People who made the long trip to Thailand’s Tulay Trail on the western border with Myanmar did not complain after a very scenic and well-organised event that was part of the ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar for the first time.

Portugal’s Henrique Nicolau, who actually hails from the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean, won his second ATM race in a fortnight. Nicolau was fastest in the men’s tough 45km race in 6h41. Thailand’s well-known Chartchay Inchai took second in 7h01. It was tight between the two until the last 8 km, when Nicolau clearly had some more pace left. With 1000 points already in the bag for winning Luang Prabang Trail 75 and Tulay Trail 45, Nicolau may already be qualified for next year’s ATM Championship Final in Team Asia Expat.

In third place we had Thai youngster Phatchara Sanasen in 7h13. Together with Inchai, Sanasen tried to keep up with Nicolau early on, but dropped back as the race progressed. He still managed to keep a good pace, though. Fourth place went to Preecha Bualuang. Indonesia’s Nizar Surydratama arrived in fifth place, after third in Luang Prabang 75. Weerapong Pongka claimed sixth place.

Krittiya Buabut won the women’s 45km race in 9h21. She led from start to finish. It was Buabut’s first ATM race victory and race participation, and arguably it won’t be her last. Experienced Areerat Kareeklin finished in second place in 10h00. She’s been around for some years and scored yet another ATM race podium.

Tichakorn Hemmakul and Ratchanok Boonkomood were third and fourth. Sawitree Piadech completed the Top five.

On the men’s 100km, victory went to Surasak Somboon in 15h37! Undisputed, Somboon dominated the tough race the entire day and claimed his first ever ATM race victory. Sanya Khancai and Napat Prompataya finished together in second and third place, at considerable distance from Somboon.

Prapaipit Chaowalit secured victory in the very tough 100km for women. Also leading more or less from start to finish, she was nevertheless kept focused by the strong Lao runner Yoth Soulivanthong, winner of V Trail earlier this year. Chaowalit finished in 23h29, half an hour ahead of Soulivanthong. Papichaya Lhosupasirirat was third on the podium

The next ATM Championship Qualifier in Thailand also takes place in Tak province. From 11 to 13 December, runners can score points in Soimalai Trail. The two distances to focus on are the 100 miles and the 65km.

It has unfortunately been rather quiet in Thailand with regard to Asia Trail Master over the past few years, but Season XII will be the big comeback with no fewer than four ATM Championship Qualifiers on the calendar again, and even an extra Grandmaster Quest event, too. What’s more, four of these take place within the next three months - also in Thailand we are now in the main trail running season, contrary to e.g. Malaysia or Indonesia. This weekend, Tulay Trail on the northwestern border with Myanmar kicks off proceedings with a scenic but tough 100km and 45km for Championship points. Besides the 100km, Grandmaster Quest enthusiasts can also choose the 75km race category.

The event takes place in a rather remote venue, but smoothly accessible by road from Chiang Mai city in six hours. The landscape along the way is already gorgeous and just an appetizer of what the many participants will experience on Saturday. The 100km starts at 3:30 am with just under 100 registrants and the 45km one hour later with nearly 330 runners signed up. Tulay Trail is part of the Thailand Trail Series (previously known as Tak Trail Series), which also includes Soimalai Trail in December, organised by the same event crew.

As last year’s Candidate Race proved, Tulay Trail is no joke. The 100km is a big 100, measuring 102km, with a whopping 6000 hm elevation gain. It’s been seriously hot in Chiang Mai and in the Tak province as well over the past days, so we could expect a significant DNF rate in this one. The start is scheduled for 3:30 am and the cut-off time at the finish is 34 hours later. The 45km also has 2900 hm to conquer, but with a race start at 4:30 am does look like a more digestible option.

The start list for both race categories logically sees mainly Thai runners given the remote event location and the super busy trail running period of the year in Southeast Asia, particularly. Good old Sanya Khancai maybe over 50 now, but remains someone to be reckoned with for those who wish to score a podium. In the women’s 100k, the same can be said about Natthanan Matthanang. Interestingly, the average age of the 100k participants seems a lot higher than e.g. in similar races in Philippines. More youngsters, runners in their twenties and early thirties can be found on the 45km start list. We are indeed looking forward to getting to know many new faces this weekend, some of whom we may indeed see several times more in the course of Season 12. Let’s also not forget that Thailand neighbours Myanmar, the country that hosts the ATM Championship Final next year. In any case, at least two international participants will also be eyeing a top result. Henrique Nicolau won Luang Prabang Trail two weeks ago and Nizar Surydratama was third in that same race. Both had two weeks to recover from that 75km race in Laos, was that enough time for another top result this weekend on a shorter distance?

ATM will be reporting live, connectivity permitting, from Tulay Trail all day on Saturday.

The 75km race is valid for a Grandmaster Quest point, but is not a Championship Qualifier

Sanya Khancai, here in 2017.

Natty Matthanan has also been around for a long time now in Thailand’s trail scene

Henrique Nicolau from the Azores islands (Portugal) won Luang Prabang Trail just two weeks ago

Bali’s Nizar Surydratama also starts his second ATM race of the season already: he was 3rd in Laos

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

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

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

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

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

2024 ATM Champion Jeff Campbell wasn’t to be denied another race victory - his second of the current season after Kalaw in Myanmar - and added Akha Trail in the far north of Thailand to his ever expanding ATM resume. He took command of the tough mountainous jungle trail early on and extended the gap to his nearest rivals for the win. The Canadian living in Hong Kong crossed the finish line in 13h10 - showing how difficult this race is! This year’s edition turned out to be a very muddy one, too.

Britain’s Jake McCardle took second place and Thailand’s Danon Rattanatumrong third on the podium. Evgenii Makarov finished fourth. Earlier in February he had already scored a second place in Kalaw Ultra Trail Run as well. Hong Kong’s Jeremy Ritcey finished seventh behind Thailand’s Narin Kongsiri. Also ATM Legend Mario Yap finished yet another race in 23h08 minutes (rank 25).

Japan’s Yasuyo Hotta won the women’s race ahead of Malaysia’s Vivian Shin Ying Tong and Philippines’ Merionne Demin, who was leading earlier but got off course towards the end. The Filipino actually looked like she was going to take victory, but she got off course towards the ends for a long time, allowing Yasuyo Hotta and Vivian Shin Ying Tong to overtake her. For Hotta it was the first ever ATM race victory. She was part of the Championship winning Team Japan at the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong early this year.

Akha Trail was the only Thai qualifier in Season 11 of the ATM Championship, but in Season 12 , there’s scheduled to be at least three already, beginning with Tulay Trail at the end of October.

Returning to our series after a 1-year break is Akha Trail in the far north of Thailand, on the border with Myanmar. ‘The Way of Tribes” is Thailand’s only ATM Qualifier this season, but the goods news is that more are to come again in Season 12. Akha Trail still offers a 80km race category as the main event. It’s a challenging mountain jungle course with nearly 6000 metres of elevation gain. Current ATM Champion John Ray Onifa won the race three years ago, and this year another former ATM Champion will try to achieve the same feat: Jeff Campbell, the 2024 ATM Champion.

We know Campbell sometimes likes to leave his own comfort zone and test himself sometimes. Usually with quite a high degree of success, in fact. Akha Trail may also fit into that storyboard, although the weather will have a big influence on the course, as it usually does in Thailand. Campbell has some serious competitive challengers for victory, too. Singapore’s Chris Timms, for example. He has been more at ease with slippery and sliding conditions over the years and is also a winner of UTOP in Penang a few years ago, a race course that probably comes close to what runners will face this Saturday. There are some proven victory and podium runners from the home country as well ,though. Danon Rattanatumrong, Somchai Chaosakorn and Narin Kongsiri, for example. There’s more expat runners, such as Jeremy Ritcey and Evgenii Makarov, who was second in Kalaw Ultra Trail Run in Myanmar last February.

In the women’s 80km race we could see a repeat win for Bangkok-based American Tara Savage. There’s a number of potential challengers, though. Yasuyo Hotta was part of the ATM Championship winning team Japan at the 9 Dragons, and Philippines’ Merionne Dimen was 2nd in Luang Prabang Trail at the start of season 11.

Tara Savage, already a race winner at Akha Trail before

Jeff Campbell looking to add another ATM race win to his record

Chris Timms, can he challenge Campbell if it gets wet and rugged?

As announced already early this year, Tulay Trail and Soimalai Trail are two new entries in Thailand on our Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar in 2026. Both events in the Tak Trail series are highly scenic and popular, and you can sign up now. Tulay Trail is scheduled for the weekend of 24-25 October, making it the third ATM Championship Qualifier event in Season XII, after Luang Prabang Trail (Laos) and Ultra Fish’n Sheep (Hong Kong).

On the programme are three relevant distance categories, of which the 100km and 45km are qualifiers for the 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.

Be quick to register as slots are limited.

An early but exciting announcement regarding Season XII’s Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendars: Soimalai Trail in Thailand is a new entry scheduled for the weekend of 11 to 13 December. A new end-of-year event , courtesy of a very successful Candidate Race stint two months ago. Soimalai is one of the events of the annual Tak Trail series, which also includes Tulay Trail at the end of October. 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 event’s facebook page you can see plenty of jawdropping images from the 2025 edition. Soimalai is an event that has two editions each year: one summer and one winter edition. Please note that it is only the winter edition that offers points for the ATM Championship ranking and runners’ Grandmaster Quest challenge.

On the programme we have two Championship qualifiers: 100 Miles and 65km . Grandmaster chasers can choose between the 100 Miles and the 100km races.

Starting at 4 am on Friday, the 100 Miles measures 166km and has an elevation gain of approximately 6800 metres. Cut-off time has been set at 52 hours. There’s three distinct peaks in the couse profile.

The 65km profile shows a rather traditional profile with one long uphill followed by a rollercoaster on a high level plateau before the descent to the finish. Elevation gain is estimated at 3100 metres and the COT is 20 hours. This race starts at 4:30 am on Saturday morning. Day time races, but remember it’s december in northern Thailand and we go higher than 1000 metres above sea level.

The 100km starts together with the 65km and has a cut-off time of 30 hours for 5300 metres of elevation gain.

Soimalai lies in Tak province, south of Chiang Mai, which is the closest international airport. From Chiang Mai, you can take a bus to reach the event destination. Details can be found via the below facebook and registration pages, or the whatsapp number mentioned. Please note that Soimalai is a popular event and may sell out well before race day.

Grandmaster Quest chasers can also choose the 100km category

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