The third edition of Bukit Lawang’s Orang Utan Trail in North Sumatra this weekend is also Indonesia’s first ATM points race of the season. ‘BLOT’ is one of our series’ most exciting boutique events taking place in a remote but scenic river town catering for adventure, outdoor and - of course - orang utan enthusiasts. The race for ATM Championship points is the 50km, which is more or less a copy of last year’s with a runable first half through plantations followed by a technical second half through the jungle and into the orang utan’s natural habitat.

It’s an event that has always had a great vibe with a big marqee tent on the city square surrounded by local shops and restaurants and the wide range of sponsor booths. In order to minimise exposure to potential sun heat , the race start of the 50k has been moved forward this year to 4:30 am. Over the past two seasons, we have gotten to know several great trail talents from Sumatra, proving that there’s more to Indonesian trail running than just Java and Bali. Runners such as Erwin Simanjuntak and Andre Sinaga, last year’s excellent 1-2 in the men’s race ahead of established ATM protagonists such as Chris Timms, Jose Luis Alvelais and Thimo KIlberth was testimony to that fact. Unfortunately, it remains difficult for Sumatrans to take part in races elsewhere. Travel expense is often the main stumbleblock - even within Indonesia.

Andre Sinaga is confirmed as a participant again this weekend, at least on the start list. He will face David Longo, the Hong Kong-Australian from T8, in the battle for race victory in the men’s. Unless, as usual, there’s again new faces appearing on the scene. Risqi Kurniawan is unable to start due to injury sustained in another race two weeks ago. In the women’s 50k race, we will see 2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia back in action for the second time this season. Finishing this weekend means she gets the wild card for the ATM Final at TMBT on 14 September. She is the logical favourite to win as well, although Bangkok-based American Tara Savage may keep her focused during the race.

Stay tuned for our coverage of the event this weekend on our usual channels. The 50k race is scheduled for Sunday morning.

Vanja Cnops truly enjoyed her race last year

Local Sumatrans Andre Sinaga and Erwin Simanjuntak stole the show in the men’s race last year

The 3rd edition of Bali Ultra Trail is set for 3 August and will once again return to Gunung Batur in both the 80km and 50km ATM points race categories. The exciting and popular event is now open for registration. Bali Ultra will be one of the last three events where runners can score points for qualification into the ATM Championship Final at Borneo TMBT Ultra on 14 September.

The race route has again been redesigned after it was not permitted to climb Batur a year ago. Those political issues have now been solved, and the famous volcano and the crater rim are again featured in both the 50 miles (80km) and 50km courses. The other climb, Mount Abang, has not been recovered, however. The new route is essentially an out-and-back from Kintamani across Batur to the northern beach shore. Total elevation gain for the 80km is estimated at 4400hm and for the 50km at 2700hm. Start and finish is still at the Geopark Museum in Kintamani. There’s plenty of boutique-style accommodation and a few bigger hotel resorts in Kintamani. Alternatively, major tourism hub Ubud is not that far away neither and one could take a motorbike or taxi from there, too. The start is more or less at sunrise, 6am local time, so Bali Ultra Trail is a daytime race for the most part. Runners should be aware and prepare accordingly, as Bali obviously gets hot during the day. Running during the day of course means you will enjoy the the great scenery to the maximum.

Registration is open via the official website below.

Shindy Patricia won the 100km women’s race last season

Popular Nami Ishihara was 2nd just under two minutes behind Katrin Herzog last year on the 50km. Ishihara is already on the points table again this season with her 10th place in Izu Trail Journey

Akmad Nizar and Sobari Herdiana: always protagonists in Indonesian trail races

Since 2017, mountain runners who focus on Asia Trail Master have set their eyes on Mantra 116 in East Java’s Malang in Indonesia. It is the high mountain trail per excellence in our series with altitudes reaching way above 3000m and trails that remain mouthwatering for even the most technically-skilled trail runners. The event is set for 6/7 July this year and will again feature the 116km long ultra and the 68km medium distance as points races for the ATM Championship ranking and Grandmaster Quest. Registration is open.

The event will again start and finish at the Kaliandra Eco Resort, roughly two hours drive from Surabaya in East Java, the main international hub to get to the event. The 116km has a total elevation gain of 7400hm, but it will feel like more. Gunung Welirang and Arjuno remain the attraction, and runners will start climbing basically right after the start. Since 2023, the gruelling and by many disliked out-and-back section on Mahapena has been removed from the course, making the race a bit more manageable. Nevertheless, the Putuk Lesung climb will certainly test your mettle towards the end.

Participants need to be aware that it can get very cold on Welirang and Arjuno, especially if there’s rainfall. Even though it’s Indonesia, you need to be prepared for ‘northern’ conditions. The organisers are, rightfully, paying a lot of attention on safety and security and will not tolerate any infringements on the mandatory gear list. Mantra 116 is not a walk in the park.

Accommodation and food can be found in and around the race venue at Kaliandra, or nearby.

Watch our race recaps of the 2023 and 2022 races at Mantra below to get an idea of what will be awaiting you in July.

News reel Mantra 116:

The 3rd edition of Bukit Lawang Orang Utan Trail is set for Sunday morning, 12 May. The boutique event in the picturesque riverside town of Bukit Lawang in North Sumatra, Indonesia, has been one of the most popular newcomers on the ATM scene, offering a solid organisation in a great place featuring a fun arena with a big marquee tent, a varied running course and - of course - orang utans in the rainforest. Compared to last year, the start time of the 50km ATM points race has moved forward to 4:30 am, so more runners can avoid the heat of mid-day.

The race course is largely unchanged, which means a very runable first half around and through plantations followed by a technical second half characterised by single and hilly rainforest trails that can also be slippery. However, runners enjoy sliding on those descending trails in Bukit Lawang. The orang utans can be seen, too. They are roaming freely and approach the river in the early morning, so of course not every single runner may be fortunate to meet them. Incidentally, runners on the 25km and 10km short courses tend to have more luck in this.

The 50km race has seen the emergence of great young local trail talent over the past two years. Not in the least a year ago, when Erwin Simanjuntak and Andre Sinaga took the measure of a.o. Chris Timms and Luis Alvelais. Vanja Cnops was a very happy winner in the women’s race last season.

Accommodation is in local homestays, guesthouses or in one swiss-owned hotel on the other side of the riverbank for those looking for something more upmarket. It takes roughly 4 hours to reach Bukit Lawang from Medan airport and a shuttle bus will be arranged. For details on that you can contact the local organising team at Arras Adventures with info@asiatrailmaster.com in copy.

In Bukit Lawang we always discover new Indonesian trail talent

[Updated]

After a beautiful race at Siksorogo Lawu Ultra in Tawanmangu, Central Java, Indonesia, Philippines’ John Ray Onifa and Nepal’s Rashila Tamang crowned themselves as the 2023 Asia Trail Master champions. While Onifa dominated the 77km long men’s race from start to finish in one of his most impressive trail displays ever, Tamang battled with Singapore-based Vanja Cnops throughout the race and, eventually, won thanks to her superior descending skills coming down from Mount Lawu (3250m). Team Philippines won the ATM Team Championship.

The qualified ATM finalist runners took off in all-by-all good weather conditions at sunrise in Tawangmangu, near Solo in Central Java, Indonesia. Torrential rainfall in the days leading up to the race had caused some to fear a slow mudfest instead of the relatively runable trail course on paper. Always a fast starter, John Ray Onifa was clearly not intimidated by all the other stars and race favourites. By the second aid station he already had a gap on rising local star Risqi Kurniawan, who had scored 3 ATM race wins within Indonesia but never really competed at this level previously. Kristian Joergensen and Alessandro Sherpa followed a bit further, and then came Jeff Campbell with Hisashi Kitamura, the latter fresh from a 1:12 half marathon in Japan two weeks prior. Fastest woman was Singapore-based Belgian Vanja Cnops, just like a year ago, but Nepal’s Rashila Tamang stayed surprisingly close and immediately showed she was going to be for real. Angelie Cabalo was third, followed by Shindy Patricia - the most experienced female favourite and title candidate after her best ATM campaign ever with three race wins and a second place (Shindy Patricia is the 2023 overall female points leader in our ranking this year).

At the foot of Gunung Lawu, the highlight of the course with a long ascent and descent and its peak at 3250m above sea level, Onifa had already built up a gap of 20 minutes over his first two chasers. Looking powerful and totally lucid, Onifa already then seemed to have wrapped things up - as long as he stayed concentrated. Risqi Kurniawan on the other hand appeared to be struggling. Just before the gate to the mountain climb, he got caught by Sherpa and was even immediately under pressure by the Italian’s pace. Sherpa was having a good day - as always on the days when it really matters. Between AS 2 and AS 3 he even dropped Kristian Joergensen by a few minutes - which later even turned out to be decisive for their dual. Jeff Campbell was a bit in no man’s land by himself in fifth place, not far behind the other chasers but any hopes of still catching Onifa were fading quickly. The same applied for Kitamura, who later admitted that on a high mountain course like Siksorogo Lawu Ultra - fifth was the best result possible. The Karate Kit had to work for that, nevertheless, as Yoyong Sacayle from Philippines stayed within a minute for nearly the whole day. From a competitive viewpoint, Sacayle’s running pace was arguably the surprise of the men’s race. Known as a very skilled technical trail runner, he has found some good speed in his legs now, too, which looks very promising for 2024.

In the women’s race, Vanja only managed to open up a gap of about five minutes to Rashila Tamang as they began the Lawu ascent. Quite a long way behind them, Angelie Cabalo, Shindy Patricia, Rachel Chan and Akane Nemoto were close to each other. Siti Nuraini was further back, but on Lawu used her mountain trail abilities to bridge the gap with the aforementioned.

During the Lawu summit attack, the men’s order remained unchanged. Except that we were suddenly missing Risqi Kurniawan. Later it turned out he had made a U-turn shortly after beginning the main climb. Kudoes to the 26-year-old Indonesian for trying to keep up with Onifa and then Sherpa. It was brave to try, certainly without meaningful international racing experience. Meanwhile on the summit, Onifa had extended his lead even slightly more. Sherpa held onto second place and kept Joergensen in check by a few minutes. Vanja Cnops reached the top as first female, but as soon as they started the descent was caught and passed by Rashila Tamang. The Nepalese runner used all of her mountain trail experience to full effect to descend like a hawk and applied serious pressure on the more prudent Vanja Cnops - who still combines trail racing with road racing all year round. As they reached AS 5 following the Lawu descent, Rashila had built a lead of twelve minutes! The big question then: can Vanja switch her engine back on in the more flattish and runable remaining 25km of the race? Behind the top duo, Shindy Patricia battled her way passed Angelie Cabalo.

In the early afternoon, most participants had to cope with one or two heavy rain showers. The water affected especially those still on the Lawu trail, which became slippery and treacherous in parts. Up front, Onifa just kept powering on and in the end ran to the finish completely unbothered by anyone or anything. His finish time of 9h45 even exceeded his own expectation of 10 hours. For the second consecutive year, the men’s Asia Trail Master Championship title goes to a Filipino runner after Arnie Macaneras last year (Macaneras pulled out of this year's race a week previously citing a lack of training). 32-year-old John Ray Onifa had been dominant in our series since July with six race wins and no losses prior to Siksorogo. He has won the championship shoot-out, but also finishes the 2023 season with first place on the overall ATM points ranking.

Alessandro Sherpa secured second place by keeping a charging Kristian Joergensen behind until the finish. A fine performance by the 2018 ATM Champion, who last year scored third in the Mt Apo Final. With three ATM Championship podiums, Sherpa is the most successful runner in our series ever. Staying ahead of Joergensen and Jeff Campbell - on sheer pace - certainly raised a few eyebrows and further boosts his legacy as a competitive trail runner in Asia - where he is now staying just a few months per year. Kitamura secured his anticipated fifth place, just ahead of Malaysia’s Wilsen Singgin - who once again came to the foreground in the second part of the race. Singgin managed to grab sixth just ahead of Yoyong Sacacle. Another Indonesian, Akhmad Nizar, did well with 8th ahead of Yuta Matsuyama and Alex Tilley, who rounded up the men’s top ten after Malaysia’s Amierul Amin suffered from nasty cramps in the final kilometers.

Vanja Cnops pushed as much as she still could and did come closer, but in the end not close enough. Rashila Tamang is the first Nepalese ATM Champion. A wonderful success and proof of all the good things we had seen and heard of her during the season. While not exactly a newbie with already six years of experience, also for Rashila it has not been easy to get the required travel documents for racing internationally. Her visa for Indonesia only arrived three days before the race and just in time to catch the flight from Kathmandu. Let’s see if her ATM Championship title inspires many more Nepalese runners to raise their game and compete for international podiums against fellow-Asian athletes. In any case, we may have a points race in Nepal next April: the Jumla Rara Ultra was a solid Candidate Race this season…

Always smiling, Vanja Cnops expressed her happiness with second place, one place better than in the Final a year ago. While everyone at the finish line was expecting Shindy Patricia to take third place, it was instead Angelie Cabalo who appeared and crossed the line. The Filipino had shown great mental resilience by chasing and then overtaking Shindy again in the final five kilometres. A few minutes later, the experienced Indonesian admitted that Cabalo just had too much running pace in her still. Fourth place for Shindy, just like last year. ATM points leader 2023 is her price of comfort. Siti Nuraini scored fifth place with a great second half of the race. Akane Nemoto, struggling in the rainy descent, had to settle for sixth in her ATM debut season. Hong Kong’s Rachel Chan, second in MMTF 100 four weeks prior, took seventh place. The top ten was completed by Tamae Harada (fine result!), Yustina Wardhani (third Indonesian in the top ten!) and Mary Joy Sumanda, who stayed ahead of her compatriot Cecille Wael in another unexpected performance boost.

Team Philippines took over the ATM Team Championship title from Malaysia. While the Indonesian women scored a fantastic team result, two of the men in their team DNFd, which eliminated their chances. Thailand had a decent overall performance but without a stand-out performer in the top ten it was always going to be hard to win the team competition. Defending champions Malaysia knew beforehand it was going to be difficult this year as some of the country’s key runners were missing from the roster for a variety of reasons. On top, Amir Zaki had returned sick from a business trip to Europe and Rejlen James - a serious podium candidate for the women’s race - unfortunately had her day of the month on race day. Team Pilipinas was the favourite, and they delivered in great style with Onifa, of course, but also Cabalo, Sacayle, Versola and Sumanda as ‘over achievers’, compensating somewhat for Sean Aying and Cecille Wael, who both had a tough time on Lawu. Great team work!

ATM Championship SLU 77km - Men:

1. John Ray Onifa (PHI) - New Asia Trail Master Champion

2. Alessandro Sherpa (ITA/Asia Expat)

3. Kristian Joergensen (DEN/Asia Expat)

4. Jeff Campbell (CAN/Hong Kong)

5. Hisashi Kitamura (JPN)

6. Wilsen Singgin (MAS)

7. Yoyong Sacayle (PHI)

8. Akhmad Nizar (INA)

9. Yuta Matsuyama (JPN)

10. Alex Tilley (GBR/Asia Expat)

ATM Championship SLU 77km - Women:

1. Rashila Tamang (NPL)

2. Vanja Cnops (BEL/SIN)

3. Angelie Cabalo (PHI)

4. Shindy Patricia (INA)

5. Siti Nuraini (INA)

6. Akane Nemoto (JPN)

7. Rachel Chan (HKG)

8. Tamae Harada (JPN)

9. Yustina Wardhani (INA)

10. Mary Joy Sumanda (PHI)

ATM TEAM Champions : PHILIPPINES

• John Ray Onifa

• Yoyong Sacayle

• Avelino Versola III

• Sean Aying

• Angelie Cabalo

• Mary Joy Sumanda

• Cecille Wael

• Irish Glorioso

• Roan Biguasen

Risqi Kurniawan took his third ATM race win in Indonesia within little over a month and increasingly looks like a top favourite for this year’s ATM Championship title. Kurniawan outran a stubbornly tough Han Ching Su from Taiwan and his compatriots Akmad Nizar and Sobari Herdiana on the 50km of Bali Ultra Trail in Kintamani. On the 100km, Rachmat Septiyanto took his premier ATM race victory while Shindy Patricia proved her super-form again with her third ATM win of the 2023 season!

Bali Ultra Trail changed the race courses at the last moment to avoid potential repercussions following political statements that climbing Bali’s mountains would very soon be outlawed. This made the race more runable than originally planned, but it still proved tough enough - also due to the heat & humidity plaguing especially the many Japanese athletes.

The 50km was on paper the most competitive distance category and so it turned out to be. As said, Risqi Kurniawan again showed his amazing speed on this distance and it will be interesting to find out if he can stretch that to 77km on 2 December. What should help him in any case: he ran Siksorogo last year and Gunung Lawu is close to his hometown of Magelang! Team Indonesia is building up very nicely with also Akmad Nizar almost assured of qualification for the ATM Final. Nizar has been operating in the shadow of Kurniawan, but consistently so and the smart youngster can certainly produce something special at Siksorogo himself. Team Indonesia will also feature Bali-based German Thimo Kilberth, who had his best race of this season by finishing sixth and “only” 33 minutes behind Kurniawan. Fifth went to the second Taiwanese Pin Chi Chou. Great to see runners from Taiwan feature in an ATM race for once!

The women’s 50km developed into a tight battle between Japan’s Nami Ishihara and Germany’s Katrin Herzog. For a long time, Ishihara had the upper hand, but Herzog came back towards the end and managed to overtake her for the win. In third came Singapore’s Dening Lo, followed by Hszin Tzu Chao from Taiwan and Indonesia’s Siti Nuraini, who probably would have preferred to climb Mt Batur and Mt Abang. Bali’s home runner Dian Pradina had a great performance to finish sixth.

On the 100km, Japanese aces Yuta Matsuyama (male) and Tomomi Bitoh (female) set the pace for the first half, but both began to fade as a result of the climatic conditions and saw others coming back to them. Matsuyama was with Indonesia’s Abdul Salam at first, but he would DNF later and the experienced Rachmat Septiyanto was the one to claim the victory at the end. Second in Mantra 116 seven weeks ago, Septiyanto scored his first ATM race victory and is actually as good as qualified for the ATM Final and Team Indonesia. However, he is the lead organiser of Siksorogo Lawu Ultra and Septiyanto obviously cannot do both things. Matsuyama boosted his chances for qualification in Team Japan. Japan’s Takeshi Hashimoto was the third man on the podium, ahead of Vietnamese runners De Nguyen and Trung Hau Phan. Australia’s Washington Firmeza came sixth in another ATM race finish this season.

Shindy Patricia was chasing Tomomi Bitoh for a long time, being just a few minutes behind the strong and experienced Japanese runner. As often, Shindy is the one who slows down the least in the second part of ultras, and so it was again. In fact, Shindy went on to win comfortably but finished even second overall behind Septiyanto. Matsuyama came next but then it was Vietnam’s Julia Nguyen Thi Duong - in another wonderful performance of the weekend. Tomomi Bitoh still salvaged her podium in third.

Within just 2 months, Central Javanese youngster Risqi Kurniawan has propelled himself into a top fabourite position for the 2023 ATM Championship title.

Podium of the 50km women with Germany’s Katrin Herzog as winner

Wonderful to see a runner from Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) on the podium! Han Ching Su

Rachmat Septiyanto takes his first ever ATM race win

Third ATM victory of the season for in-form Shindy Patricia

Podium of the 100 km women

Podium of the 100km men

Bali Ultra is one of the most anticipated points race events of the 2023 ATM season and the last one in Indonesia before the country of islands hosts the Championship Final on 2 December. That means for those Indonesian runners who do not like or can travel abroad, this is the final shot at a points haul to try and get in the top 5 of the ranking and inside the host Team Indonesia. No surprise that many of the country’s trail running stars feature on the start list, but there’s a very large foreign presence as well, notably from Vietnam, Japan and Malaysia.

The event takes place in Kintamani, in the volcanic north of Bali. Many people might have heard already that the local governor has recently been pushing for an outright ban on climbing Bali’s mountains, including the famous and very popular Mount Batur - highlight of plenty a tourist visit to Bali and of Bali Ultra Trail. Whether or not the ban will effectively come into law still remains to be seen (a formal decision in September is rumoured), but the organisers of BUT have seen no other choice but to comply already, so as not to potentially jeopardise the event’s future. The consequence is that both the 100k and 50k are now much more runable than originally planned, as also the ascent of Abang has been omitted from the course. Good and fast distance runners, rather than volcano climbers will thus likely be seen at the top of the leaderboards and result lists this weekend.

On paper that means the Japanese runners, if they can deal with the tropical heat, are arguably the top favourites for the podium places and the race wins - at least on the 100k. Yuta Matsuyama in the men’s, and Timomi Bitoh in the women’s will indeed be the ones to beat. Matsuyama, double winner of UT Chiang Mai over the years, also wants to win to collect the 500 ATM points. He has expressed his desire to be part of Team Japan in the ATM Final this year. He already scored a 6th place in Dalat Ultra Trail in March, but now he is in better shape again than half a year ago. There can always be a surprise, e.g. from Vietnam, but his main rivals are probably going to be Solo’s Rachmat Septiyanto and Fuminori Kondo. Septiyanto may find the new course a bit too flat for his liking, though. Tomomi Bitoh was 2nd in Seoul 100k last year, and has just done a long ultra in Mongolia. Question thus is if she is recovered enough from that to deal with the rejuvenated Shindy Patricia, who has never looked faster and stronger than in the past eight months. Julia Duong Thi Nguyen, Isabelle Bedard and Qheiza Wiranda Edelwise are other podium contenders we know.

Patricia aside, most of Indonesia’s current top runners are on the 50k, including Risqi Kurniawan. He won this race last year and it is hard to bet against him this weekend, but there’s many unknowns on the start list. Akmad Nizar could be strong on this course as well. What about Taofik Hidayat, Sobiri Haerudin, a motivated Thimo KIlberth - who actually likes the redesigned course from his competitive point of view? Misha Ushakov looked solid in Mantra until he abandoned.

On the women’s 50km, former ATM champion Ruth Theresia features on the start list, but it is not clear yet which distance she will run after her nasty kidney infection a few months ago. Ruth is still on the way back, but showed great promise by winning the 30k race at Mantra. This weekend, Mantra 60 winner Siti Nuraini could secure her spot in Team Indonesia for the finals. Let’s see how she fares on the more runable trails. Many podium contenders also here, including Malaysia’s Jess Lintanga, Halimatun Sa’adiah, several japanese runners such as Yuuka Maeno, Novita Wulandari (winner in Dieng a month ago), Yustina Wardhani and so on.

Siti Nuraini, double winner of Mantra 75, can qualify for the women’s Team Indonesia this weekend

Rachmat Septiyanto was 2nd in Mantra 116 and hopes to collect another podium en route to potential Team Indonesia qualification at the ATM Final

Tomomi Bitoh is one of the favourites in this weekend’s 100km race

Shindy Patricia: what can she do now the course is more runable?

In just a matter of a few weeks, Javanese runner Risqi Kurniawan has totally emerged from the shadows and has proven to be a serious force on the medium distance ATM circuit. In a very interesting direct race against ‘good old’ champion Arief Wismoyono, Kurniawan took his second ATM race win in a fortnight. Last Sunday, the youngster outpaced Wismoyono by a big 34 minutes on the 48km long Dieng Trail Run and cements his recently gained status as the Indonesian benchmark on the 50k. With his victories in Mantra 65 and Dieng 50, he now has 1000 points already, which could be sufficient to secure his spot in Team Indonesia for the ATM Finals. He is also scheduled to run Bali Ultra 50 next month. On our facebook page, you can watch a short interview with the new Indonesian trail star. Arief Wismoyono himself secured his wild card for the Final at Siksorogo Lawu Ultra as a former ATM Champion (2015). In his post-race interview, he showed his class by admitting Kurniawan is now too fast for him on 50k runable courses, and that he is looking forward to running with him in an attempt to win the ATM Championship for Indonesia.

The race started at midnight and was held at an altitude of 2000m and above, which felt very cold for many runners. Kurniawan and Wismoyono immediately set the pace, followed by Kasmana, another new name from Bandung. Kasmana is a protégé of Wismoyono and finished third, less than 10 minutes behind his mentor. Singapore’s Chris Timms was trying to keep up as he had podium ambitions, but went off course early on and that saw his chances evaporate. Timms settled into fourth together with Thimo Kilberth, who had his best ATM race in a while. Sumatra’s Andre Sinaga unfortunately twisted his ankle badly and retired from a race that could have brought him into a position to join Team Indonesia in December. Sinaga, second in Orang Utan Trail ahead of Timms and Kilberth, will need to try again in Bali Ultra next month.

The women’s competition in Dieng was won by La Sportiva’s highly experienced and popular runner Novita Wulandari. Her first ATM race victory. Indah Julita, a.k.a Meili, came second and Qheiza Wiranda Edelwise third. For Edelwise it’s her second points result of the season, which puts her now in second place behind Shindy Patricia in the women’s Indonesia ATM ranking. Bali Ultra on 19 August will be an important event to get into the top five as that will be the fourth and last Indonesian points race of the 2023 season before the big championship final event at Siksorogo Lawu Ultra in Central Java on 2/3 December.

The men’s podium with Kurniawan, Wismoyono and Kauswana

Novita Wulandari and Meili : the two fastest women in Dieng Trail Run 50 !

Qheiza Wiranda Edelwise scored 3rd on the podium in her 2nd ATM race of the season!

The three podium placers plus Chris Timms and Thimo Kilberth as fourth and fifth

The second points race this weekend takes place in Indonesia: Dieng Trail Run in Taman Syailendra in Central Java. Second edition of the event organised by Goat Run and ESA, and featuring a very interesting 50km race with nearly 3400 hm of elevation gain. The participation field is not the biggest, but the quality is definitely there. Arief Wismoyono will be facing some of the most talented young Indonesian trail runners post-covid, including Risqi Kurniawan.

It’s just been two weeks since the tough mountain trail Mantra 116 in Malang, but Wismoyono and Kurniawan - winners of the 116km and 65km races respectively - clearly have energy left in the tank. In fact, Kurniawan even did and won a 60k race in Malaysia last week, too. Let’s hope for him it isn’t ‘overkill’ because a victory against Wismoyono would resonate in the ATM world. On paper, the 2015 champion is now clearly most competitive on the long mountain ultras, which plays into Kurniawan’s hands. A weekend of rest could just be what Wismoyono needed to give his young foe a run for his money on Sunday’s 50km - which starts at midnight. There’s a few other runners who could take the victory as well, however. Medan’s Andre Mozes SInaga was one of two exciting Sumatran runners in Orang Utan Trail at the end of May. Sinaga was second, narrowly behind Erwin Simanjuntak, but a few minutes ahead of Singapore’s Chris Timms. The latter is also competing in Dieng, and is keen to get his first ever ATM race win. For Sinaga, Dieng Trail Run, is an important race also to show himself against his compatriots. Sumatran runners do not have a lot of opportunity to race elsewhere, even within their own country Indonesia. As for Kurniawan, a second great result this weekend could already give Sinaga a spot in Team Indonesia for the ATM Championship Final. Wismoyono just needs to finish the race to score his wild card as former ATM champion. Bali-based Thimo Kilberth has already had two points races this season, and is aiming for a third result in Dieng to ensure his spot in the national country team again. After Dieng, there’s only Bali Ultra Trail left to score ATM points within Indonesia itself.

There’s several other men on the start list with podium potential, and so are many women. None of the better known Indonesian names are running this weekend, so it is an excellent chance for Novita Wulandari, Malaysia’s Siti Hajar Razali and Heroin Parulian to claim the spotlight. Parulian and Desi Ariyani already collected a heap of points in Orang Utan Trail and could secure their spots on Team Indonesia for the ATM Final.

ATM will be reporting live from Dieng Trail Run 50km on our usual channels.

Risqi Kurniawan is having a busy month. A good result in Dieng may already secure him a spot for Team Indonesia in the upcoming ATM Championship Final

Andre Sinaga (front) was one of the two surprisingly quick Sumatra runners in Orang Utan Trail in May

In Mantra 116 two weeks ago, 2015 ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono proved he still has what it takes

Chris Timms, 3rd in Orang Utan Trail, will aim for his first ATM race win this weekend

By now everyone knows this year’s Asia Trail Master Championship will be concluded in Indonesia, with the deciding race being Siksorogo Lawu Ultra in Central Java on 2/3 December. But do you know the event also has many open race categories - that is, besides the ATM Final race? So, why not join and support your national country team members for their big appointment, and then run yourself, too? You can choose between 15km, 30km, 50km and - indeed - the 77km. The latter is on exactly the same course as the ATM Final, but starts two hours later.

Siksorogo Lawu Ultra is one of the most popular trail events in Indonesia, especially as Tahura Trail in Bandung has still not returned post-covid. Highly applauded for technical event organisation and overall event atmosphere, Siksorogo will be a wonderful trail party and an exciting end of our season VIII. Gunung Lawu is one of those many Indonesian 3000m+ mountain summits and the central point of the race. But there’s a lot of sightseeing options in the area as well. The event is held in Karanganyar, near Solo (a.k.a. Surakarta) and Yogyakarta, cities with a lot of Javanese history. Solo is famous as a stronghold and center of Javanese culture and tradition. It features two royal houses in one single city: the Kraton of Solo and the Mangkunegaran, a principality. Descendants of these two royal houses are still considered leaders today. A quick google search will provide you with loads of links to attractions and tourism options in the area, including visits to the old royal palace, batik and antique markets, historical temples and waterfalls. If you have more time on your hands during your visit to the Siksorogo event, you could even consider a trip to nearby Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world and widely considered as one of the seven world wonders. A great and relaxing opportunity perhaps for the day after the race on Sunday, on the way back to Yogyakarta, where most runners will fly in and out of.

Regular registration for the open races will begin in August via the website below. The second button links to a write-up of hikers’ experiences climbing up Gunung Lawu, which may serve as some background information, and stimulation as well!

 

The 6th edition of Mantra 116 (previously known as Mantra Summits Challenge) in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, was arguably its best so far. A wonderful high mountain trail festival with very competitive races, a considerably upgraded safety protocol and superb support from the community. It was very foggy on the summits this edition, but that also made the temperatures quite cool and comfortable for the runners. Despite 500hm less elevation gain this year, Mantra remains one of the toughest and more extreme trail races on our ATM Championship calendar, and yet there were only smiling faces at the Kaliandra Eco Resort.

Most of the current Indonesian trail stars proved to be inspired as well this year to take on Mantra. The 116km and 65k race categories were points races for the ATM Championship ranking in a season that has the Final in Indonesia, and not even so far from Malang: Siksorogo Lawu Ultra in Karanganywar, featuring another 3000m+ mountain climb, Gunung Lawu. The 65 km race at Mantra with Gunung Welirang and the extension to Arjuno in particular is therefore a good indication, albeit 13 km shorter and more technical than the ATM championship decider on 2/3 December.

Risqi Kurniawan was the impressive winner of the 65km race on Saturday, after a great competition with fellow youngsters Akmad Nizar and the surprising Hilman Maulana. Also Bali-based Egyptian Ahmed Bedair and Sobiro Haerudin played along with the top three guys on the ascent of Welirang. The Malaysians, such as Amir Zaki, Amierul Amin and a very strong Ahmad Tanjong did the same. After Arjuno summit, Kurniawan, Nizar and Maulana pushed the throttle even more and it became clear they would contest the podium. Nizar twisted his ankle in the descent and the pain began to bother him more and more. Kurniawan opened the gap and arrived solo at the finish. A first ATM race victory on his debut! Kurniawan is from Magelang in Central Java, and one could argue the upcoming ATM Final takes place in his home area. He will need another ATM race first to have a chance to be qualified for Team Indonesia, though. The same applies for Hilman Maulana, who took second, and Akmad Nizar, who limped into the finish. In two weeks there is Dieng Trail Run 50km, the next points race in Indonesia.

Fourth place went to Ahmed Bedair, who stayed ahead of Amir Zaki, both fell victim to a confused marshal who sent them onto the wrong trail after the descent of Arjuno. Zaki lost a lot of time, but showed his mental resilience by fighting his way back up the leaderboard to fifth place.

The women’s 65km was won for the second consecutive season by Jakarta’s Siti Nuraini. In the lead from the start, she nevertheless could not take it easy as the surprisingly solid Yustina Setyowati kept the pressure on.

On the 116k , Indonesia’s long-time stars Arief Wismoyono and Shindy Patricia took top honours with convincing performances. Wismoyono made the different once again in the descent of Arjuno, having run up the mountain in the company of Fuminori Kondo, Nhon Trong and Rachmat Septiyanto. Kondo sprained his ankle badly and immediately called it a day. Nhon Trong and Septiyanto were trying to keep the gap to Wismoyono small, but towards the end of the race - at night time already - they had to acknowledge the 2015 ATM Champion and 2017 vice-champion was just too fast. Vietnam’s Nhon Trong even had a bit of a scare on the last hillclimb of the day: altitude sickness. With less than 15km to go , he tumbled from third to seventh on the leaderboard. Septiyanto came in second with a big smile: previously he had come in fourth in 2019 and 2022. Finally a podium for the event organiser of our ATM Championship Final, Siksorogo Lawu Ultra. Philippines’ Sean Aying put the cherry on the cake of his great race: third place on the podium.

Shindy Patricia has been around for so many years now, and yet she seems to be running stronger than ever in 2023. Her fourth place last December in the ATM Final, including the fastest summit attack time of all women on Mt Apo, was with hindsight already an indication of her new-found competitive form. Shindy has always been a podium and race win contender, but her overall performance level just seems to have gone up a notch. Best example: her winning time yesterday was almost 5 hours faster than what she did a year ago at Mantra. Five hours, that’s not because there was 500 hm less elevation this year! Indeed, even though a dozen women took the start of the 116k - a record - Shindy was in a league of her own from the get-go. She was even able to keep up with the men for a large part of the Welirang ascent. Ultimately, Shindy finished third overall behind Septiyanto but ahead of Sean Aying and the rest. Her local community in Malang even sounds impressed by her accomplishments this season. It’s her second ATM race win in 2023 following Cuc Phuong in Vietnam in April. With this kind of form, Shindy Patricia will rank among the top favourites for the ATM title win at Siksorogo!

Applause for the three other female runners who completed Mantra 116. Fitta Emike Sari, Nia Swastika and Sianti Candra.

On our ATM social media channels you can find loads of videos and photos taken during the weekend.

Local star Shindy Patricia wins twice in a row but this year with a time nearly 5 hours faster !

Siti Nuraini also won for the second consecutive year on the medium distance at Mantra

Risqi Kurniawan finally appeared on the ATM scene and with great style: victory on the 65km

Akmad Nizar and Hilman Maulana: two more youngsters taking the podium on the 65km

At last on the Mantra podium: after 2 times 4th in previous years, Rachmat Septiyanto is second on the 116km

Davao’s Sean Aying scored a superb 3rd place on the 116k, second time a Mindanao runner grabs podium in Mantra after Elias Tabac won it in 2018.

It’s Mantra time again! The high-altitude classic in Malang, East Java, Indonesia is celebrating its fifth edition this weekend with two points races for the ATM Championship - 116km and 65km - and quite a number of big names on the start lists. Arief Wismoyono, still the Indonesian mountain runner to beat, is arguably the top favourite on the 116km, especially after his fantastic display on the 75k last year. Wismoyono will need to deal with some very solid international competitors, however. Vietnam’s Nhon Trong returns to Mantra after his DNF last year. It was a defeat that bothered him, and already early in the season he announced he would try it again and try to follow into the footsteps of his compatriots Quang Tran and Nguyen Si Hieu, who dominated the 116km race a year ago. Nhon used to be a speedster, but has been focusing more and more on the ultra distances, recently. Another Indonesian ace has been 4th on the 116km already twice. Rachmat Septiyanto, La Sportiva ambassador and driving force behind this year’s ATM Championship Final Siksorogo Lawu Ultra. Can Septiyanto get on the podium this year? Other podium contenders are Japan’s Fuminori Kondo, Philippines’ Sean Aying, Malaysia’s Rasyid Salehuddin and Hafizan Lamin, and Vietnam’s Thang Hoang Huu.

Local Malang resident Shindy Patricia will again line up for her home race as well. Patricia won the 116km as only female finisher last year. Now there’s more women giving it a try on the redesigned course, which has become easier on paper after the initial climbs up Gunung Welirang and Arjuno at an altitude of over 3000m. The Mahapena ascent and descent have been taken out of the course following runners’ feedback. Shindy will need to focus to win again as Jakarta’s Sianti Candra was second on the 75km last year and has been rising through the Indonesian ultra running ranks. ATM Overall Points Leader Roan Biguasen is also present again for already her fifth ATM race of the season. Three second places so far, can she claim that first victory this weekend? Septiana Nia Swastika is another strong and experienced Indonesian who can score her maiden win in our series. Tamae Harada can also never be underestimated, and who knows Halimatun Sa’adiah finds her great form from last year back.

Grandmasters Rhea Batac and Yvette Chong are also on the start list.

On the 65km medium distance, we keep our eyes on the performance of Central Javanese up-and-comer Risqi Kurniawan in his ATM debut. One of those Indonesian young talents who have been a bit shy in leaving their comfort zone. Will Mantra 65 be his launchpad to regional fame? There’s quite some challengers for the race victory, including Malaysia’s Mohamed Affindi, who has already won twice in Indonesia in his ATM career. In-form Amir Zaki is running, and so is Amierul Amin, Ahmad Tanjong and Husnan Huzin from Malaysia. There’s another Indonesian youngster, Akmad Nizar, who was third in Jember Hills 70k last season. There’s nearly 200 names on the start list so we are bound to discover some new people as well.

The women’s 65km features last year’s winner Siti Nuraini as the one-to-beat. The battle for the podium is also likely to include La Sportiva’s Norlela Ismail, ATM Finalist for Malaysia last year and Dian Pradina from Bali.

ATM will provide live race coverage on our usual channels starting this afternoon at the race pack collection in the Kaliandra Eco Resort in Malang, and later at night for the start of the 116k and 65k. Mantra 116 takes place in a remote mountain area with little mobile connectivty, but all 116k runners and elite 65k runners will carry our GPS trackers from DTA, so everyone can follow his favourite runner throughout the race.

Arief Wismoyono was flying on the 75km last year. Now he is tackling the 116km longest category

Shindy Patricia was the only 116k finisher a year ago. Now she will have more competitors

Sianti Candra was 2nd on the 75km last year. What can she do on the 116km?

Rachmat Septiyanto has been 4th twice at Mantra 116. Finally a podium this weekend?