The 5th edition of Trail des Gombak in Selangor, Malaysia, not only featured a new race venue at the MPS Stadium, but also a completely redesigned trail route. That new course turned out to be a lot tougher than the previous one, to the surprise of many repeat participants. The heavy thunderstorm the afternoon before the 2am start and another one on Saturday afternoon made sure the technicality of some jungle sections skyrocketed to the extent that sliding your way down the slopes on all fours was the only way to go. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but at the same the beloved kind of trail experience for others. Ritzy Amor loved it and was therefore an undisturbed repeat winner of the Gombak 50k race. The KL-based Filipino, who finished 6th in the latest ATM Championship Final at the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong, shows no signs of overtraining as she continues to combine long distance running with other sports activities. In the lead from start to finish on Saturday, and finishing 10th overall in 8h23. Japan’s Akane Nemoto had to settle for second just like last year, and that was also the maximum she could hope for. Nemoto actually had a solid performance herself, given she also gave other runners such as Ryehana Rajap (2nd in BUTM 50 in April) , Chong Mei Tze and Siao Ai Lim no chance to challenge her for second place.

The men’s 50km - actually 47km - also delivered a clear winner in Kristjan Chapman, from Iceland but living in Kuala Lumpur, too. Having learnt from his dehydration at UTSG, where he lost a podium in the last 10km of the race, Chapman did not get over-excited when China’s Wang Xiang took off like a bullet in the early road section of the race before they hit the first uphill climb. Chapman then reeled him in quite quickly on the technical and muddy parts, closely followed by strong Indonesian Fahmil Mamel, who made his international debut at TDG. malaysian runners Syahmim Nazmy and Amuniddin Musa kept themselves within range for a long time, but never caught the two front runners in the end. Chapman, knowing the second part of the course very well, extended the gap to Mamel for his first win in ATM in a time of 6h38. Mamel, from North Sumatra, scored second in7h02. Nazmy third in 7h26. Behind Musa in fourth, it was good to see Amir Zaki again in fifth. Zaki is returning to competitive trail running after a 2-year break.

The 100km race, actually 95km, consisted of two loops of the 47km route. A genuine challenge that saw most of the +100 participants DNF, eventually. Up front, it was Amierul Amin, who led more or less from start to finish. The Malaysian runner was never really comfortable, however, as Indonesian Ma’Mun Khariri, a former Mantra 116 winner, and new name Feliks Aten from Sabah kept the gap smallish until the last couple of hours. Amin finishing time of 17h31 indicates what a tough course Gombak has become. Amin was an ATM Finalist in 2023, but this was his first ever race victory in our series.

Amazingly, Ma’Mun Khariri still got much closer to Amin. He finished only 10 minutes later, after cutting his deficit in half during the last 7km of the race. Nice detail: Khariri just got released from 6 days hospital a week ago following a poisonous snake bite… It’s his second great race result in an ATM Qualifier this season, so his chances for championship qualification are high, indeed. Feliks Aten took third place. He was in the mix for podium throughout and only had to drop his pace towards the end of the race. His podium spot is well-deserved. Ibrahim Karim still put pressure on Aten’s podium spot as he crossed the line just a few minutes later. Amir Saipol Bahri was fifth.

The women’s 100 km saw Grandmaster Celeste Teo and Ang Yee Mei running together the whole day. They jointly returned to the stadium in 24h41. For Ang Yee Mei it was the second podium in a row, she also came second in BTR Ultra in Bali last month. In third place was Vietnam’s Nguyen Ngoc Phuong in 29h12. In her come back from injury, Japanese runner Tamae Harada claimed fourth place ahead of Chan Chin Chin.

The next ATM Championship Qualifier in Malaysia is KAR Ultra in Sabah at the end of next month. The next event of Projek Hijo is Trail des Lenggeng at the end of November, a new entry on our Grandmaster Quest calendar.

Season XI of the Asia Trail Master Championship continues this weekend in peninsular Malaysia with Trail des Gombak. Organised by the team of Projek Hijo, ’TDG’ takes place in Selangor near the Batu Caves tourist attraction close to Kuala Lumpur and is a championship qualifier event for the second consecutive season. Both the 100km and 50km races matter for those seeking points. Grandmaster Quest runners can of course also score a point by finishing the 100. 

The routes have been redesigned for this edition and also the event venue has switched to the bigger Stadium Selayang. Participants are looking at a nighttime start with the 100 scheduled to be flagged off at 2 am and the 50km at 4 am. 

The start lists look very decent in both quantity and quality. Yet, the Aonijie Gombak 100 race also has no outspoken race favourites in both male and female categories. As in the Penang Sky Race two months ago, a chance for one of many to grab a prestigious victory. Amierul Amin should be close to victory, he was an ATM Finalist for Malaysia in 2023 and has only become stronger on the long ultra since. It’s his first race under ATM in quite a while, though. Aqmal Adzmi is always a contender, and so are Lee Minxiang, Assrul Aminur, Tuan Haffandi Tuan Ismail and Indonesia’s Ma’Mun Khariri, a previous winner at Mantra 116. It’s not often the new generation of Indonesia’s ‘elite’ runners travel abroad, so it’s in any case already good to see his name on the start list. 

Female contenders on the 100k include Ang Yee Mei, who was second in BTR Ultra in Bali last month already. She will be up against Celeste Teo from Sarawak, always good for at least a podium, Norlela Ismail, Japan’s Tamae Harada and why not Faherina Mohd Esa, also known as Ryna. Perhaps more an ultra cyclist than ultra runner these days, but the stamina is certainly still there. 

On the 50km, we can expect a nice battle for victory between the likes of Mohamad Syahmim Nazmy, Kristjan Chapman, Amir Zaki and Indonesians Slamet Riyadi and Fahmil Mamel. Also Hong Kongers Luis Gonzales and Jeremy Ritcey will be in the mix for podium.

The 50km for women can see a repeat of last year’s race with Ritzy Amor back in it against Japan’s Akane Nemoto. Both also just ran UTSG in Singapore a fortnight ago, but with different fortunes. Amor easily won the 80km, while Nemoto broke down in the final 15km of her 60km race that she was leading. Other contenders will be Chong Mei Tze, Siao Ai Lim, Lynil Martinez, Halimatun Sa’adiah and last but not least the surprising newcomer on the competitive scene in Malaysia, Ryehana Rajap. A young runner who came second in BUTM in April, ahead of some well-established competition runners.

ATM will be reporting live from Trail des Gombak from the start to the finish on Saturday via our usual channels. If you are on a laptop, we have an aggregate feed here: https://www.asiatrailmaster.com/atm-live/livefeed compiling everything from facebook, instagram, youtube and X plus background information.

Muhammad Faris won the men’s 50k last year in impressive style

Ritzy Amor took her first ATM race victory at Gombak 50k last year, ahead of e.g. Akane Nemoto

One of the most exicting and successful newcomers on the ATM Championship calendar last year was Trail des Gombak, near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The 5th edition of the event organised by Projek Hijo retains the same weekend of June with the race dates fixed for 20/21 June. As in 2025, both the 100km and 50km are qualifiers for the ATM Championship points ranking. Being over 70km long, the 100 also offers a Grandmaster Quest point for finishers.

New this season is a brand-new start & finish venue and some redesigns to the trail course. TDG will be hosted by the Stadium Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS), offering a more dynamic race village, improved facilities, and a world-class start/finish environment for runners, crew, and supporters. The running route has been redesigned to better highlight Gombak’s unique forest landscapes, cultural heritage, and trail diversity. The precise course map will be revealed in due course.

Trail des Gombak is tougher than many expect. The 100 km has an approximate elevation gain of over 6000 hm, which already puts it in the ‘rather serious’ category. The start of the race is also an unusual 2 am on Saturday early morning. The 50km will be flagged off two hours later at 4 am and features about 3200 metres of elevation gain. Yes, you are close to Kuala Lumpur but it is surrounded by hills!

There’s hotel accommodation nearby the race venue if you wish to stay close. There’s also a shuttle bus service scheduled with details to come soon.

Registration is already open and can be accessed via the button below. The web page also contains all other necessary information.

Last year, the 100km was won by upcoming Vietnamese talent Nguyen Phuong Hieu and Nepal’s Dilu Limbu in the women’s. The 50km also went to first-time race winners in ATM, Muhammad Faris and Ritzy Amor.

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.