Melanie Hingpit couldn't hide her joy for scoring a third place on the podium!

While Brunei's Sefli Ahar hauled himself alongside Steven Ong in the ATM championship ranking last Sunday, Melbourne's Kim Matthews defeated Ruth Theresia from Indonesia to jump to number 1 in the female ATM championship ranking with just 3 races left to go. That's in a nutshell what this year's Clark-Miyamit Falls Ultra delivered. But the Philippines' SuperTrail always has a lot more stories. It is an out-and-back course, which in today's trail world often seems conservative and old-fashioned, but every year again runners are devastated by the difficulty of the 50 miles course. No wonder there were so many delightful scenes at the finish! 

The drama began already before the start as ATM champion and triple winner of CM50, Manolito Divina, announced he was suffering from serious toothache. According to insiders, he was even considering pulling out from the race. He did not, and as always, ran for what he was worth. However, once more this season, someone else matched his pace...and eventually beat it also. Sefli Ahar from Brunei stayed with the Filipino champion at nighttime until he " could not wait anymore ", as he said afterwards. Sefli has matured quickly in the trail running world, coming from a successful track & field and road marathon world. His trail inexperience still cost him the victory at Penang Eco 100K last May, but now he really has got his act together. A winner in Merapoh Trail last August, three weeks ago at Bromo Tengger Semeru Ultra and now CM50. Together with his home race, Beach Bunch Trail Challenge, that's 4 wins in the bag and another race - Izu Trail - coming up. Sefli has 2100 ATM points and is a joint fifth in the championship with Malaysia's Steven Ong. The important thing here is that both these top runners only have 4 results so far, while championship leader Arief Wismoyono (2475) and Manolito Divina (2450) already have five. The rules of the ATM championship say "the best five results count", which implies for the likes of Arief, Manolito and also Isaac Yuen Wan Ho, it is now about eliminating their worst result of the season with a better one, while Steven and Sefli can still get a full whack. 525 for winning UT Panoramic, 550 for winning Izu. 

Steven and Sefli are both, of course, racing still this season. Ong will be in Thailand for UT Panoramic 100 miles, and Sefli is going to the Japan SuperTrail Izu Trail Journey on the same weekend. The men's championship is going to be a thriller! It's not just about these two, both Manolito and Arief are also in the mix for obvious reasons. To finish first, you first need to finish. And Arief is in the lead now. The 2015 champion from Indonesia is undecided whether to run or not run in Thailand still, as he is struggling with a shin splint injury sustained after BTS Ultra. Manolito, the defending champion, is not giving up neither and has announced his intention to challenge Steven on the 100 miles at UT Panoramic! 

Indonesia vs Malaysia vs Brunei vs Philippines: stay tuned for the outcome on 10 December! 

CM50 is every year a surprisingly tough race for all competitors

While the men's championship is anyone's guess at the moment, Kim Matthews has the women's title within reach as she stayed ahead of Ruth Theresia at CM50. The pair was never more than five minutes apart during the race until Ruth fell quite hard in a descent and lost momentum afterwards. Kim did not suffer from the heat as much as in a few other races this time, and was able to push on straight to the finish. In fact, she looked stronger and fresher at the finish than ever before this season! The Vietnam-based Australian scored her fifth win of the season and jumps ahead of defending ATM champion Tahira Najmunisaa in the ranking. Matthews totals 2635 against Tahira's 2600. Ruth remains third with 2575. 

The ambitions of the Malaysian superstar are currently the subject of big debate. The truth is: Tahira holds the key to the women's 2017 ATM championship. But she needs to race - Thailand now as the only option - and face Kim Matthews in a straight dual if she wished to defend her title. The coming days will bring more clarity! 

The CM50 race in Clark saw two great third place finishers as well. Kristian Joergensen proved to be in excellent shape and was the only runner able to keep pace with Sefli and Manolito last weekend! Behind him was a big void to fourth place, but Joseph Gentileo showed talent in beating Spain's Pablo Diago Gonzales, who had "not his best day" in Clark. Pablo had championship ambitions still before the start, but unfortunately for the triple race winner this season it will be a place of honour at the end. Pablo is one of those runners who can still cause an upset in Izu Trail Journey, though, and steal points away from others.... 

Also in the women's CM50 race, third place was perhaps less expected. Melanie Hingpit got it, and not even far behind Ruth Theresia. A new name on the women's scene! 

For post-race interviews and videos of the protagonists' arrivals, please see our facebook page!

Kim Matthews and Ruth Theresia: a great competition but all respect afterwards

Sefli Ahar was an emotional winner of the CM50 this year

The Philippines SuperTrail race in Clark is once again the scene for a crucial battle in the Asia Trail Master Championship, albeit not the final battle for sure. In both the men's and women's race, ATM title pretenders are facing each other with the current points leaders absent. Both Arief Wismoyono and Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid have decided to sit this one out and see what happens with Manolito Divina, Sefli Ahar, Pablo Diago Gonzales, Kim Matthews, Ruth Theresia and several others this weekend. CM50 Ultra is one the Philippines' classic races, and in case you wonder, it is 50 miles and not 50k. 

Both the male and female ATM championship is tight this year, and several runners still have a chance to become champion. Contrary to last year, home favourite Manolito Divina is under quite a bit of pressure. As a triple winner of this race, he has home advantage and is for sure the one-to-beat, but is he as fast as last year? In the past two months, Divina had to settle for two second places (Vietnam Mountain Marathon and Ultra Trail Mapawa) when he was expected to win. It cost him 100 points for the ATM championship, which has made him more vulnerable and has allowed other top runners to dream about the title themselves. On paper the fastest challenger for Tolitz tomorrow is Brunei's Sefli Ahar, unbeaten in 4 ATM races if we exclude the unfortunate DNF at Penang Eco this year. Recently, Ahar broke the 102k course record at BTS Ultra and if anyone can follow the sheer running speed of Divina it is him. Ahar himself wants to become ATM champion and quite simply must score a big result, as he only has 3 results in the books so far. Other contenders for at least a podium this weekend are Pablo Diago Gonzales - let's not forget he won 3 ATM races this year -, Kristian Joergensen, James Tellias and Rexell Aguirre. Especially if it were to rain, keep an eye out for the technically skilled Gonzales. 

The three leading women of the ATM championship are only 25 points apart in the ranking, and the numbers 2 and 3 are ready to jump ahead of Tahira Najmunisaa this weekend. Both Kim Matthews and Ruth Theresia have taken the battle to Tahira all season, at least in terms of points. The Australian and the Indonesian will be running together for the first time at CM50, and it is anyone's guess who will come out on top. Both are multiple race winners this season. CM50 being a SuperTrail, the winner will collect 550 points and that is enough to jump marginally ahead of the Malaysian 2016 champion, whose future in ultra is the subject of much debate these days, in fact. Local runners who can be expected to fight for the podium are Maria Luisa Prado and Diorella de la Cruz Cerujano.

As usual, we will be reporting live from the action at CM50 Ultra throughout the night and day via our social media channels. 

The two leading contenders for the women's race and the ATM Championship

Can Philippines-based Kristian Joergensen cause an upset this weekend?

The CM 50 Ultra starts at night, which allows for fantastic vistas at dawn

The Izu Trail Journey is the Japan SuperTrail and on 10 December the last race of the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship. The event is quite historic, and the local organiser has released the below press release with significant background information on the origins of Izu Trail. This is a 72 km race that is set to be one of the season's highlights, and if you didn't get in this year or were not ranked high in the ATM championship by the end of October, focus on 2018, because Izu Trail will stay in ATM also next year! 

We are happy to announce a new 2018 Asia Trail Master Candidate Race in the Philippines taking place on the first weekend of December. The Sandugo Pacific Coast Ultra 100 starts and finishes in General Nakar, Quezon Province, and offers quite a runable and breathtakingly scenic course of 100 km, 50 km, 25km or 12 km with a manageable cut-off time for everyone who keeps moving. Total elevation gain for the longest distance of 100 km is just under 2000 hm. 

The race course will start  from the Municipal Hall grounds located on the center of the town of Gen. Nakar and  it will pass through forest trails, river trails, back roads, coastal roads and tribal communities  of the province taking in some of the most spectacular and challenging terrain the venue can offer. The racers will traverse the newly opened Pacific Coastal road carved out on the eastern side of the Sierra madre mountain range and will run along with the view of the Pacific Ocean  most of the time. The race course is generally undulating  with some short, steep ascends and descends with  multiple river crossings on some of the country’s cleanest rivers and  Its aim is to promote the area as an ideal venue for mountain Biking, trail running and other outdoor sports activities

Step up to the challenge and join the Sandugo Pacific Coast Ultra100. Experience Nakar's fantastic scenery while testing your will on the various assaults, fireroads, and river-crossings that you'll traverse on the various routes! Get your children started on trail running as well by having them join the kids category! 

One of the people behind the new event is pinoy endurance sports icon Thumbie Remigio. By being a Candidate Race, Sandugo Pacific Coast Ultra 100 is in pole position to obtain one of the five calendar spots for Philippines in 2018. 
 

Two short and crispy trail runs with ATM championship points on the line and back-to-back: that's Wolf the Trail. The first serving is held in the Philippines with the Rizal Mountain Run on 28 January and the Pilipinas Akyathlon a weekend later. In between, you can do some training and sightseeing on and around Mt Pulag in the Cordillera Mountains. One week of pure trail bliss in the Philippines! 

The two races are 50 km and 46 km respectively, but are hilly with quite some elevation gain. After the season opener in Bandung, Indonesia, - Tahura Trail -, Rizal Mountain Run and Pilipinas Akyathlon continue to build up your shape and endurance levels for the first ultras of the 2018 ATM championship, which come later in February with UTKC and the 9 Dragons. 

Both races are open for registration via Raceyaya, and you can now even add your ATM ID number when you sign up. Every runner who has a ranking in our championship has an ATM ID, and you can find it simply next to your name in the ranking. By adding your ID when you register, you earn a chance for free benefits! 

On 6 May 2018 trail runners can already for the fourth time take part and score Asia Trail Master championship points in the Tengri Ultra Trail in Kazakhstan. A unique race through steppe or grasslands and canyons over a total distance of 70 km, 35 km or 15 km at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tamgaly Tas, known for its prehistoric cave paintings and drawings. The Tengri Ultra Trail is one those trail and outdoor event experiences you won't easily forget. Participants are required to camp overnight at the race venue along the banks of the mighty Ili River, where mobile connectivity is still a hit-and-miss. Barbecue combined with cultural and mysterious shaman performances are part of the entertainment on pre-race night. 

This is a race suited for quick-legged runners as the total elevation gain over the Grandmaster distance of 70Km is no more than 1450 hm. Nevertheless, the canyon section does require focus as some sections are technical, especially if it is raining like last year at the start. Usually, the weather is dry and hot during the day. 

International runners need to fly into Almaty, former capital of Kazakhstan before it was moved to Astana. Almaty is still the economic and cultural centre of the country and certainly deserves a few days of exploring. Almaty is surrounded by high mountains as well, so after the race you might as well do some training out there as well. Remember Almaty was a candidate to organise the Olympic Winter Games in 2024 but narrowly lost by just four votes to Beijing-Zhangjiakou. 

Air Astana has direct flights to Almaty from a number of Asian capital cities: Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, for example. Book early and you can even get a good price also. 

Have a look at the splendid video documentary below of the 2017 event and get yourself convinced to go and try something new in 2018! Further below is the link to our cover page, from where you can also connect to the local event website (also in English). 

Video 2017 event

Tengri Ultra Trail

One of the fastest races on the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar has opened the registration for next year's edition, scheduled for 1 April 2018. Sungai Menyala Forest Trail offers a 50 km trail in dense ancient rainforest and is also one of the more accessible races with Port Dickson being just an hour's drive away from Kuala Lumpur. 

The event also has shorter distances on its menu for the less ambitious runners, or indeed for people who would like to get a first taste of running on trails as opposed to running on roads. For the ATM Championship, though, it is the 50K that matters with the standard 500 points to be scored by the winners (100 finisher points, 400 performance points). 

Filipino runners set Sungai Menyala alight last April with ATM Champion Manolito Divina beating a star-filled race including the likes of Steven Ong, Arief Wismoyono and Pablo Diago Gonzales. In the women's, Sandi Menchi scored one of her three ATM race victories this season ahead of Jessica Lintanga and Jeri Chua. Also in 2018 race director Razif Yahya expects an influx of fast trail runners into Port Dickson. 

Everybody is welcome to register for the event now via Raceyaya. 

more details:

For the second time in a month, Asia Trail Master championship leader Arief Wismoyono had to tolerate a European guest runner to take a prestigious race victory in his home country of Indonesia. Wismoyono finished second in the 100 miles race of Bromo Tengger Semeru Ultra last weekend behind Matthias Kraus of Austria. Still, the Bandung Explorer ace increased his points lead in the championship by 75 points and is beginning to look like the one to beat with just four races left on the calendar. Ironically, his main rival could become Brunei’s Sefli Ahar, who won he 100km race at BTS with astonishing speed and remains unbeaten! 

The event was overshadowed by the sudden passing of Jakarta ultrarunner Andi Nursaiful, who succumbed to a heart attack in the early hours of Saturday. 

Italy’s Alessandro Sherpa was leading the 100 miles race early on. At km 60, however, he was forced to retire as his drop bag was not available at the chosen checkpoint. Fellow European Matthias Kraus took over, while the local heroes Arief Wismoyono, Fandi Achmad and Dzaki Wardana stayed more or less together for a long time - wise given the very technical nature of some parts of the BTS Ultra course. Kraus proved too fast and claimed the win, but Wismoyono proved once more he is still the reference in male trail running in Indonesia by taking second place. He now totals 2475 ATM championship points and puts additional pressure on all other contenders to catch up with him in the remainder of the season, let alone overtake him!

There was another outstanding performance on the 100 miles as Eni Rosita became only the second woman ever to finish the distance. What a comeback for her after the misery and long recovery folllowing the acid attack last year in October. Since her return, Rosita has been struggling to keep up with the fast pace of the new wave of runners such as Ruth Theresia and Shindy Patricia, but her stamina and determination is as high as ever! Patricia, in fact, was a DNF after 100k last weekend. Even though the Malang runner was one of many who suffered from food poisoning, it is arguably not a coincidence that the toughened Rosita made it all the way to the finish. Overall, ten runners completed the 100 miles this year within the assigned cut-off time of 45 hours.

The 100k race deserves a lot of credit also at BTS and is rewarded with 500 championship points for the winner. Sefli Ahar took full advantage and kept his own ATM championship hopes alive with a commanding victory in a new course record of 19 hours six minutes. The Bruneian did have his troubles during the race, though, as he got lost a few times. Contrary to in Penang Eco 100, Ahar nowadays remains calm and finds back the right trail to continue his rush to the finish. Imagine Ahar had actually won in Penang as well last May. Alas, he now has 1550 championship points but needs 2 more races to actually have a chance to become ATM champion. The women’s 100k  was won by Malaysia’s Reylen James, who finished half an hour ahead of her compatriot Adelinah Lintanga. Sri Wahyuni completed the podium. Lily Suryani did not have her best race of the year, yet still managed to finish in fifth place.

We are delighted to welcome and introduce the Dalat Ultra Trail into the 2018 Asia Trail Master Championship. The event is the first major international trail running race in Southern Vietnam and is scheduled for 17/18 March 2018. The main race has a total distance of 70 km - Grandmaster distance - and will be a good mix of runable and technical terrain. 

The 70 km course starts in the historical hilltop town of Dalat and runs over LangBiang Peak of Lam Vien Highland with beautiful sceneries, surrounded by hills, pine forests, lakes and waterfalls. Dalat is also known as a cool retreat from Ho Chi Minh City, the nearest city and international gateway to the event. While the 70K is the one that matters for ATM championship points, less ambitious runners can also go for a 42k, 21k or 10k option. 

The organisation is in the hands of 123Go and Vietnam MTB Series, bringing in lots of experience of outdoor activities in the Dalat area. 

The registration for the event opens THIS wednesday for the general public. Stay tuned for the link and be ready as the event is expecting to sell its 1500 bibs quite soon!

More info can be found also via our cover page:

04/03 - Dalat Ultra Trail (VIE)

The last of the Indonesia races in the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship has always been Bromo Tengger Semeru Ultra 100 and this year is no different. This weekend’s 5th edition is the biggest ever in terms of participation numbers and the iconic landscape at the event centre waters the mouth of everybody not present. The 100 miles and 100K races are filled with local and international talent - despite several unfortunate cancellations of ATM protagonists - and our Asia Trail Master Championship leader Arief Wismoyono can make a major step towards winning a second title after 2015. 

The original course of BTS Ultra 100 can be used again this year, which implies runners can expect a seriously tough and technical race, particularly at nighttime. Last year’s dominator Jan Nilsen is sadly out of this year’s edition due to his well-known foot injury. As also Steven Ong, Cao Ngoc Ha and Isaac Yuen Wan Ho decided not to travel to East Java, eventually, Arief Wismoyono is clearly the one to watch out for. Especially given his outstanding run at Mesastila Peaks Challenge a month ago, a 100K where he reclaimed the top spot of the ATM ranking. This weekend Arief can extend his points lead over his championship contenders in his sixth race of the season. Arief has pocketed 2400 points in five races, his worst result being 4th place in Tahura Trail at the start of the year. He got 400 points for that one, and winning BTS would give him 525. In other words, he can up his total from 2400 to 2525 points, which would put him 315 points ahead of Isaac Yuen Wan Ho and 425 of Steven Ong, 575 ahead of Manolito Divina. Arief won’t be sure of winning the championship this weekend, but he certainly can put all the others firmly on the defensive! 

Just like at Mesastila, there’s a few international runners who are unknown on the ATM tour and may get in the mix for victory. Otherwise, Wismoyono’s main competitor may be his compatriot Fandhi Achmad. The latter did not have his best day during the 100k of Mesastila, finishing fourth and somehow never into the fight for the win. Yet Achmad proved at Mantra Summits Challenge - beating Nilsen - and Bandung Ultra 100 that he is one of the best runners for these type of ultras. Achmad plays no role in this year’s ATM Championship, yet he can influence the outcome. 

Other podium candidates are Dzaki Wardana - winner of Ijen Trail 100 - and Hendra Siswanto - currently 8th in the ATM Championship with several strong performances in ultras this season. 

To note is the participation of ATM #4 Shindy Patricia and Eni Rosita in the 100 miles race this weekend. To date, only one woman has managed to complete this distance in the history of BTS. Will they be next? For sure both are in good shape, and if anything, they won’t feel any pressure from Tahira Najmunisaa or Ruth Theresia. The Malaysian ATM Champion has accepted her body’s alarm signals at UT Chiang Rai two weeks ago and is resting to be ready for the final race(s) of the season. Ruth Theresia is gunning for the win at Clark-Miyamit Falls Ultra in 3 weeks. That’s the Philippines’ SuperTrail in the ATM Championship, which means 50 useful bonus points. Ruth is very much a contender to win this year’s ATM championship, being only 25 points behind Tahira, who - as mentioned - is on the ropes at the moment. 

Moving to the 100K, where there’s also 500 championship points to be scored by the race winners, we have Brunei’s Sefli Ahar at the start. Ahar is a policeman in his country with limited time and even more limited opportunity to travel abroad. When he attends a race, his only ambition is to win it. Ahar is now clearly the dark horse in the ATM Championship this year. At the moment he is still down in 16th place in the ranking, courtesy of his two victories at Beach Bunch Trail Challenge 100 and Magnificent Merapoh Trail 100. He DNFd due to inexperience in trail running at Penang Eco 100, leading the race till he got lost. After BTS Ultra 100, his calendar still shows CM 50 and Izu Trail Journey, which makes it five races. Sefli Ahar is fast, but will find BTS to be a different cup of tea than anything he has done before in trail running. Runners like Rhenaldi Firdaus - young, bright and a winner of Mesatila 4 Peaks 65k last year - and experienced Frenchman Vincent Chalias  will not give him the victory on a silver platter. 

The women’s race could be a battle between Malaysians and an Indonesian Grandmaster. Adelinah Lintanga has run some great races this year, which puts her in sixth place of the ATM Championship. Two weeks ago in Thailand, Adelinah lost the route like many others in the last 10k of the UTCR race. One of those others was Lily Suryani, who still finished third in that race. Suryani was chasing Lintanga closely and we can expect the same at BTS Ultra 100k this weekend. The only question is how well have they recovered, and can they withstand the challenge of ULTRON runner Puteri Norsharina Abd Aziz. The latter from Malaysia has done great things on shorter distances and is now moving up to ultra on the international scene. 

As usual, we will be reporting live from BTS Ultra 100 all weekend via our social media channels. Stay tuned! 

The backdrop for this weekend's race. 

We are happy to announce the formal entry in the 2018 Asia Trail Master Championship series of Mantra Summits Challenge in East Java, Indonesia, on 28/29 July. The mountainous and technical race will feature a redesigned 75K race as longest distance, an upgrade of this year's main race. Mantra Summits Challenge was a successful ATM Candidate Race last July, won by Fandhi Achmad who overtook Jan Nilsen in the last sector with Pablo Diago Gonzales finishing in third place. In 2018 we can expect even more international running stars as the event joins the championship, and will be held one week after Ijen Trailrunning, held further to the east in the same region. Both races will be offered also as a Wolf The Trail package for international runners who like to spend a week in East Java. 

The beautiful Kaliandra Eco Resort will again play host to the event in the outskirts of Malang town, approximately 1,5 hours from the airport in Surabaya. While 75K is the distance that matters for the ATM Championship points, less ambitious runners can also opt for a 50K, 30K and 15K option. This year the 50K race got renowned for its technical nature, whereby the descents almost took as much time as the climbing up. The new route for 75 K and also 50 K still has a quite steep downhill from Mount Arjuna (above 3000m!) but it will be more runable as the track is less rocky and more compact soil. The course will pass through a new local tourist area called Budug Asu Hill, which has a beautiful view from there as well .

The 50 K will continue running into a tea plantation and follow the existing route. The 75K instead will continue to a runable section more towards Gunung Mujur and will connect with the 50K section again approaching the finish line at the Kaliandra Eco Resort. 

Stay tuned for all details of the 2018 Mantra Summits Challenge in due course.