country until 1975 and sports an incredible artistic heritage. Reasons enough to pay a visit in itself, and now trail runners can also exercise their favourite hobby while doing so.

On the programme this weekend are both a 100km and a 55km category with points for the Top 25 for the ATM Championship ranking, which leads to potential qualification for the Championship Final in September 2025. While the aforementioned V Trail is renowned for its seriously tough course, Luang Prabang Trail offers a more runable course with total elevation gain for the 100km estimated at 3700hm. The 55km category has nearly 1800 hm. That implies we may see some different local Laotian names on the leaderboard than in Vang Vieng. Looking at the 100km start list, however, the name of Tokyo’s Yuta Matsuyama stands out as a well-known victory contender. Matsuyama scored top ten in the last two ATM Finals and has a double victory in Ultra Trail Chiang Mai on his record. One caveat for the colourful Japanese runner is the tropical heat, which he often struggles with. Malaysia’s Wont Kudin, who recently earned his Grandmaster title, is a regular top five placer in his home races in Sabah. Amongst the familiar names on the start list, he could be Matsuyama’s biggest challenger. Also Amorn Kimnguan from Thailand, Hiroki Yoshikawa from Japan, Lyu Meng from China will be competing for the podium. The women’s 100km has Thai runner Siriporn Leumathong as arguable the favourite for the victory. She was the surprise on the top ten podium of the ATM Championship Finat at Borneo TMBT more than a month ago, showing the competitive potential that had always been there but only occasionally came out. She will be up against Visisombat Nakin.

More runners on the medium distance of 55km, as usual. A great international mix as well. Among the potential victory contenders we find Thailand’s Danon Rattanatumrong, winner of UTKC 70 in 2022. Hong Kong’s Rod Henderson, ATM finalist in 2023, is also always in for a good result. We are looking forward to seeing the local runners, too. On the basis of V Trail last season, Laos’ own trail runnes are indeed growing in number and in competitiveness.

Yuta Matsuyama looking to score another win in Southeast Asia

Siriporn Leumathong could be scoring her first ATM race win this weekend on the 100km

Rod Henderson was a finalist for Hong Kong last year

This weekend’s doubleheader on our ATM Championship calendar begins very early already at noon on Friday with the start of the 100 Miles race at Ultimate Trails of Penang, better known as UTOP, in Malaysia. It is the first Malaysian points race event for Season 10’s Championship ranking, and also an anniversary edition. UTOP is celebrating its fifth edition.

This event has been alternating with Penang Eco on our calendar, as both are organised by Endurance Nature, led by ultra running legend Seow Kong Ng and Allan Lee. People who have run both long ultras argue that UTOP is the toughest one. Taking place on Penang island itself - contrary to Penang Eco - the 171km longest category has a whopping 9910 metres of elevation gain. This is a serious challenge when you also add the heat and humidity into the mix. Nevertheless, about six dozen of trail runners will be attempting to complete this beast on the weekend. The 100 Miles is also one of the two distance categories that matter for ATM Championship points, the other one logically being the 60km medium distance. Runners only keen on scoring a Grandmaster point always need to focus on 70+ km races, which in the case of UTOP means the aforementioned 100 Miles, but it can also be the 100km that is on the programme.

When we take a look at the start list of the 100Miles, two names perhaps stand out: Aqmal Adzmi and Andrew Farmers, both ultra long distance enthousiasts. Adzmi has taken a break from ATM since Season 8 and could be making a return in style. His best competitive performance so far was 3rd place at MMTF 90km in 2022. Let’s see how he fares against Andrew Farmers, the Australian who lives in Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. Farmers was the joint winner with Amir Zaki of The Borneo Miler in 2023. Definitely not interested in 50k races, Farmers knows very well what he is getting into at UTOP and with the experience he has accumulated in ultra long races throughout the world, he may be the man-to-beat for Aqmal Adzmi and other contenders. Amongst those are e.g. Tuan Hafandi and Chong Teck Shuin.

Five women will be attempting the 100 Miles, including Sarawak’s Celeste Teo and Philippines’ Irish Glorioso. Both well-experienced in long ultras, they could both score their first ever ATM race victory this weekend, after so many podium placings already. Chong Yien Chin, Wong Siow Yen and Xu Liangdi may try to prevent that.

On the 60km most eyes will focus on the competitive performance of Alex Tilley. Residing in Penang, the British runner returns to the scene this weekend and is the winner of last year’s 100km of Penang Eco. Tilley was also tenth in the ATM Championship Final a year ago in Indonesia. Since then, he has become a father and UTOP is his first race back. Besides Tilley, the start list reveals many new names - both in the male and female category. We are looking forward therefore to getting to know some new trail talents.

Aqmal Adzmi will be one of the top contenders in the men’s 100 miles

Sabah-based Australian Andrew Farmers was the joint winner of The Borneo Miler last year

Last year Celeste Teo also tackled the 100 miles of Penang Eco

Two years ago, Irish Glorioso finished second in UTOP 100km

Alex Tilley returns to the trails in his new home this weekend: Penang

Runners seeking more Grandmaster Quest points should draw a red circle around Saturday, 8 February 2025. That’s the date of the Santa Ines Mountain Adventure Run in the Rizal mountains east of Manila in the Philippines. Alternating with Bagtit Ultra on our ATM calendar, this event is organised by The Pace Republic and 4-star Grandmaster Rhea Batac herself. The main race category is the 80km , that’s also the Grandmaster race distance. Please note that this is a Grandmaster-only race, i.e. there are no points to be scored for the ATM Championship ranking.

Santa Ines is about a 2h drive from Manila City and therefore quite convenient. Grab cars will take you there. However, the race start is scheduled for 4 am so make sure you arrange accordingly. The event was a Candidate in 2022 and a points race in 2023. From both occasions, we learnt that the 80k should certainly not be underestimated. This is a race to come prepared for, with several technical sections and many river crossings, some narrow, some wide. Accoriding to Rhea Batac, the 2025 course will be amended here and there compared to 2023 and this is still work in progress. Below you can see the profile of back then with Mount Irid as the highest peak of the race at about 1500m above sea level. Total elevation gain is estimated at 4500 hm.

The winners in 2023 were Elmer Retolado and Elizabeth Dangadan.

It is recommended to follow the official facebook page - linked below- to stay up-to-date with the latest news about the Santa Ines Mountain Adventure. Registration is opening soon.

Bislig Ultra Trail can look back to a successful inaugural edition last weekend. The new event in Surigao del Sur, north of Davao in Mindanao (Philippines) is organised by the AWRA Team and had a varied 50k as main race category. The course offered a challenging and exhilarating course that showcased the region's diverse terrain, including barangay roads, scenic trails, waterfalls, river crossings, and ridgelines. The excellent service and volunteer support gave the many participants a memorable trail experience.

The men’s 50k race was won by pre-race favourite Jhon Mahinay. He was 9 minutes faster than Ian Ray Hilapon and finished in 6h42. In third place, a bit later, was Reymar Taleon.

The women’s race went to Lory Gacusan in 10h28. In a rather tight race, she was faster by 19 minutes over Gilda Pagal and Chona Mae Dingal.

The winning times indicate that Bislig is indeed challenging. AWRA organises another ATM Candidate in December, the New Corella Trail Ultra. This one takes place a bit further south and therefore closer to Davao City.

Indonesia’s top trail runners Risqi Kurniawan and Shindy Patricia collected their fifth and seventh ATM race victories, respectively, at the great Broder 50 event in East Java’s Bromo desert. Both elites finished clearly ahead of a solid field and underlined their ambitions for this season’s ATM Championship. Broder 50 consisted of two loops of 25km in the famous ‘desert’ around the Bromo volcano. A runable race that nevertheless got tough due the gale winds that struck runners in the second loop.

Risqi Kurniawan had an up-and-down year so far, plagued by injury, but very much looked in control again last Saturday. Competitors such as Akhmad Nizar, Muhammad Faris, Ma’Mun Khariri, Thimo Kilberth and Yuki Naotori all ran great races, but had to tolerate Kurniawan running away in the distance from early on. The battle for second place was exciting. Malaysia’s Faris was arguable most impressive in showing a fast running pace and keeping up with Khariri - winner of Mantra 116 and second in Bali 80 this year - and Nizar (ATM Finalist 2023 , finishing 8th at Siksorogo, and ‘eternal second’ behind Kurniawan. Towards the end, an injury-hampered Nizar still managed to score another second place, but Faris did complete the podium ahead of Khariri. Sponsored and coached by Team Ole Athletic, this was a great step-up in performance level for the Malaysian. Bali-based German Thimo Kilberth started his Season 10 campaign in style with fifth overall and first in the ‘veteran’ category. He stayed ahead of Japan’s Naotori.

Shindy Patricia was a late addition to the start list, showing up just one week after an unfortunate DNF in a mountain race in Sabah. Seemingly out for revenge on herself, she left the other women no chance. The East Javanese trail star took her seventh career win in ATM, after sitting out Season 9 to focus on road and marathon runs. Shindy is back with a bang! As with the men, the women’s race for second was interesting to follow. Malaysia-based Filipino Ritzy Amor , who joined the aforementioned Team Ole Athletic , looked set to grab the first runner-up spot, but was overtaken towards the end by the surprisingly quick Azarine Putri , also from East Java. In fourth, we had Indonesia’s Masrifah and Canada’s Isabelle Bedard. Pre-race favourite Lynda Marylyn DNFd after the first loop, running in fourth place, citing difficulties breathing after inhaling a lot of dust after the wind picked up strongly.

Broder 50 is a typically scenic Indonesian trail race organised by the Mantra team from Malang. However, as most other trail races in the country tend to be tough, technical to very technical, this one is runable, making for an interesting change.

This weekend we also have a new ATM Candidate Race in Mindanao in the Philippines. Bislig Ultra Trail is the first event in Surigao del Sur, which is located to the north of Davao, and features a 50km as main race category. The start list is long for a debut race, showing the enthusiasm of the local trail community.

As the official event tagline reads: “the race routes designed to challenge and inspire you amidst the stunning natural beauty of Bislig. Whether you are tackling the 50km, 25km, or 15km category, you are about to embark on a journey that showcases the very best of our region’s landscapes and wildlife.” The highlight is the magnificent Tinuy-an Falls, often called the "Niagara Falls of the Philippines.

In addition, there is the sanctuary of the Philippine Eagle, one of the world's rarest and most majestic birds. The presence of such unique wildlife adds a special dimension to your run, making it not only a test of endurance but also a celebration of Bislig’s natural heritage.

Among the race favourites of the 50km is Jhong Mahinay, but we are looking forward to discovering quite a lot of new talent from Surigao and surroundings. The event is organised by AWRA, which in December also has another Candidate Race named New Corella Trail Ultra.

The early part of Season 10 in our Asia Trail Master Championship series continues in East Java, Indonesia, this weekend with a new entry on our calendar. The second edition of Broder 50 is the latest event produced and directed by the well-established Mantra 116 team and takes place in the legendary Bromo desert. As the event title suggests, Broder 50 has a 50km main race category - the one that matters for runners who wish to score points for the ATM Championship ranking, which leads to potential qualification for the Championship Final in September 2025. The race starts at 3am on Saturday morning.

The early part of Season 10 in our Asia Trail Master Championship series continues in East Java, Indonesia, this weekend with a new entry on our calendar. The second edition of Broder 50 is the latest event produced and directed by the well-established Mantra 116 team and takes place in the legendary Bromo desert. As the event title suggests, Broder 50 has a 50km main race category - the one that matters for runners who wish to score points for the ATM Championship ranking, which leads to potential qualification for the Championship Final in September 2025. The race starts at 3am on Saturday morning.

A few of Indonesia’s usual top performers feature on the start list. First and foremost Risqi Kurniawan, who has been basically undefeated on the medium trail distance in his home country for quite a while now. Injury plagued him a few months ago, but in July the T8 runner still managed to take another victory at Mantra 65k. Broder 50 is normally a runable trail and this could place a few other competitors within striking distance. Akhmad Nizar is never that far behind Risqi and maybe on a good day he can put up a challenge in Bromo. In Indonesia there’s always runners who appear from nowhere on the top of the race leaderboard, so maybe we get to know some new faces as well. Bali-based Thimo Kilberth is in any case also a lover of runable trails where he can use his inherent running speed to get close to the podium. Malaysia’s Ole Athletic runner Muhammad Faris Azhari will also be a contender for the top 3 in the men’s race.

From the same team but coming from Sabah is Lynda Marylyn, Championship Finalist at Borneo TMBT last month. On paper, she has a great opportunity to score her first ATM race victory at Broder 50. Lynda, nicknamed ‘Butet’, is an upcoming young talent in Malaysia who has become increasingly competitive in the course of the past year. Other contenders are expected to be local Indonesian runners and Canada’s Isabelle Bedard.

ATM will be reporting live from Broder 50 on our usual channels.

The 50km course

The famous Bromo desert

Risqi Kurniawan

Lynda 'Butet' Marylyn

The latest brainchild of David Lloyd and his team at Topas Travel is called Vietnam Ultra Marathon and joins the Asia Trail Master Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar on 8 March 2025. The second edition of this event in Mai Chau, roughly three hours southwest of Hanoi, features a 75km category that is the one to focus on. VUM therefore joins VTM, Vietnam Trail Marathon in Moc Chau, in January on our current 2025 event calendar.

The events organised by Topas, spearheaded by VMM in Sapa, are among the most popular in Southeast Asia every year and we are indeed delighted that we will again have two of them with races for ATM points. Runners who took part in the first edition of VUM last March gave rave reviews of stunning landscapes on beautiful trails between remote villages. As the website describes, the route climbs up to the fabled land of Hang Kia, where Hmong communities live not far from the border with Laos. For many years, this area was completely off the tourist map. Now you can run here and discover another side of Mai Chau.

From a competition point of view, the 75km race profile shows the toughest sections with most elevation will be tackled in the first half. Pure mountain and technically skilled trail runners may need to use these, before the speedsters can get their running pace to work in the second half.

Registration is open already and can be done via the official website of VUM linked below. As usual, there’s travel packages on offer that take the hassle out of everything. Transport from Hanoi departs from the Turtle Lake Brewing company, same as for the other events organised by Topas.

Aguila Wanderers Recreational Adventure, in short AWRA, is organising the 2nd edition of the New Corella Trail Ultra in Brgy. Carcor New Corella, Davao del Norte in Philippines on 8 December 2024. The event features three categories of 50km, 30km and 15km and has obtained the ATM Candidate Race label. New Corella is known for its beautiful but challenging trails not too far north of Davao City.

Participants will traverse diverse terrain, from rolling hills and dense forests to river crossings and rugged mountain trails. The course has a number of distinct highlights. Bundok Cave is a remarkable 200-foot-long cave that runners will traverse. The Panas Waterfalls and the Casilak Waterfalls are two breathaking natural falls. Then there is Balaang Bukid, a prominent landmark with significant local cultural and spiritual relevance. Furthermore, runners will also pass by neighbouring municipalities that will show the beauty of Nabunturen and Mawab.

One of the race's highlights is the passage through the famous Bundok Cave, a stunning 200-foot-long natural formation, as well as scenic spots like the breathtaking Panas Falls. The race route also extends to neighboring municipalities, showcasing the natural beauty of Nabunturan and Mawab. Beyond the competition, the NCTR50 promotes environmental awareness, supports the local tourism industry of Davao del Norte, and highlights the rich culture of New Corella.

NCTR 50 will have its flag off at 3am on Sunday, 8 December with the shorter distances respectively one hour and two laters later. The cut-off time for the 50km is set at 16 hours. The course is not flat, but elevation gain is relatively modest at 1900 hm for the 50km. The event has an official hotel , which is the Kojo Hotel in Tagum.

Registration is easy via a Google form linked below. You can also stay up-to-date via the AWRA facebook page. Please note that on 12 October, the AWRA Team is organising another ATM Candidate, Bislig Trail Ultra in Surigao del Sur, further north.

We are happy to announce that Trail des Gombak in Selangor, north of Kuala Lumpur, is a new Malaysian points race on our Season 10 ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar. Organised by the Projek Hijo team, the fourth edition of the event will be held on 21/22 June 2025 following a successful run as an ATM Candidate a few months ago. On the schedule are both a 100km and a 50km for Championship points.

Gombak is the name of the district located just 80km north of KLIA, Malaysia’s international airport. The area has been a drawcard for tourists thanks to the proximity of the Batu Caves. The venue of Trail des Gombak is located just to the north of the caves at Dewan Sergabuna. From KL Sentral, busses take you to Gombak and Grab cars are omnipresent as well.

“Exploring Possibilities” is the tagline of the event. The route of the race consists of jungle trails, river creeks, waterfalls, asphalt, rolling hills, and much more that Gombak can offer.The 100km course has an estimated elevation gain of 3500 hm, making it one of the more runable races on paper. The 50km offers 1700 metres of elevation gain. Please note that while the 100km starts at 8am on Saturday morning, the 50km is essentially a Sunday race with start at 3 am.

Last June, victory on the 100km went to the Singapore duo of Malachy Kirwan and Philippe Daniel in the men’s ahead of Tuan Afandi, and Grandmaster Carly Balmforth in the women’s ahead of Norlela Ismail.

The Top 25 in the overall men’s and women’s result score points for the ATM Championship ranking that lead to potential qualification for the Final later in the season. Grandmaster Quest point seekers need to finish the 100km race.

Registration for the 2025 edition is already open. Please check the official website linked below and follow the event’s facebook page to stay up-to-date with the latest news regarding Trail des Gombak.

 

The 60km main category of the Santa Cruz Trail Ultra, near Davao in the Philippines, saw yet another race win for Roberto Cain III, in recent months also already the strongest in MUSPO 100, for instance. Cain finished the ATM Candidate Race in 11h 16 minutes and was well ahead of second-placed Remlar Monang. Cain belongs to the new wave of competitive runners from Mindanao, and we are looking forward to seeing more of him in the ATM Championship during this new season.

Third place on the podium was for Angelo Navarro Sabijon. Antonio Anino and Jinky Garcia took fourth and fifth. First woman in the finish was Razzil Sumalinog. However, she arrived 12 minutes outside the time limit and is therefore not considered the race winner.

Santa Cruz Trail Ultra has a tough and technical 60km course with several peaks.

Roberto Cain III

Remlar Monang

Angelo Navarro Sabijon

Razzil Sumalinog crossed the finish line first, but was officially outside the time limit by 12 minutes

Brought to you by Mark Caldez of Marcado Trail Quest and the Maharlika Series team of Sierra Madre Trail Ultra, the second edition of Malico Grand Ultra in Santa Maria West, Pangasinan, in the West of Luzon a little south of Baguio, offers a Grandmaster point to all finishers of the 75km race on 18/19 January. The event was a Candidate Race in 2024.

As of the new Season 10 and following popular demand, a number of events on our calendar will only offer Grandmaster finisher points and no ATM Championship points. Malico Grand Ultra is the third of these.

Stunning panoramic views of Villa Verde ridges and pine forests, Malico Grand Ultra offers a unique blend of history, challenge, and natural beauty. Run through trails that were once significant battlegrounds during World War II. Immerse in the tranquil surroundings of Cabalisian River and move across the Andalasi hanging bridge to witness the crystal-clear waters of Ambayaoan River. Meanwhile, do not forget to take in the breathtaking mountain views of Mt. Ugo and Mt. Pigingan. One of the main highlights in the 75k category is the exhilarating downhill adventure at Mt. Valdez, that will undoubtedly challenge your skills and endurance. In fact, the 2024 edition showed this is a tough 75km that should not be underestimated. Miguel Carranza won the men’s race in 15h39’ and he is by no means mediocre! Carraza even preceeded other established technical trail runners such as Bhert Orpiada and Sai Tonog II. The women’s race had a surprising winner in Michella Aradanas, who managed to outpace Ann Jilian Pulanco.

Another element participants in the 75km GM distance should prepare for is the cold weather. It is January and close to Baguio, you will need more than just a running tee at night!

Registration for the event is open. Please go to RaceTech PHI to sign up. Event details can be obtained via the official facebook page.

Winners of the 2024 Candidate Race