After a successful stint as ATM Candidate in 2024, we are delighted to announce that Danao City International Ultra Trail has joined the Grandmaster Quest calendar for its third edition on 18/19 April 2026. It will be the first time trail runners can score ATM Grandmaster points on the popular island of Cebu in the Philippines. Focus hereby is of course on the 100km category, the only category of 70+ km at the event.

The Danao 100 km is a tough one with well over 6000 metres of elevation gain, accumulated via numerous ups & downs in a real rollercoaster of a course. Start and finish is in the city centre by the sea. A beautiful setting for a challenging trail run. Less ambitious runners can also choose for the 50km, 35km or 15km.

Danao is located roughly one hour north of Cebu City and its airport, which has several international connections within the region. Known as a popular tourist destination outright, this is certainly one of the easier events to get to. You will need to fly in on Friday as the 100km starts at 3 am on Saturday morning. The cut-off time is set at 33 hours. The official course for this edition will be revealed soon but is based on last year’s, which is pasted below.

Interested runners should follow the facebook page linked below to stay up-to-date on news and information about the event. Registration will open soon.

Running back in time

We are happy to announce that Zamboanguita Mountain Ultra Trail has been added to the Grandmaster Quest calendar on the weekend of 9/10 May 206. Organised by Happy Feet Events and Rhodel Sarande, ZMUT - as the event is called in brief - takes place on Negros Oriental, one of the southern islands in the Philippines. Previously in ATM, the company also organised the Mount Talinis Mountain Marathon.

The main race distance in which trail runners can score a Grandmaster point is the 70km category. It is a tough 70km with an estimated elevation gain of over 4000 hm. To note also is the maximum number of participants for the race, i.e. 300. The start is scheduled for 3 o'clock in the afternoon and runners have 24 hours of time to complete the course. Host of the event is the town of Zamboanguita and along the course runners will enjoy great scenery: waterfalls, lakes, dams and grassland ridges. Mount Talinis will also appear in view.

To reach Zamboanguita, you need to fly to Negros Oriental’s main airport city Dumaguete City, which is connected to Manila, Cebu, Davao etc.

Registration for the event will open very soon. You can stay tuned via its facebook page.

We are happy to announce that the 5th edition of Pahang Eco in peninsular Malaysia joins the ATM Grandmaster Quest calendar on the long weekend of 21 to 23 August 2026. Known as one of the toughest trail races in the country, Pahang Eco has gained a lot of prestige over the past four years. The event was an ATM Candidate back in 2023 as well.

Organised by Elpis Event Management, the race’s event blurb describes a journey that will take you across breathtaking landscapes, from pristine white sandy beaches and shady coastal pines to rugged cliffs and scenic trails through Bukit Pelindung Bukit Tokki and historical Bukit Galing. Along the way, you’ll experience the coastal charm of Pantai Pelindung, Pantai Beserah, and Pantai Batu Hitam. The start and finish venue is Teluk Cempedak. Trail runners should expect a good blend of tarmac, beach, and forest trails, featuring challenging hill sections designed to test your endurance and determination. Be sure to include hill training in your preparation so you can take on the climbs with confidence and maintain your strength throughout the race.

Also due to the typical Malaysian humidity and heat, Pahang Eco tends to have a high DNF rate on the longer distance, so proper preparation is indeed a must. Less ambitious runners can also go for the 50km, 23km or 12km - but note these obviously do not offer a GM point. Make sure you also check the mandatory gear list.

Pahang Eco takes place on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, in Kuantan. The town has plenty of accommodation options and is well-connected by highway to Kuala Lumpur.

Registration and all details can be found via the button below. You can also stay up to date via the event’s facebook and instagram pages.

We are thrilled to announce a brand new extension to our Grandmaster Quest, the individual trail challenge for runners of all performance levels. This comes in response to popular demand by some of our Golden **** Grandmasters and even Silver *** and Bronze ** Grandmasters - who have been asking ATM for a new goal and new incentives to keep on participating in trail running events after completing the four levels of the Grandmaster Quest.

Months of contemplation and brainstorming have now resulted in two additional levels that will nudge Golden Grandmasters on the Trail to Immortality !

In a nutshell:

• For Golden 4-Star Grandmasters who wish to continue exploring the trails of Asia

• The gate leading to the Trail to Immortality opens on 1 January 2026

• No time limit to complete the Trail to Immortality .

• Two steps to reach Immortality

1. Become Legend

2. Become Immortal

• Become Legend by running Grandmaster distances at ATM promoted events in five different Asia/Pacific countries.

• Collect 500 points in as many races as you want. Each kilometre = 1 point (i.e. 100km = 100 points, 75km = 75 points).

  Note that running 5x 70km races is therefore not enough as only 350 points, and that you must be an official finisher in each race to score points

• Become Immortal by running Grandmaster distances at ATM promoted events in ten different Asian countries and collect 1000 points.

  Your points achieved to become Legend remain active and valid (i.e. no points reset).

• Bonus Points for elevation gain: for every 25000 hm accumulated : 25 bonus points

• You must be an official finisher of the race to score your points

• Each event, and each country, only coints once during the Trail to Immortality. However, you can choose an event you did already during your Grandmaster Quest

Runners who become Legend and Immortal will receive exclusive achievement tokens as trophy. The Trail to Immortality has been designed also keeping the four core objectives of Asia Trail Master in mind. We hope that this new addition to the Grandmaster Quest will inspire trail runners to keep going!

The Trail to Immortality opens for runners who have collected these four Grandmaster caps

It’s been well over two years since Masafumi Yamamoto grabbed his 4th star.

After scoring gold, Philippines’ Rhea Batac has been taking a break from trails

We are glad to announce that Harkor 4: Ultra Trail Balakayo Mountains will offer a Grandmaster Quest point for all finishers of the 75km race category in 2026. The event, an ATM Candidate last May, is the first of its kind offering GM points in General Santos, which is a city in the south of the large Mindanao island in Philippines. It is scheduled for the weekend of 16/17 May 2026.

The event features a 75km main race distance with over 4000 metres of elevation gain, but is known to be quite runable. The event is organised by the Drunken Runners Team and Team Akbri.

Registration for the event is already open and can be accessed via the button below. There is a quota on the participation numbers, so if you are keen - better be quick. In 2025, the 75km had a cut-off time at the finish of 25 hours. Important, flag off is on Saturday at 14:00 in the early afternoon.

New on the Grandmaster Quest calendar in 2026 is Arakan Mountain Run in Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines. Organised by Vertical To Sky, the second edition of the event has a scenic 80km long ultra and is scheduled for the weekend of 21/22 March. The event venue is the Katipunan Central Elementary School in Arakan.

Less ambitious runners can also choose the 42km, 25km or 14km options.

Arakan is a municipality between Davao del Sur and Bukidnon and blessed with natural resources and magnificent landscapes. Runners should definitely also try the local cacao drink, which is a genuine treat. The 80km course features the 3 famous waterfalls of Arakan -Matigol, Epol and Lebbas. The 2026 course map will be released in due course.

As always, Vertical To Sky remains true to its boutique style of trail events with restricted participation numbers to give everyone the chance to fully enjoy the place and the trails. For registration, kindly check-out the details on the poster, or you can do an onsite registration at Podium Multisport in Davao.

We are happy to announce that Kokol Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, joins the Grandmaster Quest calendar in 2026. The event was a Candidate a few years with good review, but with (too) much tarmac on the running course. Redesigned since then, Kokol has grown in popularity and will be a great new addition on our GM calendar. The 2026 event i scheduled for the weekend of 23/25 October with a 70km as main distance category.

It’s not so common for events to open registration so early and therefore the event organisers also have the opportunity to provide a limited set of 40% discounted bibs. The 70km is the race that matters, of course, but less ambitious runners can also choose the 50km, 35km, 21km or 15km distance categories. The registration link is pasted below.

Cut-off time for the 70km is set at 24 hours. It is advised to pick up the race pack on Friday, 23 October.

The event is organised By Expertise and is quite easily accessible from Kota Kinabalu, the main city in Sabah where the airport is also located. Follow the event’s facebook page to stay up to date with the latest developments.

Last weekend’s SC 70 race in Santa Cruz, Davao, Philippines, gave runners another chance to add a Grandmaster point to their records. As announced, it was a tough one, and technical, with rain that made matters even more complicated. Up front there was of course also a competition. 2022 ATM Champion and local hero Arnie Macaneras crossed the finish line with an impressive time of 12 hours and 4 minutes as male race winner. It was his first real race in two months. Macaneras is also scheduled to run the upcoming Season 10 Championship Final at the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong. last year, he still finished 3rd in Season 9’s Final at Borneo TMBT. In second place behind him was emerging talent Rodel Angatan, followed by Elbert Ligan who took third on the podium.

Just two weeks after winning DASAL 80, Bukidnon’s Shally Yuson also proved strongest female in SC 70. Becoming ever more consistent and dominant on Filipino trails, Yuson led from start to finish and came in in 19 hours (also showing how tough the course was). Luzon’s Jennifer Comandante secured second place in 21 hours, followed by Dolly Alonso in third.

Trail runners can stick around in Santa Cruz and Davao, because next weekend is the next event already: the Mount Apo Sky Race. This year, the redesigned Mount Apo event is also a qualifier again for the ATM Championship points ranking.

One of the tougher Grandmaster Quest events of the season took place near Davao in Philippines last weekend. The Datu Salumay Invitational Trail Run, better known as DASAL has a 80KM race starting at 10:00 AM in Datu Salumay in the Marilog District. With a total elevation gain of 5,500 meters, the race is known as one of 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗼’𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 trail races. Also this yeart, DASAL pushed runners to their limits through steep climbs, technical terrain, and cold mountain conditions. Taking the top spots at the finish were ATM Finalists Jevie Cagatin and Shally Yuson from Bukidnon, both familiar faces in the Philippine trail running community. Cagatin finished together with new name Ulyses Esteva in 15h22. Elbert Ligan was third on the podium in 15h52.

Shally Yuson has really put herself on the throne in Mindanao over the past year, and her new victory just underlined this even more. She finished in 22h17, a good hour ahead of Razzil Sumalinog and Angelie Dawa.

DASAL80 continues to highlight the beauty and challenge of Mindanao trails while bringing together runners who share the same passion for endurance and adventure.

With special thanks to Pierre Vincent Pedrosa for the updates.

Grandmaster Quest points were on offer in Penang, Malaysia, last weekend at the annual Ultimate Trails of Penang event, better known as UTOP. Just one week after the scheduled Season 10 Final, it could not be a Championship points race this year. Two race categories above 70km were on the programme, namely the 100 miles and 100km. Penang is highly underrated when it comes to difficulty level of the trails and so it proved once again.

On the 100 miles, Grandmaster Seng Lip Ku was leading the race comfortably until he dropped out with knee pain. His place at the top of the leaderboard was taken up by Mohammadlee Binlateh, who finished the 100 miler in 43h48. Sai Hee Lim and Zahiruddin Bin Mohammad completed the men’s podium. Siow Yen Wong was the strongest woman in the longest ultra, finishing third overall as well in 46h26. Chin Chin Chan was the second and only remaining female finisher.

On the 100km distance, victory went to Mohd Nazrin Shah Bin Jamlee in 21h58. He was followed by the first female, Ang Yee Mei in 24h07! A great win by Ang Yee Mei, ahead of Hong Kong’s Grandmaster duo Ellen Cheng and Rachel Chan, the latter one of several who went the wrong way at some point during the race. Ameer Izuddin Ridzuan and Harith Hatta were second and third male on the podium.

One week before the conclusion of Season 10 in the Asia Trail Master Championship series in Vietnam, runners on the Grandmaster Quest have a chance to collect another GM point in Santa Cruz, Davao, Philippines at the Santa Cruz Trail Ultra. Established by Santa Cruz Trail Runners and with Grandmaster*** Sean Aying as race director, the event was a Candidate last year and now offers a GM point for finishers in the 75km category.

2025 is the third edition of the Sta Cruz Trail Ultra. The event is in celebration of the 141st Araw ng Sta. Cruz, a tribute to the rich heritage and awe-inspiring landscapes of Santa Cruz in Davao del Sur. While the 75km is the main category, less ambitious runners can also choose 3K, 15K, and 30K categories options. As the official SCTU intro reads: “the event will be guiding participants through the heart of the central mountain ranges and across the rugged ridgelines of majestic summits. The course reaches its climax at Mt. Tinako, standing proudly at over 1,300+ above sea level—the highest point of the race—offering not just a test of endurance, but views that will take your breath away. “

Interesting to note is that SCTU is part of the Trailblazer Program under the Sta. Cruz Tourism Office, positioning the municipality as a top trail running destination in Southern Mindanao. A strong focus on eco-tourism and community involvement, the event brings together athletes, nature lovers, and local stakeholders for a cause that goes beyond the finish line.

The start venue is the new Sta Cruz New Municipal Hall and the 75km will be flagged off on Saturday afternoon 4 pm. On the start list, several well-known runners and Grandmasters such as Jay Delgado, Elron Joyce Josue, Ryan Arriola, Emman Manongsong, Leoniel Perez, Rhodel Sarande, Mario Yap, Benjamin Nueva Jr and even ATM Finalist Roberto Cain III.

It is true pleasure to announce today the first male Golden Grandmaster from the Philippines in our Asia Trail Master series : none other than Alfredo Reyes Jr managed to collect his fourth Grandmaster star at Marilog Ultra 70 in Davao a few weeks ago! Alfredo is the 7th Golden Grandmaster overall, following in the footsteps of a.o. his compatriot Rhea Batac, who completed her Quest back in July 2024.

Alfredo Reyes Jr required just three years to run and finish is 20 ATM ultras. He began his journey at MUSPO 100 in July 2022 and by the end of 2023 scored his first Grandmaster star in Indonesia. He continued with great determination and added his second star eleven months later in at Lam Dong Trail in Dalat, Vietnam. But it’s only since then - ten months ago - that his engine really came up to speed. From 10 to 20 in less than a year! Alfredo was also not shy to include some really tough ultras on his itinerary , such as The 9 Dragons, Pulag Ultra and Hardcore 50 Miles. He traveled to several countries during his Grandmaster Quest, including Hong Kong, Indonesia and Vietnam while crisscrossing the Philippines from Mindanao to Luzon and back as well.

He may not be a Championship runner, but his amazing achievement - especially in the final year - is an inspiration for all of us, proving that with the right mindset you can do everything. Let’s have a very big and well-earned applause for new Four Star Grandmaster Alfredo Reyes Jr!

Alfredo Reyes Jr.’s Grandmaster Quest Palmares

1. Muspo 100km July (2022),

2. Mt. Apo Skyrace 100 Dec (2022)

3. Sta. Ines Mountain Adventure Run 80k (2023)

4. Sierra Madre Trail Ultra 75 May (2023)

5. Matanao Mountain Marathon 70k Oct (2023)

6. Siksorogo Lawu Ultra 80 Dec (2023)

7. Bagtit Ultra 100k Feb (2024)

8. Mt. Kalatungan Trail Ultra 85k Mar (2024)

9. Bali Ultra 80k Aug (2024)

10. Lam Dong Ultra 75k Nov (2024)

11. Santa Cruz 70 Nov (2024)

12. Malico Grand Ultra 75 Jan (2025)

13. The 9 Dragons 50miles Feb (2025)

14. Pulag Ultra 65km Feb (2025)

15. Vietnam Ultra Marathon 75k Mar (2025)

16. Lantau 70 Mar (2025)

17. Hardcore Ultra Trail 50miles May (2025)

18. Camiguin Ultra Trail Race 70km July (2025)

19. Punisher Ultra Marathon 50miles Aug 16-17 (2025)

20. Marilog Trail Ultra 70km Aug 30-31 (2025)