AWRA, organising company of New Corella Trail Ultra and Maco de Oro Trail Ultra, has informed us that the former NCTU event in Davao del Norte cannot be held in December this year following a decision made by local authorities. NCTU was scheduled to be a new Championship Qualifier in Philippines with a 70km race category that automatically also merits a Grandmaster Quest point. AWRA has therefore moved its October event - Maco de Oro Trail Ultra - to the weekend of 12/13 December instead. Runners should note, however, that said event, i.e. Maco de Oro Trail Ultra, will not be a Championship Qualifier as the date conflicts with existing events on our Championship Calendar that weekend (Izu Trail Journey and Soimalai Ultra). On the other hand, Maco de Oro Trail will offer a Grandmaster Quest point to all finishers of the 75km race.

The event takes place in the rugged and diverse landscapes of Maco, a coastal and mountainous municipality known as the“Gold Coast” of the province Davao del Sur in Mindanao, Philippines. The venue is about 1 hour away from Davao international airport.

The Maco de Oro Trail Ultra (MULTRA) has a 75km as longest distance with approx 3200 metres of elevation gain. The race course is diverse and will combine steep ascents, technical descents, forest trails, and scenic ridgelines. The event description continues: “The race showcases the raw beauty of Maco de Oro—where lush tropical forests, mineral-rich mountains, and coastal landscapes converge—offering a true test of endurance, strategy, and mental resilience. More than just a race, Maco de Oro is a celebration of outdoor adventure, local culture, and eco- tourism—highlighting the municipality’s growing potential as a premier trail running destination in Mindanao.”

The route will also follow more famous hiking and trekking trails such as the Manipongol Trail. There’s several nature and tourism spots in the area, too. For example, the Bilawa Mainit Hot Waterfalls and Lake Leonard, which is a volcanic crater lake. There’s also several beach and coastal experiences, perfect for post-race relaxation and recovery. The municipality reflects a rich blend of agricultural and indigenous Mansaka culture.

It is recommended to follow the facebook page of the event to stay up-to-date on any news.

A genuine long endurance trail running festival will be held for the second time from 22 to 29 November in Pai, Thailand, this year and has been confirmed for our Grandmaster Quest calendar. At this ambitious event, runners can score a GM point at no fewer than five different races spread out during the week, of which the 100km is the shortest and taking place on 28/29 November. One week earlier, 500 Thailand already gets going with the massive Ultimate 500km race starting at noon on Sunday, 22 November.

Organised by Route Map, which also brings you Akha Trail and UTCM, runners also have a 300km and two distinct 200km races to choose from. The official website linked below has all details on the various race courses.

The event aims to attract mega ultra enthusiasts to Pai and Mae Hong Son in the northwest of Thailand. Fans of ATM may remember UT Panoramic from before the covid times taking place in the same areas.

500 Thailand is labelled as a ‘Race for Humans - not designed to break you, but to reveal you’. Pai is a quiet town surrounded by mountains, forests, and morning mist. Gateway to Pai is Chiang Mai, which is where you would fly to. As the transportation map below shows, from Chiang Mai there are shuttle vans and busses that can be reserved. Regardless which race category you choose, the shortest is 107km with 4500hm so you need to get your mandatory gear in order before the start. The 500km has a whopping 25,000hm and a cut off time of 168 hours (noon on Sunday, 29 November). The first 200km race (Mandra to Jig Jong) starts at the same time as the 500 on the 22nd, but the 300km and 2nd 200km (Jig Jong to Phi Lu) start on Wednesday, 25th of November - so please pay attention.

You can follow the official facebook page below to stay up to date. Registration is open, but not very long anymore, so decide quickly.

It is with great pleasure that we can announce today a new 4-star Golden Grandmaster! Jyh Hann Lim, a.k.a. Trevor Lim, finished his 20th ATM long ultra at the A1 Philippines event in Ifugao, Luzon, at the end of last month. It was also a big cherry on the pie, as Trevor ran the 100 Miles at that event! The Malaysian trail runner, originally from Sarawak, has been around ATM for nearly ten years. He started his Grandmaster campaign back in 2017 with VMM 70. His journey took him all across Asia, as Trevor did not want to restrict himself to his home country.

After he became a Silver Grandmaster at the 9 Dragons in February 2025, Trevor finished Trail des Gombak 100 in Selangor and The Magnificent Baling 100 in Kedah. Afterwards, he traveled abroad again to complete Izu Trail Journey 70 and Deep Japan Ultra 80 in Japan. For his final and 20th race he chose a Filipino event - the only one on his record - and the longest race he has done during his entire GM adventure: the aforementioned Altra 100 Miles. In total, Trevor ran 1990 km during his Grandmaster Quest.

“The most beautiful moment wasn’t when I finished the A1 100 miles race,” says Trevor. “It was realising that somewhere along those 2000-odd kilometres, I had stopped chasing finish lines and instead started collecting a lifetime of stories and friendships.” Let’s give him a big thumbs up, huge congrats for new 4-star Golden Grandmaster Trevor Jyh Hann Lim!

TREVOR LIM’s GM RECORD:

• Asia Trail Master Grandmaster Quest races:
  3x 70km, 1x 80km, 13x 100km, 1x 110km, 1x 130km, 1 x 160km
  Total distance: 1990km

  
  1. Vietnam Mountain Marathon 2017 70km
  2.Ultra-Trail Panoramic 2017 100km
  3.Vietnam Jungle Marathon 2018 70km
  4.Penang Eco100 2018 100km
  5.The Magnificent Merapoh Trail 2018 100km
  6. The Most Beautiful Thing 2018 100km
  7.Ultra-Trail Koh Chang 2020 100km
  8.BUTM 2022 100km
  9.Cameron Ultra 2022 100km
  10.Seoul 100k 2022 100km
  11.Bali Ultra 100k 2023 100km
  12.MMTF 100 2023 100km
  13.Kadamaian Adventure Race Ultra 110 2024 110km
  14.Prenn Trail Summit 2024 100km
  15.9 Dragons 50/50 2025 130km
  16.Trail Des Gombak 100km 2025 100km
  17.The Magnificent Baling 100 2025 100km
  18.Izu Trail Journey 2025 70km
  19.Deep Japan Ultra (Uonuma 80km) 2026
  20. Altra 100 Phillipines 2026 (100miles)

New on the Grandmaster Quest calendar this year was last weekend’s Pahang Eco. Taking place out of Kuantan on Malaysia’s east coast, Pahang Eco has been around for some years and was a Candidate Race just after the covid crisis. Now offering Grandmaster points, many runners took the call for the 100km race category. A race that lived up to its reputation as being one of the country’s toughest. Heat and humidity is obviously common in Malaysia’s trail racing scene, but during Pahang Eco it seems to hurt runners more than elsewhere.

The finishing times of the podium runners on the 100km distance reflect this as well. Race winner Adam Danial Zailani took top honours reaching the finish in 18h53. Last month, he also won the equally challenging Transnaning Ultra, also a race on the Grandmaster Quest calendar. One hour later, Johari Mohd Ali grabbed second place ahead of Hanafi Hasan.

First female runner was Nurul Emyra Fazira Isnariah Absi in 25h11. Just four weeks ago, she won the 100 Miles race at KAR Ultra. She’s having a great competitive season and with two more Championship Qualifiers to go in her home country - TMBT and Jagoi - she could still get herself in the top five of the ranking and get qualified for Team Malaysia in the upcoming ATM Championship Final in Vietnam on 3 October. At Pahang Eco, it got tough for her as well towards the end as her margin over Yee Mei Ang came down to just 14 minutes. Yee Mei Ang, herself in great shape this year, also scored her first Grandmaster star with her race finish last weekend. Third on the podium was Najah Adibah Ridzuan.

The next two weeks runners in Malaysia can continue to collect Grandmaster points in their home country at Borneo TMBT Ultra and its 109km category, and at Jagoi Ultra with its 70km category.

Adam Zailani is boosting his profile a lot in recent weeks

Just three weeks after KAR 100 Miles, Nurul Emyra again was the strongest in a tough 100k race

Ang Yee Mei scored her 1st Grandmaster star at Pahang Eco and a 2nd place in the race to boot

The 12th edition of Dasal Invitational Trail Run in Davao, Philippines, features once again on the ATM Grandmaster Quest calendar and is scheduled for the weekend of 7/8 November this year. Dasal is known to be among the most popular, but also tougher trail running races on Mindanao, taking place in the Marilog District of greater Davao. Grandmaster Quest star chasers need to focus on the 80km race category and, indeed, come prepared.

DASAL pushes runners to their limits through steep climbs, technical terrain, and sometimes cold mountain conditions. The start and finish is at the Datu Salumay Elementary School grounds, which is just adjacent to the Syre National Highway. This is a major highway with public transportation available. Participants on the 80km should prepare well, as there’s about 5000 metres of elevation gain on this course.

Registration is open. All details and links can be found via the Dasal facebook page, linked below.

Last year, the 80km race was won by ATM Finalists Jevie Cagatin and Shally Yuson. Dasal is also on the shortlist of Filipino trail running events to join the ATM Championship calendar in the near future.

The 2025 course map of Dasal. The 2026 course is coming out soon, but won’t be much different.

The Magnificent Baling in northern Malaysia’s Kedah State has grown into one of the country largest trail running events in terms of participation numbers with over 4000 runners spread out over five distance categories. The flagship TMB 100, or 100km, is part of our Grandmaster Quest calendar for the second year in a row. Baling offers a runable course when dry - which it was all weekend this time around - giving newbies to long ultra trail running a great opportunity to finish a 100k race for the first time. However, the sting is in the tail, as the toughest part with one significant hill climb and a few more bumps come in the last 30km.

The male and female race winners finished just five minutes apart. Karim Ibrahim was too fast in the last climbing section for Ritzy Amor to take an overall victory in 13h30. Ibrahim scored a nice 4th place at Trail des Gombak last month also. Grandmaster Ritzy Amor is keeping a very busy race schedule, but nevertheless was 1h36 faster than her own best time in Baling last year (when she carried an injury, though). Muhammad Azamuddin Nurdin was second male in the finish in 13h47. Senee Seesen was third man on the podium a few minutes behind him. In second place in the women’s race was Grandmaster Siokhar Lim, last week still overall winner of Tampin Transnaning Ultra 100! Guan Shin Law completed the podium in third place.

It’s the high season for Malaysian trail runners now and in a few weeks there’s more chances for Grandmaster Quest chasers in Pahang Eco, and afterwards Borneo TMBT Ultra and Jagoi Ultra - all still this season.

Karim Ibrahim had to dig deep to catch Ritzy Amor again on the last hillclimb and win the race overall

Muhammad Azamuddin Nurdin took third overall not so far behind the top duo

It would not be right to say he is closely following the footsteps of our first ATM Legend, Mario Yap, but Malaysia’s Golden Grandmaster Kenneth Mun Keat Yow has also already become Legend in just five months! Having collected 510 points (= kilometres) in minimum five countries, Mun Keat Yow accomplished this feat at the Tampin Transnaning Ultra event in Negeri Sembilan. In his famous yellow/blue Run Happy shirt, which has almost become his trademark outfit, he finished the gruelling 102km ultra course at that event - in second place in the result even. Going through his Grandmaster record and his six races on the Trail to Immortality so far, we can see that Mun Keat Yow is not shunning the toughest ultras out there, but smartly mixes them with more runable races, too. The recipe for being able to absorb so much in a short time frame.

As Mario Yap, Kenneth Mun Keat Yow only needs four more countries to meet the first of two requirements to become Immortal. The second requirement is to accumulate 1000 kilometres. In this, Mario has a 50-point lead over Kenneth at the moment.

Mun Keat Yow’s Trail to Immortality record

Legend Milestone achieved via 6 countries / 510 km

• 1) 100km (MYA) Kalaw Ultra Trail Run

• 2) 80km (PHI) Arakan Mountain Run

• 3) 80km (SGP) Ultra Trail Singapore

• 4) 80km (JPN) Deep Japan Ultra

• 5) 68km (INA) Mantra

• 6) 102km (MAS) Tampin Transnaning Ultra

In January we opened the Trail to Immortality for Golden 4-star Grandmasters. Amazingly, it didn’t take six months for someone to already reach the first milestone and Become Legend. Mario Yap from Philippines managed to accumulate 560 kilometres in 6 countries in just five months! He is the first official ATM Legend!

After scoring his fourth GM star at Vietnam Trail Marathon in January, Mario immediately proceeded on the Trail to Immortality with another Vietnamese race, Brah Yang Trail Summit in Dalat. As you can see below, he went on to race in four more countries, but didn’t reach 500 km. A sixth race was therefore necessary to reach Legend status. It cost Mario a lot of effort, too, because with the milestone in sight he suffered two DNFs ! BTR in Bali and UTSG in Singapore did not work out as he had wanted, so it was in Deep Japan Ultra that he completed the level.

Mario Yap’s Trail to Immortality record

Legend Milestone achieved via 6 countries / 560 km

1) 70km (VIE) - Brah Yang Trail Summit
2) 80km (PHI) - Arakan Mountain Run
3) 70km (HKG) - Lantau 70
4) 80km (NEP) - Manjushree Trail Race
5) 100km (MAS) - Merapoh Rainforest Trail

6) 80km (PHI) - The Punisher
7) 80km (JPN) - Deep Japan Ultra

Trail runners looking to score an extra Grandmaster point on their records had a great opportunity at Tampin Transnaning Ultra in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, last weekend. Meanwhile a traditional annual event, the event takes place on a renowned loop of 34 km with seven hill summits in it. Participants could choose between two or three loops to score a Grandmaster point, given the 2 loops, i.e. 68km, has more than 4500 hm of elevation gain - similar to e.g. Mantra 68 in Indonesia a few weeks ago. Tamping Transnaning Ultra thus caters for technically skilled mountain trail runners with a strong endurance basis.

It’s the kind of long ultra that Grandmaster Siokhar Lim truly enjoys and excels at. Once again, she proved that by finishing the 102km race as overall winner in a time of 28h01! She finished ahead of Golden Grandmaster Kenneth Mun Keat Yow (30h19), but he had another thing on his mind last weekend: becoming Legend! A few weeks after Philippines’ Mario Yap, the Malaysian trail runner has become the second runner overall to become an ATM Legend, the new milestone created and announced last January for those who have scored four Grandmaster stars. To become Legend, Golden Grandmasters are required to collect 500 points - i.e. 500 kilometers - in at least five different countries. For Kenneth, finishing Transnaning 102km meant ‘mission accomplished’ (more in separate news announcement).

Interestingly, also third place overall on the 102km went to a female runner: Cheng Yutong finished the tough race just a few minutes behind Kenneth Mun Keat Yow. Amongst the runners who completed three loops was also 2-star Grandmaster David Khoo.

On the 68km or 2-loop race, we saw an outstanding competitive performance by Adam Danial, a new name on the ATM circuit. Danial managed to finish in an amazing time of 12h28, which was 3h30 quicker than second-place Henry Joe Cottilon from Philippines, who everyone knows is a solid competitor himself. Low Keng Sin took third on the podium, finishing slightly ahead of female race winner Ang Yee Mei in 16h23. 2-star Grandmaster Beng Siong Lee was next in 16h33. Siow Yen Wong and Chee Lai Lim were second and third female in the 68km race. A number of other Grandmasters fulfilled the challenge, such as Jyh Horng Lim, Swee Boon Lee and Yuen Loong Ho.

It’s trail running’s high season in Malaysia right now and already next weekend there’s another event on the Grandmaster Quest calendar: the Magnificent Baling in Kedah towards the north of peninsular Malaysia. An event that has grown to become one of the best attended trail events in the country.

Siokhar Lim - fastest overall on the 102km! Photo credit: II Image

2-star Grandmaster David Khoo and Golden Grandmaster Kenneth Mun Keat Yow, now ATM Legend! Photo credit: II Image

Tampin Transnaning Ultra, brought to you by Himalaya Sports, has moved two months forward on the trail calendar and is taking place again this weekend. It’s one of the toughest trail challenges in peninsular Malaysia. A race over several loops through the heart of Transnaning, featuring seven peaks in 34 km. Start and finish of the event is at the Tampin Water Park in Negeri Sembilan. Finishers can score a Grandmaster Quest point if they finish the Ultra race of 68km (4800 hm!) or the Challenger race of 102km (7200hm)

On the start list several known runners and Grandmasters seeking to add another point to their records. Including Golden Grandmaster Kenneth Mun Keat Yow, who is already on the Trail to Immortality. Also 2-star Grandmasters David Khoo and Siokhar Lim - long time no see - are expected to run the challenger course of just over 100km. 2-star Grandmaster Beng Siong Lee and Ang Yee Mei are familiar names on the 68km Ultra start list.

The official website of Tampin Transnaning Ultra describes the route very well: “ Starting from Tampin Water Park, runners begin by taking on the outer segments of the Trans Naning route. This opening section serves as the warm-up, but make no mistake, it is no easy start. Over the first 14km, runners will face more than 600m of elevation gain, with rolling hills on tarmac and forest access roads through the rural foothills. Along the way, runners will pass Kolam Marine A.R.M and the rustic Malaysian kampung landscape before reaching Gunung Datuk Foothill where the real adventure begins. From there, the next 20km reveals the true heart of Trans Naning: a rugged traverse along the southern spine of the Titiwangsa Range, summiting all seven (7) iconic peaks:

• Gunung Datuk

• Gunung Rembau

• Gunung Gagak

• Puncak 701

• Puncak 705

• Gunung Tampin Utara

• Gunung Tampin Selatan

Tamping Transnaning Ultra could become an ATM Championship Qualifier in the near future. It will therefore again be interesting to see how the race unfolds this weekend.

Kenneth Mun Keat Yow is on the Trail to Immortality

David Khoo is a 2-star Grandmaster

2-star Grandmaster Siokhar LIm

2-star Grandmaster Beng Siong Lee is aiming for the 68km this weekend

A successful 4th edition of Camiguin Island Trail in the north of Mindanao last weekend, an event with a 70km long ultra offering a Grandmaster Quest point for all finishers. As expected, we also got to discover several new faces at the front of the 70km race, which saw some nice tight racing for victory.

In the men’s 70km, Bryan Jay Mundiguing proved fastest at the end to complete the course as race winner in 9h42. That was 12 minutes ahead of established competition runner Marjones Abugan and 16 minutes ahead of Marlonette Esquierdo in third place. The times also indicate the toughness of the island course.

The women’s race was even closer with Mekaila Abel Cruz taking top honours in a winning time of 13h36. Just 8 minutes ahead of Linajane Aluba. Completing the podium was Jessa Vicente in 14h30.

Camiguin Island Trail is organised by Vertical To Sky and may develop into an ATM Championship Qualifier next season.

Ms. Makaila Abel Cruz from Jasaan Misamis and Bryan Jay Mundiguing from Ifugao Province

Winning the race: Bryan Jay Mundiguing

Female race winer Makalla Abel Cruz

Marjones Abugan had to settle for second place

Just 8 minutes away from victory: Linajane Aluba

Marlonette Esquierdo, third place.

Jessa Vicente, completing the female podium

This weekend the spotlights are on Camiguin Island Trail, just off the northern coast of Mindanao. a popular event by Vertical To Sky - known from The Punisher, Mount Apo Sky Race and others - and is again part of the ATM Grandmaster Quest calendar this season. The race distance to focus on is the 70km.

Camiguin is an island in the Bohol Sea, approximately 10km off the northern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines. The trail event is held out of the island’s and provincial capital Mambajao. The island has some lush green forest reserves, even protected under the ASEAN Heritage Park label. Camiguin also has a rich cultural history and treasures, such as Old Mambajao Fountain and the façade of the Santo Rosario Church in Sagay. This is a mountainous island, which offers the opportunity for some splendid trail running, including some technical mountain sections. The highest peak is Mount Timpoong, which towers a respectable 1500 metres above sea level.

It is one of several events. in Philippines that may become part of our ATM Championship calendar in future, too. The 70km race has well over 3700 elevation gain, which is not to be underestimated.

On the start list this weekend we find nearly 150 runners for the 70km category, which is a good number, Amongst them, Golden 4-star Grandmaster and now on the Trail to Immortality, Masafumi Yamamoto from Japan. Masafumi continues to enjoy the down-to-earth boutique style of trail races and has received a lot of respect from the communities everywhere. Also Bronze 2-star Grandmaster Blanka Wong from Malaysia will be looking to score another GM point on the way to 3-stars. For the battle up front, with MUSPO 100 just one week ago, the start list does not immediately see the biggest of names, which only means we will get to know some new faces again. Arguably, Marjones Abugan will be the one to beat. Jonathan Pido, however, is a former Mount Apo Sky Race winner - all the way back in 2015. Henry Joe Cottillon may also be in podium contention this weekend.