We are excited to announce that Tulay Trail in Thailand enters the ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendars on the weekend of 24-25 October, making it one of the first events in Season XII. Tulay Trail is a popular event and already open for registration: be quick to get a bib!

On the programme are three relevant distance categories, of which the 100km and 45km are qualifiers for the ATM Championship points ranking. Grandmaster Quest chasers should choose between the 100km and the 75km. Tulay Trail was a very successful ATM Candidate Race last October.

Tulay Trail is organised by RunRun and is part of the Tak Trail series in northern Thailand. The Tak Trail series’ events aim to elevate the regional trail running scene to international standards and showcase its natural and cultural richness. Elevation gain and technicality should be taken seriously before signing up. Tulay Trail 100 has an estimated elevation gain of 6300 hm and has a cut-off time of 34 hours at the finish line. The 100 km offers a very nice natural loop with the longest climbing coming immediately after the 3:30 am start, going from approximately 200m to 1400m above sea level. The start and finish venue is the Ban Mae Chawang School in Tha Song Yang District. The main village, however, is located about 7km before the school. It has several shops and restaurants. Note that the “100km” is actually 108km long. The 45km race starts at 4:30 am and has 2800 metres of elevation.

Tak is rather remote, but worth your effort to travel for a few days. The event organiser will assist international runners to make their journey as smooth as possible. You can contact the relevant team via the event facebook page below, or you can also contact info@asiatrailmaster.com first. There is a domestic airport called Mae Sot, from where you drive about 3 hours to the race village. From Chiang Mai and Bangkok the journey takes longer.

A nice return to the ATM calendar: Akha Trail in the far north of Thailand comes back after two years and will be one of the last qualifier events for the Season 11 Championship points ranking. Organised by Route Map Co, Akha Trail is scheduled for the first weekend of August and features a flagship race of 80km - which is also valid for the Grandmaster Quest.

Nicknamed “The Way of Tribes” , Akha Trail stems from the people inhabiting the mountain region, an ethnic group spread out over mountain areas in Thailand, Myanmar, Yunnan (China) and Laos. The Akha people are quite well-known on the tourist trail for their colourful and distinctive traditional customes. Their home terrain in the north of Thailand is spectactular mountainous jungle with a number of caves in the mix as well. Runners will face a challenge, especially on the long distance of 80km with over approx 4600 hm. The course goes up and down, although there’s one long uphill climb, too, that follows a long descent to the second checkpoint at km 14. The last 20 km is a test of strength for many runners, although overall the course has been made a bit easier compared to the first editions of 2023 and 2024.

Less ambitious runners have three more shorter distance categories to choose from, but bear in mind that only the 80km offers ATM points.

To get to Akha Trail, you can fly to Chiang Rai where shuttle busses can be booked to the event venue at Pha Hee Village. Information on these can be seen below. If you prefer to be independent, it is even possible to fly to Chiang Mai and arrange a Grab or other transportation there.

Registration for the race is already open. Click on the button below to find the details. It is also recommended to follow the Akha Trail facebook page to stay updated on latest news.

Last weekend’s Soimalai Trail in Tak province in northern Thailand saw many hundreds of runners taking part in one of several race distance categories, which even included a 100 miles and 100km. Soimalai Trail is the fourth and last event of the annual popular Tak Trail series and had obtained the ATM Candidate Race label - just like Tulay Trail six weeks ago. Doi Soimalai is a mountain area covered in pine forests that lies roughly 1600m above sea level, and is known for its ‘sea of fog’.

On the 100 miles we saw very familiar Thai face, Sanya Khancai. However, he had to settle for second place as Kodthananat Anupan managed to grab the win by just two minutes in 27h51. Santichai Salad was third on the podium. Kittiya Piyawan was first female in just under 40 hours. Keson Sinchang and Ravikarn Kumkong joined her on the podium.

Apirat Chaitanarit and Limsiao Ai took the victory on the 100km in the men’s and women’s respectively. Chaitanarit completed the course in 18h33, Limsiao Ai in a solid 20h40. There was also a 65km with the win going to Phissanuwat Inon in 8h27 and Arlene de Abreu in 10h26. The 45km went to Paween Kongyai in 5h21 and Sirikanya Phoobhuaphet in 6h47.

On the official event facebook page of Soimalai you can find a big collection of great photos taken at the event last weekend. Stay tuned for more news on the 2026 edition!

The new ATM Candidate Race in Thailand’s northern Tak Province, Tulay Trail, left quite an impression. A big field of participants across the various distance categories, and a great event and race organisation. Tak Trail Series has been the new “kids-on-the-block” in Thailand for a while and we are looking forward to having them formally included in our Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendars with one or more of their events in 2026.

Tulay Trail, not entirely unexpected, proved to be a race for the tough guys and girls. Perhaps it was also no surprise then that all 100km podium placers were seasoned ultra trail runners aged above 40. In fact, it was good old Sanya Khancai, now 51, who won the race in 19h31 . The finishing time shows how hard the race was. Yotchai Chaipromma and Wassa Buranrat completed the podium together in 20h22. First female on the 100km was Chayanit Wapetch in 28h46. Kullanit Porrametthanapat was second and Isikarn Thubu third.

Chatchai Wanitthanom and Kunnika Tonsakul won the men’s and women’s 75km races respectively, in 14h21 and 18h00. On the 45km medium distance, Krisada Thongjib and Supamas Patchima taking top honours in 7h56 and. 9h58.

A very promising new ATM Candidate Race takes place this weekend in Thailand: Tulay Trail is part of the much talked-about Tak Trail series in the northwest of the country and has obtained the Candidate Race label with a view to being part of our Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar next year. Proving the solid reputation of the organising team of RunRun, this weekend’s edition of Tulay Trail has attracted many hundreds of runners already - despite the relative remoteness of Tak Province.

The Tak Trail series’ events aim to elevate the regional trail running scene to international standards and showcase its natural and cultural richness. Tulay Trail offers a number of distance categories with a 100km as the main race. Less ambitious runners can also go for the 75km, 45km, 25km or 8km. Elevation gain and technicality should be taken seriously before signing up. Tulay Trail 100 has an estimated elevation gain of 5500 hm and has a cut-off time of 32 hours at the finish line. The 100 km offers a very nice natural loop with the longest climbing coming immediately after the 3 am start, going from approximately 200m to 1400m above sea level.

The long start lists feature some better known trail runners such as Sanya Khancai, still going strong even though now in his fifties. Several Japanese runners are making it to Tulay, and also France’s Emmanuel Abadie, who scored some great race results in Malaysia a while back. The 50km nearly has 340 runners on the start list. The double digit distance shows over 100 names on the list, with another 65 on the 75km.

Good old Sanya Khancai will be running the 100 km at Tulay

We are delighted to announce that Tulay Trail in Thailand’s Tak Province has received the ATM Candidate Race label for its next edition on the weekend of 24-26 October 2025. The event is part of a series of four in Tak Province, and aims to elevate the regional trail running scene to international standards and showcase its natural and cultural richness. Tulay Trail offers a number of distance categories with a 100km as the main race. The event is organised by RunRunTeam and has been taking place for a few years already. Below you can watch the video of last year’s edition.

Less ambitious runners can also go for the 75km, 45km, 25km or 8km. Elevation gain and technicality should be taken seriously before signing up. Tulay Trail 100 has an estimated elevation gain of 5500 hm and has a cut-off time of 32 hours at the finish line. As you can see on the course map, it is a very nice natural loop with the longest climbing coming immediately after the 3 am start, going from approximately 200m to 1400m above sea level.

Tak Province lies in lower northern Thailand. It neighbours a.o. Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai and Lampang and also has a long western border with Myanmar’s Kayin State. To reach Tulay, runners could fly to Mae Sot International Airport or to Chiang Mai. There is bus transport to the venue planned from Chiang Mai also.

The official website has all details on the event and you can also register already online.

Last Sunday's very enjoyable My Home Trail event in the vicinity of Chiang Mai in Thailand, saw Paul Dunn and Nisachon Morgan emerge victorious in the 50km long points race for the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking. For both it was also the second ATM race victory of their running careers, Dunn having won UTKC 100 in 2020 and Morgan was the best female in Trail of Man in 2023. My Home Trail was a new entry in our Championship calendar and the only Thai points race of Season 10. We are certainly hoping more Thai events will join again as of next year. 

My Home Trail refers to the home of celebrated Thai runner and adventure racer Jay Jantaraboon, who hails from Mae Chaem - location of the races. The place is roughly three hours drive from the city of Chiang Mai, quite close to Doi Inthanon. The 50km race was labelled as the “Unknown 50” and had quite a lot of elevation gain to conquer with over 2600 hm. 

Paul Dunn was already in the lead at the halfway point of the race and showed that his speed has not decreased in the past five years. If the British runner, living in Thailand, adds another solid ATM race result still this season, he may just as well become a dark horse for the Championship Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam on 4 October. The same applies for two Thai runners who stayed close to him until the finish. Nattawut Raisiri and Kitanon Angkanawaraphan were second and third within 12 minutes of Dunn’s finishing time of 5h46. They all clearly preceeded better-known Job Tanapong by more than 24 minutes. For Job Tanapong, a double ATM race winner in 2019, it was also a return to our scene. Another Thai runner who used to be very active and prominent before the covid crisis, Sukrit Kaewyoun, had to settle for 8th place, just ahead of Santi Phongsraphang, who scored his 3rd solid result of the ATM season and looks already guaranteed for a spot in Team Thailand for the upcoming Season 10 Final in Vietnam on 4 October. Another prominent Thai runner, Danon Rattanatumrong - winner of Luang Prabang Ultra Trail 100 last October - was an unfortunate DNS last weekend. 

In the women’s race, Nisachon Morgan was clearly the fastest runner coming in 12th overall in 7h52. In second place was Philippines’ Mary Ann Leovis, who scored her best ATM race result ever. The third spot on the podium was for Thailand’s Nalin Likithamanit. 

For many Thai runners it was the first ATM race of the season. Those who wish to qualify for Team Thailand in the ATM Championship Final will need to race one more time as a minimum requirement, before we check the country’s Top 5 points ranking early September. 

Thanks to ATM reporter on-site: Mark Jinmin.

On Sunday at 5 o’clock in the morning, the only ATM points race in Thailand this season will start in the hometown of Jay Jantaraboon. Pointing to his involvement, the event’s name is quite simply called “My Home Trail”. Approximately 2-3 hours from Chiang Mai, ATM points seekers will undertake a tough 50km with over 2600 metres of elevation gain. It’s the first time the event, organised by Nongkwaitong Co., Ltd, is part of the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar.

Long sold out already, My Home Trail’s "“Unknown 50 category” features several well-known competitive runners, some of whom we haven’t seen since covid. Take Paul Dunn, for instance. The Englishman was the big winner of UTKC 100 just before the pandemic struck (with beside him on the podium the late Fredelyn Alberto as female race winner that day). Dunn had the better of none other than Arnie Macaneras and Hisashi KItamura in that race! Five years later, it will be interesting to see if Dunn has retained that kind of performance level. One of his main competitors for the victory is likely to be Danon Rattanatumrong, winner of Luang Prabang Trail 100 early in the season. With another good result this weekend, Danon can in any case score his ticket for the ATM Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October. Another top contender , and also returning for the first time since 2019 , is Sukrit Kaewyoun. Back then, he was a regular race protagonist who kept on improving as the ATM season developed. Let’s find out how he fares these days. And last but not least in this list is Job Tanapong! The young top talent, who burst onto the scene in 2019 with race wins at Moon 100 and Ijen Trailrunning 100, is also on the start list this weekend!

The women’s race has Nisachon Morgan in it, she won the ATM race Trail of Man 55km in 2023. Ella Wildenberg is familiar with the Chiang Mai area, and Filipino Julie Mae Marquez could as well spring a surprise like she did in Mount Kalatungan Ultra this season with a great second place that day. The women’s race may in any case surprise us with many new names on the list.

Paul Dunn returns to the scene five years after winning UTKC 100, alongside the late Fredelyn Alberto

In 2019, Job Tanapong won Moon 100 - and next to him as female winner: Fredelyn Alberto, once more

We are very happy to announce My Home Trail as a new points race event for the Asia Trail Master Championship rankings. Taking place in Mae Chaem near Chiang Mai in Thailand on Sunday, 15 June 2025, runners can look forward to an exciting 50km labelled as “The Unknown 50”. The race has an estimated elevation gain of 2635 hm and has two distinct peaks, of which the second one - Doi Liam - is the race’s highlight at 1620m above sea level.

It is the second edition of the event organised by Nongkwaitong and co-organised by Thailand’s adventure racing and trail running star Jay Jantaraboon as a lead consultant. Mae Chaem is Jay’s hometown, hence “My Home Trail”. The event aims to promote outdoor sports and foster a sense of community among trail running enthusiasts.

Flag-off is scheduled for 5 am on Sunday, 15 June. After a short and flattish warm-up, the first climb already awaits participants with the peak of Mon Mark coming at km 7. Following the short descent there’s quite some up and down before reaching CP 3 at Watprabattapa, foot of Doi Liam. The ascent and descent of Doi Liam will be the most difficult section of the 50k race. The climb begins at km 22 and an altitude of 516m. This implies runners wil govertical for well over 1000m before reaching the summit. Doi Liam means “sharp point” in the local Lanna language, which perfectly described its steep features. Competitive runners will need to save some energy, because afterwards the final 8km of the race to the finish are quite bumpy. The cut-off time at the finish is 18:30, which means runners have a total of 13h30 to complete the course.

The first edition winner of My Home Trail 50K was actually a woman: Kimino Miyazaki, a top elite runner from Japan, who set the first 50K record at 06:16:29.

While the 50km is the ATM points race, less ambitious runners can also sign up for shorter distance categories. My Home Trail offers 30km, 15km and a 5km options as well. All information on registration and details on the race can be found and checked on the event’s facebook page.

Shuttle busses to Mae Chaem are available from Chiang Mai (recommended), but also from Bangkok. It is strongly advised to stay in Mae Chaem on Saturday night. Note there is also a campsite. The start and finish video is the Chumchontambonthapha School.

Online registration goes via the Pathtrack platform linked below. Those who choose wire transfer as mode of payment, please send the proof of payment to the My Home Trail Facebook Page Inbox. Your registration will be complete once you send this proof, following which you will receive a confirmation letter via the registered email address within 5 business days from the date the payment proof is submitted.

Any specific questions , particularly from international runners, can be addressed to the facebook inbox or via email to nongkwaitong2024@gmail.com

A bit of a sensation at last weekend’s Akha Trail in the far north of Thailand, on the border with Myanmar. Bangkok-based Tara Savage managed to win the tough and technical race overall and by quite a margin over Amorn Kimnguan. The American ran away from her female and male competitors already before halfway into the 80km race and increased the gap to more than one hour at the finish line. She won in 14h19'26", with Amorn Kimnguan as the men's winner in 15h28'33". Both are also the expected category winners this weekend, but it not in this order 🙂

It is Tara Savage's second ATM race victory of the season, too. Back in April she won the gruelling Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths 100 in Vietnam. Earlier, she was also 5th in VTM - also in Vietnam. She will be great asset in Team Asia Expat next month at the ATM Finals.

On the female podium with her yesterday was Patchara Buagun in second, who is also qualified for Team Thailand in the Finals.

The men's winner Kimnguan, his first ever ATM race victory, is also qualified like last year. He was joined on the Akha 80 race podium by Santi Phongsraphang - qualified for the finals - and Malaysia's Kenneth Mun Keat Yow. The latter trying his best to win and get a spot in Team Malaysia. He jumps ahead of Wont Kudin in the ranking with a total of 1135 points compared to Wont's 1115. But Haziq Asyraf is just out of reach with 1190. Nevertheless, Kenneth is first reserve and perhaps more importantly - he is now a 3-star Grandmaster! Akha 80 was his 15th ATM ultra he has completed. A separate announcement is coming soon.

Munintaran Sundram, also Malaysian, scored fourth place yesterday. A great achievement for the 2-star Grandmaster as well. He was followed by Somchai Chaosakorn.

The 2nd edition of Akha Trail in the far north of Thailand, on the border with Myanmar, sees an international field of runners for the 80km points race, the last one of the season together with Punisher in the Philippines. Akha Trail was a remarkable entry in last year’s championship and saw a fantastic winner in John Ray Onifa. This season’s start list is arguably more modest from a competitive point of view, but offers the chance for several runners to score useful points for their country’s championship. ranking and their individual Grandmaster Quest. Kenneth Mun Keat Yow, in fact, is going for his 3rd Grandmaster star this weekend, and should the Malaysian manage to win or finish in the top three in the race and collect the equivalent number of points and the 50-point ‘abroad bonus’, he’d also jump ahead of Wont Kudin into the Malaysian Top 6. That implies he is first reserve in case someone ranked ahead of him decides not to join Team Malaysia in TMBT. . That’s not an easy task, but we have seen plenty of times already that when trail runners have a goal in sight, they suddenly run twice as quick as usual.

The men’s 80km race in any case appears wide open. Brunei’s Ismail Firdaus is another podium contender who aims to qualify for his country at the ATM Championship Final next month. And so are a couple of Thai runners, such as Amorn Kimnguan, Santi Phongsraphang and Somchai Chaosakorn.

Celebrated 4-star Grandmaster Masafumi Yamamoto is also in the race, just two weeks after KAR ULtra 110, and could likewise cement his position in the top 5 of Japan’s ATM ranking.

The women’s 80km sees Bangkok-based American Tara Savage as a favourite to win, alongside Patchara Buagun. Savage has been in great form this season and might be a considerable top ten candidate for next month’s women final, in which she will compete for Team Asia Expat

The 3rd Grandmaster star for Kenneth Mun Keat Yow is awaiting , and so could be Team Malaysia

Tara Savage is arguably the woman-to-beat on the 80km women’s race this weekend

The 2023 edition of Ultra Trail Chiang Rai in Thailand turned into a complicated one due to heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday morning, affecting the three longest race categories of which the 250km and 115km offered ATM Championship points. In particular, swollen rivers and flash floods forced a number of runners to stop for a whlle and there was also a minor last-minute re-route. As a result, only twelve runners were marked as official finishers within the 71h cut-off time of the Ultimate 250km race. This cut-off time had been extended mid-race by one hour due to the conditions. Meepoom Mongkolsuksri took the victory in nearly 63 hours, three hours ahead of Chanil Thainguan and Surayos Chuepanich. One female runner made it to the finish at the Sandu School, Patchara Buagun in 70h41 - meaning only 19 minutes within the time limit. Ann Jilian Pulanco looked like she was going to finish as well, but the very tough last 25km proved too big an ask - with the cut-off in mind. A very costly DNF for her, by the way, as she could have assured herself of a spot in Team Pilipinas for the ATM Final.

While the 100 miles category was impressively won by Filipino Rexell Aguirre, runners on the 115km had a good battle for the race win and the ATM championship points. In the rain, Malaysians Amir Zaki and Jeffery Budin built up a nice gap by km 33 and the fourth checkpoint. But the slippery conditions made it tougher than anticipated, and young Thai talent Thosaeng Kunno worked his way back to the front in the second part of the race, hereby also overtaking Filipino Ivan Macosa. Later than expected, Kunno reached the finish after midnight in 19h31, ten minutes ahead of Jeffery Budin and twenty ahead of Amir Zaki. This was a solid victory for Kunno, who burst onto the ATM scene just four months ago in Chiang Mai, winning the Trail of Man 55k race and backing that up with second behind John Ray Onifa in Akha Trail. Kunno looks like the leader for Team Thailand in the upcoming ATM Final, and one of too few Thailanders keen on proper competition. Budin and Zaki did a great job for their chances of qualification for Team Malaysia. The 77km race of Siksorogo Lawu Ultra is also a course that will suit both runners very well. In fourth and fifth in Chiang Rai we had the Italian Giacomo Giovannini, who made a wonderful remark five hours into the race, saying it’s “trail surfing” and not “trail running” when asked about the condition of the trails in the very wet weather at that point. Giovannini held of the Thailand-based Filipino Ivan Macaso, who did a great run in one of his first 100k+ races. For quite a while the duo was joined by the first female competitor in the race: Tara Savage. Living in Thailand already for a long time, the American started her race very fast and quickly put the other women on the backfoot. Singapore’s Vincere Zeng - known as a high mountain specialist - was the closest challenger for Savage but never really saw her during the race. Vincere nevertheless scored a solid second place in this race and is looking forward to the ATM Final, Gunung Lawu being a mountain she has climbed before. Third place in the women’s race looked like it was going to be assumed by Indonesia’s Qheiza Wiranda Edelwise. Born in Sumatra, living in Singapore, Edelwise has put together a nice string of race results this ATM season and will be part of her country’s team in Siksorogo Lawu. A third place in Chiang Rai would have been the cherry on the pie for her season in ATM, but it got denied by what appears to have been a confused race marshal who sent her on the wrong course (the 100 miles course). Eventually, Edelwise - understandably frustrated - threw in the towel, which gave the third spot on the podium to a surprised Malaysia’s Rija Anak Gunes, herself just ten minutes ahead of Pey Luan Ng. Race marshals are often well-meaning volunteers, and ultra trail races are very long with sleepless nights included, yet these kind of situations happen too often in trail events the world over.

Thosaeng Kunno arrives at CP 4 in the 115km race, half an hour down on then-leader Amir Zaki

Jeffery Budin used his ultra experience to grab a very good second place

Early race leader Amir Zaki eventually had to settle for third place, also due to some miscommunications

The Ultimate 250 was tougher than ever before. Meepoom Mongkolsuksri was clearly the strongest

The only female finisher on the Ultimate 250: Patchara Buagun