The Philippines is rich of exciting trail running events and today we are excited to introduce one that is a great newcomer for the 2018 Asia Trail Master Championship series. The Pilipinas Akyathlon has been recommended to us by the most experienced trail runners in the country, and we are delighted that the organisers of Philippines Skyrunning Association have indeed engaged in a cooperation with us for the next two seasons. Scheduled for 4 February 2018, the Pilipinas Akyathlon’s main event is the 46 km race from Binga Lake in Itogon to the summit of Mt Ugo and back to the lake via a different route. Two shorter races are also on the programme, but it’s the 46 km that counts for ATM points. 

While 46 km is not particularly long, it is a typically crisp course with no fewer than 3257m of elevation gain to be conquered! It’s therefore the perfect addition to our 2018 early season roster, and follows the Rizal Mountain Run a week earlier. Runners coming from a bit farther away or outside Philippines therefore have a chance to spend a fantastic week in the country taking in two ATM points races in one go! A training and sightseeing programme for in-between the two race weekends can be designed for people interested. 

The course of the Akyathlon is very scenic and features rice fields in remote villages, pine forests and hanging bridges crossing the mighty Agno River. And there’s of course the long and often steep ascent of Mount Ugo. For those who wonder, the Akyathlon goes up this famous mountain via a different route than the Cordillera Mountain Ultra, so both races are very distinct, indeed. Kian Vicera, race director, does emphasize that this is a race for runners with already a few trails on their record. 

Registration for the Pilipinas Akyathlon opens very soon via Raceyaya. Stay tuned! 

We are only mid-way in the 2017 season, but behind the scenes preparations for next year have been heating up in recent weeks. As already announced, the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong is an exciting newcomer in our Championship series on 24/25 February as the new Hong Kong SuperTrail (register quickly as selling out quickly!), but there's more to be announced! Watch this space next week for the first introduction of our 2018 ATM Championship calendar for the first semester. 

Concerning this year's Championship, the battle for points continues next month with the Vietnam Mountain Marathon in Sapa. One week earlier, there is of course also the Candidate Race Bandung Ultra 100 in West Java, Indonesia. There's a few more Candidate Races that may be announced in due course as well, for those seeking a pioneering experience.

Enjoy the summer time lull in the mean time! 

Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid once again dotted the i last weekend with a strong second consecutive victory in the 100k Magnificent Merapoh Trail. The 2016 ATM champion not only re-ignites her 2017 Championship campaign and remains unbeaten in 10 ATM races, but she also crowned herself as the third female Asia Trail Grandmaster. After Bromo Tengger Semeru Ultra 100 at the end of 2015, the Malaysian mother-of-three completed five more ultra distances of 100k or more: Penang Eco 100 miles, MesaStila 5 Peaks Challenge, UT Koh Chang 100 and twice the Merapoh Trail 100. 

Last weekend, Tahira had an easier-than-expected race following the dropping out of Ruth Theresia. The Indonesian had decided to stay home due to a family situation. It has to be emphasized, though, that Tahira has never looked stronger than this year. Already at Tahura Trail and UTKC early this year she ran around with an aura of invincibility, and this got even more reinforced at Merapoh as she crossed the finish line just a coupleof minutes behind third-placed male Rexell Aguirre from Philippines and 25 minutes ahead of Isaac Yuen Wan Ho! Her finishing time was 12:13:10. Her new win propels her to third place in the current ATM Championship ranking, in what was her fourth points race of the season. Ruth Theresia is still 25 points ahead of her, thanks to her second place and the bonus points for the 100 miles at the Malaysia SuperTrail in Penang last May. But we do have a new points leader going into the summer break! Indonesia's ultra trail lover Lily Suryani finished her fifth points race of the season in fourth place, which is enough to jump ahead of her younger compatriot Theresia by 125 points. 

At the end of the year, each runner's best five results count. As such, Cheryl Bihag managed to eliminate her poorest result of the season - 33rd at Korea 50k - with 9th place at Merapoh last weekend, boosting her total points slightly higher still. 

Sabah's Adelinah Lintanga, team mate of Tahira at Malatra, finished the 100k in a superb second place, staying ahead of Malang Runner Shindy Patricia by almost 20 minutes in a splendid 14:28.   Lintanga moves up to fifth place in the ATM Championship, just behind Bihag, with Patricia in sixth. 

The men's race turned out to be more hotly contested than perhaps anticipated. Brunei's road runner turned trail runner Sefli Ahar got it all together and won the race in an incredible time of 11:26:18. It's Sefli's third career ATM win, but his first outside his home country. The former winner of the Hong Kong Half Marathon is eyeing more ATM points races in the second half of the season and could become a genuine dangerman for the likes of Steven Ong, Manolito Divina and Arief Wismoyono. 

Ahar ran a seemingly smart race, although Malaysian newcomer Mohamed Affindi Bin Nudin was giving him a serious fight in the early stages of the race. Affindi, as he is commonly known, ran his first 100k after doing his first 50k a mere two weeks ago. The Malaysian army man led the race ahead of Ahar at the first number of checkpoints! It is certainly not a shame, nor a surprise, that he faded somewhat in the second half of the race, but he still finished second in 11:57:46! A new kid on the block, Mohamed Affindi! 

Philippines' Riezel Cabanig looked like the strongest final podium runner for quite a while. Unfortunately, Cabanig missed the markings twice or three times, which dropped him back to sixth place at the finish. Yet, Cabanig is another runner to remember after this race! It was his compatriot from Mindanao Island in the south of the Philippines, Rexell Aguirre, who secured the final podium place for his country in the end. Steady-paced, Aguirre was second behind Pablo Diago Gonzales at the Mount Apo Skyrace in April and thus scored his second ATM podium of the season. Will he be the man to watch on 29 October at the upcoming UT Mapawa on... Mindanao? 

More than twenty minutes behind the Pinoy runner, Isaac Yuen Wan Ho reached the finish in fourth place. Second last year, Yuen Wan Ho had hoped to win it this time around, but moving appartments in the days before a fast-paced 100k race in tropical weather was not the best preparation. He even slept for a while at checkpoint 3. Still, the Hong Kong Grandmaster took it in style and moves up to fourth place in the ATM Championship behind Ong, Yim Heng Fatt and Arief Wismoyono. Yimster was also in the race and proved his grit again after the grueling Mantra Summits Challenge a week earlier. Yim was eighth. Indonesia's experienced Hendra Siswanto ran an excellent Merapoh Trail to come in as number five. Siswanto was in the mix the entire race and his second top 5 finish of the season is well-earned. He also moves up to sixth place in the ATM Championship with four points races completed in 2017. 

The 3rd edition of the Magnificent Merapoh Trail saw a record number of almost 900 runners. Running Project, the organising team of the event, has announced already that 1000 will be the upper limit next year, and that the race course will change considerably for 2018. We are all looking forward already! 

We now enter a period of welcome rest in the Asia Trail Master Championship series. The next points races will be the Vietnam Mountain Marathon in Sapa, which will be preceeded by the Bandung Ultra and a possible other event as 2018 Candidate Races. 

Sefli Ahar scored his first trail race victory outside of his native Brunei. Here with his son. 

The female 100K podium with Tahira, Adelinah and Shindy

It is only the third edition, but the Magnificent Merapoh Trail in Pahang, Malaysia, is quickly establishing itself as a true trail classic in these humid summer months in Asia. The event is drawing a lot of attention because of the several cave sections, which makes it rather unique, and can also again showcase a strong international field of participants. The main 100k course is largely the same as last year, including the long river crossing, but new is that the course will be run in reverse this year. Last year's 60k has been upgraded to 70k, which also makes it a Grandmaster Quest distance. Within the context of the Asia Trail Master Championship series, there are plenty of top ranked runners in Malaysia this weekend. Especially in the women's: the entire top 7 of the current championship ranking is here! Only Kim Matthews (4) is missing, the Australian is aiming for another victory at the Vietnam Mountain Marathon next month. 

A significant late entry is defending champion Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid. Two weeks after cruising to victory in the Plataran X Trail in Bali, the popular Malaysian feels ready for the 100k distance again after a rather difficult first semester this year, in which she nonetheless has remained unbeaten on the Asia Trail Master circuit. If we include the Bali Candidate Race, Tahira can score her 10th race victory this Saturday. No man has done better. However, it won't come on a silver platter. Tahira is facing Indonesia's Ruth Theresia, the current points leader in the 2017 Championship and who has a quick pace on flattish trails as well. The Bandung Explorer leading lady has recently also become the second female Grandmaster after her compatriot Ina Budiyarni last November. Ruth is on a roll this year with four ATM race victories including last week's extremely tough Mantra Summits Challenge in East Java. However, two weeks ago in Bali, stomach cramps forced the busy bee to retire from the race eventually won by Tahira as well, perhaps showing some signs of vulnerability after running so many races in the last months. In any case, the Merapoh Trail will be important for both of them this weekend. Should both finish the ATM season with equal points, the advantage goes to the winner of the last direct dual. 

There's a few other strong podium candidates in the women's race. Runners who on a given day could even interfere with the plans of Tahira and Ruth. Among them is definitely Shindy Patricia, also from Indonesia, Mt Apo Sky Race winner Manilyn Mamugay from Mindanao in Philippines and Sabah's Adelinah Lintanga. In the runable Ijen Trail 100, Shindy Patricia was leading nearly the whole race until Ruth caught up in the very last kilometre and beat her in the sprint. Shindy likes it technical as well, so her third place considerably behind Tahira in Bali should not necessarily be a true measure of her current form. Manilyn Mamugay has two ATM race victories on her record (Mt Apo 2017, The Punisher 50 miles 2016), and is running for the first time outside her home region. Modest in her ambitions, apparently, yet last year her country woman Gretchen Felipe also came to conquer Merapoh. Malaysia has a third iron in the fire with Faherina Mohd Esa, who was second in this race last year and tenth in the overall ATM Championship. Finally, it should be noted that current ATM #2 Lily Suryani is within striking distance of Ruth Theresia's points lead should things go wrong for the latter. Suryani is 275 points adrift and will be running her fifth ATM race this season already, having collected podium places at Penang Eco 100 miles and Beach Bunch Trail 100 in the process! Philippines's Cheryl Bihag is having her sixth ATM start of the year even, her eyes now very much set on the Grandmaster Quest.

In theory, Yim Heng Fatt can take over the men's championship lead this weekend from Steven Soonseng Ong. But only if he wins the race. Yim has had a strong season with good placings all over Asia. As with Ruth Theresia, though, how much of Mantra will still be in the legs this Saturday? Someone who has been focusing on training in the past weeks with the sole objective of winning the Merapoh Trail is Isaac Yuen Wan Ho. There's virtually no racing in his native Hong Kong these weeks, and the number five in the current points standings is keen to return to Merapoh after finishing a superb second last year. Yuen Wan Ho was recently lauded as "most improved runner" in Hong Kong, and arguably it was at Merapoh 2016 where he managed to make that last step to winners' level. If he sets the same blistering pace as he did in Penang last May, it will be interesting to see who can follow him. One guy most likely will: Sefli Ahar from Brunei. The policeman wants to set the record straight after the unfortunate DNF at Penang Eco. Sefli is a road runner, who after two consecutive victories at the Beach Bunch Trail Challenge decided to give trail and the Asia Trail Master Championship a shot. His inexperience cost him dearly in the Penang race, but this weekend he is unlikely to repeat the same mistake. Yet, it is trail, and the 100k ran mostly in the dark hours. Come sunrise, anything could have happened. 

As usual, we will be reporting live from Merapoh, signal permitting. The coverage will start on Friday afternoon.

One of the exciting newcomers in the 2018 Asia Trail Master Championship series: the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong on 24/25 February. Organised by the reputed fellows at Racebase Asia, the 9 Dragons has quickly established itself as a must-run race in a place already overloaded with trail running events. We are delighted to have it as part of our championship series and credit the 9 Dragons as the Hong Kong SuperTrail, which means bonus points for all finishers.

The event's main competition is the combination of the 50 miles race on Saturday with the 50k on Sunday. In principle we are thus talking a stage race with two stages, which makes it rather unique. The extra hours of rest in between the two stages will be welcoming for some, while others may feel very worn out when going to the start of Sunday's 50k stage. This being Hong Kong, elevation gain is of course also respectable. 4000 hm on Saturday during the 50 miles, another 3000 hm for Sunday's 50k!   The combo race is limited to 150 runners and you need to prove some credentials when you sign up for it. Registration for the 50/50 combo opens today, and you better be quick. Those who prefer to do the 50 miles single stage can sign up soon. 

In the context of the Asia Trail Master Championship, please note that points will be given to all finishers on the 50/50 combo stage race and on the 50 miles single day race, but not on the 50k single stage. It goes without saying that those who complete the combo will benefit from additional 50 bonus points. Be aware that if you sign up for the 50/50 and decide to quit after the first stage, you will only get finisher points for the first stage (150) and no performance points. 

For more information about the 9 Dragons, please visit the official event website, where you can also sign up. A comprehensive interview with race director Steven Carr will be posted on our channels in the upcoming weeks. Runners who have specific questions directed to him can let us know via info@asiatrailmaster.com before 10 August. 

https://www.the9dragons.asia/

Participants will remember yesterday's Mantra Summits Challenge in Malang, East Java, as one of the toughest races they have ever done. According to highly experienced Malaysian Yim Heng Fatt, the 50km race could even be the hardest in Asia. The ATM Candidate Race certainly left its mark. The male and female winners were top runners, but their finishing times were just under 12 and 15 hours respectively.... 

In fact, the men's race was flooded with talented trail runners. Jan Nilsen, Pablo Diago Gonzales, Razif Yahya and Yim Heng Fatt were just a few big international 'names' at the start, and they were joined by a whole bucket list of Indonesian trail runners, especially those who love it when it gets technical. And technical it was. Many people felt it was more of a hiking event than a running event. 4400m of elevation gain was only part of the story. The downhills were so narrow, rocky and covered by high grass, even running down Mount Welirang and Mount Arjuno was virtually impossible. 

The top runners delivered an exciting battle, though, with changing positions and fortunes. Grandmaster Jan Nilsen, despite persisting foot problems, looked like he had the race in the bag for his first win of the season, until Jakarta's Fandhi Ahmad began his final push in the rocky downhill towards the finish and caught up with the Thailand-based Norwegian with just about 4 k lert to go. Ahmad had more juice left in his tank and took his first major victory in an Asia Trail Master-promoted race. Nilsen settled for second, which is still outstanding given his current lack of training hours due to his injury. Especially if you consider who all finished behind him. Diago Gonzales lost time by missing a marker during the race, but had no issue to admit Nilsen was very strong yesterday. The Singapore-based Spaniard completed the podium. Rizki Saputra, Dzaki Wardana (winner of Ijen 100 last May) and Fauzi were next. 

With the withdrawal of Shindy Patricia (who dediced to rest after a busy racing schedule with a view to being fresh at Merapoh Trail next weekend), Asia Trail Master Championship points leader Ruth Theresia did not have a genuine rival for the race win. She therefore did not push to the limit, because she as well will be aiming for a top result at the upcoming race in Malaysia. 

Mantra Summits Challenge at the beautiful Kaliandra Eco Resort and Organic Farm is not too far from main city Surabaya and is scheduled to return next year at the end of July. While the race courses were indeed very hard and could be lightened up a bit with more runable sections, the overall organisation was well-appreciated by the runners. More to come, for sure! 

After the flattish BNI Plataran X Trail in West Bali National Park a week ago - a 50k race dominated by our Asia Trail Master champions Manolito Divina and Tahira Najmunisaa - we move to East Java for the second 2018 Candidate Race in Indonesia. The Mantra Summits Challenge at the Kaliandra Eco Resort in Malang may have the same distance as the Bali race, but this weekend it will be the climbing goats to make the beautiful weather rather than the fast-paced runners. Nearly 4200 meters of elevation gain over 51 km and two peaks of more than 3000m altitude. Even the 30km (2800 hm) is very tough. Perhaps no surprise that good old Jan Nilsen feels attracted to Mantra Summits Challenge. Nilsen is coming back to his best level and is keen to add another Indonesia race victory on his record. Remember, Jan was unbeaten in this country last year with wins on Rinjani, Bromo and MesaStila Peaks Challenge. This year, however, he had to tolerate Pablo Diago Gonzales ahead of him at Ijen Trailrunning 70 in May. And guess what: Pablo Diago is also on the start list this weekend! Nilsen vs Diago part 2. Any dark horses? There surely are with Ijen 100 winner Dzaki Wardana as a very motivated contender. 

In the women's race Ruth Theresia and Shindy Patricia are again expected to battle for victory. Russia's Anna Kosova, second and not too far behind Tahira in Bali last week, may turn up as welll. 

We will be reporting from the Kaliandra Resort starting tomorrow on our social media channels with photo and video. 

One of the highlights on the trail calendar in the Philippines and for the second consecutive year SuperTrail in the Asia Trail Master Championship: Clark-Miyamit Falls Ultra. CM 50, as the event is commonly called, will be held on the last Sunday of November, the 26th. The recipe is well-known: 50 miles or 60 km out and back to Miyamit Falls over a mixture of runable trails and technical sections. While the race starts in the very early hours, still the warm climate can play a role in this race as well. 

Also this season we can expect a big battle between top contenders for the ATM Championship, but CM 50 is also a great race for those on the Grandmaster Quest. There is a cut off time feasible for most as long as you keep moving. 

Register now via the event website, and check out race details on the page below.

http://www.asiatrailmaster.com/#/clark-myamit-falls-ultra/

Steven Soonseng Ong and Kim Matthews are the celebrated winners of the Tam Dao Mountain Trail in Vietnam, one hour northwest of capital city Hanoi. Malaysian Ong already took his third Asia Trail Master race victory of the season and jumps ahead of Indonesia's Arief Wismoyono in the championship ranking. After last weekend, it has become obvious that anyone with ambition should get passed the sympathetic ULTRON runner from Malacca, yet there are still plenty of races on the programme this year, including three SuperTrails with bonus points, as well as a few 100 milers, also with bonus points. 

Tam Dao is the name of the old French mountaintop retreat, now popular with tourists and cyclists keen on a genuine long and hard climb. Trail runners probably have mixed feelings, as the climb - on tarmac - makes up the final 9 km of the races. Participants scored championship points on the 70 and 42 km distances. Finishers of the 70 also collected a point on their individual Grandmaster Quests. In general the course was a mixture of fast runable sections and technical single trail jungle sections. A number of hills tired the legs out, but as in an alpine stage in the Tour de France that ends on top of the mountain, nothing is decided until you cross that finish line. 

Unfortunately, for the local Vietnamese fans that is what hero Cao Ngoc Ha discovered as well. The always-smiling new face on the Asia Trail Master circuit this year was running as strong as ever and was leading the race solo at the halfway point. That was no mean feat, given the strong line up of this race. However, things did not go as smoothly for some of the other favourites and ATM Championship contenders. Singapore-based Spaniard Pablo Diago Gonzales set a solid pace in the early stages and was still running with the leaders at km 35, when he twisted his knee in a descent. In his post-race interview (see facebook), Diago Gonzales said he was feeling unwell after a long and tough working week, and twisting his knee broke his morale. A DNF and no points for the winner of Mt Apo Skyrace and Ijen Trailrunning 70 this time around. He will be back for minimum the three remaining SuperTrail races in Indonesia, Philippines and Japan later this season. 

Given his incredible pace during the first 100km of the Penang Eco last month, Hong Kong's Isaac Yuen Wan Ho was arguably the top favourite for Tam Dao. But things turned sour for him early on, as he chose a wrong trail and lost a lot of time in getting back on the right course. Halfway through the race he was nearly half an hour behind leader Cao Ngoc Ha and down in 9th place. Nevertheless, Yuen Wan Ho is not one to resign. In the second part of the race he chased down runner by runner, set the fastest time on the final mountain climb (allegedly, he ran all the way up!) and overtook a shocked Nguyen Duc Quang in the final 4 km to still grab the third spot on the podium! Yuen Wan Ho finished 41 minutes behind the race winner. What if? "No, " said the honest-or-modest Hong Kong runner, who also became a Grandmaster for finishing his sixth 70+ km race within two years. "Steven Ong was very strong in the second part of the race, I doubt I could have beaten him." 

Steven Ong is building a reputation for being a tactical mastermind, or is it just down to experience? At CP 7 after approx 55 km, the gap to leader Cao Ngoc Ha had increased to five minutes. But then things got more technical again, and as the trails started to go up he caught the Vietnamese star already before the last CP 9! On the final mountain climb, Ong continued his rush to the finish and the victory. The verdict: still 23 minutes advantage over Cao Ngoc Ha. Despite his second place, Cao Ngoc Ha was full of admiration for Steven Ong and had no problem admitting the strongest man had won. 

Ong only lost one ATM race this season: at the very runable Sungai Menyala Forest Trail in Malaysia last April, current ATM champion Manolito Divina proved too fast. For sure, these two will meet again at the end of the season, CM 50 or Izu Trail, with maybe even the championship on the line. Throw the dice on who will win then! 

Conditions at Tam Dao were very hot and humid, which made it extremely tough for a lot of runners. The women's champion Kim Matthews from Australia had to give everything on the final climb to reach the finish, despite being comfortably in front. Matthews, who won UTKC 70 in February but also struggled with the heat to lose Penang Eco 100 in the final 10k, fell down - with a smile, though - from exhaustion right after the finish line. She had suffered a minor heatstroke. It looked a bit worrying at first, but she turned out to be okay. With this second race victory of the season, plus the second place at the previously mentioned Malaysia SuperTrail, Kim Matthews has become a serious contender for the women's ATM Championship. Now 4th, but with one or two races less than the three women ahead of her, it is significant she has 20 points more than defending ATM champion Tahira Najmunisaa. Most definitely, the women's championship is anyone's guess at this moment! 

Second and third place in the women's 70km went to Vietnamese runners Nguen Thi Duong and fast starter Nguyen Chi. While in the shadow of Matthews, it should be noted that trail running is very new to Vietnam and both young women showed remarkable grit. More to come, for sure! 

The 42 km races were won by Singapore-based Britain Timothy Kelsall in the men's and

Up next week is the Altai Ultra Trail in Russia's Siberia, followed by a resting month, in which there are nevertheless two Indonesian Candidate Races in East Java (Mantra Summits Challenge) and Bali (BNI Plataran X Trail). Early August we have the trail classic Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset and the new classic Magnificent Merapoh Trail in Malaysia. 
 

One month after the Jungle Marathon, Vietnam is again in the spotlight this weekend as the Tam Dao Mountain Trail is on the Asia Trail Master Championship programme. Hosted by the Belvedere Resort 1,5 hours northwest of capital city Hanoi, the 70 km race is highly anticipated and has the potential to grow into a classic. The race course is very interesting and quite unique, with the big climb of Tam Dao coming at the very end of what is otherwise  a runable course. The 70k starting field sees several big names, and two runners can even become the new leader in the male Asia Trail Master Championship ranking. Four runners of the current male top 10 will be competing this Saturday! 

Vietnam is increasingly establishing itself in the Asian trail scene, and this second of three points races in the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship can also count on the participation of the first local star Cao Ngoc Ha. Third in UTKC (Thailand SuperTrail) and winner of the Vietnam Jungle Marathon, Cao Ngoc Ha can make a statement this weekend. One of his main competitors will be Malaysia's Steven Ong, who finished ahead of him at UTKC, but being a real endurance athlete may find 70 km a little too short. In any case, Ong will not be able to afford himself an easy start this time around. It's a big occasion for the ULTRON athlete, as he can take over the lead in the ATM championship from Arief Wismoyono. Tam Dao will also be his 4th ATM race of the season already. But were Ong to have an off-day, Spain's Pablo Diago Gonzales can take over also! Residing in Singapore, Pablo Diago is on a winning streak with victories at Mt Apo in the Philippines and at the Ijen volcano in Indonesia in the past two months. Can he add Tam Dao to that list? Note that both those races were also.... 70 km. 

And in the end there is also Hong Kong's Isaac Yuen Wan Ho, who showed at Penang Eco six weeks ago he is absolutely flying at the moment. Although also a typical 100 miles runner, Yuen Wan Ho has the speed to put all the others on the backfoot from the get-go. All things considered, he may have the key to victory this weekend and propel himself into a  championship-winning position later this year. For him, it will be the third race of the season. One peculiar characteristic of Yuen Wan Ho, though, is that he has a subscription on second places. 

In the women's the outspoken race favourite appears to be Australia's Kim Matthews. The rather unfortunate runner-up at Penang Eco 100k (Matthews led the whole race until she fell asleep at the final checkpoint and then saw China's Dong Minfei pass by to grab the win), has recently moved to south Vietnam and is another fast-paced runner who can be expected to open up a gap in the early stages and hang on during the Tam Dao climb. Matthews, after all, won UTKC 70 k last February. In her third race of the ATM season, she can hop over Tahira Najmunisaa to fourth place in the championship. The same applies to Siawhua Lim from Malaysia, albeit in her 4th race already. 

As usual we may encounter a few new names as well this weekend. After all, this is trail running and even in a new trail country. 

We will be reporting live from the event - signal permitting - via our social media channels.

Steven Ong: new potential ATM leader

Isaac Yuen Wan Ho: the man to beat? 

Kim Matthews is one of the favourites in the women's race

Pre-race top favourite Shunsuke Okunomiya won a fast edition of the Echigo Country Trail 52k in just under five hours. The celebrated Japanese runner was pushed forward all the way, though, by his compatriot Hayato Kimura. Kimura was never far behind and took second place just five minutes behind Okunomiya. Niigata's Jun Kaise came back from a modest start to take third place, and after winning Kushigata Wind Trail three weeks ago is now the top Japanese runner in the ATM championship. Kazuyuki Takahashi was a solid fourth place, and Kobe's Yuta Matsuyama completed the top 5. In the women's race, Kayo Siimbo led from start to finish. 

The race was held in good weather conditions with rather cool temperatures at the start. Nevertheless, the 2000 metres of elevation gain are  treacherous, as several forest climbs are so steep ropes are required to reach the top. As a result, there were again a considerable number of DNFs as the cut off time proved rather tight. 

A photo album of the event can be found on our facebook page. 

THe Echigo Country Trail has established itself as one of those unique races on the Asia Trail Master calendar. Not necessarily because of the race course or distance (52 km, 2000 hm), but because of the warm and jolly atmosphere during the event. Festivities already begin this afternoon at race pack collection and are followed by an organised dinner at Oguni Forest Park, close to Nagaoka in Niigata. That is the west coast of Japan's main island and north of the Japanese Alps. Local communities are delighted to have the race and come out to cheer for the runners, as if it were a road marathon. The race tomorrow morning itself promises to be a good one as well again, with several top Japanese runners present, mixed with motivated international runners. Jun Kaise, second last year and recently winner of the Kushigata Wind Trail is a favourite, along with Shunsuke Okunomiya.

Our team is present at the Echigo Country Trail and as usual will be reporting live, signal permitting. Follow the action on our social media channels. 

Japanese trail running is gradually becoming more accessible for international runners with also the IZU Trail Challenge coming up as the Asia Trail Master final and Japanese SuperTrail later in December.  Registration for the Izu Trail is now open but remember only until the end of this month! It is one of the biggest races in Japan and fills up very quickly. 

Lots of green around the course of Echigo