Malaysia’s new event entry on the ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar did not dissapoint. Trail des Gombak not only enjoyed great participation numbers for both the 100km and 50km points races, but it also provided four new race winners in our ATM series and all four went out to get the honours against tough competition. Vietnam’s Nguyen Phuong Hieu even won his ATM race debut! Having begun running in the covid era, Gombak was his first race abroad with qualification for the ATM Championship Final as a key objective. Nguyen Phuong Hieu had achieved some great domestic performances already, but in our series until last weekend. Leading the 100k race from early on, the runner from Dalat steadily increased his advantage over pre-race favourite Wilsen Singgin, Oswald Maikol, Dina Bagale and initially also Aqmal Adzmi. While Adzmi would throw in the towel halfway due to severe cramps, Singgin, Maikol and Bagale had a nice scrap going between them, but they did not come any closer to Nguyen Phuong Hieu. Once darkness set in on Saturday night, the Vietnamese also began to struggle a bit more, but the advantage was more than big enough and he made it to the finish in approximately 14h26 for what was essentially a 108 km long race .Wilsen Singgin finished in second place, visibly exhausted in a time of 14h57, which does mean he made good 30 minutes of time in the last two sections of the race. A superb Dina Bagale - Nepalese but living in Hong Kong - took third place, just 7 minutes behind Singgin! Bagale was part of the Championship-winning Team Nepal last year, but this is his best individual result in an ATM race. Oswald Maikol settled for fourth, followed by Assrul Aminur in fifth.

The women’s 100km had a similar scenario, whereby the Sabahan race favourite - Rejlen James - was chasing a ‘foreign’ runner all the way. Dilu Limbu was expected to feature at the front, though, after her fifth place in Lantau 70 earlier this year. Already at AS2, Limbu was ahead by herself, but James would never let her get further ahead than 20 minutes. However, Limbu would not slow down and even had the better pace still at the end to win in 17h31. Also for her it is the first ATM race victory, and an important one that may see her qualified for the ATM Championship Team Nepal this coming October. In third place was Nurul Emyra Fazira Isnariah Absi, who emerged the strongest of a group of runners who were battling all day for the final step on the podiun. In-form Dazeree Joannes was fourth and Hong Kong’s Rachel Chan fifth.

On the 50km that started at 3 am in the middle of the night, Malaysia’s Muhammad Faris grabbed his first ever ATM race victory after a few podium spots in the past two years. A great run, keeping Iceland’s Kristjan Chapman behind by a mere three-four minutes for most of the 54k race. Faris won in a splendid 5h33. He is basically guaranteed a spot in Team Malaysia for the ATM Championship Final. Chapman is a new face in our series, impressive debut. From Iceland but residing in KL. Third on the podium in his debut on the 50km is Japan’s Hiroyuki Kawachi in 5h58! Just a few seconds later, Sabah’s Sheron Sariman took fourth place, and Nepal’s Santosh Tamang fifth. Vitus Daimi was sixth and Humberto Baeza, a regular in ATM this season, finished in seventh today. Azzamudin Nurdin came in in in eighth.

Finally it was also the big day of Ritzy Amor, who took her first ATM race victory in her 5th outing of the season! The Filipino runner, based in KL, took the lead in the race early and kept Akane Nemoto behind by about 20 minutes. She finished in 7h26. Amor is the overall points leader in the women’s ATM Championship ranking. With this victory she eliminatedher modest result (8th) of BTR Bali and increased her points total some more. She is therefore assured of qualification for Team Pilipinas in the ATM Final in October. Previously Amore had finished on the podium in Broder 50 and BUTM 50. She was also 4th in VTM 70.

Japan’s Akane Nemoto was second in 8h10. Her first ATM race after finishing on the top 10 podium of last year’s Championship Final at Borneo TMBT . Also her first race since her prolonged injury break. Siti Aisyah Kharuddin was a great third place on the podium, ahead of Guan Shin Law, who saw herself get disqualfied for a mandatory gear infringement. Norlela Ismail inherited fourth place ahead of Megan McKenna.

The next Malaysian points race is scheduled at the end of July: KAR Ultra, again with two distances for Championship points: 110 and 60.

Nguyen Phuong Hieu: fantastic winner on the 100k in wonderful debut

Dilu Limbu: kept Rejlen James behind her to take first ATM race win

Muhammad Faris Azhari keeps on improving and raised eyebrows by taking the 50k race victory

Also for Filipino Ritzy Amor it was the first ATM race win of her trail running journey

This weekend’s Trail des Gombak in Selangor, not far from Kuala Lumpur, is the last Malaysian points race of the season on the peninsula, before we are heading to Sabah for the duo KAR Ultra and Borneo TMBT Ultra at the end of July and August respectively. Gombak is a new entry on our calendar, after a successful edition as a Candidate Race a year ago. Organised by Projek Hijo, the event has attracted a big number of participants and features two relevant categories for the ATM Championship points ranking, the 100km and 50km, whereby the 100 is of course also valid for the Grandmaster Quest. Start of the race proceedings is scheduled for 8am on Saturday morning, when 213 registered runners will embark on their 100k journey. The 50k is set to commence at 3 am on Sunday early morning, or middle of the night - as you wish.

Not only are the numbers impressive, the start lists also have quality and feature lots of well-known names from across Asia. It promises to be an exciting race weekend, as the course is not overtly demanding with an estimated 3500 hm elevation gain for the 100km and half of that for the 50km. On paper, Gombak is one of the more runable races of the season.

Gombak is the name of the district located just 80km north of KLIA, Malaysia’s international airport. The area has been a drawcard for tourists thanks to the proximity of the Batu Caves. The venue of Trail des Gombak is located just to the north of the caves at Dewan Sergabuna. “Exploring Possibilities” is the tagline of the event. The route of the race consists of jungle trails, river creeks, waterfalls, asphalt, rolling hills, and more .

Looking at the 100k start list, with bib number 1, is Wilsen Singgin. In top form last time out in the Penang Sky Race, Singgin returns to the longer ultra for the first time in a while. An ATM Finalist already three years in a row, and always a podium finisher, Singgin has upped his game even more this year. Focusing more on speed and 50km races has clearly benefited his competitive performance, and Singgin might still pull off some surprises this season - who knows event at the Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October. In Gombak, he will start the 100k as the top favourite, but he will face some very solid competition from the likes of Oswald Maikol, Gustin Tiam, Haziq Aysraf, Andrew Farmers, Nguyen Phuong Hieu, Asyraf Ghazali and certainly also from Aqmal Adzmi. The winner of UTOP 100 Miles early in Season 10 could in any case position himself as a serious candidate for a spot in Team Malaysia at the ATM Finals this season, which would be a first for him.

For the women’s 100km, the favourite has to be Sabah’s Rejlen James, as usual within Malaysia. However, she can expect to be challenged by Hong Kong’s Rachel Chan , who last year already gave James a run for her money once at SIlabur 100. Also Hong Kong-based, but originally from Nepal, is Dilu Limbu. Limbu was fifth in Lantau 70 at the end of March, so let’s keep an eye out for her. In fact, a second good result this weekend may put Limbu into Team Nepal for the ATM Championship Final. Lynda Marylyn is also on the 100k start list, and always a podium candidate. Other known potentials for a good placing are Dazeree Joannes and Yvette Chong Mi Chin.

An important starter on the 100km this Saturday is also Kenneth Mun Keat Yow. The Malaysian ultra specialist is aiming for his 20th ATM ultra race finish, meaning his 4th Grandmaster Star. If he manages, he will be only the second Malaysian to complete the fourth golden level of the Grandmaster Quest after Munintaran Sundram at PMTF in early May!

The 50km race also promises to be exciting to follow with several potential winners and podium candidates in both male and female races. Singapore’s Malachy Kirwan is a contender on this type of course, for sure. Muhammad Faris Azhari has been in-form all season and looks one of Malaysia’s certitudes for the team in the ATM Championship Final. Singapore-based American Humberto Baeza won Lam Dong Trail in Dalat early in the season, and may wish to erase his DNF due to injury in the Penang Sky Race. Also from Singapore and a solid-paced runner: Deric Lau. Hong Kong-based runners Jeremy Ritcey, Luis Alvelais and Mark Iandolo are all in with a shot at the podium, and so is Alex Tilley - based in Penang - although he may find Gombak a bit too runable for his liking. More runners can pull off a surprise.

In the women’s race we will see Ritzy Amor back in action as one of the race favourites, alongside Japan’s Akane Nemoto, back from injury.Nemoto was on the podium in the past two ATM Championship Finals. Guan Shin Law is also among the usual podium contenders in what will also be a large field.

ATM will be reporting live from Trail des Gombak as of Saturday morning 7:30 am local time, with the 100km starting at 8 am.

We are happy to announce that Trail des Gombak in Selangor, north of Kuala Lumpur, is a new Malaysian points race on our Season 10 ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar. Organised by the Projek Hijo team, the fourth edition of the event will be held on 21/22 June 2025 following a successful run as an ATM Candidate a few months ago. On the schedule are both a 100km and a 50km for Championship points.

Gombak is the name of the district located just 80km north of KLIA, Malaysia’s international airport. The area has been a drawcard for tourists thanks to the proximity of the Batu Caves. The venue of Trail des Gombak is located just to the north of the caves at Dewan Sergabuna. From KL Sentral, busses take you to Gombak and Grab cars are omnipresent as well.

“Exploring Possibilities” is the tagline of the event. The route of the race consists of jungle trails, river creeks, waterfalls, asphalt, rolling hills, and much more that Gombak can offer.The 100km course has an estimated elevation gain of 3500 hm, making it one of the more runable races on paper. The 50km offers 1700 metres of elevation gain. Please note that while the 100km starts at 8am on Saturday morning, the 50km is essentially a Sunday race with start at 3 am.

Last June, victory on the 100km went to the Singapore duo of Malachy Kirwan and Philippe Daniel in the men’s ahead of Tuan Afandi, and Grandmaster Carly Balmforth in the women’s ahead of Norlela Ismail.

The Top 25 in the overall men’s and women’s result score points for the ATM Championship ranking that lead to potential qualification for the Final later in the season. Grandmaster Quest point seekers need to finish the 100km race.

Registration for the 2025 edition is already open. Please check the official website linked below and follow the event’s facebook page to stay up-to-date with the latest news regarding Trail des Gombak.

 

Trail des Gombak, a new ATM Candidate Race in Selangor, Malaysia, saw a 100km victory for the duo Philippe Daniel and Malachy Kirwan! Both Singapore residents finished in 14 hours 40 minutes, well ahead of third-placed Malaysian Tuan Hafandi. Frenchman Daniel and Irishman Kirwan ran the race in duo format.

In the women's 100km, another expat, Carly Balmforth took the win ahead of Norlela Ismail in 21 h 20. Balmforth is an ATM Grandmaster and a two-time finalist in 2022 and 2023.

The 50 km saw a nice battle between eventual race winner Mohd Aminuddin Musa and Mohd Hatta Wahab. Finishing time was 6h32. Ahmad Aqwa Bin Othman completed the podium. Filipino Ritzy Amor Ectin was the fastest female runner in 7h58. She was 27 minutes ahead of Federica Lara and Daniele Finocchi, both from Italy.

Carly Balmforth

Malachy Kirwan and Philippe Daniel

This weekend the third edition of Trail des Gombak will be held at Dewan Serbaguna Orang Asli, Gombak in Selangor, peninsular Malaysia. It is a new ATM Candidate Race. The route of this race consists of jungle trails, river creek, waterfall, asphalt, rolling hills and much more that Gombak can offer, including scenic views on Kuala Lumpur.

The event is organised by Projek Hijo and offers traditional race distance categories of 100km and 50 km , alongside shorter versions of 30 km and 15 km. The 100km can also be done in duo format.

Gombak is located near Kuala Lumpur and to the Batu Caves, a touristic hotspot, making it a very convenient event from a logistical point of view. The event location is the Orang Asli settlement. On paper, Trail des Gombak is not the most difficult with approx 3600 hm of elevation gain for the 100k and 1800 hm for the 50k, but as usual numbers never tell the whole story. The 100km starts at day time, 11am on Saturday, and there’s a cut-off time of 32 hours.

The start list features some well-known runners from Malaysia, including some whom we haven’t seen in recent months. Grandmaster Ben Lee is scheduled to run the 100km, and so is Norlela Ismail. Malachy Kirwan and Philippe Daniel, both Singapore residents, are an interesting entry on the 100km duo race. Malachy is one of Vanja Cnops’ training buddies and known for his fast legs. Gombak may even be his first ever 100km distance. Philippe Daniel on the other hand is very much used to the ultra distances already. No better guide, in other words. On the 50km, we have ATM Finalists Carly Balmforth, Izzah Hazirah and Nur Amaani .

We are happy to announce that the 2nd edition of Trail des Gombak in Selangor is a new ATM Candidate Race in peninsular Malaysia on the weekend of 22/23 June. The event is organised by Projek Hijo and offers traditional race distance categories of 100km and 50 km , alongside shorter versions of 30 km and 15 km. The 100km can also be done in duo format.

Gombak is located near Kuala Lumpur and to the Batu Caves, a touristic hotspot, making it a very convenient event from a logistical point of view. The event location is the Orang Asli settlement. The race courses consist of jungle trails, hills, waterfalls and much more of what the Gombak area has to offer. On paper, Trail des Gombak is not the most difficult with approx 3600 hm of elevation gain for the 100k and 1800 hm for the 50k, but as usual numbers never tell the whole story. The 100km starts at day time, 11am on Saturday, and there’s a cut-off time of 32 hours. The 50km has a 3am start on Sunday with 15 hours as the time limit. Runners should be aware of the mandatory gear requirements before signing up.

Registration can be done via Checkpoint Spot Asia, which you can access via a click on the button below. More event details can be obtained via the event website and facebook page.