It has unfortunately been rather quiet in Thailand with regard to Asia Trail Master over the past few years, but Season XII will be the big comeback with no fewer than four ATM Championship Qualifiers on the calendar again, and even an extra Grandmaster Quest event, too. What’s more, four of these take place within the next three months - also in Thailand we are now in the main trail running season, contrary to e.g. Malaysia or Indonesia. This weekend, Tulay Trail on the northwestern border with Myanmar kicks off proceedings with a scenic but tough 100km and 45km for Championship points. Besides the 100km, Grandmaster Quest enthusiasts can also choose the 75km race category.

The event takes place in a rather remote venue, but smoothly accessible by road from Chiang Mai city in six hours. The landscape along the way is already gorgeous and just an appetizer of what the many participants will experience on Saturday. The 100km starts at 3:30 am with just under 100 registrants and the 45km one hour later with nearly 330 runners signed up. Tulay Trail is part of the Thailand Trail Series (previously known as Tak Trail Series), which also includes Soimalai Trail in December, organised by the same event crew.

As last year’s Candidate Race proved, Tulay Trail is no joke. The 100km is a big 100, measuring 102km, with a whopping 6000 hm elevation gain. It’s been seriously hot in Chiang Mai and in the Tak province as well over the past days, so we could expect a significant DNF rate in this one. The start is scheduled for 3:30 am and the cut-off time at the finish is 34 hours later. The 45km also has 2900 hm to conquer, but with a race start at 4:30 am does look like a more digestible option.

The start list for both race categories logically sees mainly Thai runners given the remote event location and the super busy trail running period of the year in Southeast Asia, particularly. Good old Sanya Khancai maybe over 50 now, but remains someone to be reckoned with for those who wish to score a podium. In the women’s 100k, the same can be said about Natthanan Matthanang. Interestingly, the average age of the 100k participants seems a lot higher than e.g. in similar races in Philippines. More youngsters, runners in their twenties and early thirties can be found on the 45km start list. We are indeed looking forward to getting to know many new faces this weekend, some of whom we may indeed see several times more in the course of Season 12. Let’s also not forget that Thailand neighbours Myanmar, the country that hosts the ATM Championship Final next year. In any case, at least two international participants will also be eyeing a top result. Henrique Nicolau won Luang Prabang Trail two weeks ago and Nizar Surydratama was third in that same race. Both had two weeks to recover from that 75km race in Laos, was that enough time for another top result this weekend on a shorter distance?

ATM will be reporting live, connectivity permitting, from Tulay Trail all day on Saturday.

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Tulay Trail first of three Thai qualifiers in next 3 months