The 3rd edition of Ultra Trail Chiang Rai in the north of Thailand brings together a lot of trail talent from across the continent including most of this year’s Asia Trail Master Championship protagonists. It is not for nothing the Thailand SuperTrail. On the programme are two A-races, the Ultimate 230km - the longest points race in the Championship - and the Classic 124 km (race preview tomorrow). Contenders-in-need of extra bonus points - the 100 miles+ bonus - are gambling to tackle that mega distance in 60 hours. Among them ATM Champion Alessandro Sherpa, homeboy Job Tanapong and Tomohiro Mizukoshi. They are joined by other top runners such as Noy Gentoleo, Wilsen Singgin, Abimanyu Shunmugan, Yotchai Chaipromma and Robert Butcher, who knows the terrain in Chiang Rai very well and was on the podium of the 122K race here two years ago.

Sherpa is not convinced he is making the right choice because he would be a top candidate to win the 124K race. It is certainly brave that he wants to give the 230K - a distance even he has never done before - a try. If he were to manage to win it this weekend, it would be close to a miraculous comeback within a time span of just a few weeks. Many had already written the Italian off for this ATM season, after two consecutive DNFs in Mantra Summits and Magnificent Merapoh Trail, but a second place on Mt Talinis gave him the mental boost he probably needed a bit. A win in the Ultimate 230K is worth 600 ATM Championship points bringing his total to 2075. That’s a standard race win away from equalling Hisashi KItamura’s current points lead…

Thailand’s Job Tanapong is in a similar situation after a somewhat disappointing UT Chiang Mai result - fourth. The NKOTB scored 1450 points so far in three races, 25 less than Sherpa. Tanapong also still has UT Panoramic on his programme before the final in TNF MMTF in Malaysia on 14 December. But at the race briefing this afternoon, Tanapong claimed he is opting for the “slow-pace” 230K instead of the “fast-pace” 124K as he is carrying a hamstring injury. If he fails to finish this weekend, it will be all or nothing for him in the aforementioned last two ATM Championship races of the season - just like Veronika Vadovicova in the women’s.

Tomohiro Mizukoshi was a great third in last year’s championship and currently ranks fifth after what has been a tough season for the Tokyo runner - also plagued by smaller and bigger injuries now and again. Chiang Rai should be a course that suits him, though, and the distance should also not deter him - see his Penang Eco 100 miles last June - second and his best race result of 2019.

Jag Lanante, the fantastic Filipino based in Thailand who won the 230 last year in just over 37 hours is unfortunately not starting the race tomorrow. due to injury.

The women’s Ultimate 230K also has an impressive list of starters and podium contenders. China’s Xie Wenfei is tipped by many as the biggest favourite for the victory, but the colourful runner from Guangdong has also never been close to that distance. This year, she was 3rd in Ultimate Tsaigu last April - the Chinese partner race of UTCR. Thailand’s Montha Suntornwit won the race a year ago and is certainly a candidate to repeat that feat. Habiba Benahmed is not afraid of ultra long distances and usually keeps a solid pace throughout, just like Malaysia’s Siokhar Lim - one of this season’s new ATM Grandmasters and even #4 in the Championship ranking. Been Lee from Korea is not to underestimated neither.

We will be reporting live from the Ultimate 230 in Chiang Rai as of the start at 5 am on Friday morning. There is also a live tracking of elites via GPS provided by Dot Track Asia.

Ultimate Trail Warriors in Chiang Rai!