24-year-old Filipino Godwin Mirar scored the biggest win of his still young trail running career by outgunning Sabah’s Wilsen Singgin on the toughest uphill section, Penang Hill, halfway into the race. Anyone who thought Mirar had put his cards on the table too soon was proven mistaken as he kept extending the gap to an impressive 18 minutes at the finish! It was his second ATM success of the season after his home victory at Mount Kalatungan Ultra 50 in Bukidnon at the start of March. Wilsen Singgin, surprised by Mirar’s speed, finished just ahead of female race winner Hau Ha, the 2022 ATM Champion. Hau Ha was being challenged by current ATM Champion and former teammate, Priya Rai, but Penang Hill proved decisive also in the women’s race. Just before the hardest bit of the climb, the young Nepalese had already been distanced by a few minutes as she had missed a marking sign and gone onto a wrong trail. On the summit, the gap was just a good two minutes but Hau Ha built on that gap in the descent - as always her biggest strength. To her credit, Priya Rai kept her chin up and even managed to get a bit closer again in the tough 6 km long final section. At the finish, the gap was 9’31”. Hau Ha remains unbeaten in ATM and now has 9 race victories on her record. She also ran with a bit of a sour throat and revealed she also in training for her first ever 100 miles race scheduled for June. The Vietnamese star collected her wild card for this year’s ATM Final in her home country, Mu Cang Chai Trail Ultra on 4 October, but it remains to be seen whether she will take part given her obvious global ambitions. Priya Rai also got her wlld card already to defend her ATM title.

The 2nd edition of the Penang Sky Race was held in brutally hot and humid conditions around the island’s Youth Park. With over 2700 metres of elevation gain, this was a very spicy course for a distance of ‘only’ 46km. For most, it was more than long enough given the conditions. The four aforementioned runners dominated the proceedings. Behind them was a substantial gap to several other established competitors, which illustrated even more what a performance Mirar, Singgin, Hau Ha and Priya Rai delivered on the day. Mirar finished in 5h41, Hau Ha won in 6h01. Both Mirar and Singgin took important steps towards qualification for their country’s teams in the ATM Championship Final later this year. In fact, for Wilsen Singgin it was his second consecutive second place of the season after BUTM 50.

Third place on the male podium was claimed by Singapore’s Chris Timms, winner of UTOP 60k last October and overall points leader in the current ATM Championship ranking. Timms was able to follow the leading quartet initally together with his Falcon’s teammate Humberto Baeza, but on the Botanical Garden loop between CP2 and CP3 they found the pace too high. Baeza also sustained a knee injury and would later DNF.

Next up were a solid group of Malaysian runners Min Keong Chai, Kee Ming Lim, Assyrul Aminur and Johari Mohd Ali. Singapore-based Scott Pugh took eighth, followed by Penang resident and former Penang Eco winner Alex Tilley, who had a tough final section. Between Timms (3rd) and Tilley (9th) are just 27 minutes.

Third place on the female podium went to Russia’s Antonina Dmitruk, who held onto the place from beginning to end. In fourth we found Malaysian Syarifah Hamzah, who had already scored a place of honour at BUTM in February. She was followed by Pei Fen Goh and Thailand’s Siriporn Leumathong, who arguably would have liked the race to be a bit longer. Singapore’s. Joy Sim finished in seventh, but was later disqualified for missing a checkpoint (CP3 at the Botanical Garden). Her place was inherited by Sue Phin Leam. 2024 ATM Finalist Lolita Lintanga had a rough day and took eighth, still collecting some useful ATM points for her 2025 ranking..

The next Malaysian points race is Trail des Gombak near Kuala Lumpur on 21/22 June.

Priya Rai was pleased with her performance

Hau Ha stays unbeaten in the ATM Championship series

Saturday’s Penang Sky Race 50km in Malaysia features one of the better competitive line-ups of the current ATM Season and arguably it’s the women’s race that will draw most attention. Reigning ATM Champion Priya Rai will run against 2022 ATM Champion, former teammate and global trail star Hau Ha! Not to say the men’s 50k won’t be intruiging: Wilsen Singgin, Godwin Mirar, Chris Timms, Alex Tilley, Humberto Baeza: take your pick who is going to win this one! No Grandmaster distance this weekend, but a nice and pure trail competition on an exciting and tough trail course in Penang with start and finish in the Youth Park.

Penang Sky Race is an organisation by MMTF Consultant and is separate from Ultimate Trails of Penang (UToP), the event held annually in October. It is indeed the second time this season that runners will be competing on the island for ATM Championship points, more evidence that Penang is gradually becoming a real trail hub in Malaysia. A miniature Hong Kong, with Georgetown as a modern city surrounded by lush green forests, beaches and hills. Those hills, arguably, are a difficulty level higher than in Hong Kong, though. Saturday’s race has almost 2800 metres of elevation gain for what is essentially 46km.

It is the first time this race is part of the Asia Trail Master Championship series, replacing last year’s Tioman Ultra. Hau Ha must have great memories of that race, as it was undoubtedly one of her most impressive performances ever. Toying with everyone - including the men - and finishing first overall by a big margin. Her first trail experience on Malaysian soil couldn’t be better. But the same can be said for Priya Rai. The young Nepalese took the ATM Championship title at Borneo TMBT Ultra last September in her first outing in the country. It was her breakthrough performance, showing that she has matured as a trail runner and ready to knock on the door of the global trail scene, a door that Hau Ha already smashed two years ago. Six months later, BSc student Priya dominated her home race, Manjushree Trail Race in Kathmandu and says she has recovered and been feeling great since. This Saturday in Penang, Priya could be ready to make that next big leap forward in her competitive development. Of course, they have raced each other a few times before and Hau Ha has always come out on top, clearly so. But the gap between them has become smaller. They also know each other very well. Two years ago they trained and spent time together in Spain and Chamonix. Today they both are in separate ‘teams’ and have different coaches. In fact, Hau Ha had a bit of a rocky start to 2025 as her team change appeared to have happened very abrupt. Any doubts that people may have had were quickly demolished when Hau Ha ran away from Veronika Leng to win at Vietnam Ultra Marathon 70k early March. But it’s only after a few months when the effects of new training and coaching become more obvious, and Penang Sky Race will give us a good indication whether Hau Ha is on the way to that major international victory on the world stage that she has been craving for.

Hau Ha and Priya Rai are the clear race favourites, but there are more solid female trail runners on the start list. The battle for podium should be contested between Sabah’s Lolita Lintanga, ATM Finalist last year and 3rd in BUTM 50 this year, Halimatun Sa’adiah, her first ATM race in ten months, Singapore’s Joy Sim, Thailand’s Siriporn Leumathong (Top 10 in 2024 ATM Final) and a few others.

The men’s race is quite unpredictable with a whole bunch of potential race winners. All things considered, especially the course technicality, overtaking Sabah’s Wilsen Singgin could be the key to victory. Wilsen has been putting more emphasis on speed and 50k races since over a year and it seems to be paying off in competitive performance. Two months ago, for the first time, he put himself between his two peers Daved Simpat and Milton Amat at BUTM 50. Singgin will be up against local powerhouse Alex Tilley, who lives in Penang and knows the trails very well. Chris Timms is also running again, just two weeks after taking a joint victory in Sarawak at Silabur 100. Timms also won UTOP 60k last October. However, the Singapore-based Briton worries about a calf injury that may prevent him from reaching peak performance this weekend. From Bukidnon in the Philippines, the young Godwin Mirar will be making his debut in Malaysia. Mirar has been building up his international race experience of late and - along with Timms - is arguably the fastest pure runner in the field. Mirar won this season’s Mount Kalatungan Ultra 50 early March, showing increased strength and resilience when trails get hilly and technical. If he wins this Saturday, it would be his biggest victory to date. There is a dark horse on the start list who few people will think about: Humberto Baeza. Winner of Lam Dong Trail early in the ATM season, second in Dieng Trail Run and 8th in VUM - the latter perhaps not a true reflection of his emerging status as an elite trail runner in our series. While these five names stand out, there is plenty of other talented runners who can get in the mix for podium this Saturday.

ATM will be broadcasting and updating live from the Penang Sky Race 50km, with race start scheduled at 3 am local time on Saturday.

Wilsen Singgin: gradually stepping out of the shadow of Milton and Daved

Godwin Mirar: looking for the big breakthrough

Kadamaian Ultra, perhaps better known as KAR Ultra, was a great addition to the ATM Championship calendar last year and we are happy that the Sabah event is confirmed for the same weekend of 26/27 July 2025. Again with two points races for the ATM Championship ranking, 110km and 60km, whereby the longest one of course also provides a Grandmaster point for finishers. Host venue is Kampung Tambatuon, which many will know as one of the aid station locations during Borneo TMBT Ultra.

Sabah remains a highly popular playground for trail runners, both Malaysian and international. Mount Kinabalu as backdrop remains magic forever. KAR Ultra has proven over the last three years that it is not a copy of TMBT and has managed to develop its own character. Local runners also turn up en masse. Including the competitive ones: last year the victories in the 110 and 60 all went to the Sabahans: Milton Amat, Rejlen James, Wilsen Singgin and Shamiera Auther.

As the KAR website reads: “Runners can expect to ascend and descend Bogung Hill, a formidable obstacle that will test their physical and mental strength. The course will also showcase the breathtaking beauty of the region, with stunning views of lush forests, crystal-clear rivers, Kadmaian valleys, and majestic Mount of Kinabalu.”

Sabah is always challenging terrain and the trails are highly affected by weather conditions. Despite the beauty of the course, this is never a pic nic. Participants should come prepared for technical sections, and for potentially smoking hot weather, too. When you are ready for everything, prepare for a wonderful experience supplemented even more by the strong spirit of community that is characteristic of Sabah.

International runners fly into Sabah via Kota Kinabalu and can make use of the shuttle service to the event venue. This shuttle van needs to be reserved in advance, details can be found below and on the event website. Online registration goes via CPS.

Shamiera Auther won last year’s female 60k race at KAR

Runners on the Grandmaster Quest will be delighted to learn that The Magnificent Baling 100, a.k.a. TMB 100, has been entered onto the GM calendar. The Malaysian event organised by Running Project is scheduled for the weekend of 15/16 August and takes place in Baling, which is located in the southeastern part of Kedah towards the north of peninsular Malaysia. TMB 100 is the event that followed The Magnificent Merapoh Trail, which concluded its five-year-project back in 2019 and was one of the more popular races in Asia Trail Master before the corona crisis. Now in its third edition, Baling joins the ATM calendar for the first time.

The event is managed by Running Project, which also organises the successful Twin City Marathon (road) and EcoTrail Putrajaya. It features a 100km as main race distance category valid for the Grandmaster Quest. There’s three more shorter categories for less ambitious runners, including a 50km, 25km and 10km. Elevation gain is relatively modest, but as we also know from TMMT earlier or Silabur 100 in Sarawak last weekend, that does not mean it is not tough. The 100km has 2500 metres of elevation gain and a cut-off time of 26 hours. 100km participants should take note of the mandatory gear list, and also of the race start time: that’s set for 16:00 on Friday afternoon!

All details can be found via the webpage below and via the event’s facebook page. To reach Baling, you can fly to Kuala Lumpur but Penang is significantly closer.

Check out the event teaser video as well below or on YouTube.

This weekend’s Silabur 100 in Sarawak is the third Malaysian points race event of the ATM season. As last year, the event has attracted an impressive number of participants for the long ultra, the 100km race: more than 160 runners will be taking the start. Amongst them Chris Timms, the Singapore-based Briton, already a winner earlier this season at Ultimate Trails of Penang and second in Prenn Trail Summit in Vietnam. He is the logical favourite for the men’s race this Saturday, but 100km is a long distance for Timms, who is typically targeting shorter categories. Herein may lie the chance of other victory contenders, such as Sabah’s young talent Oswald Maikol. Twice a podium placer in Sabahan races last season, Maikol may finally be ready to make the step forward many have wished for him since some time. The better known established Sabahan stars such as Milton Amat, Daved Simpat, Wilsen Singgin or the Lintanga sisters have opted to focus on the upcoming Penang Sky Race in a fortnight. In their absence, it allows many other runners to score useful ATM Championship points this weekend, and to make a name for themselves.

The women’s competition is likely to see Grandmaster Tara Savage at the front. The Bangkok-based American and two-time Championship Finalist has already scored a 2nd place at V Trail in Laos a good month ago, and also placed herself in the 9 Dragons earlier. The start list also features Filipino Guia Angelie Cabigas as a potential contender for the top prizes. Cabigas has been doing well racing ‘at home’ , let’s see if she can challenge Savage in Sarawak. 2-star Grandmaster Carly Balmforth is also among the more experienced female trail runners this weekend and one who has been becoming ever more competitive. Perhaps a first ATM race podium is on the cards.

Silabur 100 is considered one of the ‘easier’ long ultras on the calendar, with modest elevation gain numbers and runable terrain. One of the highlights is the Silabur cave that runners will pass. Sarawak is Borneo, so ‘easier’ is relative and very much subject to weather conditions during the race. Last year, the 100km was won by Gustian Tiam and Rejlen James.

Mark Jinmin is in Sarawak this weekend to report live from SIlabur 100 on the usual Asia Trail Master channels.

Borneo TMBT Ultra, host of the fantastic Asia Trail Master Championship Final last season, has been scheduled for the last weekend of August this year. The premier event in Sabah, Malaysia, will again feature the classic races of 100km and 50km that both offer points for the Championship ranking, and also for the Grandmaster Quest in the case of the 100km. It will be the penultimate chance for runners to score points this season, if they wish to qualify for Season 10’s Final in Vietnam on 4 October.

TMBT is not only a classic trail challenge for runners of all levels, it’s also been a major battleground for competitive athletes over the years resulting in some of the most memorable races in ATM history. Not just last year’s exciting Championship conclusion with Jeff Campbell narrowly staying ahead of Hisashi Kitamura and Arnie Macaneras. Local heroes Milton Amat and Daved Simpat have left their marks at TMBT, particularly when competing against the same Japanese runner Hisashi Kitamura, who has finished second on no fewer than four occasions now, but never won. Will 2025 be the year he finally nails it? Kitamura, based in Tokyo, in any case has TMBT on his race calendar again.

The 50km has its own characteristics, culminating in a steep uphill finish. ATM stars such as John Ray Onifa and Vanja Cnops have put their names on the list of winners of that 50km already.

The event takes place five weeks before the ATM Championship Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam. Preceeded by The Punisher 80km in Philippines and followed by Ijen Mountain Marathon 50km in Indonesia, TMBT is the last points race event in Malaysia this season.

Access to the event is typically via Kota Kinabalu, where the airport is. Most runners stay in the city and take the official nighttime shuttle bus three hours before the start of the races.

Registration is open for Borneo TMBT Ultra, which you can do via the button below.

A typical view with hanging bridge during Borneo TMBT Ultra

Last year’s Team Pilipinas at the ATM Championship Final, hosted by Borneo TMBT Ultra

Hisashi Kitamura and Milton Amat have fought numerous battles at TMBT over the past years. Local hero Milton has always had the better of the Japanese ‘Karate Kit’, except last year… but then there was Jeff Campbell.

The 2025 edition of Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon goes into the history books as an atypical one. A lot of rainfall preceeding the event created more mud, river crossings and slippery slopes than usually in this event. Technical terrain requires proper trail running skills and experience, and it was perhaps no coincidence therefore that the 100k and 50k race winners bulk of exactly those two assets. Most eye-catching was the 50k victory of Daved SImpat, ahead of younger and fellow-Sabahans Wilsen Singgin and Milton Amat. Since last year, Simpat has again been showing great running form and suddenly is again the man-to-beat in Sabah after some five-six years operating in the shadow of Milton Amat. Even on 50k courses! One could even argue that recently it has been Milton who is suffering from a dip in performance level. To his own credit, Wilsen Singgin continues to prove that he still has upward margins. Leading the race early on, and battling with Simpat until the very end, Singgin may finally be ready to make that last step up the competitive ladder. At the finish in Kiulu, the gap was just a minute. Milton came in third, but a full 25 minutes later and just ahead of the surprising newcomer Vitus Daimi.

In the women’s 50km, Aggy Sabanal, the 2018 ATM Vice-Champion behind Ruth Theresia, scored her first ATM race win since July 2022 (MUSPO100). Sabanal ran a very strong race, also aided by the treacherous conditions to finish 7th overall and about 34 minutes ahead of another Filipino runner, Ritzy Amor - also the overall points leader in the current ATM Championship ranking. Boxer/trailrunner Ritzy Amor ran the best race of the season herself and second place is her best result and second podium after third in Broder 50 last October. In third place, we had Lolita Lintanga preceeding her elder sister Jess by 18 minutes. That’s one place better than a year ago for Lolita. Last year’s winner Shamiera Auther was unable to come to terms with the slippery terrain and had to settle for fifth place last weekend.

On the 100km long ultra, both race winners were the same as a year ago: local stars Gustin Tiam and Rejlen James. Both were pretty much in control throughout, although Rejlen in particular felt some pressure from Adelinah Lintanga, who took a quicker start than usual. The result was that both Rejlen and Adelinah were always comfortably inside the overall top ten of the 100k race. Closest to Gustin Tiam was Moo Sat, who did well to finish second ahead of Philippines’ Kik Suello, the number 7 in the ATM Championship Final last year found the course of TMBT more to his liking. Lynda Marylyn completed the women’s podium - just like last year.

The next Malaysian points race event takes place in Sarawak: Silabur 100 on 12 April.

Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon, in short BUTM, is really no longer the “little sister” of TMBT later in the year. Organised by the same team at Borneo Ultra, BUTM is a wonderful event in itself taking place in a different part of Sabah, in and around Kiulu. The start list for this year’s edition again features a lot of names and also a lot of star athletes from Malaysia mixed with a solid number of international runners. As usual, both the 100km long ultra and the 50km medium distance offer points for the ATM Championship ranking. Interestingly, both Milton Amat and Wilsen Singgin are again opting for the 50km. The numbers 1 and 2 from last year will even see Daved Simpat with them in the race, which does not happen very often. After a few years plagued by injuries and other issues, Daved Simpat - sometimes nicknamed “The Original” for being the first Sabahan trail runner to really break through in the Asian region - , has been performing really well again in recent races. It is not very often that they are three in the same race, so we are looking forward to see how that battle unfolds this Saturday.

Other expected podium contenders are Ahmad Tanjong, Amirul Tuah from Brunei and certainly several local and new Sabahan runners, too.

Staying with the 50km, the women’s race will see last year’s winner Shamiera Auther returning for what will also be her first ATM race of Season 10. Jess and Lolita Lintanga are also again in the race, but the battle for podium is likely to include at least two Filipino runners, too. Aggy Sabanal has made the trip to Malaysia for what could be one of her last appearances for a while. Sabanal was 2nd in the 2018 ATM Championship behind Ruth Theresia. Since then, she has become a mother and selective in the number of races, but when she takes part it’s always for the prizes. Ritzy Amor is also on the 50km. ATM overall points leader at the moment following her 3rd place in Broder 50 and 4th in VTM 70 earlier this season. Ritzy Amor is a multisport athlete, however, and has just come out of the boxing ring. A martial arts adept, Amor had her first boxing fight just a week ago. One could imagine that her body is still in recovery mode this weekend.

Moving to the 100km race category, which obviously is also a Grandmaster category, we will see last year’s winner Gustin Tiam also returning to Kiulu. He was brilliant back then, but this weekend he may face some stern competition for the victory by up-and-comers such as Haziq Asyraf and Yasbie Ismail, and also MIndanao’s Kik Suello - the number 7 of last year’s ATM Championship Final at Borneo TMBT! Suello was excellent in that race - as was Asyraf, in fact - and it will be great to see how they perform now five months later. Moo Sat and Bernardo Linus are other potential podium candidates on a good day.

The women’s 100km is likely to see a repeat of last year’s race, with the entire podium back in it. Rejlen James, Adelinah Lintanga and Lynda Marylyn. Let’s see if Lintanga and Marylyn have found a strategy to get closer to James, or even get ahead of her. Rejlen James has been nearly unbeatable on home soil since 2023, but had an unfortunate off-day at TMBT and the ATM Final last September.

ATM will be reporting live from the RPC on Friday, and then from start to finish on Saturday on the usual channels.

Last year’s 50k podium with Milton Amat having the upper hand over Wilsen Singgin and Alessandro Sherpa

Rejlen James was the fastest female 100k runner last year

Shamiera Auther returns to BUTM to try and win again

Last week she was in the ring, this week she is on the trails: Ritzy Amor

After the cancellation of Tioman Ultra, we are happy to announce that the Penang Sky Race will take its place on the 2025 Asia Trail Master Championship calendar. Also organised by MMTF Consultant, the Penang Sky Race event programme offers a 50km category that will have ATM points on offer for the best 25 performers in the result. The event is scheduled for Saturday, 26 April with start at 3 am.

As the event name suggests, Penang Sky Race is also part of the global Skyrunner series and in particular the 30km race, which almost has the same elevation gain as the 50km (approx 2300 hm).

The 50km Sky Ultraks race category has start and finish at the Youth Park in Georgetown, main city in Penang. As such, this is a convenient event logistically with also an international airport to the south of Georgetown. The course will take runners on ondulating terrain with Penang Hill as a highlight. The highest point of the course is Western Hill at 833m above sea level. As we know from the longer UTOP races, Penang island is a trail running paradise as long as you are prepared . Hills can be very rugged and technical, and then there’s the heat and humidity. But once you finished, the beach is also not far away and Georgetown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site do definitely worth your time to wander about.

Registration is still open for the event and can be accessed via the official website linked below.

Silabur Cave Trail in Sarawak, Malaysia, has been confirmed as a points race for the ATM Championship ranking and Grandmaster Quest also in 2025. The event, organised by Alpha Sports, will see some modifications, including the date. The event will move forward on the calendar by a few weeks and will be held on the weekend of 12/13 April. Also the start and finish site has moved a bit to allow for better mobile connectivity. It will be at Kampung Lubang Batu, Tebakang, which is roughly 40km from Serian town & 100km from Kuching. As usual, there is a bus shuttle service from Kuching for registered runners. Important also: ATM points seekers need to focus on the 100 km.

Silabur is quite a runable 100km , but if wet can be treacherously slippery in parts. Highlight is of course the Silabur Cave, a.k.a. the Jade Cave. Sabahan runners Gustin Tiam and Rejlen James were the fastest 100k runners here in 2024, in a race with considerable participation numbers for a long ultra. It’s mostly a Saturday day time race with the start set at 7 am in the morning. Cut-off time at the finish is a very accommodating 33 hours. As always, but especially in regions like Borneo, take a good look at the mandatory gear requirements and ensure you are prepared for hot tropical weather.

It’s only been a couple of years that Sarawak is claiming its stake on the Malaysian trail running map. Contrary to its northern neighbours Sabah and even Brunei, events and runners were few and far between. Sally Yap, ‘Alpha’ Siet Fah Lim, Celeste Teo and others have changed that, encouraging event promoters and organisers to build proper trail events, too. Alpha Sports is among those with several events in its portfolio. Silabur Ultra Trail, a.k.a. as Silabur Cave Trail is currently the biggest.

Registration for the event is open via Checkpointspot. The official hotel is in Serian, the Roxy Hotel. Runners could also opt to stay in Kuching, main city in Sarawak and where the airport is, and take the event shuttle bus early in the morning on Saturday.

The 5th anniversary of Ultimate Trails of Penang started with heavy rain on Friday noon, but ended in sunshine as the participants in all various distance categories enjoyed a great time out on the beautiful trails of the island. Beautiful, but tough. Especially the longer races again proved their reputation of being amongst the toughest on the entire ATM calendar. Of 66 starters on the 100 Miles, only 5 managed to finish. The experienced Aqmal Adzmi was fastest and scored his first ever ATM victory in 38h40’39”. Early in the long race, he was running together with Australian Andrew Farmers and the surprising Seng Lip Ku. However, already in the evening time, now dry, Adzmi took an advantage. In fact, Farmers would decide to retire at km 91 on Saturday morning, suffering from his feet and expressing his surprise of the technicality of Penang’s trails compared to those in Sabah, where he resides. Seng Lip Ku was joined by Tuan Hafandi Tuan Ismail, and at km 120 would likewise throw in the towel with knee pain. A sad conclusion of his great race until that point.

At the finish back at the Youth Park, Aqmal Adzmi was over five hours ahead of Tuan Hafandi Tuan Ismail as the rain again started pouring down at nighttime in Penang. David Khoo completed the podium in third place. It's Adzmi's first ATM race win ever after a podium spot at MMTF 2022 and several top ten placings.

Only six runners are still in the 100 Miles race. All women DNFd. Including Celeste Teo and Irish Glorioso, who both twisted their ankles in the same descent during Sthe first night.

Singapore's Chris Timms also took his first ever ATM race win on the 60km - the second points race for the ATM Championship ranking. The man-in-form led from the start and finished in 12h07'09", indicating once again what a tough course UTOP has. Timms preceeded Alex Tilley by nearly 40 minutes with Mohd Ammar Md Yazid taking third. Incidentally, nothing changed from the first checkpoint after 8,5km onwards. Kok Lam Yong was fourth. Zulharif Zakaria is fifth.

The women’s 60 km race winner was Siew Chen Tan in 17h33. She was pushed forward to the finish line by Peg San Tan who finished second 17 minutes later. In third place and completing the podium is Seoh Ling Tan. Also for Siew Chen Tan it was the first time she took top honours in an ATM points race.

The 100 km Grandmaster-only race (i.e no championship ranking points) was won by Gustin Tiam and Norlela Ismail.

Event Director Seow Kong Ng with 100 miles victor Aqmal Adzmi

Siew Chen Tan took the women’s 60km win

Peg San Tan was not too far behind the race winner in 2nd place

Chris Timms continued his fine performance streak with his first ATM race win on the 60km

This weekend’s doubleheader on our ATM Championship calendar begins very early already at noon on Friday with the start of the 100 Miles race at Ultimate Trails of Penang, better known as UTOP, in Malaysia. It is the first Malaysian points race event for Season 10’s Championship ranking, and also an anniversary edition. UTOP is celebrating its fifth edition.

This event has been alternating with Penang Eco on our calendar, as both are organised by Endurance Nature, led by ultra running legend Seow Kong Ng and Allan Lee. People who have run both long ultras argue that UTOP is the toughest one. Taking place on Penang island itself - contrary to Penang Eco - the 171km longest category has a whopping 9910 metres of elevation gain. This is a serious challenge when you also add the heat and humidity into the mix. Nevertheless, about six dozen of trail runners will be attempting to complete this beast on the weekend. The 100 Miles is also one of the two distance categories that matter for ATM Championship points, the other one logically being the 60km medium distance. Runners only keen on scoring a Grandmaster point always need to focus on 70+ km races, which in the case of UTOP means the aforementioned 100 Miles, but it can also be the 100km that is on the programme.

When we take a look at the start list of the 100Miles, two names perhaps stand out: Aqmal Adzmi and Andrew Farmers, both ultra long distance enthousiasts. Adzmi has taken a break from ATM since Season 8 and could be making a return in style. His best competitive performance so far was 3rd place at MMTF 90km in 2022. Let’s see how he fares against Andrew Farmers, the Australian who lives in Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. Farmers was the joint winner with Amir Zaki of The Borneo Miler in 2023. Definitely not interested in 50k races, Farmers knows very well what he is getting into at UTOP and with the experience he has accumulated in ultra long races throughout the world, he may be the man-to-beat for Aqmal Adzmi and other contenders. Amongst those are e.g. Tuan Hafandi and Chong Teck Shuin.

Five women will be attempting the 100 Miles, including Sarawak’s Celeste Teo and Philippines’ Irish Glorioso. Both well-experienced in long ultras, they could both score their first ever ATM race victory this weekend, after so many podium placings already. Chong Yien Chin, Wong Siow Yen and Xu Liangdi may try to prevent that.

On the 60km most eyes will focus on the competitive performance of Alex Tilley. Residing in Penang, the British runner returns to the scene this weekend and is the winner of last year’s 100km of Penang Eco. Tilley was also tenth in the ATM Championship Final a year ago in Indonesia. Since then, he has become a father and UTOP is his first race back. Besides Tilley, the start list reveals many new names - both in the male and female category. We are looking forward therefore to getting to know some new trail talents.

Aqmal Adzmi will be one of the top contenders in the men’s 100 miles

Sabah-based Australian Andrew Farmers was the joint winner of The Borneo Miler last year

Last year Celeste Teo also tackled the 100 miles of Penang Eco

Two years ago, Irish Glorioso finished second in UTOP 100km

Alex Tilley returns to the trails in his new home this weekend: Penang