We are delighted to announce a new ATM Candidate Race in the Province of Bukidnon in Mindanao, Philippines. Lilingayon Ultra Trail is scheduled for 7 February 2027 and will have Valencia City as host city. The main race category will be a punchy 55km with over 3000 hm of elevation gain. Less ambitious runners can also choose shorter options as there are 42km, 21km and 10km.

Lilingayon Ultra Trail is organised by Dagan Ta and supported by the Bunal Running Club. Despite also taking place in Valencia, the new event will have a different start & finish venue (Barangay Hall) compared to MUSPO and will also feature a different course showcasing the highlands of Lilingayon. Mountainous terrain with some proper rainforest jungle and less than 10% of paved roads. The start of the 55km race is planned for 2 am and the cut-off 12 hours later at 2 pm.

To get to Valencia and Bukidnon, you could fly to both Davao and Cayagan de Oro, the latter being closer but having no international connections that Davao has.

Trail running in Bukidnon has boomed since the corona crisis. Within just five years several Filipino elite runners have emerged from this province including but not limited to Godwin Mirar, Yoyong Sacayle, Shally Yuson, Kim Flores and Mary Joy Sumanda.

2024 ATM Champion Jeff Campbell wasn’t to be denied another race victory - his second of the current season after Kalaw in Myanmar - and added Akha Trail in the far north of Thailand to his ever expanding ATM resume. He took command of the tough mountainous jungle trail early on and extended the gap to his nearest rivals for the win. The Canadian living in Hong Kong crossed the finish line in 13h10 - showing how difficult this race is! This year’s edition turned out to be a very muddy one, too.

Britain’s Jake McCardle took second place and Thailand’s Danon Rattanatumrong third on the podium. Evgenii Makarov finished fourth. Earlier in February he had already scored a second place in Kalaw Ultra Trail Run as well. Hong Kong’s Jeremy Ritcey finished seventh behind Thailand’s Narin Kongsiri. Also ATM Legend Mario Yap finished yet another race in 23h08 minutes (rank 25).

Japan’s Yasuyo Hotta won the women’s race ahead of Malaysia’s Vivian Shin Ying Tong and Philippines’ Merionne Demin, who was leading earlier but got off course towards the end. The Filipino actually looked like she was going to take victory, but she got off course towards the ends for a long time, allowing Yasuyo Hotta and Vivian Shin Ying Tong to overtake her. For Hotta it was the first ever ATM race victory. She was part of the Championship winning Team Japan at the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong early this year.

Akha Trail was the only Thai qualifier in Season 11 of the ATM Championship, but in Season 12 , there’s scheduled to be at least three already, beginning with Tulay Trail at the end of October.

The Magnificent Baling in northern Malaysia’s Kedah State has grown into one of the country largest trail running events in terms of participation numbers with over 4000 runners spread out over five distance categories. The flagship TMB 100, or 100km, is part of our Grandmaster Quest calendar for the second year in a row. Baling offers a runable course when dry - which it was all weekend this time around - giving newbies to long ultra trail running a great opportunity to finish a 100k race for the first time. However, the sting is in the tail, as the toughest part with one significant hill climb and a few more bumps come in the last 30km.

The male and female race winners finished just five minutes apart. Karim Ibrahim was too fast in the last climbing section for Ritzy Amor to take an overall victory in 13h30. Ibrahim scored a nice 4th place at Trail des Gombak last month also. Grandmaster Ritzy Amor is keeping a very busy race schedule, but nevertheless was 1h36 faster than her own best time in Baling last year (when she carried an injury, though). Muhammad Azamuddin Nurdin was second male in the finish in 13h47. Senee Seesen was third man on the podium a few minutes behind him. In second place in the women’s race was Grandmaster Siokhar Lim, last week still overall winner of Tampin Transnaning Ultra 100! Guan Shin Law completed the podium in third place.

It’s the high season for Malaysian trail runners now and in a few weeks there’s more chances for Grandmaster Quest chasers in Pahang Eco, and afterwards Borneo TMBT Ultra and Jagoi Ultra - all still this season.

It would not be right to say he is closely following the footsteps of our first ATM Legend, Mario Yap, but Malaysia’s Golden Grandmaster Kenneth Mun Keat Yow has also already become Legend in just five months! Having collected 510 points (= kilometres) in minimum five countries, Mun Keat Yow accomplished this feat at the Tampin Transnaning Ultra event in Negeri Sembilan. In his famous yellow/blue Run Happy shirt, which has almost become his trademark outfit, he finished the gruelling 102km ultra course at that event - in second place in the result even. Going through his Grandmaster record and his six races on the Trail to Immortality so far, we can see that Mun Keat Yow is not shunning the toughest ultras out there, but smartly mixes them with more runable races, too. The recipe for being able to absorb so much in a short time frame.

As Mario Yap, Kenneth Mun Keat Yow only needs four more countries to meet the first of two requirements to become Immortal. The second requirement is to accumulate 1000 kilometres. In this, Mario has a 50-point lead over Kenneth at the moment.

Mun Keat Yow’s Trail to Immortality record

Legend Milestone achieved via 6 countries / 510 km

• 1) 100km (MYA) Kalaw Ultra Trail Run

• 2) 80km (PHI) Arakan Mountain Run

• 3) 80km (SGP) Ultra Trail Singapore

• 4) 80km (JPN) Deep Japan Ultra

• 5) 68km (INA) Mantra

• 6) 102km (MAS) Tampin Transnaning Ultra

Returning to our series after a 1-year break is Akha Trail in the far north of Thailand, on the border with Myanmar. ‘The Way of Tribes” is Thailand’s only ATM Qualifier this season, but the goods news is that more are to come again in Season 12. Akha Trail still offers a 80km race category as the main event. It’s a challenging mountain jungle course with nearly 6000 metres of elevation gain. Current ATM Champion John Ray Onifa won the race three years ago, and this year another former ATM Champion will try to achieve the same feat: Jeff Campbell, the 2024 ATM Champion.

We know Campbell sometimes likes to leave his own comfort zone and test himself sometimes. Usually with quite a high degree of success, in fact. Akha Trail may also fit into that storyboard, although the weather will have a big influence on the course, as it usually does in Thailand. Campbell has some serious competitive challengers for victory, too. Singapore’s Chris Timms, for example. He has been more at ease with slippery and sliding conditions over the years and is also a winner of UTOP in Penang a few years ago, a race course that probably comes close to what runners will face this Saturday. There are some proven victory and podium runners from the home country as well ,though. Danon Rattanatumrong, Somchai Chaosakorn and Narin Kongsiri, for example. There’s more expat runners, such as Jeremy Ritcey and Evgenii Makarov, who was second in Kalaw Ultra Trail Run in Myanmar last February.

In the women’s 80km race we could see a repeat win for Bangkok-based American Tara Savage. There’s a number of potential challengers, though. Yasuyo Hotta was part of the ATM Championship winning team Japan at the 9 Dragons, and Philippines’ Merionne Dimen was 2nd in Luang Prabang Trail at the start of season 11.

In January we opened the Trail to Immortality for Golden 4-star Grandmasters. Amazingly, it didn’t take six months for someone to already reach the first milestone and Become Legend. Mario Yap from Philippines managed to accumulate 560 kilometres in 6 countries in just five months! He is the first official ATM Legend!

After scoring his fourth GM star at Vietnam Trail Marathon in January, Mario immediately proceeded on the Trail to Immortality with another Vietnamese race, Brah Yang Trail Summit in Dalat. As you can see below, he went on to race in four more countries, but didn’t reach 500 km. A sixth race was therefore necessary to reach Legend status. It cost Mario a lot of effort, too, because with the milestone in sight he suffered two DNFs ! BTR in Bali and UTSG in Singapore did not work out as he had wanted, so it was in Deep Japan Ultra that he completed the level.

Mario Yap’s Trail to Immortality record

Legend Milestone achieved via 6 countries / 560 km

1) 70km (VIE) - Brah Yang Trail Summit
2) 80km (PHI) - Arakan Mountain Run
3) 70km (HKG) - Lantau 70
4) 80km (NEP) - Manjushree Trail Race
5) 100km (MAS) - Merapoh Rainforest Trail

6) 80km (PHI) - The Punisher
7) 80km (JPN) - Deep Japan Ultra

ATM Finalists at the upcoming Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam can look forward to a superb post-race massage on Sunday morning while returning to Hanoi. Courtesy of Garrya Mù Cang Chải, set among the spectacular mountains and surrounded by the iconic terraced fields cultivated for over 400 years by the local Hmong community.

Garrya is designed for simplified living, a resort blending bamboo architecture with traditional Hmong brocade motifs, creating a refined balance of modern comfort, cultural authenticity, and minimalist elegance in the heart of the Northwest highlands.

Across all four seasons, guests can enjoy the fresh mountain air and explore a hidden corner of northern Vietnam, where terraced landscapes, living traditions, and a slower rhythm of life remain untouched by mass tourism. At Garrya Mù Cang Chải, every journey becomes an invitation to discover the true character of the northern highlands.

Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail hosts the Season XI (11) Championship Final on 3 October. The top five points scorers during the season per country, male and female, get invited to the event. Former ATM Champions can get a wild card provided they finished 2 ATM races during the season.

Trail runners looking to score an extra Grandmaster point on their records had a great opportunity at Tampin Transnaning Ultra in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, last weekend. Meanwhile a traditional annual event, the event takes place on a renowned loop of 34 km with seven hill summits in it. Participants could choose between two or three loops to score a Grandmaster point, given the 2 loops, i.e. 68km, has more than 4500 hm of elevation gain - similar to e.g. Mantra 68 in Indonesia a few weeks ago. Tamping Transnaning Ultra thus caters for technically skilled mountain trail runners with a strong endurance basis.

It’s the kind of long ultra that Grandmaster Siokhar Lim truly enjoys and excels at. Once again, she proved that by finishing the 102km race as overall winner in a time of 28h01! She finished ahead of Golden Grandmaster Kenneth Mun Keat Yow (30h19), but he had another thing on his mind last weekend: becoming Legend! A few weeks after Philippines’ Mario Yap, the Malaysian trail runner has become the second runner overall to become an ATM Legend, the new milestone created and announced last January for those who have scored four Grandmaster stars. To become Legend, Golden Grandmasters are required to collect 500 points - i.e. 500 kilometers - in at least five different countries. For Kenneth, finishing Transnaning 102km meant ‘mission accomplished’ (more in separate news announcement).

Interestingly, also third place overall on the 102km went to a female runner: Cheng Yutong finished the tough race just a few minutes behind Kenneth Mun Keat Yow. Amongst the runners who completed three loops was also 2-star Grandmaster David Khoo.

On the 68km or 2-loop race, we saw an outstanding competitive performance by Adam Danial, a new name on the ATM circuit. Danial managed to finish in an amazing time of 12h28, which was 3h30 quicker than second-place Henry Joe Cottilon from Philippines, who everyone knows is a solid competitor himself. Low Keng Sin took third on the podium, finishing slightly ahead of female race winner Ang Yee Mei in 16h23. 2-star Grandmaster Beng Siong Lee was next in 16h33. Siow Yen Wong and Chee Lai Lim were second and third female in the 68km race. A number of other Grandmasters fulfilled the challenge, such as Jyh Horng Lim, Swee Boon Lee and Yuen Loong Ho.

It’s trail running’s high season in Malaysia right now and already next weekend there’s another event on the Grandmaster Quest calendar: the Magnificent Baling in Kedah towards the north of peninsular Malaysia. An event that has grown to become one of the best attended trail events in the country.

The 10-year anniversary of KAR Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, was marked by two new race distance categories for the occasion, both qualifiers for the ATM Championship ranking and for the Grandmaster Quest. Some of Sabah’s great trail running stars grabbed the opportunity with open hands to score a big number of points in their bid to be part of their country’s team in the upcoming Season 11 Championship race at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam on 3 October. Wilsen Singgin and Milton Amat first and foremost, but in the female races it was great to get better aquainted with Nurul Emyra Fazira Isnariah Absi and Hasnita Binti Asis - race winners on the 100 MIles and 80km, respectively.

Three years after The Borneo Miler, KAR Ultra offered a 100 Miles category for its anniversary edition. It attracted an enormous field of participants and - quite incredible - 234 managed to even finish the race! The cut off time was generous, but still it remains an outstanding statistic.

Wilsen Singgin was the expected race winner. He already took control quite early, especially as Oswald Maikol and last year’s KAR 110 winner Azmil Saripuddin left the race after both had had a promising beginning of the race. Singgin finished in 27h38 and again looks well on the way to be part of Team Malaysia in October. In second place, we had the surprising Mellveen Darius, 1h14 later. A strong finish by Darius, who clearly managed his efforts very well during the long race. In third place on the podium, there was Azman Salama, well-deserved, in a time of 29h24. Salama was very quick in the early stages, but smartly reduced his speed later on to avoid blowing up. Just ten minutes later, Jainuddin Sainuddin reached the finish line in fourth place. A strong second half of the runner, who kept a low profile for a very long time during the race. Sainuddin was already a solid competitor in Season 10 of our Championship and so he confirmed his status. Edward Edmun concludes his 100 Miles in fifth place.

In the women’s 100 Miles, there was victory for Nurul Emyra Fazira Isnariah Absi in a time of 34h05! In the lead by quite a margin after taking over from fast starter Celeste Teo, she was always ahead of the rest and took her first ATM race victory. Thailand’s Siriporn Leumathong is second in 36h28 using all her experience. Third on the podium was youngster Shamiera Auther in her 100 Miles debut in a time of 38h00! Shamiera is a former winner of the 50k at KAR and other 50k races, but has recently begun challenging herself on the longer ultras.

In the 80km race, there was no stopping Milton Amat! Arriving late at the start, the Sabahan trail star made his way to the front and dropped the strong and brave Jude Maikol in the last 25 km for another ATM race victory and another one at KAR Ultra! It's his second ATM points haul of the season. Jude Maikol finished 29 minutes later in second place. Good old Gustin Tiam, himself a former race winner at KAR, still managed to score a fantastic 3rd place on the podium, actually just 45 minutes behind Amat. Fast starter Willy Wilson was fourth , followed by Christantine Christer, who again scored points this season. Brunei's Shamsuleffandy Bin Haji Sulaiman did great to reach the finish line in sixth place. A wonderful race result for the Bruneian!

Hasnita Binti Asis won the 80 km women in a time of 14h42! A great performance by Hasnita, who was even 7th overall today! Harlin Richard was second but at respectable distance from the winner. Her second ATM podium of the season after BUTM in April. Amilisah Laisang took a great third on the podium! In fourth place, we found Satiau Satiau, followed by Kona Liau.

The next Malaysian ATM Championship Qualifier is also in Sabah, the classic Borneo TMBT Ultra at the end of August, followed one week later by Jagoi Ultra in Sarawak.

Tampin Transnaning Ultra, brought to you by Himalaya Sports, has moved two months forward on the trail calendar and is taking place again this weekend. It’s one of the toughest trail challenges in peninsular Malaysia. A race over several loops through the heart of Transnaning, featuring seven peaks in 34 km. Start and finish of the event is at the Tampin Water Park in Negeri Sembilan. Finishers can score a Grandmaster Quest point if they finish the Ultra race of 68km (4800 hm!) or the Challenger race of 102km (7200hm)

On the start list several known runners and Grandmasters seeking to add another point to their records. Including Golden Grandmaster Kenneth Mun Keat Yow, who is already on the Trail to Immortality. Also 2-star Grandmasters David Khoo and Siokhar Lim - long time no see - are expected to run the challenger course of just over 100km. 2-star Grandmaster Beng Siong Lee and Ang Yee Mei are familiar names on the 68km Ultra start list.

The official website of Tampin Transnaning Ultra describes the route very well: “ Starting from Tampin Water Park, runners begin by taking on the outer segments of the Trans Naning route. This opening section serves as the warm-up, but make no mistake, it is no easy start. Over the first 14km, runners will face more than 600m of elevation gain, with rolling hills on tarmac and forest access roads through the rural foothills. Along the way, runners will pass Kolam Marine A.R.M and the rustic Malaysian kampung landscape before reaching Gunung Datuk Foothill where the real adventure begins. From there, the next 20km reveals the true heart of Trans Naning: a rugged traverse along the southern spine of the Titiwangsa Range, summiting all seven (7) iconic peaks:

• Gunung Datuk

• Gunung Rembau

• Gunung Gagak

• Puncak 701

• Puncak 705

• Gunung Tampin Utara

• Gunung Tampin Selatan

Tamping Transnaning Ultra could become an ATM Championship Qualifier in the near future. It will therefore again be interesting to see how the race unfolds this weekend.

This weekend the focus is on Malaysia with two serious events taking place on both sides of the large country. In peninsular Malaysia, trail runners can score a Grandmaster point at Tampin Transnaning Ultra (see separate preview), while in Sabah, East Malaysia, there’s points up for grabs at KAR Ultra for both the ATM Championship points ranking and the Grandmaster Quest. It’s a 10-year-anniversary for KAR Ultra and the organisers are celebrating this milestone with a redesigned race programme featuring 100 Miles and 80 km categories. After the Borneo Miler in 2023, it will be the second time a ‘miler’ is held in Sabah.

The longest ultra already starts on Friday mid-afternoon and that is for a reason, of course. Running 100 Miles in the tropical conditions of Sabah is a tough matter. Cut-off times are moderate, however, and that has attracted a very large starting field. Lots of hope amongst many, in other words. When we look at the start list, two names pop out as obvious favourites for the race win: the inevitable Wilsen Singgin and the new, younger, Sabahan trail star Oswald Maikol. The latter still did an ultra race last week so we need to see if he has recovered enough. Singgin is no stranger to milers and even mega distances of over 200km. In the last couple of years, he has been focusing a bit more on the 50k races and developing his running speed, however. Last year’s KAR 110 race winner Azmil Saripudin could be the duo’s leading challenger. Nor Mansor Bin Muhammad Saleh and Feliks Aten are going well the past few months and Jainuddin Sainuddin had a great season 10 in ATM, both could be seen as a podium contenders, too, amongst several other experienced 100 miles runners. Haziq Asyraf is another dark horse in the race.

In the women’s race there’s no Rejlen James (maternity leave), which gives opportunities to established long ultra runners such as Celeste Teo, Jamilah Durat and Manila’s Ann Jilian Pulanco to score a win or at least a podium. And what about youngster Shamiera Auther on her 100 miles debut?

The 80km race category is serious in its own right. Willy Wilson Jafry could be the man to beat in this distance. Lots of people on the start list and we are bound to discover new local talent. Also the women’s competition seems very open with no clear favourite for victory.

ATM will be reporting live from KAR Ultra all weekend.

Following last week’s announcement about the introduction of Grandmaster Hubs, places where entitled runners can go to claim Grandmaster Quest tokens of achievement, we are happy to already add two more Hubs to our list: Gone Running in Hong Kong and Kolumpa in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Gone Running has been one of our supporters since the beginning of Asia Trail Master. It’s the store for trail runners, but also road runners, on Hong Kong island and more precisely in Wan Chai, just outside the MTR station on Johnston Road. As of next month, trail runners who earn the Grandmaster title or add stars to their caps can go there to collect their goodies.

The same for Kolumpa in Sabah’s capital city Kota Kinabalu on Borneo island, East Malaysia. Kolumpa is the brand of artist trail runner and 2-star Grandmaster Jessica Lintanga. Her atelier will also function as a Grandmaster Hub as of next month, in particular to facilitate runners from Sabah.

In the coming weeks we aim to announce more Grandmaster Hubs, including in the Philippines. Meanwhile, similar venues keen on becoming a Grandmaster Hub can reach out to kris@asiatrailmaster.com for more information.

Adresses:

• Gone Running
  3/F, Simsons Commercial Building, 137 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

• Kolumpa
  88300 Kota KInabalu, Sabah, Malaysia (precise pin location will be shared when requested)

One of the most popular events on both our Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendars is Vietnam Trail Marathon in Moc Chau. Taking place in January every year, it’s the ideal event to get back into things after the end-of-year festivities. In 2027, VTM is scheduled on the weekend of 16/17 January with the 70km as the traditional race category to focus on.

Organised by the great crew of Vietnam Trail Series, going to VTM at first looks tough and time-consuming, but thanks to the wonderful bus shuttle arrangements from and to Hanoi and the practical travel packages runners can just sit back and relax all day before arriving in Moc Chau, in itself a popular tourism town and area. Note that the shuttle busses depart from a new place, namely the Snow Beach Cafe - also at the West Lake.

VTM is essentially an A to B race, although the finish line at the tea resort is not that far away from the start venue, which is the event hotel Muong Thanh. The course is incredibly scenic and quite runable when dry. Still, the elevation gain of nearly 3000 hm is to be reckoned with and over the past years we have seen many trail runners blow up in the last 20 km. Last January, the fastest male and female runners were Ricky Sung and Dening Lo, from Taiwan and Singapore respectively.

Registration is open already and can be done easily online via the VTS website linked below.

Running back in time

A successful 4th edition of Camiguin Island Trail in the north of Mindanao last weekend, an event with a 70km long ultra offering a Grandmaster Quest point for all finishers. As expected, we also got to discover several new faces at the front of the 70km race, which saw some nice tight racing for victory.

In the men’s 70km, Bryan Jay Mundiguing proved fastest at the end to complete the course as race winner in 9h42. That was 12 minutes ahead of established competition runner Marjones Abugan and 16 minutes ahead of Marlonette Esquierdo in third place. The times also indicate the toughness of the island course.

The women’s race was even closer with Mekaila Abel Cruz taking top honours in a winning time of 13h36. Just 8 minutes ahead of Linajane Aluba. Completing the podium was Jessa Vicente in 14h30.

Camiguin Island Trail is organised by Vertical To Sky and may develop into an ATM Championship Qualifier next season.

We are delighted to announce that the inaugural edition of Yam Trail Run in Mongolia will be held as an ATM Candidate Race on Saturday, 15 August. The 75 km long ultra trail run is part of a bigger outdoor sports festival under the banner of the Mongolian Empire Adventure Series and also includes a Gravel Granfondo cycling competition on the day after the trail run. What’s more, the event is held out of Mongolia’s capital city Ulaanbaatar, making it convenient for a weekend trip for the entire family.

Start and finish of the Yam Trail Run is the major Genghis Khan Monument just outside the city inside the vast green grasslands Mongolia is known for. Participants can make use of an event shuttle bus from the city centre to the race venue. The official event hotel is the Aurora Hotel (https://en.aurorahotel.mn) in the city, where the race pack collection will be held. International participants are recommended to make use of this accommodation option, but there’s plenty of other hotels in the vicinity as well.

The 75 km course will be nearly entirely off-road and go deep into the grasslands. It’s runable, but there is elevation gain, too. The area is hilly in parts, remote and offering unforgettable views. You may also encounter flocks of sheep, horses, cows and even eagles during your run. One day later, the gravel ‘mediofondo’ riders will use the same course. Cyclists also have a longer option of 140km. It is possible to sign up for both the Yam Trail Run and the Gravel Granfondo. The official course map will be available within the next few days.

On the programme is not only a 75 km long ultra, but also a 10 Miles (16 km) option, catering mainly for domestic runners and hikers. Indeed, there is a also a non-competitive ‘hiking’ option. The Mongolian Empire Adventure Series has great ambitions and aims to attract as many local people as possible to create an exciting annual sports festivity .

The 75km long ultra will start at sunrise (5:45 am) and has a cut off time of 13 hours (18:45 pm). The 10 Miles run & hike has a scheduled start of 11 am. Note that Ulaanbaatar lies at an elevated altitude, so it should not be that hot.

Coming from abroad, it has been easier than ever as visa-free policies have been extended over the past few years for ever more countries. Flights to Ulaanbaatar have increased also from many places in Asia, including Hong Kong.

For this inaugural edition, registration fees are deliberately kept low. You can sign up via the button below, which links to a google-based form. Any questions about the race can be sent to Asia Trail Master directly via info@asiatrailmaster.com . Asia Trail Master is collaborating with Mongolian Empire Adventure Series on this project. A dedicated web page with all further details on Yam Trail will be opened on ATM Web this coming Wednesday.

This weekend the spotlights are on Camiguin Island Trail, just off the northern coast of Mindanao. a popular event by Vertical To Sky - known from The Punisher, Mount Apo Sky Race and others - and is again part of the ATM Grandmaster Quest calendar this season. The race distance to focus on is the 70km.

Camiguin is an island in the Bohol Sea, approximately 10km off the northern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines. The trail event is held out of the island’s and provincial capital Mambajao. The island has some lush green forest reserves, even protected under the ASEAN Heritage Park label. Camiguin also has a rich cultural history and treasures, such as Old Mambajao Fountain and the façade of the Santo Rosario Church in Sagay. This is a mountainous island, which offers the opportunity for some splendid trail running, including some technical mountain sections. The highest peak is Mount Timpoong, which towers a respectable 1500 metres above sea level.

It is one of several events. in Philippines that may become part of our ATM Championship calendar in future, too. The 70km race has well over 3700 elevation gain, which is not to be underestimated.

On the start list this weekend we find nearly 150 runners for the 70km category, which is a good number, Amongst them, Golden 4-star Grandmaster and now on the Trail to Immortality, Masafumi Yamamoto from Japan. Masafumi continues to enjoy the down-to-earth boutique style of trail races and has received a lot of respect from the communities everywhere. Also Bronze 2-star Grandmaster Blanka Wong from Malaysia will be looking to score another GM point on the way to 3-stars. For the battle up front, with MUSPO 100 just one week ago, the start list does not immediately see the biggest of names, which only means we will get to know some new faces again. Arguably, Marjones Abugan will be the one to beat. Jonathan Pido, however, is a former Mount Apo Sky Race winner - all the way back in 2015. Henry Joe Cottillon may also be in podium contention this weekend.

This Sunday at 20:00 pm Japan time (21:00 HK time, 20:00 time Vietnam, Thailand etc), official registration opens for Izu Trail Journey, the classic end-of-year race. A member of Asia Trail Master for a decade, the 70km pilgrimage course retains its attraction and is one of not many trail courses people like to run as many times as they can. Overall, it’s a runable course but with just enough technicality, especially halfway, to keep everyone concentrated throughout. The estimated elevation gain of over 3200hm is of course also to be noted.

Izu Trail Journey is an event where the organisers put a lot of emphasis on ‘event experience’ for all participants. Aid stations, start and finish all enjoy a wonderful vibe, even in the rare cases of bad weather - such as last year, when it rained nonstop for five hours in the early morning. Usually, Izu enjoys beautiful sunny weather resulting in awesome views of Mount Fuji at a.o. the Nishina Pass halfway into the race. Mind you, it is winter time in Japan, so temperatures can be on the low side.

The event centre for some years is now Mishima, one of the main towns in the Izu peninsula that is connected to Tokyo and Yokohama via the Shinkansen fast-speed train. There’s also busses. From Mishima, runners take the nighttime event shuttle bus to the race start venue in Matsuzaki New Port, by the ocean. The finish is in Shuzenji, one of the onsen (hot spring) towns in the area, and also location of the Izu base camp cafe, where you enjoy a nice Izu Trail beer, or just coffee and tea.

Last year, the race saw record-breaking performances by Hirokazu Nishimura and Honoka Akiyama, who both won Izu for the third time in their trail running journeys. John Ray Onifa struggled with the wet and cold weather conditions and suffered a DNF. Will the current ATM Champion return this year to take revenge?

Find out all details via the official website linked below, and make sure to secure your spot this weekend already, because this one sells out quickly!

As of July 2026, Asia Trail Master is creating a number of ATM Grandmaster Hubs in cooperation with recognised partners across the region. Grandmaster Hubs are places where trail runners can gather and collect Grandmaster achievement tokens, such as Grandmaster caps and Gold, Silver of Bronze achievement tees. The first two official Grandmaster Hubs are Trailside Treats near Kuala Lumpur City in Malaysia and Red Dot Running Company in Singapore.

As more and more trail runners have embarked on their Grandmaster journeys, it has become a logistical challenge to prepare and distribute achievement tokens at events. Hence, the idea of Grandmaster Hubs came to fruition. Hubs will be located in places with lots of runners and usually have a direct link with Asia Trail Master as well.

Trailside Treats, for example, is managed by a.o. Carly Balmforth, herself a 2-star Grandmaster already, and is located near Bukit Tiara, one of peninsular Malaysia’s main trail running training and gathering areas. It’s a coffee, tea and cake venue, breathing trail running, and so it also makes for a great gathering venue while you collect your Grandmaster token(s).

Red Dot Running Company in Singapore was founded by Jeri Chua, legendary endurance athlete and someone who has been supportive of Asia Trail Master since the very beginning. RDRC, as it is commonly known, is the reference store for runners - both trail and road - in Singapore. ATM has often had livestreams and gathering sessions at RDRC over the years.

In the coming weeks we aim to announce more Grandmaster Hubs, including in the Philippines. Meanwhile, similar venues keen on becoming a Grandmaster Hub can reach out to kris@asiatrailmaster.com for more information.

Addresses

• Trailside Treats: Located near the green Bukit Kiara forest at G-3, Wisma WIM, Taman Tun Dr Ismail

• Red Dot Running Company Store - 108 Sims Avenue, Singapore 387432

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Local trail running stars Godwin Mirar and Kimberly Flores were the outstanding race winners at MUSPO 100 in Valencia, Bukidnon, Mindanao last weekend. In the absence of Arnie Macaneras, Mirar had to look out for the ever improving Kik Suello, but the youngster still had the edge and finished in 11h31. Kik Suello was second 35 minutes later. In third place on the podium we had Johnred Carpio in 12h53. A remarkable result for the only 21-year-old Carpio. Also fourth place Edward Candelanza is just 22.

Kimberly Flores continued her winning ways in her home country. The 29-year-old is also the new overall female points leader in Season 11. MUSPO 100 was already her third victory of the current season and she is guaranteed of a spot in Team Pilipinas for the upcoming ATM Championship Final in Vietnam in 3 October. Shally Yuson was second one hour later. For Yuson it was the first big race after a lengthy competition break. Janet Arnego claimed the third spot on the podium.

Filipinos still have one last chance to add ATM Championship points to their total via Marilog Ultra 70 in the wider Davao region in the middle of August.

It’s mid-July and so it’s MUSPO time again! The traditional event in Valencia managed to stay on the trail event calendar in 2026 while most others in the region had to skip this year. No wonder there’s more than 400 names on the start list of the 100km ATM Championship Qualifier and Grandmaster Quest race! Biggest names for the men’s race are 2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras and local hero Godwin Mirar. Shally Yuson and Kimberly Flores are the ones to watch in the women’s race.

MUSPO 100 is the penultimate ATM Championship Qualifier of Season 11 in the Philippines. Next month, there is also still Marilog Ultra 70 to determine which five male and which five female runners will form the team for the Championship Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam on 3 October. Team Pilipinas was team champion in 2023 and finished second the last couple of years.

Arnie Macaneras needs to complete this race to get his wild card as former champion. For Godwin Mirar, it looks quite complicated this season as his focus has been elsewhere. He only has 1 points score in the books this season, so it’s going to be tough with so many Filipinos trying to qualify. Godwin was the overall points leader of Season 10 and had a great championship race at the 9 Dragons until he went off course whilst in second place behind John Ray Onifa.

The Filipino runner who has caught the eye over the past months is Kik Suello, and he is also on the start list of MUSPO this weekend. Macaneras and Mirar certainly need to watch out for him in the battle for victory. Kik is currently second in the Filipino ATM ranking with 3 races, including 2 wins. With a good finish this weekend, he can rest assured to be part of the Championship race again.

Kim Flores has had a great year with several wins along the way. She is currently second Filipino in the ATM ranking behind Mia Revilla, but she can claim the top spot this weekend, plus get a guaranteed qualification for the Championship Final, which would be the first time for the young talented runner. Shally Yuson is coming back from a more quiet period, probably necessary after a very heavy 2025 in terms of racing.

ATM will be reporting live from MUSPO 100 starting on Saturday.