This weekend the ATM Championship season continues with Ha Giang Ultra Trail in the north of Vietnam, a late sub for the postponed Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths event by the same event management company Race Jungle. On the programme is a 70km race, which automatically is also valid for the Grandmaster Quest. Especially for Vietnamese trail runners, Ha Giang is the last chance to score Championship points within their own country before the Final at Mu Cang Chai in early October.

Ha Giang lies approximately 300km northeast of Hanoi. It’s an area known for its breaktaking landscapes, cultural richness, and the event is recommended by several seasoned trail runners in ATM who have taken part before. In fact, the event offers both trail and road races.

The 70km trail course is quite spicy on paper, though, with an estimated elevation gain of over 5000hm. The race starts at 4am in the morning on Saturday. Expected favourites for victory are Quang Tran, still making his comeback on the trails after a long spell on the road, and rising Vietnamese star Vang A Tung, second in Vietnam Trail Marathon in January. But also Singapore’s Trung Nguyen is on a roll this year, with a race win in Kalaw 100 in Myanmar and a second place in Brah Yang Trail Summit last month. Let’s also pay attention to the performance of Nguyễn Hoàng Thắng, who has been building up a solid competitive reputation as well. The women’s race has Nguyễn Ngọc Anh as potential race winner, also second in VTM this season already. Nguyen Le is also a podium candidate. With 265 runners registered for the 70km, we are certainly bound to discover some new names as well this weekend!

In-form Trung Nguyen already scored a win and a second place in ATM qualifiers this year

Vang A Tung is one of the newcomers in Vietnam’s male elite field. 2nd in VTM in January

This year’s Shiga Kogen 100 near Nagano in Japan has been moved back on the event calendar and will now take place on the last weekend of August. The highly scenic event again features a 100km race as qualifier for the ATM Championship ranking and the Grandmaster Quest. Registration is opening this Sunday evening at 9 pm local time.

Shiga Kogen is one of Japan’s main national parks and also a UNESCO Eco-Park. As the official website reads, Shiga Kogen occupies the center of Joshinetsu Kogen National Park. It is a famous ski resort that hosted the Nagano Olympics (1998) in the winter. During the green season, Shiga Kogen is a treasure trove of nature, with beautiful alpine plants and beautiful lakes and wetlands that can be enjoyed in the vast plateau area. The Shiga Kogen, which has been certified as a UNESCO Eco Park, is an attractive area where nature and human society coexist.

This is a mountainous area so. even in summer temperatures remain cool and are ideal for endurance sports. The start and finish venue is Yamanouchi Town, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, and lies at about 1600m above sea level, and the highest point of the course is at 2200m. Less ambitious runners can also opt for a 40km category or a 18km category, but these offer no points for ATM.

The 100km has been redesigned for this year’s edition and is said to have become more runable than before. Elevation gain is estimated at 4400 hm. 100km participants are expected to collect their race pack on Friday afternoon, 5 July. The race flag-off is scheduled for 4:30 a.m. on Saturday early morning. The cut-off time is 26 hours, meaning Sunday morning 6:30 am. The podium ceremony will take place after that.

Last year, the male and female races were won by Hisashi Kitamura and Sachi Nakano, respectively.

Registration is open via the official website, where you can also find details on accommodation. International runners are most likely best of flying to Tokyo and take a train or bus to Nagano from there first. Information can be obtained via shiga100@ktf.or.jp .

Hisashi Kitamura won the 100km last year, here next to event organiser Koji

One of peninsular Malaysia’s toughest trail races keeps its spot on our Grandmaster Quest calendar this season, but runners should take note of the new event date: Himalaya Sports Tamping Transnaning Ultra has now been scheduled for the weekend of 24-26 July. A race in loops through the heart of Transnaning, featuring seven peaks in 34 km. Grandmaster Quest chasers need to aim for the Ultra race of 68km (4800 hm!) or the Challenger race of 102km (7200hm).

This is an authentic tropical rainforest trail with lots of local history. Start and finish of the event is at the Tampin Water Park in Negeri Sembilan.

The official website describes the route very well: “ Starting from Tampin Water Park, runners begin by taking on the outer segments of the Trans Naning route. This opening section serves as the warm-up, but make no mistake, it is no easy start. Over the first 14km, runners will face more than 600m of elevation gain, with rolling hills on tarmac and forest access roads through the rural foothills. Along the way, runners will pass Kolam Marine A.R.M and the rustic Malaysian kampung landscape before reaching Gunung Datuk Foothill where the real adventure begins. From there, the next 20km reveals the true heart of Trans Naning: a rugged traverse along the southern spine of the Titiwangsa Range, summiting all seven (7) iconic peaks:

1. Gunung Datuk

2. Gunung Rembau

3. Gunung Gagak

4. Puncak 701

5. Puncak 705

6. Gunung Tampin Utara

7. Gunung Tampin Selatan

A checkpoint/water station awaits at the valley between Puncak 701 and Puncak 705 (a.k.a Kem Ultra). The ascent to Puncak 705 is a true test of stamina, as runners drop to the valley floor, reset their elevation, and climb all over again. After passing Gunung Tampin Selatan, runners will then descend and return to Tampin Water Park to complete one (1) unforgettable loop.

Expect dense jungle, narrow ridgelines, steep ascents, and wild, natural terrain throughout the course. With a generous but firm 14-hour cut-off, this category is built for trail runners ready to embrace distance, elevation, and the raw beauty of Malaysia’s mountain heartland.”

Alongside Mantra 68, Transnaning Ultra 68 is valid for the Grandmaster Quest thanks to its elevation gain numbers of more than 4500 hm. It goes without saying that participants therefore need to come prepared for this race.

Registration and more details can be found on the CPS official webpage linked below.

Mexico's Kose Rodarte from Hong Kong's own Gone Running Team won his second ATM Qualifier race in a month at Lantau 70 last weekend.After the 9 Dragons 50km race, he prevailed in the classic race on Lantau island in a finishing time of 7h14'35" . It was a close battle with KC Chan, but the latter had to let go in the final 16km, finishing in 7h26. Good for his first ever ATM race podium, though.

Nepal's Santosh Tamang took third place on the podium in the end. Santosh moved up the leaderboard in the second half of the race, finishing in 7h55. Based in Hong Kong, Santosh Tamang already took fourth place in Ultra Fish N Sheep last October, giving him a solid points total in the rankings for qualification in the Season 11 Championship Final in Vietnam in October. France's Jean Christophe Monnerville was fourth, finishing right behind Tamang. And another minute later, America’s Anthony Lee took fifth place. Numbers six and seven were Daniel Crisp and Arnaud Mauduit, followed by former ATM Champion Alessandro Sherpa. The Italian was running in podium contention for a long time, but the humidity - never his friend - caused him to struggle home. Mark Iandoli finished close behind him in 9th place.

In the women’s race, local Lantau hero Katrina Hamlin won the race for a third time. She caught and passed the fading early race leader Kanako Edamoto from Japan in the final section to the finish at Mui Wo! She crossed the line in 8h04, in the end over 21 minutes ahead of Edamoto, the winner of last year’s 9 Dragons 50/50 stage race. Hamlin, part of Hong Kong’s T8 team, is in the best shape ever.

9 Dragons 50k winner Celine Loubiere arrived in third, giving her real prospects to qualify for this season’s ATM Final in October. Second podium in a month for the HK-based French woman. In four we had Wong Ki Chun, followed by Emma Phipkin and Pak Lai Shan in sixth.

The classic Lantau 70 race in Hong Kong is on again this Saturday. After a heavy HK season, including the ATM Championship Final just a month ago, several of the city’s trail stars are taking a break from Lantau this season, but there’s a long list of competitive trail runners who are very keen to rise to the occasion. Wai Hei Ng might be the one to get most votes if people were to bet on the men’s race winner, but Wai Hei Ng has become a bit enigmatic: will he indeed take the start?

Kose Rodarte won the 50km race at 9 Dragons and could score his second race win under ATM in just a month’s time. What can Alessandro Sherpa do this weekend? So far, Lantau 70 has been a challenging race for him over the years, also due to the often surprising humidity levels. Belgium’s Marc Decamps has been in the top five of this race before, can he climb a bit higher on the ladder now? Others who may have a say in the proceedings at the front can be Dina Bagale and Singapore’s fast road runner Vincent Casanova. The latter may have the fastest legs of all, but how much will the technical sections and the elevation slow him down?

Lantau 70 is also a Grandmaster Quest race, and on the start list is Golden Grandmaster Mario Yap, who has already embarked on the Trail to Immortality. Mario has already even collected 150 points in two countries. Remember, to Become Legend, 500 points and five countries are required. Kenneth Mun Keat Yow so far has 180 points in two countries.

The women’s race at Lantau 70 could potentially develop into a battle between two former 9 Dragons 50/50 winners, Angie Yan (2024) and Kanako Edamoto (2025), and last year’s race winner and local Lantau hero Katrina Hamlin. Even Naomi Fung, winner of the 50k at 9 Dragons a couple of years ago, may have a few words to chip in here. Also Kimmy Leung can claim another top five spot for sure.

The race starts as always at 8:30 am local time.

The 14th edition of Borneo TMBT Ultra Trail Marathon in Sabah is now open for registration. The 2026 edition keeps its end of August slot on the calendar, and once again features 100km and 50km qualifier races for the ATM Championship. Obviously, the 100km is also valid for the Grandmaster Quest.

TMBT is Malaysia's oldest long ultra in Malaysia with the inaugural race held in 2011. The acronym stands for "The Most Beautiful Thing", and makes reference to the iconic Mount Kinabalu, which at 4,100 m is one of Southeast Asia's highest peaks and a world heritage site. The course is considered one of the most beautiful of the season and has plenty of incredible views on Kinabalu and the surrounding areas. A true trail classic, and also the host venue of an incredible Championship Final back in 2024.

While a few changes are expected for this year’s edition, the event takes runners from the native villages at the foothills on the western side of Mount Kinabalu towards the southern side of the mountain with 50k category finishing at the viewpoint to Mt. Kinabalu at the township of Pekan Nabalu. The 109k category continues around the base of Mount Kinabalu and to the South-Eastern ridges of the mountain to finish in the village of Kundasang.

While TMBT may not be the hardest trail race of our series, it is also very often underestimated. The race has a combination of runable bits, steep terrain and technical trail sections, and the weather, usually hot in the first part of the day and with a good chance of tropical showers in the afternoon, often add to the challenge. In other words, come prepared and pay attention to the mandatory gear list for this race.

Last year, Hisashi Kitamura finally got his victory at TMBT, after four consecutive second places. One would think the Japanese “Karate Kit” finally had enough of the race, but in fact he has added it again to his race schedule! Will home hero Milton Amat, or who knows Daved Simpat, take revenge this season?

TMBT is rather easy logistics-wise. Just fly into Kota KInabalu and take a rest at one of the many comfortable yet cheap hotels or guesthouses in the city, before the race shuttle bus at 3 am. All details can be found on the website below.

Hisashi Kitamura finally won TMBT last year, ahead of Milton Amat, in his fifth attempt

Running back in time

Jumla Rara Ultra in the far and remote west of Nepal has been officially announced for 9 May 2026 and will again have a 51km long ATM Championship Qualifier on its event programme. ‘Jumla’ is a high-altitude region where many of the best-known Nepalese trail runners come from, making it pretty much their home race organised by the local Karnali Sports Club. This year will already be the 7th edition of Jumla Rara Ultra.

Certainly, this event is arguably the most remote of all under the ATM umbrella, but those with enough time at their disposal to make the long journey from Kathmandu to the west of the country will be highly rewarded. In fact, runners better arrive several days early to acclimatise as the race takes place at serious altitude from 2300m up to 4017m! The race is from A to B and starts from Jumla bazaar (2305m), and finishes at the Rara lake (2990m). It is a pure mountain trail with hardly and flat sections. The trail undulates and there are three distinct and steep peaks to conquer in the 51km course: Danphe (3500m), Kavra cave, Bhulbhule (2950m), and Chuchemara (4017m). Jumla Rara Ultra Marathon aims to develop adventure sports tourism in Karnali as well as providing national and international athletes a challenging and extraordinary race.

Via the Karnali Sports website, linked below, you can find out all details - including on logistics from Kathmandu.

Last year’s female podium with Kalpana Budha on the top step

The 2nd edition of Arakan Mountain Run in Mindanao, Philippines, last weekend counted towards the Grandmaster Quest, but saw some solid competition as well. Ulyses Esteva even managed to win the 80km men’s race by a big margin over none other than Roberto Cain III. In the women’s 80km race, Guia Cabigas once again raised her competitive profile with another victory in Mindanao.

Arakan is a municipality between Davao del Sur and Bukidnon and blessed with natural resources and magnificent landscapes. Organised by Vertical To Sky, Arakan Mountain Run is aiming to become one of the classic events in Mindanao, alongside Mount Apo Sky Race and The Punisher, established by the same company and its director Doi Calbes over a decade ago and still going.

Offering a good mixture of technical and runable terrain, Arakan has something for everyone. Ulyses Esteva was the surprise winner of the men’s long distance ultra, completing the course in 11h04’. Impressively, that was almost one hour ahead of Roberto Cain III and Ronie Jandog. Whilst not taking anything away from Esteva’s performance, Cain III does seem to find himself in a competitive slump - finishing below expectations in the Season 10 Final at 9 Dragons three weeks ago, too.

Guia Cabigas also won her race with a big margin in 19h43. As Shally Yuson, Cabigas is gradually becoming a repeat race winner in Mindanao and someone who keeps improving pace-wise. She was flanked on the podium by Devere Galo and Realyn Lugo last Sunday.

Arakan Mountain Run is on the shortlist to also become a Championship Qualifier in Philiipines in Season 12.

Podium 80KM Distance

*MALE

1st Ulyses Esteva (M'Lang Cotabato) - 11:04:48

-nd Roberto Cain III (Davao City) - 12:00:10

3rd Ronie Jandog (Zamboanga City) - 12:00:54

*FEMALE

-1st Guia Angelie Cabigas (General Santos City) - 19:43:38

-2nd Devere Galo (Libona) - 21:13:52

-3rd Realyn Lugo (Zamboanga City) - 21:17:43

Event Director of Vertical To Sky Doi Calbes with race winner Ulyses Esteva

Guia Cabigas boosts her competitive profile once more with a new and clear victory at Arakan

We are pleased to announce that Vietnam Jungle Marathon returns to the Asia Trail Master calendar this year, in particular the Grandmaster Quest calendar! One of the more popular events in the pre-covid era - when VJM was held in May - still offers a highly scenic 70km race in and around the Pu Luong Nature Reserve, around 160km southwest of Hanoi. VJM 2026 is scheduled for the weekend of 17/18 October.

VJM is part of the Vietnam Trail Series organised by the Topas Group, which also includes VTM and VMM. For many trail runners, all three are bucket-list races given their great organisational quality, scenery and vibe amongst the participants. We are indeed happy that people aiming to complete the Grandmaster Quest can now again score a point at VJM. Obviously, the 70km is the target distance for this.

As the website reads, “Pu Luong is an area where time stands still. Pu Luong is home to ancient jungle, soaring limestone peaks, waterfalls, rivers, vibrant rice paddy fields and small villages where life goes on as it has for generations.” The Nature Reserve is filled with rice terrace scenery and you will pass by several small minority villages during a varied race, featuring both runable and technical sections. Estimated total elevation is 3100 hm for the main category, the. 70km.

All details on the course can be found on the official website linked below. Via the website you can also register for the 70km race. Pay attention to the accommodation options and the travel packages on offer from Hanoi including the usual bus transportation from the West Lake on Friday morning.

This weekend, runners chasing Grandmaster points can do so for the first time at the Arakan Mountain Run in Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines. Organised by Vertical To Sky, the second edition of the event has a scenic 80km long ultra. The event venue is the Katipunan Central Elementary School in Arakan.

The race has attracted a solid field including Golden Grandmasters Mario Yap and Kenneth Mun Keat Yow who are already on the Trail to Immortality as well. Several other multistar Grandmasters like Henry Yang and Nick Pilapil also feature on the start list. On the competitive side, Roberto Cain III is arguably the top favourite to win the race. Roberto was an ATM Finalist at the 9 Dragons three weeks ago, but unfortunately did not have a good day there. He can reclaim confidence this weekend at Arakan. The best known female 80km runner is Guia Angelie Cabigas.

Arakan is a municipality between Davao del Sur and Bukidnon and blessed with natural resources and magnificent landscapes. Runners should definitely also try the local cacao drink, which is a genuine treat. The 80km course features the 3 famous waterfalls of Arakan -Matigol, Epol and Lebbas. It has an estimated total elevation gain of 3600 hm.

As always, Vertical To Sky remains true to its boutique style of trail events with restricted participation numbers to give everyone the chance to fully enjoy the place and the trails.

Kenneth Mun Keat Yow

Mario Yap

Guia Cabigas

Roberto Cain III

Second ATM race victory of the season for Taichi Yui at the revamped V Trail in Vang Vieng, Laos, last weekend. The Japanese runner from Tokyo took the lead from Filipino Jordan Bugnay after about 22 km and stayed ahead on the much more runable and enjoyable 50km scenic course. Yui’s finish time was 5h56’, despite having some knee worries before the start. In the beginning of Season 11 in mid-October, he also won the other Lao race, Luang Prabang Ultra Trail 75. That’s 1000 ATM Championship points in the bag for him already. Taichi Yui is indeed keen to be part of Team Japan at the next ATM Championship Final in Vietnam on 3 October.

Jordan Bugnay took an early lead on the other victory contenders after the 5 am start - still in darkness. The Filipino, however, had to cope with digestion issues and saw Taichi Yui and good old Golden Grandmaster Tomohiro Mizukoshi move ahead. Also Henry Joe Cottilon still looked like a podium contender at this stage, but a bad tumble in the bamboo forest hampered his running pace afterwards and he dropped him down the leaderboard to finish 8th. The pace set by Taichi Yui turned out to be just a little too high for Mizukoshi, who nevertheless did not crack and salvaged a superb second place, making the most of the course and the relatively cool conditions of the day. One of few runners who has always qualified for the ATM Championship Final, these 450 points will come in very handy again at the end of the season!

Behind Bugnay, Thailand’s Santi Phongsraphang arrived at the finish line in fourth place-just like five weeks ago in Kalaw, Myanmar. A confirmation of his fine current form. Antoine Deligne from Belgium again came fifth, too, as in Kalaw. Tyler Gant arrived just behind him, with Dutchman Jaap Hamelink in seventh.

In the women’s 50km race, we had a great local race winner. Lao runner Yoth Soulivanthong was clearly the fastest in 7h32’. She had already won V Trail two years ago on the much more technical course, showing she is a good all-rounder! Can Yoth become the first Lao runner to take part in the ATM Championship Final this year?

In second place was another home runner from Laos : Chitsamai Soukleangkham in 8h45. She had initially tried to keep up with Soulivanthong, in what was her first ever race longer than marathon. Sabah star Jessica Lintanga, returning to competition after a lengthy break, was third in 9h07.

The 2026 edition of the renowned V Trail in Vang Vieng, Laos, shows a completely new trail course design and a 50km as longest race distance. This category is also a qualifier for the ATM Championship ranking, the second one in Laos after Season 11’s opener Luang Prabang Trail back in October. V Trail is one of ATM’s meanwhile long-standing ‘boutique events’ , as always well-organised by the team of Green Step.

The 50km race actually has an interesting start list, even when there’s no “big hitters’” just two weeks after the Season 10 Championship Final at the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong, which saw John Ray Onifa and Priya Rai grab the titles for the second time in their trail career. The Japanese race winner of Luang Prabang 75 will be one of the men to beat on Sunday morning. Taichi Yui already has 500 ATM points in his bag this season and another top result could already put him in a great place to join Team Japan in the next Championship Final in October. That would be something as Japan will of course be the title defending team at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam. One of the winning team’s runners two weeks ago will be racing already again tomorrow: Golden Grandmaster Tomohiro Mizukoshi. Perhaps no longer the fastest at age 50+, but if the new V Trail is indeed as runable as it is claimed to be now, he can certainly still eye a top 3 podium finish. Tomohiro remains a very consistently paced and competitive runner when the course suits him. There’s more lesser known Japanese runners on the start list this weekend, too. From the Philippines, Jordan Bugnay is one to watch for a fine result. Jordan has scored top five positions in races under ATM before. The same applies for his countryman and Grandmaster Henry Joe Cotillon . Furthermore, Belgium’s Antoine Deligne is running also again. Deligne got third in Luang Prabang and fifth in Kalaw in Myanmar last month. Being close to Laos, there’s of course again several Thai runners, of which Grandmaster Amorn Kimnguan and especially Santi Phongsraphang can be in the mix for podium. Santi was fourth in Kalaw 50k last month.

In the women’s 50km, most eyes will be fixed on Malaysia’s Jessica Lintanga. A 2-star Grandmaster and veteran of many race battles in ATM, “Jess” has been racing more sparingly in recent years. Still, runable 50km has always been her most competitive kind of trail race and if she still has the endurance the other female competitors will need to go passed her in order to take victory on Sunday. Let’s not discount the chances of local Yoth Soulivanthong, however. After all, she won the old, very technical, V Trail two years ago.

ATM will be updating live from the V Trail event in Laos on the usual channels as of 4:50 am local time (5:50 am Hong Kong time)

Jess Lintanga

Jordan Bugnay

Tomohiro Mizukoshi