PMTF: Kik Suello and Angelie Cabalo going for another ATM race win

Season 11 of the ATM Championship continues this weekend in the Philippines with the Philippine Mountain Trail Festival in Nueva Vizcaya, Luzon. Organised by Intrepid Spirit, PMTF includes the legendary Hardcore 100 Miles (H1) and H60K, the successor of the Mt Ugo Marathon. These two race distance categories offer points for the ATM Championship ranking. Interestingly, nearly all who has name and fame in the country is going for the big one: H1.

It’s the 100 Miles race that nearly every trail runner in the Philippines hopes to finish once. Last year, Rhys Pawid and Shally Yuson claimed victory, both of them are not on the start list this year. Arguably the runners to beat this year are no less solid, though. Kik Suello and Angelie Cabalo have both just won Sierra Madre Trail Ultra 75 a few weeks ago and have set their sights on H1 for this year, too. Cabalo has been a female benchmark for a few years already in Southeast Asia, and Kik Suello has stepped up to that level in recent months, operating perhaps a bit in the shadow of Onifa, Macaneras and Mirar but he’s only just right behind them now, even beating the likes of Kristian Joergensen three times in a row already. Suello is not the only Mindanao runner who has become increasingly competitive. Jomarc Ferrer is another one with high hopes for this weekend. Already a multiple race winner in ATM races this season, Ferrer could join Suello on that highest level plateau. Others to watch out for in the context of potential podium finishers are in-form Jordan Bugnay, Yoyong Sacayle, good old Koi Grey, Henry Joe Cottilon and Sean Aying.

Angelie Cabalo may have too much sheer pace for the other women in the race, but when the going gets tough she may need to keep an eye out for Singapore-based Mia Revilla, who just won BUTM 100 in Malaysia a few weeks ago, long ultra specialist Ann-Jilian Pulanco and -why not- KIm Flores. The latter is a youngster who has been winning a number of races this season, but H1 is definitely a step up in terms of technical course and distance. But running pace, that she certainly has.

H60K is the other ATM Championship qualifier, as per tradition: one long ultra and one medium distance. On paper the 60k race may be more open than H1. In the women’s race, LJ Benitez and Clarissa Yeung start as favourites.

ATM will be reporting live from PMTF all weekend, connectivity-permitting. This event does take place in a remote area.