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

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.

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.

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.