Steven with Thai RD Nop 

The 2nd edition of Ultra-Trail Panoramic from Maehongson to Pai in the Northwest of Thailand was again the final 100 miler in the Asia Trail Master Championship. While participant numbers were still on the low side in 2016, this year the event attracted many hundreds of runners including some of the best ultra trail runners in Asia. And yes, the winner - Steven Ong - crowned himself the new champion in the process! 

Steven did not have the best memory of his last visit to Thailand, when he had jelly legs that eventually even resulted in a DNF at Ultra-Trail Chiang Rai last October. As such, Ong made his life chasing the Asia Trail Master title much more difficult. The 40-year-old Malaysian was the hot pick for the championship after the first semester, and especially after his commanding victory at Tam Dao Mountain Trail in Vietnam. He looked to have everything under control when he traveled to Europe during the summer. But then came Chiang Rai and the zero points, when his main rivals such as Arief Wismoyono, Sefli Ahar and Manolito Divina were collecting top points everywhere in Asia. 

But then came Chiang Rai and the zero points, when his main rivals such as Arief Wismoyono, Sefli Ahar and Manolito Divina were collecting large doses of points everywhere in Asia. Suddenly, it was make-or-break for Steven Ong and it all had to happen in one race: Ultra-Trail Panoramic. On paper the task was huge. Ong was facing tough competition from 2016 ATM Champion Manolito Divina, who beat him in April at the fast Sungai Menyala 50k, Italy's Alessandro Sherpa, Japan's Wataru Iino and last but not least Thailand's own Sanya Khancai. A lot of good trail runners who could steal necessary points away from Ong. As the race unfolded, Ong again adopted a sit-back and see-what-happens approach, which is becoming his trademark. After 100 km he was ranked alongside Khancai in third place, but nearly an hour down on Wataru Iino, and also Sherpa was running ahead of him. Manolito Divina, unfortunately, had already dropped out by then. AT CP2 he was visibly unwell with severe stomach issues, which ended his ATM season on a sad note. 

As mobile connectivity is limited in the forest area near Pai, everyone was expecting a Japanese race victory at the finish line. Until all of a sudden, reports from the field announced the imminent arrival of Steven Ong into the finish as leader of the race! The new Asia Trail Master champion ran a very strong final section to pass both Iino and Sherpa and grab his fourth race victory of the ATM season. In fact, also Sanya Khancai still overtook the early leaders to take second place on the podium. Iino salvaged third. 

New ATM champion Kim Matthews struggled with stomach cramps

In the women's race, the new Asia Trail Master champion Kim Matthews pulled out rather quickly due to stomach cramps as well. Matthews, who was certain of the ATM title following the DNS of Tahira Najmunisaa,  had started her first ever 100 miles, but it wasn't to be on this occasion. Her role, however, was taken over in splendid style by another Australian runner: Joanna Kruk. Kruk, from Polish descent, raised eyebrows last October by winning Ultra Trail Chiang Rai with a formidable pace. And did she do it again! Always running right behind the top four men, she even managed to catch Alessandro Sherpa still going into the finish. Joanna Kruk lives in Australia and has been flying over for the races. If she does that five times in 2018, we have another championship contender! With three races this year, she still manages to score 1575 points and 7th place in the championship, ahead of Sandi Menchi who also 3 races in the books. Joining her on the podium of the 100 miles race were Hong Kong's Shuk Kuen and South Korea's Been Lee. 

Joseph Sibal is a popular new Asia Trail Grandmaster after finishing the 100k race!

Another Australian woman dominated the race: Joanna Kruk! After UTCR a second BIG win

Thailand's Sanya Khancai was second in the men's 100 miles after winning UTN100 in October

The 2017 Asia Trail Master season is a wrap and we are very happy to announce the following two runners as our new Champions: Steven Soonseng Ong from Malaysia and Kim Matthews from Australia. Both excellent trail runners held off the charge of previous champions Manolito Divina, Arief Wismoyono and Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid, respectively. Ong crowned himself last weekend by winning UT Panoramic in Thailand, while Kim already had the title assured before last weekend's race as Tahira is still in recovery and could not start. Below a few key details about our new champions!  

Steven Soonseng Ong

The 40-year-old Malaysian impressed everybody this year with his intelligent approach to ultra races that resulted in four big wins. In his last one, Ultra-Trail Panoramic in Thailand last weekend, Ong came back from third place to catch the two front runners in the final 60 km. Not only is he the new Asia Trail Master Champion, he is also a real "Trail Brain" !

Kim Matthews

Born in Victoria, Australia, Kim has since lived in Thailand and since recently Vietnam. A runner for nearly ten years, she is also an ambassador for the vegan community in Asia. We got to know her this season as a woman who goes beyond the limit to reach the finish - especially when it was hot and humid. Kim Matthews is a well-deserved Asia Trail Master Champion and successor to Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid! Congratulations!!

It’s the last weekend of the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship and it is going to be a thriller. Two races, Ultra Trail Panoramic in Northwestern Thailand and Izu Trail Journey in Japan, determine the outcome of an exciting points championship that still has five runners in contention for the men’s title. While Vietnam-based Australian Kim Matthews is already assured of the women’s Asia Trail Master title, Arief Wismoyono (Indonesia), Manolito Divina (Philippines), Steven Soonseng Ong (Malaysia), Sefli Ahar (Brunei) or Pablo Diago Gonzales (Spain/Singapore) will be crowned the men’s champ on Sunday afternoon. 

All five will be in action in either Thailand or Japan, except Arief Wismoyono, who leads the ranking at present with 2475 points. The Bandung Explorer Ace has suffered from shin splinters following BTS Ultra last month is not recovered enough to compete in ultra this weekend. A pity for the 34-year-old, who this year returned to his best level and will just have to wait and see what the others do. Last year’s ATM champion Manolito Divina is only 25 points down on Wismoyono. He already has five results in the bag this year, which means he needs to do better in UT Panoramic than his “worst” result, i.e. 450 points at Vietnam Mountain Marathon or UT Mapawa. Divina needs to be first (525 points) or second (475 points) in the 100 miles race of UT Panoramic to achieve that and hop ahead of Wismoyono (Divina beat Wismoyono in a straight dual at Sungai Menyala Forest Trail in April, so in case of equal points he gets the advantage). 

However, it is Steven Ong and Sefli Ahar who hold the key to the championship. The Malaysian and the Bruneian so far only scored four results (both also had a DNF this season), which means they can still get a full whack of either 525 points (Steven at UT Panoramic) or 550 (Sefli at Izu Trail, the Japan SuperTrail), as for the championship it is the best five that count! The beauty is that now they both have 2100. They are 375 points behind Wismoyono, and need 425 in case Manolito wins in Thailand…  That means minimum 3rd place for Steven (on equal points Manolito wins as he beat Steven in a straight dual), minimum fifth place for Sefli. So, there’s a lot of scenarios possible. One thing is for sure: If Steven wins UT Panoramic, Sefli needs to win Izu. And if somehow we get a really crazy weekend in which Sefli, Steven and Manolito all DNF and Pablo Diago Gonzales delivers an outstanding run to win Izu, it will be the Spaniard who takes home the 2017 Asia Trail Master title. Unlikely but as we always say: ‘in ultra everything is possible’. 

Of course, there are more top runners at the start in both races this weekend who could spoil the party for either one of them by taking away important points. In Thailand, local hero Sanya Khancai has recently looked the part in UT Nan 100 and certainly cannot be discounted for the 100 miles’ win. Another dangerman for the day’s victory is Alessandro Sherpa. The Italian led the race at BTS Ultra last month until a drop bag issue forced him to retire. Also Japan's Wataru Iino is back in Thailand. He was a joint winner of UTKC 100 early this year before he went to India for work reasons. In Japan, Sefli and Pablo will be up against strong Japanese runners, quite simply because there’s so many of them. 

While the men’s championship will keep everyone in suspense, the women’s title has already changed hands. Defending champion Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid is still unfit to race ultras and has ultimately decided she will not be starting in either race. Tahira prefers to think long-term and needs time to fully recover. The big showdown with Australia’s Kim Matthews is therefore postponed to 2018 and the recent winner of CM50 in Philippines is mathematically assured of the championship win! Ruth Theresia, also injured following CM50, ends the season in third place. Kim Matthews started the season with a win at UTKC 70 in Thailand where she was living at the time. Her pace raised the eyebrows of many, and Matthews showed her speed again in Malaysia during Penang Eco 100k. She led the race until the final 10k. Dehydrated, she fell asleep at the last checkpoint and saw China’s Dong Minfei come back to beat her at the very end. With hindsight, it was the last time Matthews did not win a race. While suffering from the heat at Tam Dao Mountain Trail as well, the Melbourne-born runner just kept on winning races and when she did so at the Vietnam Mountain Marathon and MesaStila Peaks Challenge 65 in Indonesia, she became a serious title challenger for Tahira and Ruth. Two weeks ago in Clark, she had the better of Ruth Theresia and collected the SuperTrail bonus points for winning CM50 and in so doing overtook Tahira in the points ranking. 

Kim Matthews will be running the 100 miles in Thailand this weekend without pressure. It is, in fact, her first attempt at the distance. While it may not always feel like it during the race, it certainly will also be a race of honour for her. Kim Matthews is the new Asia Trail Master champion! 

Kim Matthews: the new Asia Trail Master champion!

Important news coming from Indonesia this week: the Mantra Summits Challenge in Malang, East Java, has moved forward its event date by two weeks. The tough mountain race is now scheduled for 14/15 July 2018.

This implies that MSC, as it is called in brief, now takes place one week before Ijen Trailrunning further east in Java. The Wolf the Trail combo of both events remains therefore, only that the order of events is switched around. One significant consequence is that international runners better arrive in Surabaya and exit Indonesia via Bali. 

The Wolf the Trail package currently in design will feature training and sightseeing runs/hikes on Bromo and other nearby volcanic sites between Malang and Bondowoso. 

More info on Mantra Summits Challenge here:

Mantra 116

We are happy to formally announce the entry of Hakuba International Trails in the 2018 Asia Trail Master Championship series. Hakuba takes place in and around a major ski resort area near former Olympic host city Nagano and is scheduled for 9 September 2018. 

A Candidate Race this year, Hakuba International Trails is already a very popular classic event in Japan. The 53 km course will largely be the same next year, which implies an elevation gain of approx 2800 hm - implying a tough profile. The long distance race takes place in the mountains. Several rivers need to be crossed as well. About 1700 runners are expected to take part in the event that also offers three shorter distances to cater for the whole family. The first start is at 7:00 a.m. and the COT for the 53km is 10 hours, which does imply participants need to move on during the race. Only the 53 km race offers ATM championship points. 

Read more or on cover page (click on the image)

Hakuba Trails

Hong Kong-based Briton Tom Robertshaw was a class of his own last weekend in the 100 miles race of HK 168. While he initially still somewhat tolerated the nearby presence of Fan Yang and Yanzhong Qin, he gradually began to pull away from the field and finished the race in an astonishing 24 hours and 15 minutes. Remember this was 100 miles. Robertshaw is one those Hong Kong runners who has the potential to grow into a major Asian trail running star, and we certainly hope to see him more often on the Asia Trail Master circuit in 2018. 

Last year's HK 168 winner and third in the current ATM points ranking, Isaac Yuen Wan Ho, did not have the speed to keep up with the front leaders from the beginning, but he did move up during the race and hauled himself onto the podium in third place behind Fan Yang. For Isaac it means no gains in ranking position, but a higher points total that could cement his top five placing in the 2017 championship. In fact, he is scheduled to race Izu Trail Journey this weekend as well still. To note was the great fourth place, not far behind Isaac, of George Major and fifth place of veteran runner Tze Wan Wong. 

The women's race was a battle between Habiba Benahmed and Lv Siqing, decided in favour of the former in a great time of 31:47:55. Yuen Kit Shan, who in the past won UTHK twice for women, had third place in sight, but saw fellow Hong Kong runner Charis Chan return and grab the podium place instead. 

The last weekend of the 2017 Asia Trail Master championship is coming up next and will decide who will be the champions. In the men's four runners are still in the game, while in the women's it's just two and - unfortunately perhaps - if rumours are to be believed the new champion is already a certainly. Stay tuned!

Tom Robertshaw unbeatable in HK 168 last weekend (photo: archive)

Isaac Yuen Wan Ho had to settle for third place this year (photo: archive)

After a good run at Echigo Country Trail in Japan last June, Hong Kong's Charis Chan scored a great third place in the women's 100 miles race!

The penultimate weekend of the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship takes place in Hong Kong, considered by many still the centre of trail running in Asia. HK 168 is in the mean time also one of the classic races in the New Territories, especially popular among the Chinese running communities. Isaac Yuen Wan Ho will be aiming to repeat last year's victory on the 100 miles and in so doing strengthen his current top placing in the ATM championship. 

The Hong Kong home runner is third at present, but feels Sefli Ahar and Steven Ong breathing down his neck. Contrary to those two, Isaac has already done five races this season and so for him it's about eliminating his worst result (10th in Mesastila Peaks Challenge) by a better one this weekend. He can expect some tough competition, however, as Britain's Tom Robertshaw and Raymond Ching feature on the start list as well. 

The women's race seems quite open with a lot of names who can score podium and the race win. Yuen Kit Shan is a relatively safe bet for a strong result, and also Xiao Jing and Indonesia' Grandmaster Lily Suryani can never be discounted. Charis Chan is another podium candidate. 

Isaac Yuen Wan Ho is third in the ATM Championship ranking at the moment

After a tremendous season, Lily Suryani still has energy for another 100 miles this weekend

Melanie Hingpit couldn't hide her joy for scoring a third place on the podium!

While Brunei's Sefli Ahar hauled himself alongside Steven Ong in the ATM championship ranking last Sunday, Melbourne's Kim Matthews defeated Ruth Theresia from Indonesia to jump to number 1 in the female ATM championship ranking with just 3 races left to go. That's in a nutshell what this year's Clark-Miyamit Falls Ultra delivered. But the Philippines' SuperTrail always has a lot more stories. It is an out-and-back course, which in today's trail world often seems conservative and old-fashioned, but every year again runners are devastated by the difficulty of the 50 miles course. No wonder there were so many delightful scenes at the finish! 

The drama began already before the start as ATM champion and triple winner of CM50, Manolito Divina, announced he was suffering from serious toothache. According to insiders, he was even considering pulling out from the race. He did not, and as always, ran for what he was worth. However, once more this season, someone else matched his pace...and eventually beat it also. Sefli Ahar from Brunei stayed with the Filipino champion at nighttime until he " could not wait anymore ", as he said afterwards. Sefli has matured quickly in the trail running world, coming from a successful track & field and road marathon world. His trail inexperience still cost him the victory at Penang Eco 100K last May, but now he really has got his act together. A winner in Merapoh Trail last August, three weeks ago at Bromo Tengger Semeru Ultra and now CM50. Together with his home race, Beach Bunch Trail Challenge, that's 4 wins in the bag and another race - Izu Trail - coming up. Sefli has 2100 ATM points and is a joint fifth in the championship with Malaysia's Steven Ong. The important thing here is that both these top runners only have 4 results so far, while championship leader Arief Wismoyono (2475) and Manolito Divina (2450) already have five. The rules of the ATM championship say "the best five results count", which implies for the likes of Arief, Manolito and also Isaac Yuen Wan Ho, it is now about eliminating their worst result of the season with a better one, while Steven and Sefli can still get a full whack. 525 for winning UT Panoramic, 550 for winning Izu. 

Steven and Sefli are both, of course, racing still this season. Ong will be in Thailand for UT Panoramic 100 miles, and Sefli is going to the Japan SuperTrail Izu Trail Journey on the same weekend. The men's championship is going to be a thriller! It's not just about these two, both Manolito and Arief are also in the mix for obvious reasons. To finish first, you first need to finish. And Arief is in the lead now. The 2015 champion from Indonesia is undecided whether to run or not run in Thailand still, as he is struggling with a shin splint injury sustained after BTS Ultra. Manolito, the defending champion, is not giving up neither and has announced his intention to challenge Steven on the 100 miles at UT Panoramic! 

Indonesia vs Malaysia vs Brunei vs Philippines: stay tuned for the outcome on 10 December! 

CM50 is every year a surprisingly tough race for all competitors

While the men's championship is anyone's guess at the moment, Kim Matthews has the women's title within reach as she stayed ahead of Ruth Theresia at CM50. The pair was never more than five minutes apart during the race until Ruth fell quite hard in a descent and lost momentum afterwards. Kim did not suffer from the heat as much as in a few other races this time, and was able to push on straight to the finish. In fact, she looked stronger and fresher at the finish than ever before this season! The Vietnam-based Australian scored her fifth win of the season and jumps ahead of defending ATM champion Tahira Najmunisaa in the ranking. Matthews totals 2635 against Tahira's 2600. Ruth remains third with 2575. 

The ambitions of the Malaysian superstar are currently the subject of big debate. The truth is: Tahira holds the key to the women's 2017 ATM championship. But she needs to race - Thailand now as the only option - and face Kim Matthews in a straight dual if she wished to defend her title. The coming days will bring more clarity! 

The CM50 race in Clark saw two great third place finishers as well. Kristian Joergensen proved to be in excellent shape and was the only runner able to keep pace with Sefli and Manolito last weekend! Behind him was a big void to fourth place, but Joseph Gentileo showed talent in beating Spain's Pablo Diago Gonzales, who had "not his best day" in Clark. Pablo had championship ambitions still before the start, but unfortunately for the triple race winner this season it will be a place of honour at the end. Pablo is one of those runners who can still cause an upset in Izu Trail Journey, though, and steal points away from others.... 

Also in the women's CM50 race, third place was perhaps less expected. Melanie Hingpit got it, and not even far behind Ruth Theresia. A new name on the women's scene! 

For post-race interviews and videos of the protagonists' arrivals, please see our facebook page!

Kim Matthews and Ruth Theresia: a great competition but all respect afterwards

Sefli Ahar was an emotional winner of the CM50 this year

The Philippines SuperTrail race in Clark is once again the scene for a crucial battle in the Asia Trail Master Championship, albeit not the final battle for sure. In both the men's and women's race, ATM title pretenders are facing each other with the current points leaders absent. Both Arief Wismoyono and Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid have decided to sit this one out and see what happens with Manolito Divina, Sefli Ahar, Pablo Diago Gonzales, Kim Matthews, Ruth Theresia and several others this weekend. CM50 Ultra is one the Philippines' classic races, and in case you wonder, it is 50 miles and not 50k. 

Both the male and female ATM championship is tight this year, and several runners still have a chance to become champion. Contrary to last year, home favourite Manolito Divina is under quite a bit of pressure. As a triple winner of this race, he has home advantage and is for sure the one-to-beat, but is he as fast as last year? In the past two months, Divina had to settle for two second places (Vietnam Mountain Marathon and Ultra Trail Mapawa) when he was expected to win. It cost him 100 points for the ATM championship, which has made him more vulnerable and has allowed other top runners to dream about the title themselves. On paper the fastest challenger for Tolitz tomorrow is Brunei's Sefli Ahar, unbeaten in 4 ATM races if we exclude the unfortunate DNF at Penang Eco this year. Recently, Ahar broke the 102k course record at BTS Ultra and if anyone can follow the sheer running speed of Divina it is him. Ahar himself wants to become ATM champion and quite simply must score a big result, as he only has 3 results in the books so far. Other contenders for at least a podium this weekend are Pablo Diago Gonzales - let's not forget he won 3 ATM races this year -, Kristian Joergensen, James Tellias and Rexell Aguirre. Especially if it were to rain, keep an eye out for the technically skilled Gonzales. 

The three leading women of the ATM championship are only 25 points apart in the ranking, and the numbers 2 and 3 are ready to jump ahead of Tahira Najmunisaa this weekend. Both Kim Matthews and Ruth Theresia have taken the battle to Tahira all season, at least in terms of points. The Australian and the Indonesian will be running together for the first time at CM50, and it is anyone's guess who will come out on top. Both are multiple race winners this season. CM50 being a SuperTrail, the winner will collect 550 points and that is enough to jump marginally ahead of the Malaysian 2016 champion, whose future in ultra is the subject of much debate these days, in fact. Local runners who can be expected to fight for the podium are Maria Luisa Prado and Diorella de la Cruz Cerujano.

As usual, we will be reporting live from the action at CM50 Ultra throughout the night and day via our social media channels. 

The two leading contenders for the women's race and the ATM Championship

Can Philippines-based Kristian Joergensen cause an upset this weekend?

The CM 50 Ultra starts at night, which allows for fantastic vistas at dawn

The Izu Trail Journey is the Japan SuperTrail and on 10 December the last race of the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship. The event is quite historic, and the local organiser has released the below press release with significant background information on the origins of Izu Trail. This is a 72 km race that is set to be one of the season's highlights, and if you didn't get in this year or were not ranked high in the ATM championship by the end of October, focus on 2018, because Izu Trail will stay in ATM also next year! 

We are happy to announce a new 2018 Asia Trail Master Candidate Race in the Philippines taking place on the first weekend of December. The Sandugo Pacific Coast Ultra 100 starts and finishes in General Nakar, Quezon Province, and offers quite a runable and breathtakingly scenic course of 100 km, 50 km, 25km or 12 km with a manageable cut-off time for everyone who keeps moving. Total elevation gain for the longest distance of 100 km is just under 2000 hm. 

The race course will start  from the Municipal Hall grounds located on the center of the town of Gen. Nakar and  it will pass through forest trails, river trails, back roads, coastal roads and tribal communities  of the province taking in some of the most spectacular and challenging terrain the venue can offer. The racers will traverse the newly opened Pacific Coastal road carved out on the eastern side of the Sierra madre mountain range and will run along with the view of the Pacific Ocean  most of the time. The race course is generally undulating  with some short, steep ascends and descends with  multiple river crossings on some of the country’s cleanest rivers and  Its aim is to promote the area as an ideal venue for mountain Biking, trail running and other outdoor sports activities

Step up to the challenge and join the Sandugo Pacific Coast Ultra100. Experience Nakar's fantastic scenery while testing your will on the various assaults, fireroads, and river-crossings that you'll traverse on the various routes! Get your children started on trail running as well by having them join the kids category! 

One of the people behind the new event is pinoy endurance sports icon Thumbie Remigio. By being a Candidate Race, Sandugo Pacific Coast Ultra 100 is in pole position to obtain one of the five calendar spots for Philippines in 2018. 
 

Two short and crispy trail runs with ATM championship points on the line and back-to-back: that's Wolf the Trail. The first serving is held in the Philippines with the Rizal Mountain Run on 28 January and the Pilipinas Akyathlon a weekend later. In between, you can do some training and sightseeing on and around Mt Pulag in the Cordillera Mountains. One week of pure trail bliss in the Philippines! 

The two races are 50 km and 46 km respectively, but are hilly with quite some elevation gain. After the season opener in Bandung, Indonesia, - Tahura Trail -, Rizal Mountain Run and Pilipinas Akyathlon continue to build up your shape and endurance levels for the first ultras of the 2018 ATM championship, which come later in February with UTKC and the 9 Dragons. 

Both races are open for registration via Raceyaya, and you can now even add your ATM ID number when you sign up. Every runner who has a ranking in our championship has an ATM ID, and you can find it simply next to your name in the ranking. By adding your ID when you register, you earn a chance for free benefits!