BUTM: Singgin & Kario unstoppable on 50k, Matsuda and Revilla win 100k

Even for Sabahan standards, the 10th anniversary edition of Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon was extremely hot. However, it did not stop many runners from producing remarkable performances around Kiulu, roughly one hour away from Kota Kinabalu. On the 55k local hero Wilsen Singgin and Japan’s Chisato Kario proved their pre-race favourite status was legit, while on the 105k another Japanese runner - Hiroyuki Matsuda - and Singapore-based Filipino Mia Revilla took top honours.

Blue sky most of the day and no rainfall whatsoever was a big contrast with last year’s edition of BUTM. Trails were dry and therefore favoured those with high running pace. Hiroyuki Matsuda, based in Indonesia, felt like a fish in the water, apparently. Immediately taking the bull by the horns, he quickly took the lead of the 105km runners and was even mingling with the front pack of the 55k participants, who all started together at sunrise (over 650 in total). Matsuda already collected 750 ATM Championship points this season, courtesy of two solid fifth places in Tahura Trail and 9 Dragons, but for him to immediately put pressure on the likes of local hero Milton Amat, Willy Wilson, Andrew Farmers and Bernardo Linus was quite surprising. Initial fears that he would blow up beyond halfway turned out to be unjustified: nobody ever saw him again and he finished in a strong time of 14h23. Milton Amat placed his foot wrong just before halfway distance, resulting in a torn shoe and a bleeding foot. Wisely, he decided not to continue for another 50k and DNFd. An unfortunate experience for Milton, who often struggles to get enough races in to qualify for the ATM Championship Final. Luckily for him, there’s still several qualifier races in Malaysia in the next months. In the end, it was Bernardo Linus - also from Sabah - who grabbed a strong second place - his best ever race result in a long ultra. Linus has worked hard to reach this level of performance on a 100k distance and he was obviously delighted. Willy Wilson also continued to develop as a regular podium contender with third place, just a few minutes later.

In the women’s 105km, Adelinah Lintanga finally wanted to add a BUTM victory to her record. Contrary to in many other races, she pressed the speed button from the get-go and reached the first checkpoint after 12km in the leading position. Mia Revilla - originally from Davao but already living in Singapore for 12 years - was a few minutes behind. On the way to the next CP, Revilla caught up with Lintanga and pressed forward. The latter initially resisted, but by km 70 started to struggle with stomach cramps that eventually even led her to an uncharacteristic DNF. Revilla seemed to have the win in the bag, but also for her it was tough going in the end. She finished in 21h05, 49 minutes ahead of a strong Joyce Yong Hie Jing, and Harlin Richard in third, not so much ahead of Silver Grandmaster Ellen Yin Kwan Cheng from Hong Kong.

Using his vast experience accumulated the last eight years, Wilsen Singgin joined a number of other contenders early on and then pushed the throttle on the most critical uphill section halfway into the race. Nobody had an answer, but a few were certainly not giving up easily. Sheron Sariman was only a few minutes behind at the 42km mark, and he was quickly followed by Unai Garmendia - on holiday in Malaysia coming from the Basque Country in Northwestern Spain. In the descent to the checkpoint, Garmendia suffered quite a tumble, but he escaped unhurt. Christantine Mattan and David Roipin were also not too far back. 2023 Borneo Miler winner Amir Zaki, on his comeback to the racing scene, did very well and would eventually finish 8th. In the last 13km, Singgin extended his advantage to the rest and reached the finish in a good time of 6h20. Unai Garmendia came in 18 minutes later and Sheron Sariman third in 6h51.

Japan’s Chisato Kario is quickly making a name for herself in Southeast Asia. Winner of the Mount Ugo Marathon in Philippines last year (ahead of Angelie Cabalo) and of UTSG in Singapore, Kario finished 5th in the Season 10 Championship Final at the 9 Dragons. But last Saturday, she looked much more at ease with the trails in Sabah than in Hong Kong. Running together with some of the top guys, she was unthreatened for victory and finished seventh overall in 7h55. Behind her, it was quite a toss up between several proven competitors and new name Ryehana Rajap, also Sabahan. While Halimatun Sa’adiah - returning to ATM after a long break - , former BUTM winner Shamiera Auther and Lolita Lintanga were expected to take the first runner-up positions behind Kario, it was instead Rajap who emerged second in the finish in 9h13. Sa’adiah completed the podium in third, ahead of Lintanga and Auther.

The next Malaysian ATM Championship qualifier is Penang Sky Race 50km on 25 April. Grandmaster Quest chasers can focus on Merapoh Trail, returning to the ATM calendar, one week later.