KAR Ultra: line up promises interesting races in hot weather

For the second year in succession, KAR Ultra offers 110km and 60km race options for Asia Trail Master Championship points. ‘Kadamaian’ was a great newcomer on our calendar last year and managed to create its own identity next to Sabah’s classic Borneo TMBT Ultra, which takes place again next month. The start lists promise some very interesting competitions. Local stars Wilsen Singgin, Milton Amat and Oswald Maikol are squaring off against each other on the 60km, and in the women’s 110km we have another dual between Rejlen James and Philippines’ Cecille Wael, who won Sierra Madre Trail this season ahead of Sabah’s female long ultra star. But: we also have the debut of youngster Shamiera Auther on the 110km.

KAR Ultra certainly also attracts big numbers for its two flagship categories. The 110km will have over 250 starters, for example. Perhaps the women’s 110 attracts more attention due to the aforementioned runners, but also in the men’s we have former winner Gustin Tiam returning. Tiam has had a difficult season, plagued with injury, but he knows the KAR trails like the back of his hand. Haziq Asyraf had a bit of a competitive breakthrough in this race last year and may be trying to score his first ever race win under ATM. More podium contenders in the women’s 110km are the inevitable Adelinah Lintanga, Celeste Teo and also the newcomer on the ATM scene Nurul Emyra Fazira Isnariah Binti Absi, currently ranked third in the Malaysian ATM ranking and almost for sure a qualifier for the ATM Championship Final.

The 60km will see the Sabahan stars Singgin, Amat and Maikol, but there’s others who could feature. Vitus Daimi, for example, and also Hong Kong-based Mark Iandoli. For the Malaysians competing for the five spots in Team Malaysia for the ATM Championship Final coming up in Vietnam, it's an important race. In fact, Milton Amat better aims to win both KAR 60 and TMBT next month to retain at least a chance for qualification. Milton has had a quiet season with only 1 third place result (BUTM) so far. In contrast, Wilsen Singgin can assure himself of his fourth consecutive qualification this weekend.

The women’s 60km sees Dening Lo trying to score her second victory in one month after Mantra 68. She is the logical favourite also, but will need to keep an eye out on Lolita Lintanga, Joannes Dazeree, Singapore-based Miki Ueki and perhaps Lynda Marylyn.

ATM will be reporting live from KAR Ultra all day on Saturday.

Shamiera Auther, winner of the 60k last year. Now she makes her debut on the 110k

Oswald Maikol: coming man in Sabah

Wilsen Singgin: winner last year and in even better form this season. Up against Milton Amat on the 60k

Singapore’s Dening Lo has just won Mantra 68 once again. Another top result puts her in the ATM Final

Sabah’s Rejlen James: winner last year, can she repeat and avenge her loss against Ces Wael in SM 75

Cecille Wael took a great victory over Rejlen James and others in Sierra Madre 75 this season

Izu Trail Journey on 14 December this year

We are happy to announce that this year’s 12th edition of Izu Trail Journey in Japan is scheduled for Sunday, 14 December and is now open for registration. One of the country’s most iconic and most competitive trail races has been a member of our Asia Trail Master calendar since 2017 and always ranks among the very best events of the season. The Izu Peninsula is not far south from Tokyo , and race pack collection site Mishima is connected to the capital via shinkansen bullet train.

The stunning course of the Izu Trail Journey, often referred to as "ITJ", takes runners from the edge of the ocean up and across the mountains of the peninsula. It’s an A to B course mainly following an old pilgrimage trail of 70km, which means it’s also a Grandmaster distance. The expansive vistas of the Pacific Ocean below and the HUGE views of the majestic snow-topped Mt. Fuji you'll encounter while running along the Nishina Pass are awesome and will absolutely blow you away!

While the competition is tough, the cut-off time of 14 hours for the 70km is doable provided you keep moving and can also handle cold weather, which often characterises Izu. Snow is not excluded. The second part of the course is more technical and has more elevation difficulties than the initial runable 30km. Last year, victory went to Hokkaido’s Koken Ogasawara and China’s Xiang Fuzhao.

Registration goes via the official website linked below. Sign up soon, as this one fills up! A great end-of-year trip, Izu Trail Journey remains highly recommended for everyone keen on trying out a race in Japan.

MUSPO 100: Roberto Cain III and Shally Yuson score another victory

Expected winners at MUSPO 100 this year. Roberto Cain III and Shally Yuson had to fend off a solid challenge by others, but nevertheless prevailed in the penultimate Filipino points race of Season 10, propelling both of them to the top of the Filipino ATM ranking and a certain qualification for the Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October.

Already a race winner at BTR Ultra in Bali this season, Roberto Cain III was running nearly the entire race, which started at midnight, side by side with co-favourite Jevie Cagatin. Behind the duo, Marjones Abugan, Sean Aying and the surprising Cabalona Ace were battling it out for the third step on the podium. It was only towards the end that Cain III reached out to victory, also aided by the fact that Cagatin began to suffer from stomach issues. Cagatin even briefly dropped behind Marjones Abugan, who was running his best and most competitive race of the season. While Cain III marched on to victory, Cagatin persevered in the last hillclimb to overtake Abugan again for second place and important points to ensure qualification for Team Pilipinas. Abugan was third, Sean Aying a very solid fourth and Cabalona Ace fifth. Gerald Paday was sixth.

Shally Yuson and Kimberly Flores also looked equally matched for a while, until Yuson began to apply her experience in competing. She went on to her third ATM race win of the season - which does underline the improvement in performance and the consistency we have seen this year. Flores finished second some 20 minutes later - a great result for the podium placer in Point Trail last month. Unfortunately, some confusion at a checkpoint earlier in the race resulted in a time penalty for Flores, which brought her down to sixth place in the official result. Emelyn Cabingas therefore claimed second place, a strong performance by her, just ahead of Roflyne Fangayen.

Roberto Cain III celebrates his second ATM race win after BTR Ultra in Bali two months ago

Jevie Cagatin is edging closer to his top form again. Another podium in the bag.

Marjones Abugan was a very competitive third in MUSPO 100

the men’s podium

Shally Yuson has become the benchmark in women’s trail racing in Mindanao

Kimberly Flores: a great run, not too far behind Yuson, but a missed checkpoint meant penalty time

Emelyn Cabingas scored a great podium

Earn a Grandmaster point at DASAL on 8/9 November

Datu Salumay Invitational Trail Run, perhaps better known as ‘DASAL’, is a new entry on the ATM Grandmaster Quest calendar on the weekend of 8/9 November 2025. The popular event takes place in Marilog - some 80km outside of Davao City and - indeed - has a full decade’s history already! This will be the 11th edition and following last year’s Candidate Race label, the organisers continue with the freshly introduced long ultra category of 85km that has instilled fear in many participants. Hence, the race carries the tagline “Leave you fears beehind” At least, it is regarded as a considerable challenge with 5000 metres of elevation gain on paper. Of course, the 85km is the category to go for if you wish to score a Grandmaster Quest point. For less ambitious runners there is still the shorter distances of 42km, 21km and 12km during the weekend. For those wondering: the bee is the event’s mascotte, chosen also to highlight the importance of bees for the natural environment.

The trails of Datu Salumay will have runners passing by waterfalls, streams, rivers, trees, grasslands, and steep hill ascents and descents. It starts and finishes at the Datu Salumay Elementary School grounds, which is just adjacent to the Syre National Highway. The start is usually at 2 pm in the afternoon, meaning nearly everyone will also need to run through the night, which at least has the benefit of being cooler.

Last year, the long ultra saw victories by Roberto Cain III and Metzi Joy Alson.

You can check the official facebook page for more details. Registration is open and you can also order some nice-looking merchandise while you are at it.

MUSPO 100 featuring Roberto Cain III, Jevie Cagatin and Shally Yuson

The annual MUSPO event in Valencia, Bukidnon, on the southern Mindanao island of the Philippines keeps attracting large numbers of trail runners. As also illustrated by Point Trail Ultra in nearby Malaybalay last month, the sport is absolutely booming in this part of Southeast Asia. It’s the fourth year in a row that MUSPO features on the ATM calendar and this season it’s the 100km category that draws all our attention. Some of the country’s finest trail runners will toe the starting line on Saturday in the penultimate ‘home’ race of the season. Next month, The Punisher in Davao will be the last chance for Filipino runners to score more ATM Championship points in their attempts to get into Team Pilipinas for our ATM Championship Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam on 4 October.

2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macanears features on the MUSPO 100 start list, but it remains to be seen whether he will effectively show up. If he does, he would be the logical favourite to win the men’s race. However, there is competition for victory: BTR Ultra winner Roberto Cain III and also last year’s highest ATM points scorer Jevie Cagatin should be the main opponents. Marjones Abugan and 3-star Grandmaster Sean Aying could also be in the mix for podium. And who knows we get to know a new local name once more. So many locals started running in the past two years, we are bound to discover some more new talents.

In the women’s race we were looking forward to a nice race for victory between Shally Yuson, in superb form this season, and Julieann Morales. However, earlier this week Morales was forced to pull out of MUSPO with a significant ankle injury that manifests itself especially when going downhill. Plenty of other female runners on the start list, and as with the men, let’s see if anyone can rise to the occasion and give Shally Yuson a run for her money this weekend.

ATM will be reporting live from Valencia on ATM Facebook and the usual channels.

Shally Yuson: in great form this season with two wins already

Roberto Cain III: superb winner of BTR Ultra last May

Jevie Cagatin: scored most points of all Filipinos last year. This season he has been consistent, yet lacking a win

9th Malnad Ultra 2025 now open for registration

For the fourth year in succession, Malnad Ultra in Chikmagalur, Karnataka in Southwest India, will offer two points race categories for the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking and one for the Grandmaster Quest. The 9th edition of Malnad Ultra is scheduled for the usual weekend of 22/23 November. The 100km is once more the long ultra to focus on, as well as the ‘daytime’ 50km medium distance race. Note: the event now also offers a ‘nighttime’ 50km, but that category does not offer ATM Championship points. Online registration is already open.

Malnad Ultra remains a classic on the Indian trail running calendar, and rightfully so. Taking place in India’s Karnataka region near Bengaluru in the southwest is a wonderful trail experience in what can still be seen as a new destination. The event essentially takes place in a large coffee plantation area at elevations ranging from 800m to 1500m above sea level. The races are runable, but challenging and across various types of terrain with accumulated elevation gain of approx 3400 hm for the 100 km and 1700 hm for the 50 km.

The origin of the name Malnad is attributed to Male meaning Hill and Nadu meaning Land. So, Malnad is the land of the hills. The organisation is in the capable hands of the Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM), and further driven by a large team of enthusiastic volunteers.

Bengaluru is the easiest airport to fly into as the international gateway to the event. From there, busses will take runners to Chikmagalur and Mallanduru, roughly 5 hours away, where the event is held. Please note Malnad Ultra is a trail adventure and takes place in a remote area so allow for enough time to reach the final destination. Also, be aware that mobile connectivity may be limited on many parts of the course.

International runners are recommended to email the event organisation of Malnad, or Asia Trail Master, directly for details about transportation options to the event site. Accommodation is mostly pleasant homestays - with great food! - and are plentiful in the area. Detailed information about travel, accommodation and touristic options are available on the official website of Malnad Ultra now.

The event has a quota on participation, so please do not wait until a few weeks before to register. You can check all details on the event via the official website and find the registration button there as well.

Shashwat Rao has been winning the 100km race for men in recent years, and last year the 50k women saw fantastic performances by the young female Nepalese runners from Jumla.

Last year, Jumla’s young female talents set the Malnad trails alight

UiiT 40: Kyu Hwan Lee faster than Hiroki Kai on Ulleungdon island

The Ulleung Island International Trail last weekend saw a great victory for Korean runner Kyu Hwan Lee, who was a solid 17 minutes faster than Japan’s Hiroki Kai. The latter is a bit of a celebrity runner in his country, and one who finished third in Izu Trail Journey no less last December. Kyu Hwan Lee thus took a big win on the small island off the coast of Busan. Fastest woman in UiiT was Lee Soonyeon.

The second edition of the event somehow fell a bit under the radar. UiiT was held from point A to B and in mostly sunny and fine conditions. For Kyu Hwan Lee, it was truly a remarkable achievement to take victory. For Hiroki Kai, he now may have collected enough ATM points to be part of Team Japan in the ATM Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October.. Jangsang Geun was third in the men’s, just a few minutes behind Hiroki Kai. In the women’s race, the podium was completed by well-known Jang Boyoung and Kim Donghee.

UiiT will return to the calendar on the same weekend next year.

Busy bee Hiroki Kai scored his second ATM race podium of Season 10

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Tulay Trail in Thailand a new ATM Candidate Race

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.

Camiguin Island Trail for a Grandmaster Quest point

This weekend’s Camiguin Island Trail has attracted many hundreds of runners to the island in the Bohol Sea, approximately 10km off the northern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines. The 3rd edition is part of the Grandmaster Quest calendar this season and the start list also features many big Filipino names. Jomarc Ferrer, for example, who has just returned from third place at Mantra 116 in Indonesia last weekend. How well has he recovered? Nevertheless, Ferrer will be one of the favourites for victory in the 70km race. Also Leoniel Perez, who recently won the ATM Candidate Race in Arakan, will be one to watch out for in the front of the race. Grandmaster *** Sean Aying is another favourite in the men’s race, alongside local runner Merson Dagondon. Dave Grande is a very young new trail talent, let’s see how he fares in this race. In the women’s competition there’s Ann Jilian Pulanco, Julie Mae Marquez and Rizalyn Lauron, for example. Of course, Camiguin Island Trail offers no Championship points, only Grandmaster points and there’s a lot of people on the Quest who will be starting the race.

The trail event is held out of the island’s and provincial capital Mambajao. The island has some lush green forest reserves, even protected under the ASEAN Heritage Park label. Camiguin also has a rich cultural history and treasures, such as Old Mambajao Fountain and the façade of the Santo Rosario Church in Sagay. This is a mountainous island, which offers the opportunity for some splendid trail running, including some technical mountain sections. The highest peak is Mount Timpoong, which towers a respectable 1500 metres above sea level.

Earn a Grandmaster Point at Santa Cruz Trail Ultra

Santa Cruz near Davao in Mindanao, Philippines, has become one of the trail running hubs in the country and the wider Southeast Asia region and this is illustrated by the now many events being organised there. Today we are happy to announce that Santa Cruz Trail Ultra has entered the Grandmaster Quest calendar. Established by Santa Cruz Trail Runners and with Grandmaster*** Sean Aying as race director, the event was a Candidate last year and is now scheduled for 27/28 September 2025. Runners on the Grandmaster Quest need to aim for the 75km category.

2025 is the third edition of the Sta Cruz Trail Ultra. The event is in celebration of the 141st Araw ng Sta. Cruz, a tribute to the rich heritage and awe-inspiring landscapes of Santa Cruz in Davao del Sur. While the 75km is the main category, less ambitious runners can also choose 3K, 15K, and 30K categories options. As the official SCTU intro reads: “the event will be guiding participants through the heart of the central mountain ranges and across the rugged ridgelines of majestic summits. The course reaches its climax at Mt. Tinako, standing proudly at over 1,300+ above sea level—the highest point of the race—offering not just a test of endurance, but views that will take your breath away. “

Interesting to note is that SCTU is part of the Trailblazer Program under the Sta. Cruz Tourism Office, positioning the municipality as a top trail running destination in Southern Mindanao. A strong focus on eco-tourism and community involvement, the event brings together athletes, nature lovers, and local stakeholders for a cause that goes beyond the finish line.

The start venue is the new Sta Cruz New Municipal Hall and the 75km will be flagged off on Saturday afternoon 4 pm. Santa Cruz can be reached easily by public transport and grab cars from Davao City.

Online registration is open and can be accessed via the button below. It is also recommended to join the facebook page of the event to stay up to date on latest developments.

Prenn Trail Summit enters Grandmaster Quest calendar

This year’s Prenn Trail Summit in Dalat, Vietnam, has been moved forward on the trail calendar and is now scheduled for the last days of November. It will be a major Grandmaster bonanza, as there’s no fewer than four GM distance categories on the event programme. The longest one is even a mega ultra of 250km! Slightly less ambitious trail runners looking for a Grandmaster point can also choose for the 187km, 103km and 75km categories. Important: PTS is only part of the ATM Grandmaster Quest calendar in 2025, not of the Championship calendar.

Directed by the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Lam Dong Province, and executed by Unique Events & Media in collaboration with Tea Resort Prenn, Prenn Trail Summit presents a unique opportunity for runners to challenge their limits while exploring the unparalleled beauty of Lam Dong in an inspiring setting. ‘PTS’ goes all-in on the long ultra scene, after already producing the longest ever Vietnamese ultra in 2024. As the great event website reads: “ These awe-inspiring and grueling trails will test the endurance, determination, and strength of each participant, providing runners with an experience that goes beyond conquering the race – it is a journey to overcome themselves.”

Prenn Trail Summit centres around the Prenn tea resort and, while also Dalat, offers a different trail course going into different areas than other events, such as Lam Dong Trail. The 250km starts on 27 November already, i.e. on Thursday at 13:00 lunchtime. The 187km runners start early on Friday morning, quasi around sunrise. If you’re aiming for the 100km or the 75km then flag off is at different times on Saturday night late.

The 2024 edition indeed had very good feedback from also the many international participants, which included reigning ATM Champion Jeff Campbell, Chris Timms, Tomohiro Mizukoshi, Risa Kamiya, Yvette Chong Mi Chin and plenty of other very experienced trail runners in the Asian region.

Registration is open, and you can also check all the details of the requirements and the course maps on the website. Latest updates are also frequently posted on the official facebook page of Prenn Trail Summit.

Japanese winners in Mantra 116: Yuta Matsuyama and Chizuru Inoue

Mantra 116 spoke Japanese this year as both winners of the brutal mountain trail across Welirang and Arjuno in Malang, East Java, come from the land of the rising sun. Yuta Matsuyama, already second once, took the lead by himself as co-leader Jeff Campbell, the reigning ATM Champion, pulled out at km 68. Former winner Rachmat Septiyanto could not catch him towards the end and settled for second place with Filipino Jomarc Ferrer a strong third.

In the women’s race, Chizuru Inoue proved to be faster than Vietnam’s ultra legend Le Thi Hang and equally experienced Indonesians Septiana Nia Swastika and Sianti Candra.

With the start usually at night, trail runners enjoyed the most magnificent views of Gunung Welirang, above 3000m, by sunrise. One week after finishing second in UTSG 50 in Singapore, Campbell left his comfort zone to try out the technical Mantra trails for the first time. He started well and set the pace together with Yuta Matsuyama, a regular in ATM and on his day good for podium and victory. Already twice winner of UT Chiang Mai and this season’s Luang Prabang Ultra Trail, Matsuyama had to come back to Mantra to try and do better than second place last year. He was certainly ‘on call’, and just pursued his journey when Campbell retired citing “my legs went away” . The question was whether Septiyanto would catch Matsuyama, but not so this year for the runner from Central Java, also a specialist for these type of long mountains ultras. Jomarc Ferrer, ATM Finalist for Philippines last year and again running strong this season, climbed up the leaderboard in the second half and snatched podium.

In the women’s race, Le Thi Hang arguably took a too easy approach early on, while Chizuru Inoue went out strongly. Septiana Nia Swastika also was unable to bridge the initial gap to the Japanese runner, but will be happy with third ahead of Sianti Candra, who had a tough day on the trails.

On the 68km, runners from Reunion island claimed the spotlights. Well-known Marcelle Puy, set Welirang alight as she was reportedly first overall on the summit! Unfortunately, she later missed a course marking sign and went the wrong way, following which she decided to DNF. First place hence went to Singapore’s Dening Lo, already winner of this race a year ago. She finished clearly ahead of another Reunion athlete, Alexandra Assoumi and third -placed Azarin Putri from Indonesia.

In the men’s race we witnessed a tight and exciting battle between Christopher Camachet, from Reunion, and the relentless former ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono. The duo battled it out nearly the entire race and were never really more than ten minutes apart. But Wismoyono was unable to catch Camachet, not even in his specialty - the descent. A little less than half an hour later, Abdul Aziz Dermawan continued his fine form of late by taking third on the podium ahead of Malaysia’s Muhammad Faris - winner in Gombak just twee weeks ago - and Taofik Hidayat, from Bandung in West Java.

Mantra 116 was the penultimate Indonesian points race in Season 10 of the Asia Trail Master Championship. The last one is Ijen Mountain Marathon on the first weekend of September, also the last race before the Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October.