The 10-year anniversary of KAR Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, was marked by two new race distance categories for the occasion, both qualifiers for the ATM Championship ranking and for the Grandmaster Quest. Some of Sabah’s great trail running stars grabbed the opportunity with open hands to score a big number of points in their bid to be part of their country’s team in the upcoming Season 11 Championship race at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam on 3 October. Wilsen Singgin and Milton Amat first and foremost, but in the female races it was great to get better aquainted with Nurul Emyra Fazira Isnariah Absi and Hasnita Binti Asis - race winners on the 100 MIles and 80km, respectively.

Three years after The Borneo Miler, KAR Ultra offered a 100 Miles category for its anniversary edition. It attracted an enormous field of participants and - quite incredible - 234 managed to even finish the race! The cut off time was generous, but still it remains an outstanding statistic.

Wilsen Singgin was the expected race winner. He already took control quite early, especially as Oswald Maikol and last year’s KAR 110 winner Azmil Saripuddin left the race after both had had a promising beginning of the race. Singgin finished in 27h38 and again looks well on the way to be part of Team Malaysia in October. In second place, we had the surprising Mellveen Darius, 1h14 later. A strong finish by Darius, who clearly managed his efforts very well during the long race. In third place on the podium, there was Azman Salama, well-deserved, in a time of 29h24. Salama was very quick in the early stages, but smartly reduced his speed later on to avoid blowing up. Just ten minutes later, Jainuddin Sainuddin reached the finish line in fourth place. A strong second half of the runner, who kept a low profile for a very long time during the race. Sainuddin was already a solid competitor in Season 10 of our Championship and so he confirmed his status. Edward Edmun concludes his 100 Miles in fifth place.

In the women’s 100 Miles, there was victory for Nurul Emyra Fazira Isnariah Absi in a time of 34h05! In the lead by quite a margin after taking over from fast starter Celeste Teo, she was always ahead of the rest and took her first ATM race victory. Thailand’s Siriporn Leumathong is second in 36h28 using all her experience. Third on the podium was youngster Shamiera Auther in her 100 Miles debut in a time of 38h00! Shamiera is a former winner of the 50k at KAR and other 50k races, but has recently begun challenging herself on the longer ultras.

In the 80km race, there was no stopping Milton Amat! Arriving late at the start, the Sabahan trail star made his way to the front and dropped the strong and brave Jude Maikol in the last 25 km for another ATM race victory and another one at KAR Ultra! It's his second ATM points haul of the season. Jude Maikol finished 29 minutes later in second place. Good old Gustin Tiam, himself a former race winner at KAR, still managed to score a fantastic 3rd place on the podium, actually just 45 minutes behind Amat. Fast starter Willy Wilson was fourth , followed by Christantine Christer, who again scored points this season. Brunei's Shamsuleffandy Bin Haji Sulaiman did great to reach the finish line in sixth place. A wonderful race result for the Bruneian!

Hasnita Binti Asis won the 80 km women in a time of 14h42! A great performance by Hasnita, who was even 7th overall today! Harlin Richard was second but at respectable distance from the winner. Her second ATM podium of the season after BUTM in April. Amilisah Laisang took a great third on the podium! In fourth place, we found Satiau Satiau, followed by Kona Liau.

The next Malaysian ATM Championship Qualifier is also in Sabah, the classic Borneo TMBT Ultra at the end of August, followed one week later by Jagoi Ultra in Sarawak.

The only Sarawak event on our Asia Trail Master calendar once again proved that little elevation gain in trail running does not necessarily mean an easy run. The participants in Silabur 100 had to cope with a heavy rain shower that affected the trails significantly and turned them into a mudfest. Fast runners such as pre-race favourite Chris Timms could not develop their usual pace, and Timms was condemned to chase Sabah’s young and upcoming talent Oswald Maikol until about km 70. Maikol began to slow down and eventually it was the Singapore-based Briton applying pressure on the Malaysian. He clearly had the upper hand going into the last section, but both had agreed to run to the finish together and so they arrived as joint race winners in 13h18. That was nearly two hours ahead of third place, popular Filipino Allan Gadong. Leoniel Perez claimed fourth and Jainuddin Bin Sainuddin fifth.

For Timms it was already his second ATM victory of the season, having also won UTOP 60 back in October. With also a 2nd place at Prenn Trail Summit already in the bank, Timms is basically certain of qualification for Team Singapore in the ATM Final. Oswald Maikol, on the other hand, scored his first points of Season 10, but has plenty of time left to ensure his place in Team Malaysia. Timms described Maikol afterwards as “the real deal” and “not far behind the Sabah stars Milton, Daved and Wilsen anymore”.

First female into the finish, and a great sixth overall, was Grandmaster Tara Savage, the pre-race favourite. Early on, the Thailand-based American had to keep an eye on the expected young challenger from the Philippines, Guia Cabigas. Sadly though, Cabigas sprained her ankle in the majestic Silabur cave - highlight of the course (see video footage below) and would drop out of podium contention, but not out of the race. She finished in 11th place. Tara Savage, no newbie in tough 100k trail races, ran a consistent pace and would take her fourth career ATM race win by nearly an hour over second-placed Jamilah Durat, a young Malaysian who was already sixth in BUTM a couple of months ago. Third place was for Vivian Shin Ying Tong, with 2-star Grandmaster Carly Balmforth in fourth and Dazeree Joan Joannes fifth.

The next Malaysian points race event on the ATM Championship calendar is already in a fortnight: Penang Sky Race 50km.

This weekend we have an unanticipated doubleheader in the Asia Trail Master Championship series. Malnad Ultra in Karnatika is the first points race event in India, and TNF Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival in Taiping is arguably the most competitive 100k race and 50k race of the season so far. Originally scheduled for last weekend, MMTF had to postpone by one week due to Malaysia’s General Elections, which caused quite a stir in the community. While many people, such as global elite runner Pau Capell, could not change their travel plans so last-minute, plenty of others found a way to still be there this Saturday. For many competitive Asians, MMTF is seen as the second-to-last opportunity to score enough points to get into their national country team at the ATM Final in Philippines next month.

This may be the case for 2019 MMTF race winner Kristian Joergensen also. Joergensen has had a solid year on the global scene, and now added both MMTF and Cordillera Mountain Ultra to his programme in order to try and qualify for the Mount Apo Sky Race in Davao on 17 December. Joergensen would immediately be a top contender for the ATM title, too. Another expat, and former ATM Champion in 2018, Alessandro Sherpa, is also back in Asia and keen to get his name on the board this weekend. Sherpa has been running in Italy and Europe for two years, and it will be interesting to see how he fares back in the hot and humid conditions of Southeast Asia. As a former champion, Sherpa only needs to finish two ATM races to get qualified for the Final, and reportedly that race on Mt Apo is also the only thing on his mind - competitively speaking. At MMTF, Sherpa will run the 50k to get the machine rolling.

Joergensen will have some challengers to repeat his victory from meanwhile three years ago, a megaperformance that turned him into the top trail performer he is now known as. Not in the least from Sabah’s Milton Amat, arguably the one-to-beat in Malaysia’s ultras this year. Amat needs the MMTF race to secure his spot in Team Malaysia, ironically enough. He has run often, but only two ATM points races (BUTM and TMBT), which is leaving him vulnerable against the many other Malaysians who are battling to get inside the country’s top 5 in the ATM rankings - based on a ‘best-four-count’ system. Wilsen Singgin, Muhamad Affindi and Jeffery Budin have already secured their team spot. Amat will be competing with mainly Amir Zaki, Ben Siong Lee, Daved Simpat and Akmal Adzmi for the two remaining spots. Amir Zaki is in great shape these days, having just won Doi Nhok Trail in Thailand, and Akmal Adzmi has always run very well at MMTF. Nevertheless, if Milton Amat can duplicate his performance from, say TMBT, he will be safe and in fact a top favourite to win the ATM Championship, too. Mount Apo is the kind of technical mountain terrain that will suit pure mountain runners.

Two more serious victory contenders on the 100k this weekend come from the Philippines: Larry Apolinario and Arnie Macaneras. Also in the Philippines, it’s a tight fight to get inside the country’s Top 5. Current points leader and MUSPO 100 winner Apolinario seems safe, as long as he finishes the race this weekend. It will only be his second race outside his home country. His first was VMM 100k last September, where he ran together with Hau Ha and Gaetan Morizur until halfway his stomach let him down. He did well to keep going and finish the race, which gave him the additional ATM points to now be leading the ranking. Macaneras on the other hand finds himself on the back foot after a DNF in MUSPO 100. The Davao ace returned with a second place behind Hisashi Kitamura in The Punisher 80 in August, but those 450 points of just 1 race are currently insufficient and places him behind Sean Aying (also at MMTF), Yojong Sacayle, Angelito Vertudazo and Poy Brillantes. Macaneras is a brilliant performer on technical trails, though, and expect a strong challenge from him to win MMTF 100 and lift himself into Team Pilipinas for his home race on Mount Apo.

We mentioned Hisashi Kitamura just now, but unfortunately the Karate Kit will not be competing this weekend in either the 100k or 50k race. Kitamura got badly sick during VJM last month - covid - and has seen his training schedule completely gone up in smoke. Already qualified a while ago for Team Japan, he does not want to risk anything and try to recover in time to be at his best at the ATM Championship Final - his main goal this season from the beginning.

A serious dark horse is Indonesia’s Arief Wismoyono, the 2015 ATM Champion who this season returned to peak form and showed that with a highly impressive win at Mantra Summits Challenge. This is Wismoyono’s first international in a long time, and it will be interesting to see how he fares. Similar with Milton Amat, Wismoyono will be a serious contender on the Mount Apo course next month. Akmad Nizar is another talented Indonesian who can cause an upset this weekend.

Other podium contenders on the 100k this weekend will be Singapore’s Deric Lau, Japan’s Seiji Morofuji and Sabah’s Safrey Sumping.

Looking at the 50k race, double ATM race winner this year Muhamad Affindi will be up against Daved Simpat and John Ray Onifa - the latter probably the man-to-beat. Onifa does not run a lot of races under ATM, but when he does he either wins or is very close to winning. One of his Filipino countrymen, Koy Grey, will return to trail racing for the first time since covid and his excellent 2019 season, in which he was one of the greatest stars. Let’s also watch out for Frenchman Herve Huguenot, a revelation at Cameron Ultra. Another great run could potentially even push him into Team Asia Expat for the ATM Final.

In the women’s races we will especially be looking at the performance of Hong Kong-based Hungarian Ezster Csillag, who recently scored 4th in the World Championships and who has her eyes set on the ATM title next month. Csillag won Ultramarathon de Sai Kung in October and MMTF 50k will be her second ATM race of the season.

On the women’s 100km we will see the best of Malaysia competing in the same race. Sally Yap, Halimatun Saaidah and Norlela Ismail are already guaranteed of their ATM Final qualification, and at MMTF they will face stern competiton from the likes of Adelinah Lintanga -back from Nepal- and 2021 MMTF race winner Izzah Hazirah, and also some strong runners from Philippines and Singapore. Cecile Wael will be at the start, along with Majo Liao - back from a long absence on the ATM scene - Irish Glorioso and Janet Halcon. Vincere Zeng is Singapore’s female number one at the moment, following her victory at Cameron Ultra. Can she repeat that feat in Taiping? It will certainly be interesting to see how she fares this weekend, also with a view to Mount Apo, which should suit her mountain skills very well. Let’s also keep an eye out on Thailand’s Siriporn Leumathing, who was a podium placer at UTOP, too, just a good month ago.

Alessandro Sherpa returns to Asia and the ATM scene for the first time since winning the ATM Candidate in Vietnam in early February 2020

Milton Amat has been dominant in Malaysia in the last months. Can he challenge Joergensen and co this weekend as well?

Second international outing for Filipino coming-man Larry Apolinario this weekend

Akmal Adzmi has always gone well in Taiping. What can he do this time?

Sally Yap became the woman-to-beat in Malaysian ultras this season

Ezster Csillag came back to Asia with a bang a couple of months ago and targets the ATM title

Norlela Ismail proves that consistency can get you a long way in the ATM Championship series

[MEDIA RELEASE] We are delighted to announce that the Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival, better known as MMTF, will again host the Asia Trail Master Championship Final event from 17 to 19 December 2021. The main title race is scheduled for Saturday. Set in and around the city of Taiping in the State of Perak, MMTF delivered a stunning conclusion to last year’s championship series with its very tough but beautiful race course and an event arena that fostered camaraderie and unity among the couple of thousands of runners who took part over the weekend.

“Exactly a year ago, MMTF was sheer promotion for the sport of trail running in Asia, and for the city of Taiping. We are indeed thrilled to return next season for what will undoubtedly be another exciting conclusion to our competitive championship series. Runners and fans can expect a lot of add-ons and other innovations in the build-up to the event.,” says Kris Van de Velde, founder and general manager of Asia Trail Master.

Benefitting from participants’ feedback from last year, the main race course will see a number of modifications but the total distance is expected to remain between 80 and 85 km. Less ambitious runners will as always be able to opt for one of the several shorter distance categories on the programme of the event.

"We are excited and happy to be given the trust to host ‘ATM Season Finale’ for a 2nd time in 2021 after coming out on top against 3 other established races who were bidding for the job,” says Ewegene Tan, founder and event director of MMTF.

“Its been an uncertain and challenging year for everyone in 2020 which also resulted in the ATM Championship for 2020/2021 being merged into 1. In lieu of that, we hope to provide everyone with an unforgettable year-end trail party experience in 2021. There will be more competition, more fellowship, more music and more food, indeed, as the race will continue to take runners into the ‘Virgin Jungle Reserves’ (VJR) around the city. Besides that, plans are being made to start the race in the heart of Taiping town in the highly renowned Taiping Lake Garden famous for its pristine lush greeneries, which include more than a century old raintrees and pre-war man-made lakes. Hence, runners can certainly expect a ‘grandeur’ Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival in 2021 befitting of an ‘ATM Season Finale’. "

Further details will come out after new year.

In response to the covid 19 pandemic and the subsequent wave of event cancellations throughout Asia, Asia Trail Master already announced in August that the 2020 Championship is being merged with next year’s 2021 Championship series.

Start your journey to MMTF 2021 with the Virtual edition as of 16 December

You can start your journey to the Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival 2021 by registering for MMTF - VIRTUAL EDITION @ RESET AND CHALLENGE THE NEW NORMAL. MMTF is using the project to help everyone reset and challenge the new normal with the hope it will help everyone to look towards the future with more positiveness. Besides, part of the registration collected will be channeled to support the community surrounding us. MMTF also hopes that the virtual event will help everyone end the year as a winner in their own right. You can gain priority slots for the 2021 ‘real’ edition of MMTF, and also 10-20% discounts upon completing the challenge. Registration for MALAYSIA MOUNTAIN TRAIL FESTIVAL 2020 - VIRTUAL EDITION @ RESET AND CHALLENGE THE NEW NORMAL is currently underway at www.mmtf.my/mmtfvr2020.

End the difficult 2020 in style with the MMTF virtual event, and continue after the new year celebrations with ATM’s own virtual team running challenge, the 7 Missions.

Official documentary MMTF 2019 (by ICARUS)

China’s Xie Wenfei was one of the revelations in ATM at the end of 2019. Can she make the Championship an objective next year?

2018 ATM Champion Alessandro Sherpa returned to peak form last year with a great 2nd place

Manila-based Kristian Joergensen was outstanding and won his biggest ATM race to date

Veronika Vadovicova crowned herself as ATM Champion with arguably her best trail performance of her entire incredible season

John Ellis already had the ATM title in his bag by winning UT Panoramic in Thailand a week earlier, but showed fantastic physical and mental resilience to finish among the top five

Finish 2020 with your mind set on 2021: the virtual MMTF edition begins 16 December

As announced via social media last weekend, we are happy to confirm that Borneo TMBT Ultra Marathon returns to the Asia Trail Master Championship series after a 2-year-hiatus. The classic event near Kota Kinabalu in Sabah was the first ever ATM points race in Malaysia, and this year will offer 100K runners again with a chance to boost their 2018 championship points and their Grandmaster Quest. The event will be held on 1/2 September and also marks the beginning of a very busy September in ATM, with Hakuba Trails, Bandung Ultra 100, Vietnam Mountain Marathon and Ijen Trailrunning occupying the other weekend slots that month. 

Race registration for Borneo TMBT Ultra Marathon is already open, and you better do not wait too long! 

The event will stay loyal to its traditional courses of 100K, 50K and 25K and is a genuine test of physical and mental strength through the mountainous rainforest of Sabah on Borneo. Please note that only the 100K will offer ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest points. 

The TMBT is Malaysia's oldest Ultra-Trail® Marathon 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 TMBT course is set over the ridges and in the river valleys around the base of Mt. Kinabalu, with the highest elevation on the race course just under 2000m.

The event takes runners from the quaint native villages at the foothills on the western side of Mount Kinabalu towards the southern side of the mountain. The 100k category continues around the base of Mount Kinabalu and to the South-Eastern ridges of the mountain to finish in the village of Kundasang.

The routes are challenging but beautiful and give runners an opportunity to experience remote villages and follow village trails through a varied landscape of forest and cultivated areas. Trails pass paddy fields and climb steep ridges clad in pineapples with amazing views to Mt. Kinabalu and over the surrounding ridges and valleys which are often shrouded in clouds. The routes cross numerous streams with refreshing water on a hot day, while most larger rivers are crossed via hanging, bamboo or log bridges. Part of the trails follow the old heritage trails that used to be a part of the old buffalo trading routes linking villagers from Kota Belud to Bundu Tuhan.

The race has a reputation for being challenging to complete with a combination of 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.

Borneo TMBT Ultra Marathon

One of the protagonists this weekend in the inaugural Sungai Menyala Forest Trail in Port Dickson, Malaysia, is the young and talented Filippino runner Sandi Menchi. While not exactly a new face in the Asian running world, Sandi has recently been moving up to longer distance endurance racing. With success: she won the Clark-Miyamit Falls Ultra last November, and a few weeks ago she crossed the finish line of the Cordillera Mountain Ultra together with Grandmaster Jan Nilsen! Sungai Menyala is a fast and different type of trail race, but Sandi will be a major challenger for unbeaten Asia Trail Master champion Tahira Najmunisaa on Sunday. In fact, Sandi has had the better of Tahira already in a climbing race on Sabah last year. Sandi, however, remains modest and highly respectful: " I honestly never expect to "defeat" others, cos i know that everyone has their own pains, weaknesses and past injuries, including myself. I always aim to beat myself, not others."

Sandi Menchi was born and raised in Baguio City, a famous place for adventurous travellers, trekkers and recently trail runners. Baguio is the gateway to the Cordillera Mountains and the perfect playground for any aspiring trail runner. "I was always an active or even hyperactive child, and my first race was when i was 15. I've been running since then," says the new star. "Actually, as of 2013 I wanted to explore and experience other sports so i tried triathlons and duathlons as well, and am still doing those now."

Day-to-day, she teaches tutorials to kids with special needs. She has also begun to organise and direct her own races in her local area. Sports is in Sandi's DNA, and her training plan also reflects that: "·  I try to make sure that every week i get to do speed endurance, cardio endurance, hill reps, stairs, running drills, stretching drills and a swim,  but I don't always get to follow it because of unpredictable circumstances at times :-). Previously, I was advised by my track-and-field coach to do things step by step, so I made sure to take care of myself and slowly increase the distance in the races i joined/am joining ". In the mean time, Sandi Menchi has a personal best time on the road marathon of 3:03. 

Running and trail running have become popular leisure activities in the Philippines, as in the rest of Asia. Sandi acknowledges: "I remember in the summer of 2014 when i joined a race and there were less than 20 participants.  Since then I've noticed that more and more people join trail races,  so it's good that we all somehow find peace in exercise. Yet,  i think that there's still a lot of room for improvement. Definitely, I hope trail running can become an Olympic sport one day!"

She considers Killian Jornet, Anna Frost and Sage Kennedy as very inspiring, and UTMB probably as the main ambition of her trail running career. "But ultimately, my goal is to inspire others to love the trails and mountains as i do," she emphasizes. 

After winning the Cordillera Mountain Ultra, and another great result expected in Port Dickson this Sunday, Sandi Menchi seems on track to be one of the leading contenders for the women's Asia Trail Master championship this year, following in the footsteps of her compatriot and male champion Manolito Divina. "The ATM championship would be a great achievement, but it is long way to go and I don't exactly have the rest of the year planned out yet.  Let's see!"

-KVDV

At the end of another month, the official race registrations for two hot Asia Trail Master points races are coming to a close. First of all, the Malaysia SuperTrail race, Penang Eco 100, and also the unique Mt Apo Sky Race in Mindanao, Philippines. 

Both events are trail events pur sang. Penang Eco 100 features 100 miles, 100k and 50k races and 30k races and is for the second consecutive year credited with the Asia Trail Master SuperTrail label, which means all finishers on the 100 miles and 100k races get 50 bonus points for the points championship. 100 mile finishers even get an additional 25 as of this year.  However, remember the amount of performance points on both 100 miles and 100k is the same: 400 for the winners, which is a significant difference compared to last year, following feedback from multi-race participants. Several top contenders for the ATM championship have already signed up, underlining the importance of SuperTrails and its bonus points. 

Of course, the 100 miles and 100 k are also qualifiers for the Grandmaster Quest.  Please note that the cut off for the 100 miles is tight to very tight, while the 100k is slightly looser. 

Registration ends on Friday, 31 March. Click here to go directly to the reg page. More info on the event here. 

Two weeks earlier, a very special event takes place on Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines at just below 3000m above sea level. The Mount Apo Sky Race is a technical 70 km virtually out-and-back race that is unique as the mountain park is currently closed for regular tourism. If you want to visit this pristine environment, you need to do this race! Total elevation gain is 4000 hm and the cut off is 22 hours. Less ambitious runners can also opt for 35k, but please note that no ATM points are awarded on that shorter distance. 

The 70 km is also a qualifier for the Grandmaster Quest, and rumour has it that Grandmaster Aleksis Capili will be aiming to score his 10th point at Mount Apo, which translates in a Grandmaster Shield featuring 2 stars! 

Registration ends on Friday, 31 march. You can sign up directly here. More event info is here. 

Confirmed again as Malaysia's SuperTrail, the 3rd edition of Malaysia Eco 100 is on the agenda for 13/14/15 May 2017. The event in Penang will be further fine-tuned here and there, but essentially builds on the groundwork laid out in the first two successful editions. That means runners will be provided with three well-tested options of 100 miles, 100km or 50km to score points for the Asia Trail Master championship ranking. Less ambitious runners can also go for 30 km during the long weekend.

Elevation gain is not the biggest issue in Malaysia Eco 100. The longest race has 4000 hm, but most of it is concentrated in the second half of the course, which means athletes need to preserve energy during the long runnable sections of the first part. People on the 100k only have 500 hm less to conquer, and the 50k is actually with 3000 Hm the opposite of the 100 miles: namely a race for climbing goats. The heat and humidity play a big role in this race, and were the main cause for the considerable DNF rate on the two longest distances in 2016. In 2017, participants in the 100 km and 50 km races will certainly benefit from an extended cut off time of 30 hours and 20 hours respectively. The ultra runners on the 100 miles are expected to be back within 40 hours. 

Malaysia Eco 100 being a SuperTrail, there are 50 ATM bonus points for all finishers on the 100 miles and 100 km races. Those who complete the 100 miles even get the new 100 Mile Bonus of 25 ATM points on top of that! 

It goes without saying that both 100 miles and 100 km are also valid for 1 point in the Grandmaster Quest. 

In 2016 Manolito Divina from the Philippines delivered a fantastic performance by finishing the 100 miles in 29 hours 47'08 ", and Aleksis Capili crowned himself as the first ever Asia Trail Grandmaster. Read more about it here. 

Registration for next year's event is already open via the event website with early bird rates till 30 November. 

Preliminary 2017 Asia Trail Master calendar

* more races will be added in due course

14/01/17 - Thailand - The Dirt Track
22/01/17 - Indonesia - Tahura Trail
29/01/17 - Philippines - Rizal Mountain Run
17-18/02/17 - Thailand - UT Unseen Koh Chang - SUPERTRAIL
25-26/02/17 - Brunei - Beach Bunch Trail Challenge
04-05/03/17 - Philippines - Cordillera Mountain Ultra
23/04/17 - South Korea - Korea 50k
24/04/17 - Nepal - Ultra-Trail Nepal - Run for Recovery
07/05/17 - Kazakhstan - Tengri Ultra Trail
13-14/05/17 - Malaysia - Eco 100 - SUPERTRAIL

Race Director Razif Yahya flanks female champion Tahira Najmunisaa and Abdul Rahman

The 2nd edition of the Magnificent Merapoh Trail, new in the Asia Trail Master series this year, saw over 600 runners from 25 countries compete along the border of Malaysia's largest national park, Taman Negara, roughly 250km northeast of Kuala Lumpur. The event was organised to boost eco tourism and protect the natural environment and the ancient and impressive cave complexes of Merapoh from logging and destruction. On offer were trail race courses of 100, 60 or 30km with limited elevation gain (1400 hm for 100km), but enough technical sections to challenge each single participant. 

Those sections included running through three caves, as well as a river crossing of no fewer than 3 km in length, halfway in the race that started at 9 p.m. While race day was dry, heavy rainfall in the days preceeding the event had elevated the water level and this meant a somewhat less comfortable experience for runners shorter in height. The race direction team had a plan B prepared, but decided to go ahead with the original course including the river. It turned out to be a good call, as the river crossing was the topic of many "warrior stories" after the race!  No accidents happened. 

The Merapoh Trail is in general a fast course and that also resulted in a very competitive race with several people in contention for the win and the podium places till very late. Britain's Jason Robinson and American Jeremy Verstraete were the fastest starters and opened up a lead in the first 21km until Persik Cave. When Verstraete suffered from stomach problems, Hong Kong's Isaac Yuen Wan Ho - whose aim was primarily  to regain the points lead in the Asia Trail Master championship in this race -, Japan's Hideki Kikuchi, Australia's Wayne McMurtie as well as local top runners Alan Toh and Abdul Rahman caught up again. Positions kept alternating from checkpoint to checkpoint, but it gradually became clear that 49-year-old Robinson had the edge. Eventually, he accumulated a lead over the rest of more than 30 minutes and took the victory back in Merapoh town. Isaac Yuen Wan Ho had a strong last section and grabbed second place, and the ATM points lead, while the smiling Kikuchi came home a delighted third on the podium. Yuen Wan Ho, who now has 300 points more than Manolito Divina in the championship ranking, was a happy man: "A great race, but certainly not easy. Some parts were very technical! I was able to stay in control of myself and the elements throughout the race, and that gave me a second place today. I am happy, even though I realise it will be difficult to stay ahead of Manolito in the championship." Race winner Jason Robinson is a very experienced endurance athlete, doing IronMan triathlons and ultras on a regular basis. Robinson praised the race organisations, but was also impressed by the river crossing: "It all went well, but 3km may be a bit too long. Some people needed one full hour to cross that river, as you can hardly move forward. I also felt muscles in my body during that crossing I didn't even know I had," he added with a smile. 

Gretchen Felipe won her second ATM race in two months on the 60 km distance

As expected, the women's race was dominated by unbeaten Asia Trail Master points leader Tahira Najmunisaa. The 26-year-old mother of three dashed away right after the start and opened up such a big gap that she could walk most of the last 40k and still win comfortably. It was her fourth career ATM race victory, and she of course extended her advantage in the championship with 500 more points. Behind her, positions in the race changed all the time as well, just like in the men's. Indonesia's Ina Budiyarni ran second for quite some time early on, then the consistent-pacing Jessica Linghata from Sabah took over, but in the end it was Faherina Mohd Esa who managed to stay narrowly ahead of Hong Kong's Jocelyn Cheung for the two lower steps of the podium. Vietnam's Thanh Vuu came in fourth, proving that trail running in her country is also making steady progress.  Jessica Lintanga was next in fifth after getting lost in the final section. 

The 60km race was won in a new course record by local "short" distance specialist Lim Wen Shan in the men's, and Philippines' Gretchen Felipe in the women's. For both athletes it was the second victory this year. Malaysia' s Lim Wen Shan also won the 50k race during the Malaysia Eco 100 event, and Felipe of course won the Cordillera Mountain Ultra in her native region last month. 

 In the late afternoon the Master of Ceremony and the local crowd cheered and applauded for the final competitors trying to make the 20 hour cut off time, which was another exciting moment of the event.

Although held in a remote location with limited facilities, the Magnificent Merapoh Trail was pure propaganda for the still young sport of trail running. It proved once and for all that organisers do not need high mountains and many thousands of metres of elevation gain to create quality trail events. All protagonists thanked race director Razif Yahya and his team openly for the wonderful course and experience. Runners interested in more Malaysia action in the Asia Trail Master series should pencil in UT Sabah at the end of the year on 4/5 December. 

You can find videos and more images on our instagram and facebook channels! 

The Dancing Ghost Cave

Early leaders: Jason Robinson (103) and Jeremy Verstraete (19)

Singapore's Henry Yang was one of many to suffer from stomach problems during the race

The 2nd Magnificent Merapoh Trail on the outskirts of the famous Taman Negara National Park in Malaysia starts on Friday night. The sold-out event, organised by the people of Running Project and to the benefit of the preservation of the Merapoh Cave complex, has a mouth-watering course for the speedies among the trail runners. An elevation gain of 1200 metres over 100 km is the lowest in the entire 2016 Asia Trail Master series and contrasts heavily with the 9100 altitude metres that participants will have to conquer on the Rinjani volcano in Indonesia also this weekend. Primarily, fast runners will be in action in Malaysia and mountain goats in Indonesia, but both are as pure a trail running event can be!

The Magnificent Merapoh Trail offers three race distances of 100km, 60km and 30km, and can be proud of its list of participants. Home favourite and current leader in the female Asia Trail Master championship ranking Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid returns to action this weekend on, of course, the 100 km race distance. Tahira has already collected race wins in the Beach Bunch Trail Challenge in Brunei and Malaysia Eco 100 miles this season, and a new victory would make her very hard to beat in this year's championship, indeed. She will face some stern competition in Merapoh, though. Her compatriot and winner of the 100km race in Eco 100, Adelinah Lintanga, cannot be underestimated. Tan Seow Ping will be there as well, the number three of last year's Asia Trail Master championship. Furthermore, Indonesia's Ina Budiyarni decided that Merapoh Trail suits her characteristics and ambitions better than Rinjani 100 and will toe the starting line. Budiyarni, fourth in the 2015 championship and a multiple race winner in her own country. There are also a few runners with loads of international trail running experience: Teresa Aranalde (Mexico) and Cheryl j. Bihag (Philippines), for example. And in the context of the 2016 ATM series' championship, we should also keep an eye out for Gretchen Felipe, the young woman from the Philippines who won the Cordillera Mountain Ultra last June and who is competing on the 60km race distance this weekend. 

It will not all be about the women. The men's race will be just as exciting and will see Hong Kong's Isaac Yuen Wan Ho trying to regain the lead in the 2016 Asia Trail Master championship ranking! Yuen Wan Ho, fourth in UTHK and second in Brunei earlier this year, can overtake Manolito Divina if he finishes inside the top 70 on Saturday, as he just needs 150 points (100 finisher points, 51 performance points for rank 70). As he showed in Brunei, Yuen Wan Ho is actually a very fast runner, so he may as well go for the race win or at least the podium. However, also for him, there are other strong contenders. Henry Yang from Singapore, or Allan Toh from Malaysia for sure will give him a run for his money. There's a solid team of Japanese athletes as well, and let's not forget Abdul Rahman, who was third in Malaysia Eco 100 miles, after all. 

As in the female 60km race, the recently crowned winner of the men's Cordillera Mountain Ultra, Marcelino Sano-Oy, will be the one to watch. Sano-Oy is actually making his first ever trip abroad, and is gradually building up trail running experience. 

While the elevation gain is limited, the Magnificent Merapoh Trail does have technical sections, and combined with the traditional heat and humidity should not be considered an easy trail run. Let's not forget that the DNF rate of Malaysia Eco 100 in Penang was much higher than anybody expected, and so it was in the much shorter Brunei race last February. During Merapoh, runners will need to cross a few water streams, but also run through some caves, obviously a very special item of this event. 

We will be reporting live from the event on our social media channels, and this starting at 21:30 on Friday night. 

Protagonists guaranteed this weekend: Tahira Najmunisaa and her husband Abdul Rahman 

Marcelino Sano-Oy: winner of the Cordillera Mountain Ultra 50 last month: hot favourite for the 60km race in Malaysia this weekend as he begins his international running career

The Philippines' Manolito Divina was a true class of his own in the Malaysia SuperTrail race in and around Bukit Mertajam last weekend. Divina even quickly left other established runners like Jan Nilsen far behind and took victory in less than 30 hours over the 100 miles race distance. After his joint-second place - with Nilsen - at UTHK earlier this year, Divina is now the new points leader in the 2016 Asia Trail Master championship at the expense of Hong Kong's Yuen Wan Ho. Also in the women's race, a clear winner emerged from the rainforest: Tahira Najmunisaa was in fact the only woman to finish the longest distance race, which was characterised by extreme heat, humidity and rainfall - even for Malaysian standards. After winning in Brunei's Beach Bunch Trail Challenge, Tahira also moved into the points lead of the Asia Trail Master championship with her second victory of the season - and her third ATM race title of her still young career (Tahira also won the Bromo Tengger Semeru 100k Ultra in Indonesia last year). 

Manolito Divina: simple hydration was very important in Malaysia last weekend

Podium of the men's 100 miles race

There was another great racer and winner last weekend: Aleksis Capili, also from the Philippines but residing in Thailand, became the first ever Asia Trail Grandmaster. And, wow, did he complete his Quest in style: second place in the 100 miles race behind Divina, his best race result to date in an Asia Trail Master event! Capili has thus completed six races of 70km or more within two calendar years. Starting with Borneo TMBT last year in August, he followed up with the Vietnam Mountain Marathon, CM 50 in Philippines, Bromo Tengger Semeru Ultra in Indonesia, UTHK in Hong Kong, and now Malaysia Eco 100. As a Grandmaster he will receive his first badge of honour including 1 star, enter the Hall of Fame, and receive a host of other prizes. Now Capili has reached the all important first level, he can add stars to his badge in the next months without any time pressure.  A second star follows after completing another four ultra distances. 

Capili is a superb example of the tough ultrarunner who somehow always makes his way to the finish. Arguably not the fastest of all in the field, his resilience, stamina and body never seem to let him down when others on occasion take a fall or suffer an injury. Jan Nilsen, for instance, is a protagonist wherever he starts and the Norwegian has been in excellent form lately as well. However, Nilsen is blister-prone, and after 100km and with a quasi guaranteed podium place in sight, he had to retire from the race just like he was forced to in the Bromo race last November. Nilsen was disappointed, but his feet tend to recover quickly and he'll be back strongly again soon. Divina was then already two hours ahead by himself, and Singapore's Henry Yang became his closest chaser. Unfortunately, Yang slipped on a wet rock at nighttime and hurt himself in the process. After taking medical care at the next refreshment station - which were all well-prepared - Yang gave it another go to try and finish the race, but to no avail. And so Capili moved up to second place, and Malaysia's own Abdul Rahman - husband of Tahira Najmunisaa - suddenly had a podium finish in his grasp in his debut race over an ultra distance! Rahman, a navy seal, ran with his wife for most of the race, but then wanted to secure third place and so he did. The next runner to reach the finish was Thean Sin Bong, who was slightly ahead of Tahira.

Only 8 starters on the 100 miles reached the finish out of more than 40 starters. Malaysia Eco 100 did not have excessive numbers of elevation ( approx 4500 hm ) , but it was obviously more than hard enough. The DNF quota on the 100km race distance was also very high with just 24 finishers  out of roughly one hundred.

The next points scoring race in Malaysia will be the Magnificent Merapoh Trail at the end of July.

Abdul Rahman and Tahira Najmunisaa both are part of the Running Project Team

The finishers of the 100 miles race:

1. Manolito Divina (PHI) in 29:47:08

2. Aleksis Capili (PHI) 34:41:14

3. Abdul Rahman Abu Hassan (MAS) 36:08:04

4. Thean Sin Bong (MAS) 37:16:35

5. Tahira Najmunisaa (MAS) 37:17:49 - winner female

6. Kian Philip Yong Yeo (MAS) 38:34:17

7. Meng Piow Low (MAS) 38:49:26

8. Chin Tat Lim (MAS) 39:16:24

100 km - Winner - Men

1. Alan Toh (MAS) 23:27:20

100km - Winner - Women

1. Adelinah Lintanga (MAS) 

Aleksis Capili is the first Asia Trail Grandmaster

Already the third SuperTrail race of the season is on the Asia Trail Master menu this weekend, as runners from all over the continent gather in Penang for the Eranzi Malaysia Eco 100. It will be an important event for the 2016 points ranking, but also for Aleksis Capili. The Thailand-based Pinoy runner is set to complete his Grandmaster Quest of six races of over 70k in two calendar years!

While Penang is the gateway to the event, organised by Endurance Nature, the start and finish of the three race distances is in Bukit Mertajam opposite Penang Island. The 100 miles and 100k races will soak up most attention, but the 50k is definitely not without merit neither in the hot and humid climate of Malaysia. Challenging conditions for many runners, who are perhaps fortunate that the elevation gain is considerable yet not excessive. Race Director Seow Kong Ng, an icon in Malaysia's endurance runnjng scene, of course knows where the acceptable limits are.

The rankings will look very different after this race. Both Jan Nilsen and Manolito Divina are going for the win, and for the lead in the men's Asia Trail Master championship ranking at the expense of current leader Isaac Yuen Wan Ho. Nilsen is in top shape, having just beaten Divina in a big race in the Philippines a fortnight ago. The 100 miles in Malaysia are more runnable, though, and more humid. They will be challenged by several other top runners from Malaysia itself.

Also in the women's we are bound to see a change of leadership in the points standings.Upcoming local hero Tahira Najmunisaa is doing the long distance race this weekend, and if she finishes will move ahead of Ma Yanxing and Yuen Kit Shan. The impressive winner of the Beach Bunch Trail Challenge in Brunei is only 50 points behind and will be the first of the top runners to compete in two races this year. However, also on the start list is the number 2 of last year's Asia Trail Master series: Mila Marlina from Indonesia. Marlina had a tough run at UTHK earlier this year, but if she is back to her best level - which brought her wins at e.g. MesaStila Peaks Challenge last year - she will certainly give Tahira a run for her money. At the end of December, the best three race results per runner count.

Aleksis Capili is the real ultrarunner: perhaps not the fastest of all, but he just keeps on going weekend after weekend... Malaysia Eco 100 miles will be his sixth Asia Trail Master race of more than 70km in less than a year! Capili has not left at that, as he also regularly runs other races outside our calendar as well. Capili is orginally from the Philippines, but based for work in Thailand. If he successfully completes this weekend's 100 miles, Capili will enter the inaugural Hall of Fame as an Asia Trail Grandmaster. 

Watch our social media pages for news and updates of the Malaysia Eco 100 this weekend!