Ijen Mountain Marathon closes qualifying for this season's Championship Final

This weekend’s Ijen Mountain Marathon in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia closes the qualifying period for the 2025 Championship Final that will be held in exactly one month from now at Mu Cang Chai in Vietnam. It’s the first time Ijen Mountain Marathon, part of the Ijen Green Trail Festival, offers a points race in our series. It’s not a new event by any means, “IGT” was already on the domestic calendar before the corona crisis. The eastern part of East Java remains not so easy to get to, but runners are always rewarded with the most outstanding volcanic scenery there. In fact, ATM has a long history at Ijen with the previous event around the volcano - held on the other side out of Bondowoso - a member of ATM from 2015 to 2019.

The 50km Ijen Mountain Marathon will be an important one for a few runners as they still attempt to qualify for their country’s team in the Championship Final. Indonesia’s Akhmad Nizar and Bali-based Thimo Kilberth no longer need to worry about that, however. They have already scored enough points during the season. Nizar goes into Saturday’s race as the top favourite on paper. Could he finally get that first ATM race victory after so many podiums already? Furqoni is another podium candidate, as well as Indonesia-based Egyptian Ahmed Bedair, who may get himself into Team Asia Expat for the Final.

In the women’s race, we have Bali’s Dian Pradina and East Java’s winner of Dieng Trail Run at the very beginning of Season 10, Suryani Sipayung Endang, as well as the number 2 in that race Fauziah.

As always and particularly in Indonesia, we are likely to see some new names popping up on the leaderboards this Satuday as well.

ATM will be reporting from the Ijen Mountain Marathon in Banyuwangi all day on Saturday on our usual channels.