We are glad to announce that the first edition of Mulu Ultra Trail in Sarawak, Malaysia, has obtained the ATM Candidate Race label. The new event is organised by Evendura Enterprise and is scheduled for Saturday, 14 June. Gunung Mulu National Park is one of the highlights of any adventure travellers’ itinerary on Borneo Island and a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its incredible biodiversity, stunning landscapes, and intricate cave system.

Mulu Ultra Trail is offering three distance categories for the inaugural edition. The longest is 50km, but runners can also opt for the 21km and 10km. Start and finish is at St Edward’s Hall, a key local landmark and gathering point for the local trail running community. The course features a rich blend of challenging terrain including dense jungles, river crossings, and steep climbs. Participants will experience the raw beauty and biodiversity of Borneo’s rainforest, far from urban distractions. The 50km starst at 5am and has an estimated elevation gain of nearly 1800 hm. The shorter distances have 662hm and 262hm, respectively.

The organisers have great ambitions to establish Mulu now also as one of the region’s marquee trail running destinations. It’s a sublime mountain jungle area, with lots of cultural history and customs. It’s indeed deep into Borneo. Sarawak’s northern neighbour state Sabah has attracted trail runners’ attention for well over a decade now , but after the covid period it is clear that Sarawak is playing catch up. Since last year, we have had Silabur Ultra Trail on the ATM Championship and Grandmaster calendars, an event relatively close to Kuching in the south, while Mulu Ultra Trail is close to Miri in the north of Sarawak, and close to the border with Brunei as well. A big bonus point: there is a domestic airport in Mulu, too.

Evendura Enterprise also puts a lot of emphasis on environmental conservation awareness and collaborates with the Sarawak Forestry and other relevant agencies to ensure a minimal impact of the ecosystem. At the same time, Mulu Ultra Trail also wishes to boost the local economy and empower the communities. The event wishes to serve as a platform for sports tourism, fitness and mental wellness in pure nature.

Registration and all race details can be found on the official event website linked below.

The 4th edition of Lam Dong Trail in Dalat, Vietnam, has been scheduled for 8/9 November and will once again feature a 85km points race for the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking and the Grandmaster Quest. As such, it will be one of the first events in Season 11 , which will be launched on 18 October in Laos with the Luang Prabang Ultra Trail.

The past three editions of Lam Dong Trail have seen many of Vietnam’s top runners take part, including Hau Ha, Quang Tran, Julia Nguyen Thi Duong, Loi Luong and so on. The main race is characterised by its quite runable character, as most races in the Dalat area are. Nevertheless, with over 4000 metres of elevation gain this is by no means an easy flat run in the park. The event centre is again at the Valley of Love, which is located just 4 km outside of Dalat City. There’s accommodation available around the venue, but it is certainly also possible to just stay in the city. The start is at 3 am , implying a few hours of darkness and rather chilly temperatures before sunrise. The course goes through several sublime pine forests and across numerous hills. The cut off time is 21 hours , which means midnight on Saturday night.

For those who have never been to Dalat, the city is located in the Central Highlands in the Southwest of Vietnam. It lies at an altitude of approx 1500m above sea level, which means it is one of those areas that can have all four seasons in one single day. Dalat has a domestic airport, but you can also go there on road from Ho Chi Minh City.

Registration for Lam Dong Trail has already opened. Just go to the official website, which is also in Englsh, and make sure you also look at the list of mandatory gear. GPX files of the route will also be available for download.

Running back in time

We are happy to announce that the 3rd edition of Camiguin Island Trail race, scheduled for the weekend of 12 July, has entered the ATM Grandmaster Quest calendar. Organised by Vertical To Sky under Doi Calbes, this event has been growing rapidly in popularity and for the first time will feature a 70km race category - long enough to offer a Grandmaster point to finishers.

Camiguin is an island in the Bohol Sea, approximately 10km off the northern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines. The trail event is held out of the island’s and provincial capital Mambajao. The island has some lush green forest reserves, even protected under the ASEAN Heritage Park label. Camiguin also has a rich cultural history and treasures, such as Old Mambajao Fountain and the façade of the Santo Rosario Church in Sagay. This is a mountainous island, which offers the opportunity for some splendid trail running, including some technical mountain sections. The highest peak is Mount Timpoong, which towers a respectable 1500 metres above sea level.

The event has already opened for registration and in no time secured 650 entries. Contrary to other Vertical To Sky events, this one does not have a limited participation quota. However, better sign up fast to also secure your personal desired accommodation. The course map of 70km is currently being updated and will be released in due course. Via the official facebook page you can stay up-to-date on the latest developments regarding Camiguin Island Trail.

To register, Doi likes to keep it simple. Just send him an email on verticaltosky@gmail.com with your usual event registration details, and his team will come back to you within 48 hours.

Last weekend’s successful BTR Ultra event in Bali, Indonesia, saw the first ever ATM points race victory for upcoming long ultra talent Roberto Cain III (The Third). The Filipino was dominant in the tough 105km ultra across Bali’s three famous mountains Batur, Agung and Abang. He was already first on the summit of Batur before sunset on Friday evening, and kept his advantage throughout the night. In the early hours of Saturday morning, Cain III even still increased the gap to his nearest competitors underlining his superiority. Pre-race favourites like Arief Wismoyono never featured at the very front and later would even DNF. Earlier this ATM season, Roberto Cain III had already taken 2nd in Mount Kalatungan Ultra and 4th in Sierra Madre Trail Ultra. Good results, but this Bali victory really means a step up for him - particularly as it’s not even at home in Philippines. His finish time was 17h52, which proved the hard nature of this 100k and 7200hm course. In fact, runners were even lucky it was cloudy and not that hot for most of the event, set by the Batur Lake.

Almost an hour behind Cain III, Wai Hung Mok from Hong Kong grabbed second in his ATM debut. He was running most of the race with Java’s Akhmad Nizar, but had the edge in the final ten kilometres. Nizar somehow has a subscription on third places in ATM races. Nevertheless, it was third achievement of the current season and he is basically already guaranteed of qualification for Team Indonesia in the ATM Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October. In 2023, Nizar finished 8th in the Final. Behind Wai Hung Mok and Akhmad Nizar, it was Malaysia’s Yih Huan Sua , always good in Indonesia, with Philippines’ Maynard Encormal, having a superb performance just a week after taking a 3rd podium spot in the Mt Ugo Marathon. Yusuf Aprian made a nice comeback to the scene after a long injury break with sixth place. He was followed by Egypt’s well-known Ahmed Bedair, who had made a fast start with Cain III on Batur.

The women’s 100km ultra was dominated by Hong Kong’s Man Yee Cheung. Just two weeks after her miler on Fuji in Japan, the tall Hong Kong star seemed pretty well recovered and was a class on her own in Bali. She took her victory, her second in ATM after VMM 100 in 2023, as fifth overall in 21h13. Earlier this year she also finished second in the 9 Dragons. With a total of 950 ATM Championship points in two races, she might have already done enough to qualify for the Championship Final in Vietnam this season.

Behind her, it was a fantastic second place for Thailand’s Siriporn Leumathong. She was almost the entire race in second and held off a long list of other regular ATM race podium contenders. Last season, she was a surprising 9th in the ATM Championship Final at Borneo TMBT. Indonesia’s Devi Devi claimed the third step on the podium. Earlier on Saturday morning, Ruth Theresia - who was on podium course - stepped out of the race with severe stomach cramps. Another pre-race favourite, Adelinah Lintanga, had a tough day but managed to get some ATM points for 8th place. Singapore’s Wei Xinshuang finished fourth and Malayia’s Law Guan Shin fifth. Then it was Japan’s Yasuyo Hotta followed by Anne Maridol (Philippines), Risa Kamiya (Japan), Adelinah Lintanga(Malaysia) and Nia Septiana. Syarifah Hamzah, who was 4th in Penang just two weeks ago, dropped down to 11th place in the last part of the race.

In the BTR 60k race, Hong Kong-based Dutchman Lodewijk Vriens scored his first ATM race win of the season in 8h37. Vriens was challenged initially by the newcomer from Ambon in the Moluccas, Haidar Ali Lestaluhu, but then took the advantage in the black lava field. After 4th in VUM in March, a good win for Vriens - one of the potential dark horses for the Championship this season.

He was followed by several of Indonesia’s ‘new generation’ runners. In second place was Sobari Herdiana, a good 20 minutes behind Vriens. Third on the podium, Ujang Ahmad Ahmad and Sobiri Haerudin took fourth place. Bali-based German Thimo Kilberth, now 50, was a fantastic fifth after a brilliant second half of the race. Kilberth showed once more what focus and dedication to a goal can do. His fourth successive qualification for the Championship Final is nearly a given already. Abdul Aziz Dermawan was seventh, ahead of Agus Juprit and Luis Alvelais - also on a good day. Malachy Kirwan was a DNS and Taofik Hidayat had a rough day to finish in 14th.

In the women’s, Singapore-based Belgian Vanja Cnops took her 9th ATM race win and 2nd of the season, but only just so! Indonesian newcomer in ATM, Gita Harmoni, came closer and closer and stranded just 1’40” behind Cnops, the vice-ATM Champion of the past two years. What an introduction to Gita Harmoni, who is from Yogyakarta in Indonesia. Vanja Cnops required no less than 10h38 to win this 60k race across Batur and Abang, which was her longest race ever - yes, read that again. For Gita it was a step up in competition level after starting trail running in 2022.

France’s Manon Bourdoge was a happy third. she was followed in the finish by New Zealand’s Charlotte van der Lee, who managed to get ahead of Malaysia’s Shamiera Auther in the final 8 km. Lolita Lintanga and an injured Ritzy Amor were next. Ritzy retakes the overall ATM points lead from her Filipino compatriot Angelie Cabalo. Local Dian Pradina was eighth and Halimatun Sa’adiah ninth.

The next Indonesian points race event in the ATM Championship series is Mantra 116 on the first weekend of July. Later in early September, there’s also still the Ijen Mountain Marathon.

Runner in the black lava of Batur

Thimo Kilberth: fantastic fifth place on the 60

Newcomer in ATM: Gita Harmoni

A doubleheader weekend in ATM before a month’s break, as we are ending a very busy event period that began in early January. Jumla Rara Ultra takes place in remote western Nepal , and in Indonesia we have one of the country’s flagship trail events: BTR Ultra on the island of Bali. BTR has returned to the ATM calendar for the first time since 2022 and is de facto replacing Bali Ultra this season, the other event that has been postponed from August to a later date to be announced soon and in any case will be outside the framework of our current Championship season. Long-term followers of ATM know that BTR today is not the same as BTR 2022: the Mount Batur volcano is still the highlight, but the main race categories are now fully matured. Runners will embark on 60k and even a 100k journey, both distances offering ATM Championship points for the Top 25 in the race results. 100k finishers also collect a Grandmaster point. The question, though: how many finishers will be there on the 100k?

The 100k starts on Friday afternoon at 4 pm and is, in fact, 106km long for well over 7200 metres of elevation gain. Given the climatic conditions of Bali, this is what many would indeed call ‘brutal’, and in any case a serious test of physical and mental strength. With that in mind, it is both remarkable and admirable that Indonesia’s female trail star and 2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia has chosen BTR 100 as her 20th long ultra in ATM, or in other words, the race that may crown her as a 4-star Golden Grandmaster!

Ruth Theresia is still among the favourites to win the women’s race as well, of course. Not competing as often as she did pre-corona, the Bandung runner has been opting for a more balanced approach to trail running with more shorter distance races following some injuries and ailments. But when she starts a race, she is never far from victory as shown this season again at Tahura Trail, where she came second behind Vanja Cnops. BTR 100 is hardly comparable and Ruth will be using her experience and thinking back on her numerous successes in gruelling races of the past to push her forward. Especially in the last hours of the race during the daytime heat on Saturday, when many participants are expected to get a knock of the hammer.

Plenty of other contenders for victory in the women’s 100km, by the way. Other local Indonesian runners such as Septiana Nia Swastika, Sandra Cianti and Yustina Wardhani have all earned kudos in these type of races over the years. Mostly out of the region’s and ATM’s spotlights, however, as Indonesian trail runners have not been competing a lot in the region since corona. Several international runners can eye victory as well this weekend. Starting perhaps with Man Yee Cheung from Hong Kong, second in the 9 Dragons this year already. Two weeks ago, however, Man Yee won the 100 Miler on Fuji in Japan and so it remains to be seen how fresh and recovered she is from that. Japan’s Risa Kamiya won Prenn Trail Summit 180km in Dalat last December. Thailand’s Siriporn Leumathong always performs well when it gets long and tough. Ninth in the ATM Final 2024, let’s not forget. One of those trail runners who suddenly seems to find an extra gear when motivated to compete. From Philippines, Anna Rongavilla could pull of a surprise and why not one of the many Malaysians in the race? Genre 2-star Grandmaster Adelinah Lintanga or Guan Shin Law? Lintanga has scored nice victories in 100 milers before in tropical climate, and coming from Sabah she won’t be that disturbed by it. The dark horse comes from China, although based in Singapore: Xinshuang Wei.

The men’s 100km will see many of the usual Indonesian long ultra specialists square off, with 2015 ATM Champion and 2-star Grandmaster Arief Wismoyono still labeled as the man-to-beat on this type of terrain and distance. Now 40, Wismoyono can still set a surprising pace as he showed in Tahura Trail in January, finishing not far behind winner Alessandro Sherpa. While Risqi Kurniawan -absent this weekend - kind of claimed the title of ‘fastest Indonesian’ on the medium distance, Wismoyono remains the benchmark on the long ones. Up to younger contenders such as Akhmad Nizar, Dedy Yusuf, Hilman Maulana and Yusuf Aprian to make a statement this weekend. Of those, Nizar is arguably the one with the most experience running against international competitors. He also finished 8th in the 2023 ATM Final. This season he has already banked 825 ATM points and is looking good for a new qualification into Team Indonesia for this year’s Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October. Incidentally, Arief Wismoyono can also collect his wild card as former champion this weekend, provided he finishes the race.

As in the women’s, there is a big Malaysian contingent to challenge the Indonesians in Bali. Many Grandmasters who can surprise on any given day, plus proven podium runners such as Yih Huan Sua. Also the Filipinos throw some tough irons in the fire. Roberto Cain III, for example. Or Maynard Encormal, who still finished 3rd at Mt Ugo Marathon last weekend.

Looking at the 60k , there are perhaps two more clearer favourites for the race win in the men’s and women’s competition: Lodewijk Vriens, from the Netherlands but based in Hong Kong, and the aforementioned Vanja Cnops, from Belgium but residing in Singapore and winner of BTR 30k in 2022. Whoever wants to win the 60k this Saturday will need to pass them. Vriens is also not unknown in ATM. He won the first stage of 9 Dragons 50/.50 last year, and this season he finished 4th in Vietnam Ultra Marathon 70. Reportedly motivated to qualify for the ATM Final this season, Vriens is hoping for a good showing in Bali. It’s a very long start list so runners may fly under the radar, but potential competitors for Vriens are Indonesians Taofik Hidayat, Sobiri Haerudin, Sobari Herdiana and Nizar Surydratama. Plus, Singapore-based Irishman Malachy Kirwan, Hong Kong-based Mexican Luis Alvelais and last-but-not-least Vietnam’s Nhon Trong. The latter used to be a 50k specialist before focusing on the long trail distances, but has recently again been trying to find back his old speed. Nhon is prone to ‘overheating’ , though, as we also saw in Penang two weeks ago.

Vanja Cnops has returned to Asia from the European Marathon Championships in Belgium, where she finished a respectable 25th place in 2h52. If her recovery went as planned, she could very well be flying this Saturday. For Cnops it would be her 9th ATM race win in a journey that also placed her on the ATM Championship podium three consecutive times (3rd in 2022, 2nd in 2023 and 2024). Scoring a win or a good result may provide her with enough points already to give it another go in Vietnam in October. Her expected rivals for the victory on Saturday are Philippines’ Ritzy Amor, Malaysia’s Shamiera Auther and Indonesia’s Henny Sutanda.

Ruth Theresia going for her 4th Golden Grandmaster star, plus a wild card for the ATM Championship 2025

Ritzy Amor : one of the new stars on the women’s scene

Vanja Cnops can already score her 9th ATM race win this Saturday on the 60k

Henny Sutanda: winner at Mantra last year.

2015 ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono still going strong at home in Indonesia

Lodewijk Vriens: the one-to-beat on the 60k?

The Philipino Mountain Trail Festival in Benguet and Nueva Vizcaya saw some expected and also surprising victories and performances in what what as always a tough physical and mental exercise. The Hardcore 100 Miles, a.k.a. H1, is the flagship race of the newly designed Festival and witnessed truly fantastic victories by Rhys Pawid and by Shally Yuson. While Pawid is an experienced long ultra specialist from Luzon, Yuson hails from Mindanao and took part in her first ever miler - having previously often struggled even in 100k races. Pawid, a 2022 ATM Finalist, scored his first ever ATM race win, for 2024 Finalist and Grandmaster Yuson it was her second win after MUSPO 50 at home last year. 

Rhys Pawid went solo early in the race already, between checkpoints 2 and 3, as he created a gap with the two main pre-race favourites Kik Suello and Jevie Cagatin, both from Mindanao. The gap would remain between just ten and fifteen minutes for a while, but by CP 5 at Cabayo Pawid had suddenly doubled it and would disappear out of sight for the duo behind. Pawid reached the finish after 161 km in a superb 26h02’15”, which turned out to be more than three hours faster than second-placed Kik Suello. Mantra-like differences in other words, even between some of Philippines’ most acclaimed long ultra trail runners. A new podium for Kik Suello this season, but after three third places now his first second. When is that first victory coming about? Just a matter of time for last year’s 7th place in the ATM Championship. His qualification for this year’s Final in Vietnam in October is already as good as certain. Jevie Cagatin took third, and his first Grandmaster star as well. Cagatin was the highest ATM points scorer in Philippines last season and winner of Mount Kalatungan in the process. He came 11th in the Final, just off the Top 10 enlarged podium. Another 2024 Finalist took fourth place in H1, Jomarc Ferrer. Jordan Bugnay was fifth, just a few minutes ahead of Ronnel Valero. 

The women’s H1 race was much closer than the men’s with Shally Yuson, Shela Mae Bahian and Rhea Falitnang all reaching out to victory. While the gaps were not huge, pre-race favourites Ann Jilian Pulanco and Mary Joy Sumanda somehow were never in the mix for the race win. Rhea Falitnang initially had the quicker pace, with Bahian perhaps the more consistent in second. Until Yuson made a move from CP 4 onwards. Falitnang, however, was able to up her pace again towards the end and returned to within just a few minutes of Yuson by Cp 10. Bahian there looked to be settling for third, but also she had some extra juice left in the tank. At the finish, Yuson held on to take the prestigious victory and Bahian still managed to get second just 12 minutes later. Falitnang secured third place on the podium. Mary Joy Sumanda still finished in fourth place, and became a 2-star Grandmaster by doing so. 

The second ATM Championship points race on the PMTF programme was the Mount Ugo Marathon, another “old” classic race in the Philippines. Medium trail distance of 47km, but spicy with the well-known beautiful Mount Ugo in it. Kristian Joergensen did what he came to do, grab the 500 ATM points by winning the race - his first ATM victory in a while, in fact. Joergensen, who often trains in the Cordilleras and who is familiar with the route, was a good half an hour faster than the surprisingly strong Erico Villamor. Angelo Maynard Encormal took the third spot on the podium, ahead of Sean Aying. 

In fifth overall we already had the first woman, and it was not Filipino favourite Angelie Cabalo. Japan’s Chisato Kario managed to stay a few minutes ahead of Cabalo, who ultimately had to cede second place also to South Korea’s Hee Joo Jang, fifth in last year’s ATM Championship Final. Another podium in any case puts Cabalo in a strong position to qualify for this season’s Final. She also becomes the overall points leader this season with 1325 points in the account, 45 more than Tara Savage and 50 more than her compatriot Ritzy Amor, who will be competing in Bali BTR 60 this weekend, however. 

The next Filipino points race takes place in Bukidnon, Mindanao: Point Trail 70km on 14 June.

2024 ATM Finalist and Grandmaster Shally Yuson took a rather unexpected win at H1

3rd place in the Mt Ugo Marathon was enough for Angelie Cabalo to claim the overall female points lead

Rhys Pawid was an ATM Finalist in 2022, but H1 was his first ever ATM race victory

The new Philippine Mountain Trail Festival kicks off the long Labour Day weekend on Thursday with the start of the prestigious Hardcore 100 Miles, perhaps better known as H1. A classic in the Philippines, renowned for its difficulty level and high DNF rate. Now organised by Intrepid Spirit, it is the first time H1 - and also Saturday’a medium distance classic Mt Ugo Marathon - are part of the Asia Trail Master Championship series.

Filipino ultra trail runners feel obliged to at least try H1 once. The majority knows in advance it will be hard to finish, but if you succeed you forever have a big feather in your cap. And so we again see over 100 participants for the 100 miles or 161 km long ultra race, including a fair share of female runners. The event takes place in Nueva Vizcaya and Benguet, east of Baguio City. A remote area in the Cordilleras.

Lots of ATM Championship protagonists and Grandmasters on the start list. Among the expected victory contenders we have great competitors such as Kik Suello, Jevie Cagatin, Poy Brillantes, Yoyong Sacayle, Rhys Pawid and so on. Also a few experienced Malaysians could finish close. In the women’s race, we find ATM Finalists such as Shally Yuson and Mary Joy Sumanda on the list. Sumanda already traveled to the area from Bukidnon last February to do the Mount Pulag Ultra 130km, with success. Long ultra specialist Ann Jilian Pulanco will be a serious contender for the win, and perhaps Michella Aradanas and Shekinah Velasquez can pull off something big this weekend.

Saturday’s Mt Ugo Marathon centres around the meanwhile famous Mount Ugo and is 47km in length. Interestingly but tellingly, the list of participants is shorter than H1. However, it features some big names as well. Kristian Joergensen will be looking for his first ATM race victory of the season against the likes of Maynard Encormal and Sean Aying. In the women’s we are looking forward to an interesting race between Angelie Cabalo and Hee Joo Jang. Cabalo is very much into the ATM season this year, having banked already 900 points in two races, including a race win at Mount Kalatungan Ultra two months ago. She goes into Mt Ugo as the obvious favourite, but let’s not forget that Hee Joo Jang was fifth in last season’s ATM Championship Final at Borneo TMBT.

Maynard Encormal: can he keep up with Kristian Joergensen on Mount Ugo?

Mary Joy Sumanda: went to Pulag 130 in February to be ready for H1

Kik Suello: two ATM podiums this season have proven his 7th place in the 2024 Final was no coincidence

Angelie Cabalo: favourite for the women’s Mt Ugo Marathon

Jevie Cagatin: will this be his breakthrough weekend?

While our Anniversary Season 10 is still full underway and the Championship Final scheduled at Mu Cang Chai Trail Ultra in Vietnam on 4 October, behind the scenes work is of course already in progress for next season. Season 11’s opening event has now been confirmed and we won’t hide this exciting news any longer: it’s Luang Prabang Ultra Trail in Laos on 18/19 October!

The event organised by Green Step, which also manages the V Trail in Vang Vieng every year, will enter its third edition and will offer a points race for the new ATM Championship ranking for the second season in a row. Luang Prabang is a well-known city on the tourist trail in Southeast Asia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the former capital city of the country. It’s also a stop on the new and convenient Laos-China high-speed railway that connects Kunming in Yunnan (China) with Vientiane in Laos. Luang Prabang has a small airport by itself, but international runners are likely to land in Vientiane and take the aforementioned train up to Luang Prabang afterwards.

The event basically keeps its 2024 weekend on the calendar, and taking place two weeks after our Season 10 Final, is bound to be a great opener. Green Step has announced changes to the course following feedback of the last two years, and the plan is a main category of 70-75 km to ensure the distance also meets the requirements of the ATM Grandmaster Quest. Precise details will be released very soon, as well as the opening of registration.

Please stay tuned in May for more calendar confirmations.

24-year-old Filipino Godwin Mirar scored the biggest win of his still young trail running career by outgunning Sabah’s Wilsen Singgin on the toughest uphill section, Penang Hill, halfway into the race. Anyone who thought Mirar had put his cards on the table too soon was proven mistaken as he kept extending the gap to an impressive 18 minutes at the finish! It was his second ATM success of the season after his home victory at Mount Kalatungan Ultra 50 in Bukidnon at the start of March. Wilsen Singgin, surprised by Mirar’s speed, finished just ahead of female race winner Hau Ha, the 2022 ATM Champion. Hau Ha was being challenged by current ATM Champion and former teammate, Priya Rai, but Penang Hill proved decisive also in the women’s race. Just before the hardest bit of the climb, the young Nepalese had already been distanced by a few minutes as she had missed a marking sign and gone onto a wrong trail. On the summit, the gap was just a good two minutes but Hau Ha built on that gap in the descent - as always her biggest strength. To her credit, Priya Rai kept her chin up and even managed to get a bit closer again in the tough 6 km long final section. At the finish, the gap was 9’31”. Hau Ha remains unbeaten in ATM and now has 9 race victories on her record. She also ran with a bit of a sour throat and revealed she also in training for her first ever 100 miles race scheduled for June. The Vietnamese star collected her wild card for this year’s ATM Final in her home country, Mu Cang Chai Trail Ultra on 4 October, but it remains to be seen whether she will take part given her obvious global ambitions. Priya Rai also got her wlld card already to defend her ATM title.

The 2nd edition of the Penang Sky Race was held in brutally hot and humid conditions around the island’s Youth Park. With over 2700 metres of elevation gain, this was a very spicy course for a distance of ‘only’ 46km. For most, it was more than long enough given the conditions. The four aforementioned runners dominated the proceedings. Behind them was a substantial gap to several other established competitors, which illustrated even more what a performance Mirar, Singgin, Hau Ha and Priya Rai delivered on the day. Mirar finished in 5h41, Hau Ha won in 6h01. Both Mirar and Singgin took important steps towards qualification for their country’s teams in the ATM Championship Final later this year. In fact, for Wilsen Singgin it was his second consecutive second place of the season after BUTM 50.

Third place on the male podium was claimed by Singapore’s Chris Timms, winner of UTOP 60k last October and overall points leader in the current ATM Championship ranking. Timms was able to follow the leading quartet initally together with his Falcon’s teammate Humberto Baeza, but on the Botanical Garden loop between CP2 and CP3 they found the pace too high. Baeza also sustained a knee injury and would later DNF.

Next up were a solid group of Malaysian runners Min Keong Chai, Kee Ming Lim, Assyrul Aminur and Johari Mohd Ali. Singapore-based Scott Pugh took eighth, followed by Penang resident and former Penang Eco winner Alex Tilley, who had a tough final section. Between Timms (3rd) and Tilley (9th) are just 27 minutes.

Third place on the female podium went to Russia’s Antonina Dmitruk, who held onto the place from beginning to end. In fourth we found Malaysian Syarifah Hamzah, who had already scored a place of honour at BUTM in February. She was followed by Pei Fen Goh and Thailand’s Siriporn Leumathong, who arguably would have liked the race to be a bit longer. Singapore’s. Joy Sim finished in seventh, but was later disqualified for missing a checkpoint (CP3 at the Botanical Garden). Her place was inherited by Sue Phin Leam. 2024 ATM Finalist Lolita Lintanga had a rough day and took eighth, still collecting some useful ATM points for her 2025 ranking..

The next Malaysian points race is Trail des Gombak near Kuala Lumpur on 21/22 June.

Priya Rai was pleased with her performance

Hau Ha stays unbeaten in the ATM Championship series

Saturday’s Penang Sky Race 50km in Malaysia features one of the better competitive line-ups of the current ATM Season and arguably it’s the women’s race that will draw most attention. Reigning ATM Champion Priya Rai will run against 2022 ATM Champion, former teammate and global trail star Hau Ha! Not to say the men’s 50k won’t be intruiging: Wilsen Singgin, Godwin Mirar, Chris Timms, Alex Tilley, Humberto Baeza: take your pick who is going to win this one! No Grandmaster distance this weekend, but a nice and pure trail competition on an exciting and tough trail course in Penang with start and finish in the Youth Park.

Penang Sky Race is an organisation by MMTF Consultant and is separate from Ultimate Trails of Penang (UToP), the event held annually in October. It is indeed the second time this season that runners will be competing on the island for ATM Championship points, more evidence that Penang is gradually becoming a real trail hub in Malaysia. A miniature Hong Kong, with Georgetown as a modern city surrounded by lush green forests, beaches and hills. Those hills, arguably, are a difficulty level higher than in Hong Kong, though. Saturday’s race has almost 2800 metres of elevation gain for what is essentially 46km.

It is the first time this race is part of the Asia Trail Master Championship series, replacing last year’s Tioman Ultra. Hau Ha must have great memories of that race, as it was undoubtedly one of her most impressive performances ever. Toying with everyone - including the men - and finishing first overall by a big margin. Her first trail experience on Malaysian soil couldn’t be better. But the same can be said for Priya Rai. The young Nepalese took the ATM Championship title at Borneo TMBT Ultra last September in her first outing in the country. It was her breakthrough performance, showing that she has matured as a trail runner and ready to knock on the door of the global trail scene, a door that Hau Ha already smashed two years ago. Six months later, BSc student Priya dominated her home race, Manjushree Trail Race in Kathmandu and says she has recovered and been feeling great since. This Saturday in Penang, Priya could be ready to make that next big leap forward in her competitive development. Of course, they have raced each other a few times before and Hau Ha has always come out on top, clearly so. But the gap between them has become smaller. They also know each other very well. Two years ago they trained and spent time together in Spain and Chamonix. Today they both are in separate ‘teams’ and have different coaches. In fact, Hau Ha had a bit of a rocky start to 2025 as her team change appeared to have happened very abrupt. Any doubts that people may have had were quickly demolished when Hau Ha ran away from Veronika Leng to win at Vietnam Ultra Marathon 70k early March. But it’s only after a few months when the effects of new training and coaching become more obvious, and Penang Sky Race will give us a good indication whether Hau Ha is on the way to that major international victory on the world stage that she has been craving for.

Hau Ha and Priya Rai are the clear race favourites, but there are more solid female trail runners on the start list. The battle for podium should be contested between Sabah’s Lolita Lintanga, ATM Finalist last year and 3rd in BUTM 50 this year, Halimatun Sa’adiah, her first ATM race in ten months, Singapore’s Joy Sim, Thailand’s Siriporn Leumathong (Top 10 in 2024 ATM Final) and a few others.

The men’s race is quite unpredictable with a whole bunch of potential race winners. All things considered, especially the course technicality, overtaking Sabah’s Wilsen Singgin could be the key to victory. Wilsen has been putting more emphasis on speed and 50k races since over a year and it seems to be paying off in competitive performance. Two months ago, for the first time, he put himself between his two peers Daved Simpat and Milton Amat at BUTM 50. Singgin will be up against local powerhouse Alex Tilley, who lives in Penang and knows the trails very well. Chris Timms is also running again, just two weeks after taking a joint victory in Sarawak at Silabur 100. Timms also won UTOP 60k last October. However, the Singapore-based Briton worries about a calf injury that may prevent him from reaching peak performance this weekend. From Bukidnon in the Philippines, the young Godwin Mirar will be making his debut in Malaysia. Mirar has been building up his international race experience of late and - along with Timms - is arguably the fastest pure runner in the field. Mirar won this season’s Mount Kalatungan Ultra 50 early March, showing increased strength and resilience when trails get hilly and technical. If he wins this Saturday, it would be his biggest victory to date. There is a dark horse on the start list who few people will think about: Humberto Baeza. Winner of Lam Dong Trail early in the ATM season, second in Dieng Trail Run and 8th in VUM - the latter perhaps not a true reflection of his emerging status as an elite trail runner in our series. While these five names stand out, there is plenty of other talented runners who can get in the mix for podium this Saturday.

ATM will be broadcasting and updating live from the Penang Sky Race 50km, with race start scheduled at 3 am local time on Saturday.

Wilsen Singgin: gradually stepping out of the shadow of Milton and Daved

Godwin Mirar: looking for the big breakthrough

Great news reached us from Myanmar this morning, the 2nd edition of Mount Popa Jungle Trail Run has received the go-ahead from local authorities and is now scheduled to take place on 21/ 22 June. The event is organised by MUTRA, the same team as February’s Kalaw Ultra Trail Run, and features a 50km points race for the ATM Championship ranking, and two shorter distances for the less ambitious. Mount Popa is a dormant volcano with an altitude of 1518m above sea level and located in Central Myanmar, in the region of Mandalay and about 50km south of Bagan.

Early February, the Kalaw Ultra Trail Run near Inle Lake was one of the highlights of the current ATM season, not in the least thanks to an amazing vibe among the local running communities. It also encouraged the organising team to beef up their second event, Mount Popa, and present it also on the international Asian trail running calendar. This one is more technical than Kalaw, however, with also over 1900 metres of elevation gain to be conquered in those 50km (technically 47km). The cut-off time at the finish is 14 hours after the race start at 6 am sunrise time. Essentially a daytime race, which means participants can fully take in the beauty of the area.

To reach the event venue, one is recommended to fly to Nyaung U Airport, also the gateway to visit the ancient sites of Bagan, known on the tourist trail. But to take all hassle out of the trip to Mount Popa, we recommend to contact the official event travel partner, Hansar Travel. They have packages including 2-night hotel stay at Mount Popa, airport shuttle bus etc. Hansar Travel can be contacted by email on sales@hansartravelmyanmar.com , and is also reachable via Messenger, Viber and Telegram.

It is recommended to book early.

More details and the online registration for the race can be found via the button below.

Kadamaian Ultra, perhaps better known as KAR Ultra, was a great addition to the ATM Championship calendar last year and we are happy that the Sabah event is confirmed for the same weekend of 26/27 July 2025. Again with two points races for the ATM Championship ranking, 110km and 60km, whereby the longest one of course also provides a Grandmaster point for finishers. Host venue is Kampung Tambatuon, which many will know as one of the aid station locations during Borneo TMBT Ultra.

Sabah remains a highly popular playground for trail runners, both Malaysian and international. Mount Kinabalu as backdrop remains magic forever. KAR Ultra has proven over the last three years that it is not a copy of TMBT and has managed to develop its own character. Local runners also turn up en masse. Including the competitive ones: last year the victories in the 110 and 60 all went to the Sabahans: Milton Amat, Rejlen James, Wilsen Singgin and Shamiera Auther.

As the KAR website reads: “Runners can expect to ascend and descend Bogung Hill, a formidable obstacle that will test their physical and mental strength. The course will also showcase the breathtaking beauty of the region, with stunning views of lush forests, crystal-clear rivers, Kadmaian valleys, and majestic Mount of Kinabalu.”

Sabah is always challenging terrain and the trails are highly affected by weather conditions. Despite the beauty of the course, this is never a pic nic. Participants should come prepared for technical sections, and for potentially smoking hot weather, too. When you are ready for everything, prepare for a wonderful experience supplemented even more by the strong spirit of community that is characteristic of Sabah.

International runners fly into Sabah via Kota Kinabalu and can make use of the shuttle service to the event venue. This shuttle van needs to be reserved in advance, details can be found below and on the event website. Online registration goes via CPS.

Shamiera Auther won last year’s female 60k race at KAR