Bukidnon has become a genuine trail running hub alongside Davao in Mindanao in the southern part of the Philippines, and Point Trail Ultra was testimony to that fact. A solid technical organisation supported by a wonderful vibe created by the various local and regional trail communities made PTU one of the standout experiences of the current season. On top, Bukidnon ace Shally Yason scored her second back-to-back ATM race win just five weeks after the renowed Hardcore 100 Miles in Luzon. And in the men’s points race, it was the first ever victory for Kik Suello, after innumerable podium places in the past two seasons.

Kik Suello’s win did not come by accident either. The runner from Zamboanga, 7th in last year’s ATM Final, went out to get it on merit. Over halfway into the race by the end of the night, he passed the early race leader Eric Candelanza and also got rid of Kristian Joergensen on an uphill stretch. By that time, pre-race co-favourites like Jevie Cagatin, BTR Ultra hero Roberto Cain III, Jomarc Ferrer, Eldy Bulod, Isaiah Paraiso and Marjones Abugan were already looking at quite a gap that they would not be able to close anymore. In fact, Bulod and Paraiso would even DNF and score zero points. As Candelanza gradually faded towards the end, it was Suello vs Joergensen for victory. Both were more or less running at the same pace only some five minutes apart. Suello, sensing he could finally grab that elusive ATM race victory, did not waste any time at the last two aid stations. Joergensen is always a formidable competitor, and kept the pressure on. The result at the end was two amazing finishing times of 8h05 for Suello and 8h15 for Joergensen. And this for a 70k race with over 4000 hm of elevation gain and lots of muddy, slippery, treacherous trails. A fantastic dual between the two, competitive trail running at its best. Candelanza salvaged his 3rd spot on the podium, a great ATM debut for him. He crossed the finish line in 8h39. Almost one hour later, Jomarc Ferrer outsprinted Roberto Cain III for fourth place, and excellent and potentially significant result with a view to his ambition to qualify again for Team Pilipinas at the ATM Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October. Cain III said afterwards he had trouble with his stomach throughout the race. In sixth, after running fourth for quite a while, was Jevie Cagatin, who also was not yet 100% fit after a bit of an injury recently. Marjones Abugan did well in seventh place, closely followed by Dan Fernandez in eighth.

The women’s race was more clear cut. At the first aid station, Shally Yuson and Erlicete Paragoso were still together, but in the next section Yuson already went solo. She quickly developed a substantial gap to Paragoso and Kimberly Flores, with Valerie Marcos close behind in fourth place. Most of the race nothing changed, but towards the end Paragoso faded and Marcos launched quite an incredible push and overtook both Paragoso and Flores to look for Yuson. In the end, the gap was big enough for Yuson to just maintain a consistent pace and win in 11h52, but it was nevertheless surprising when Marcos finished just 12 minutes after her. Great final third of the race by Marcos. Kimberly Flores finished about an hour later in 12h46. Paragoso still cramped up and lost fourth place to Metzi Joy Alson, who is having a very solid season that might get awarded come September with a spot in the team for the ATM Championship Final. The same applies for Shekinah Velasquez, who finished seventh last Sunday behind Daryl Palomar. Cristine Montuya never featured at the front this time around, yet still scored useful points for eigth place.

The next ATM Championship points race in the Philippines takes place in Bukidnon as well. MUSPO 100 in Valencia, a bit closer to Davao compared to Malaybalay.

Point Trail 70: First ever ATM victory for Kik Suello as Shally Yuson goes 2-in-a-row!