Trail running remains a highly delicate activity in many ways and this week was again proof how tough it can be to organise trail running events in the wild, open nature spaces that we all love so much. Indonesia’s Ijen Green Trail has been forced to postpone the event to late November due to forest fires and the ordered total closure of the Ijen Crater Tourism Park for safety reasons, and also Malaysia’s Jagoi Ultra risks to fall victim of the worst haze and air pollution striking Kuching and Sarawak in over a decade. “Deliberate” forest fires in neighbouring Kalimantan are blamed for this annual environmental problem that some years also badly affects even farther away places like Singapore. Several other events in Sarawak have been cancelled already and at the time of writing Alpha Sports Events and its passionate director Josh are hoping the worst will be over come Saturday morning and the Air Pollution Index decreases to the extent an endurance running race can be held without exposing people to significant health risks. Obviously, the local authorities in Sarawak are closely monitoring the situation and will have the last word in the end.

It’s a potential nightmare scenario for quite a few runners who were still hoping to get themselves qualified for the ATM Championship Final in Vietnam next month. Jagoi Ultra is a Championship Qualifier for the first time and attracted a substantial and international field of runners for the 70km race, which is also valid for the Grandmaster Quest of course. No fewer than 50 Filipino runners made the trip to Sarawak, amongst them also Godwin MIrar - the 25-year-old top talent who left it a bit late this season in his attempt to qualify again for the Championship Final . Mirar ranks sixth in the Filipino points ranking with 3 race results, which means he needs to count on someone in the top five declining the opportunity to race for Team Pilipinas in Vietnam. In Philippines, many runners do four races or more during the season, and as always it’s the best four results that count for each runner. Running only three qualifiers is always a gamble in a country with lots of ambitious and competitive athletes.

Also Vietnam’s upcoming talent Sung A Phu needs a Jagoi result to get himself in Team Vietnam, after missing all his country’s own qualifier races earlier in the season. Last weekend, he was 5th in TMBT 50. Japan’s Tomohiro Mizukoshi will be relieved to know that he will remain fifth in his country’s ranking, which means he will be part of the ATM Final for the fifth consecutive time - a feat only very few have accomplished. Singapore’s Deric Lau - another established finalist - is in the same situation as Sung A Phu, as are several runners from Brunei Darussalam.

Quite a few Malaysian runners have also been hoping to still sneak into the top five at the last moment, especially on the women’s side. Celeste Teo and Joyce Yong Hie Ying, for example.

For sure, a final decision on whether the race can go ahead will be taken as late as possible. We will update about what happens on our facebook and other channels.

The 14th edition of Borneo TMBT Ultra near Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia, will go into the history books as one of the hottest on record. Views aplenty of the majestic Mount Kinabalu, but many participants on the 100km - in particular - needed to focus more on hydration and staying as cool as possible. Hisashi Kitamura seemed to be cruising to his second consecutive TMBT victoy, but even the tough Japanese elite runner admitted the last 30km were extremely challenging this year. He nevertheless had enough advantage over local Sabahans Oswald Maikol, himself a winner in 2024, and Willy Wilson, who has become a consistent podium contender this season. Kitamura reached the finish line in 13h55, almost one hour head of Maikol. Samry Sainin scored a great fourth place, ahead of Switzerland’s Simon Lattman. Bernardo Linus settled for sixth place.

The home crowd had a lot to cheer about as Lolitah Lintanga won her first ever ATM race and did so at TMBT 100. The youngest competitive runner of the Lintanga sisters was in control of proceedings basically from the start. Harlyn Richard initially kept pace with Lintanga and was probably hoping for an opportunity deeper in the race, but in fact the gap grew a lot towards the end. Another podium for Richard did mean she was assured of qualification for Team Malaysia in next month’s ATM Championship Final, where she can feature alongside Lintanga, too. Third in the race last weekend was Stlea Thomas, ahead of Philippines’ Maria Jocelyn Manalo Tuga and Japan’s Yoshie Kobayashi.

The men’s 50km had a very stacked field and a rather surprising winner at the finish line. Sheron Sariman very much stepped out of the shadow of his famous Sabahan compatriots Milton Amat and Wilsen Singgin by grabbing victory in a fantastic time of 5h46. Earlier this season, Sarimon was third in BUTM. He had been knocking on the door already a few times, but this is a breakthrough performance for him. Milton Amat managed to get second place, albeit 19 minutes later. Nevertheless, Amat still outpaced Vietnam’s Ngo Van Chinh, Japan’s Taichi Yui, Sung A Phu -also Vietnam- and Wilsen Singgin. The difference between Van Chinh and Yui - double race winner in Laos this season - was just over a minute. Van Chinh and Sung A Phu come from Sapa and are part of Hau Ha’s team. Both aim to qualify still for the ATM Championship Final in their home country at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail next month.

The women’s 50km saw the top favourite delivering the goods: Angelie Cabalo from Philippines wanted her name on the TMBT winners’ list and she achieved that in great style. Cabalo finished in 8h15. That was half an hour ahead of Singapore’s Zoe Tan, who has a subscription on second places in ATM races this season. For Zoe Tan, TMBT 50 was her third. The battle for third was interesting with long ultra specialist Adelinah Lintanga taking the podium ahead of the surprising Bruneian Ainul Mahmud. Melissa Ellexter did a great job to finish fifth and remains very much in the running for a spot in Team Malaysia next month.

Next weekend we still have another Malaysian Championship Qualifier. This time further south on Borneo island, in Sarawak: Jagoi Ultra. A 70km race that will be the last chance to score points this season.

Anyone who thought that Hisashi Kitamura had enough of Borneo TMBT Ultra after finally winning the 109km classic race last year was pretty much mistaken. The Karate Kit will be back again this Saturday morning in Sabah, Malaysia, for his final ATM qualifier ahead of the Championship Final in Vietnam in five weeks’ time. However, his big rival of the past years, local star Milton Amat, won’t be competing against him this year. Milton has chosen to go for the 50km race this weekend, and so has Wilsen Singgin.

And yet, we should also not expect a walk in the park now for Hisashi Kitamura, even though he has appeared as strong as ever in the few races he has ran in Japan this season. The younger elites of the Sabahan runners, such as Oswald Maikol and Willy Wilson, will certainly try to follow him and be motivated to beat him when possible. Maikol has even won the 109km race already, in the year - 2024 - when the ATM Championship Final was held at TMBT on a slightly shorter and unique course. And let’s not forget Bernardo Linus, who had a great performance at BUTM earlier this year. Even Kitamura has had weaker days, also at TMBT where he will start for the sixth time this weekend. Four times second place, and one liberating victory against Milton Amat last year. The big goal for him comes early October. If the stars align for him and it doesn’t get too muddy in Vietnam, Kitamura will be more than ready to challenge John Ray Onifa and the other top guns for that so. far elusive ATM Champion title.

The women’s 109km looks more open as has become the norm in Malaysia this season. No outstanding favourite perhaps, but with Harlin Richard - second in the current ATM Malaysia points ranking behind Ryehana Jap who is running the 50 this weekend. An opportunity for Richard to take her first ATM race victory after podium places at KAR and BUTM this season. Also Lolitah Lintanga features on the 100k start list, contrary to her sisters Jessica and Adelinah, both aiming for the 50. A good result could push Lolitah back up inside her country’s top five in points ranking, which leads to automatic qualification for the ATM Final coming soon.

Ryehana Jap has been one of the revelations in Malaysia this season, competitively speaking. As a local Sabahan, she will be keen to take the top step on the podium. However, she doesn’t enter the race as the top favourite. That role should be assigned to Philippines’ Angelie Cabalo. One of the top elite runners in Southeast Asia of the past few years and a double race winner already earlier this ATM season. In May she won the famous H1 , Hardcore 100 Miles in her first attempt at the distance. Before that, Cabalo also was victorious in Sierra Madre Trail Ultra. A strong result this weekend could put her in Team Pilipinas for the ATM Final with just 3 races. Besides the aforementioned Lintanga sisters, there’s a few more contenders such as in-form Halimatun Sa’adiah and Singapore’s Zoe Tan, second in Mantra and in UTSG this season.

Milton Amat and Wilsen Singgin inevitabiy rank as the ones to beat in the men’s 50km. The main question is who will beat who. Until last year, the answer would have been Milton, but Wilsen had him a couple of times since then. TMBT 50 also has a special finish line, with a steep uphill climb at the very end. The 50k here also always brings about some new faces. One of them to be reckoned with is Vietnam’s Sung A Phu, coming from Sapa. Who says ‘ Sapa ‘ thinks of Hau Ha. Sung A Phu, indeed, is part of her team. Also Japan’s Taichi Yui, who won both races in Laos this season, is on the start list.

Running back in time

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 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

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

This weekend the focus is on Malaysia with two serious events taking place on both sides of the large country. In peninsular Malaysia, trail runners can score a Grandmaster point at Tampin Transnaning Ultra (see separate preview), while in Sabah, East Malaysia, there’s points up for grabs at KAR Ultra for both the ATM Championship points ranking and the Grandmaster Quest. It’s a 10-year-anniversary for KAR Ultra and the organisers are celebrating this milestone with a redesigned race programme featuring 100 Miles and 80 km categories. After the Borneo Miler in 2023, it will be the second time a ‘miler’ is held in Sabah.

The longest ultra already starts on Friday mid-afternoon and that is for a reason, of course. Running 100 Miles in the tropical conditions of Sabah is a tough matter. Cut-off times are moderate, however, and that has attracted a very large starting field. Lots of hope amongst many, in other words. When we look at the start list, two names pop out as obvious favourites for the race win: the inevitable Wilsen Singgin and the new, younger, Sabahan trail star Oswald Maikol. The latter still did an ultra race last week so we need to see if he has recovered enough. Singgin is no stranger to milers and even mega distances of over 200km. In the last couple of years, he has been focusing a bit more on the 50k races and developing his running speed, however. Last year’s KAR 110 race winner Azmil Saripudin could be the duo’s leading challenger. Nor Mansor Bin Muhammad Saleh and Feliks Aten are going well the past few months and Jainuddin Sainuddin had a great season 10 in ATM, both could be seen as a podium contenders, too, amongst several other experienced 100 miles runners. Haziq Asyraf is another dark horse in the race.

In the women’s race there’s no Rejlen James (maternity leave), which gives opportunities to established long ultra runners such as Celeste Teo, Jamilah Durat and Manila’s Ann Jilian Pulanco to score a win or at least a podium. And what about youngster Shamiera Auther on her 100 miles debut?

The 80km race category is serious in its own right. Willy Wilson Jafry could be the man to beat in this distance. Lots of people on the start list and we are bound to discover new local talent. Also the women’s competition seems very open with no clear favourite for victory.

ATM will be reporting live from KAR Ultra all weekend.

Wilsen Singgin: logical favourite for the 100 Miles win this weekend

Oswald Maikol: on the start list of the 100 Miles

Grandmaster Celeste Teo from Sarawak: one of the favourites to win the KAR 100 Miles

Ann Jilian Pulanco: lover of mega ultras

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

The last Malaysian ATM Championship Qualifier this season will be Jagoi Ultra in Sarawak on Borneo Island. Organised by Alpha Sports Events and RD Josh, Jagoi Ultra substitutes on the Championship calendar for their other event Silabur Ultra Trail, held in May. The event features a 70km long race for points, and given the distance is also valid for the Grandmaster Quest.

As always, when proven organisers have several events in their portfolio, we like to alternate between them in order to increase variety in the choice of races that matter for competitive-minded trail runners. In fact, Jagoi was an ATM Candidate back in 2023, before the choice in Sarawak fell on Silabur first.

Sarawak has as much rainforest as Sabah, but in general less elevation to conquer. It makes the races different. Still, it’s not flat either as the course profile of the 70km at Jagoi shows: 2500 hm elevation gain is not nothing. Held out of Kampung Serasot, Bau, runners will do a loop that at one point touches the border with Indonesia’s Kalimantan Province. The Jagoi area lies southwest of Kuching, main city in Sarawak and your gateway to the event. There’s shorter distances available as well on the event programme, but for ATM the 70km is your target.

Jagoi Ultra takes place one week after the classic Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah. People with more time on their hands could consider a combo. Plenty of things to see and do in Sabah and Sarawak and why not pass by Brunei while you’re there?

Registration is open via the link below. You can also stay up to date on the latest news via the event’s facebook page.

Meanwhile a traditional event in the ATM series, Silabur Ultra Trail in Sarawak, Malaysia, featured on our Grandmaster Quest calendar last weekend. The 100 km race attracted a lot of runners from several countries, many with the objective of scoring another Grandmaster point. A large group of 30 runners from Davao in Mindanao, Philippines, even made the trip over to Borneo Island. Quite a few chose Silabur as their mandatory international event, necessary to complete each level of the Grandmaster Quest. And a few also became an official ATM Grandmaster, as separate announcements show on our socials.

The 100 km race in itself saw two runners reaching the finish line together as ‘winners’: Azmil Saripudin and Azman Salama did the course in a time of 14h29. Silabur is not known for its elevation, but the heat of day is slowing a lot of people down. The passage through the famous cave complex always comes as a welcome and cooling relief. I Hsaing Huang was third on the podium just five minutes later.

Joyce Yong Hie Ying was quickest woman last weekend in a time of 18h32. Eight minutes faster than Ana Fe Gamo. Noor Hafizah Zubaidi took third spot on the podium.

Silabur Ultra Trail is starting a rotation scheme with Jagoi Ultra by the same organiser, Alpha Sports Events, for a place on the ATM Championship calendar. This season, it’s Jagoi Ultra 70 early September that also gives runners a chance to score ATM Championship points alongside a Grandmaster Quest point. In fact, Jagoi will be the last championship qualifier in Malaysia this season before the Final in Vietnam on 3 October.