For the third year in a row, Grandmaster Shashwat Rao was by far the fastest 100k runner at the 8th Malnad Ultra in Karnataka in Southwest India. Rao had an advantage of nearly 50 minutes over second-place Yogesh Sanap and finished in 13h49’. The battle for third was decided in favour of Pulkit Jain, who stayed five minutes ahead of Santhosh Gowda.

Strongest woman, and in fact the only finisher this year, was Soma Datta. For Datta is was also the second consecutive 100k victory at Malnad.

As usual, the 50k category was also a points race for the ATM Championship ranking. The overall podium raised quite some eyebrows. Sandeep Kumar won the race in a fast time 5h09’ - remember there’s approx 1600 hm to overcome - , which was 13 minutes quicker than Mohammad Sahil Annigeri. Amazingly, they were followed by the first woman: Rayja Laxmi Rawal from Jumla in western Nepal! The young woman is no unknown on the ATM scene. Last April, she gave our reigning ATM Champion Priya Rai a serious run for her money in the Jumla Rara 50k, leading that race until just the last few kilometres. Her victory in Malnad last weekend, on completely different terrain, shows Rayja Laxmi Rawal is yet another major Nepalese trail running talent with abundant speed to match her technical mountain running skills. She ran the 50km in 5h40’, well ahead of her Karnali Sports Club teammate Mimu Budha in 6h27. Mimu Budha was 5th in April’s JRU race. Allison Lowenstein completed the women’s podium in 6h43’.

Shashwat Rao has now already collected 875 ATM points this season in two races, which puts him in a very solid position to qualify for next year's Season 10 ATM Final. Also, Rayja Laxmi Rawal and Mimu Budha collected 500 and 450 points, respectively, and so lead the very competitive Nepalese ATM ranking in this still early part of the new season.

Malnad Ultra is the only points race in India on our ATM calendar. In neighbouring country Nepal, the Manjushree Trail in Kathmandu has already been confirmed for 14-16 March 2025, while Jumla Rara Ultra is about to be announced for the weekend of 12 May 2025.

Nepalese runners from Jumla left quite an impression at Malnad this year (photo by Karnali)

Mimu Budha, 5th in JRU last April, scored her first ATM podium on the 50km in Malnad (photo by Karnali)

The start of the 50km

Rayja Laxmi Rawal : another new Nepalese ATM Champion in the making?

India’s highly popular Malnad Ultra returns on 23 November this year and has just opened registration for the 8th edition. Taking place in Mallanduru in India’s Karnataka region near Bengaluru in the southwest is a wonderful trail experience in what is still a new destination. The 8th edition of the always sold-out event will offer again 100k and 50k race courses for ATM Championship points and a Grandmaster point (100k), and there is also a 30k for less ambitious runners. The event takes place in the heartland of Indian coffee at elevations ranging from 800m to 1500m above sea level.

The origin of the name Malnad is attributed to Male meaning Hill and Nadu meaning Land. So, Malnad is the land of the hills. The organisation is in the capable hands of the Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM), and further driven by a large team of enthusiastic volunteers. The races are runable, but challenging and across various types of terrain with accumulated elevation gain of approx 3400 hm for the 100 km and 1700 hm for the 50 km. The races mostly go through the vast coffee plantations in the area. The precise course maps for 2023 will be made available within the next few weeks, as the start and finish location is planned to be changed.

The courses take runners through the Mudigere area in the State of Karnataka, which has Bengaluru (previously known as Bengalore) as its capital. That big city is also the international gateway to the event. From there, busses will take runners to Mallanduru, roughly 5 hours away, where the event is held. Please note Malnad Ultra is a trail adventure and takes place in a remote area so allow for enough time to reach the final destination. Also, be aware that mobile connectivity may be limited on many parts of the course.

International runners are recommended to email the event organisation or Asia Trail Master directly for details about transportation options to the event site. Accommodation is mostly pleasant homestays - with great food! - and are plentiful in the area. Detailed information about travel, accommodation and touristic options are available on the official website of Malnad Ultra now.

Do not hesitate too long because there is a quota of 200 runners for 100k and 300 for the 50k. This is India’s most popular trail running event and always fills up.

At the 7th edition of Malnad Ultra in Karnatika, India, last week, ATM Grandmaster Shashwat Rao repeated his victory from last year. On an amended course with a new start and finish venue, Rao was a class on his own and finished in 12h14’ - more or less the same as twelve months ago. The men’s podium was completed more than two hours later by Nakul Butta and Deepak Rajput. In the women’s 100k, victory went to Soma Datta in 18h12. She was approx 50 minutes faster than Anuradha Bhat and Bindu Juneja.

The 50km was a lot tighter with the first three men finishing within eight minutes and the entire top ten within 32 minutes from the race winner. That winner was Philippe Policisto, who held off Sreejin Thankamani and James Thomas. The women’s 50km saw Trupti Katkar Chavan take top honours, ahead of Singapore’s Anna Tipping and Sandhya K.

Shashwat Rao wins again in the biggest trail event of his home country

For the second year in a row, Malnad Ultra in Karnataka, the State with Bengaluru as capital city, connects the blossoming Indian trail running scene with the Asia Trail Master Championship series as one of the exciting late-season events. Already in its 7th edition, Malnad has again sold out with a thousand runners spread across three race distance categories, of which the 100km and 50km offer ATM points. Trail running in its purest form, in a beautiful remote location, often without even any mobile coverage. The course is laid out in the heartland of Indian coffee at an elevation ranging from 950 to 1050m above sea level, which implies rather cooler temperatures for the participants as well.

The event has changed start and finish venue for this year’s edition to adapt to the growth of the event. This means the race courses have been altered as well, although the characteristics have remained the same. The longest distance has a cut-off time of 21 hours and 3738 hm elevation gain. The 50km is 9,5 hours and 1856 hm gain. The start is in the morning around sunrise.

The 100k was won by ATM Grandmaster Shashwat Rao last year, and he will be back at the starting line this weekend. The 50k last year saw a great run and competition with another well-known Indian runner Sannat Sachdev taking the win. Anuradha Bhat and Lipi Kalita were the winning women a year ago.

The Malnad Ultra is organised by GIREM, short for Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management. It is volunteer-driven and not-for-profit, aiming to bring people to the outdoors and promote the sport of trail running.

Thanks to Trisha Yuen for images of the RPC today

The Malnad course traverses a huge coffee plantation area

Grandmaster Shashwat Rao won the 100km last year

Last year’s exciting newcomer on the ATM scene returns on 25 November. Malnad Ultra in India’s Karnataka region near Bengaluru in the southwest, is the last points race event of the 2023 season ahead of the championship final and a great trail experience in what is still a new destination. The 7th edition of Malnad will offer again 100k and 50k race courses for points, and also a 30k for less ambitious runners. The event takes place in the heartland of Indian coffee at elevations ranging from 800m to 1500m above sea level.

The origin of the name Malnad is attributed to Male meaning Hill and Nadu meaning Land. So, Malnad is the land of the hills. The organisation is in the capable hands of the Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM), and further driven by a large team of enthusiastic volunteers. The races are runable, but challenging and across various types of terrain with accumulated elevation gain of approx 3400 hm for the 100 km and 1700 hm for the 50 km. The races mostly go through the vast coffee plantations in the area. The precise course maps for 2023 will be made available within the next few weeks, as the start and finish location is planned to be changed.

The courses take runners through the Mudigere area in the State of Karnataka, which has Bengaluru (previously known as Bengalore) as its capital. That big city is also the international gateway to the event. From there, busses will take runners to Attigundi, roughly 5 hours away, where the event is held. Please note Malnad Ultra is a trail adventure and takes place in a remote area so allow for enough time to reach the final destination. Also, be aware that mobile connectivity may be limited on many parts of the course.

International runners are recommended to email the event organisation or Asia Trail Master directly for details about transportation options to the event site. Accommodation is mostly pleasant homestays - with great food! - and are plentiful in the area. Detailed information about travel, accommodation and touristic options are available on the official website of Malnad Ultra now.

Do not hesitate too long because there is a quota of 200 runners for 100k and 300 for the 50k. This is India’s most popular trail running event and always fills up.

ATM Grandmaster Shashwat Rao won the 100k at Malnad last year

ATM Grandmaster Shashwat Rao scored an impressive maiden victory in Malnad Ultra 100 last weekend, the first points race in India that counts for the Asia Trail Master championship. Rao dug very deep to achieve this feat on a runable yet hilly course through a major coffee plantation area six hours south of Bangalore in Karnataka State. Malnad Ultra is the most popular trail running event in India, but changed location for this year’s 6th edition. The new venue and course was liked by the 1000 runners at the event, offering great vistas of the mountainous area and a great feeling of remoteness. The weather on race weekend also played ball and made for an exciting weekend of trail running for the many newbies on the 30km as well. No doubt about it: India’s trail running scene is blossoming. And not only in quantity of numbers, but also in the quality of its top runners. We have known the high level of Shashwat Rao since 2018, but consider the Malnad 50k race winner Sannat Sachdev. 50k trail with 1700m of elevation gain in 4 hours and 38 minutes! In a clear statement after the finish, Sachdev proclaimed he is ready to experience the Asia Trail Master Championship in 2023. We are looking forward, indeed! Sachdev was not alone, he was pushed forward for a long time by another Asian top class act Opendro Singh Thoudam. In third was Ganesh Kumar. The women’s race was won by Unived talent Lipi Kalita.

Shashwat and Ashis did the full 100k course in well under 13 hours. The podium was completed by Raman Kumar. The women’s 100k race was won by Anuradha Bhat in 17h52. Anita Shivanna and Talisangla Jamir joined her on the podium. Jamir actually led the race halfway, but dropped back in the second part. It was her first 100k.

Lipi Kalita (middle) won the women’s 50k race in 6h32

India is growing as a trail running destination and Malnad Ultra illustrates that fact as the first official points race in the Asia Trail Master Championship series. The 6th edition of the very popular event in the heartland of Indian coffee in Karnataka, Western Ghats, has two traditional race categories that provide points: 100km and 50km. The terrain, through hilly coffee plantations, is quite runable and explains the tight cut-off times given the distances.

More than 1200 people signed up for the event, which is taking place in a very remote area northwest of Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore). As the RD told ATM, do not expect to be able to perform any video livestreaming. It is part of the charm of Malnad Ultra to be away from every-day mobile connectivity for a few days.

ATM Grandmaster Shashwat Rao will be among the competitors on the 100km, having just returned from a strong run in South Korea at the Ulju Trail 9 Peaks. Shashwat has been all over Asia in the years 2018-19 and it is great to see him back post-covid. With a good result this weekend, he can qualify himself for the ATM Championship Final in Philippines on 17 December. Another Indian running star who can achieve that is Nupur SIngh in the women’s category. Earlier this year, Nupur traveled to Saudi Arabia just after she resumed training and scored a very solid second place. She has had global running goals this year, such as the world championship ultra road running, which is why we haven’t seen more of her afterwards. Dengue fever also hampered her progress. Dengue is pretty serious, so Malnad Ultra will be a test case for Nupur to see how well she has recovered.

ATM will be on-site during the event and will be reporting as much as the mobile connectivity allows.

Malnad Ultra on 26 November is the first ATM points race event in India. It is widely perceived as the most popular trail running event in the country and the organising team is highly welcoming runners from across Asia and and the ATM community. Malnad Ultra offers runable 100k and 50k points races, and also have a 30K for less ambitious and newbie trail runners.

To reach the event venue comfortably and without hassle, it is highly recommended to book a travel package. Malnad Ultra has tied up with Active Holiday Company, which will offer packages that include travel and accommodation on a shared basis. We strongly recommend participants to consider taking one of these packages and leave all the logistics to them. The event is conducted in a remote area and we request participants to plan their logistics well in advance. Please take a few minutes to look at the sample itineraries on the official website before you plan.

It is very tricky to try and reach the destination, 15km northwest of Attigundi, on your own. Please DO NOT follow instructions provided by Google Maps (they are wrong!) and use the instructions that are provided on the official Malnad Ultra website.

If you like new destinations and a bit more adventure in your trail experiences, Malnad Ultra is your pick of this season. Most international runners will arrive in Bengaluru (Bangalore), the capital of India's southern Karnataka state. The center of India's high-tech industry, the city is also known for its parks and nightlife.

The first Indian event on the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar opens the registration books this Friday, 1 July. Malnad Ultra welcomes runners from across the continent to run in the heartland of Indian coffee at elevations ranging from 800m to 1500m above sea level.

The 6th edition of this event, one of the country’s biggest trail events -if not the biggest -, is scheduled for the last weekend of November on the 26th and 27th. Taking place in the Western Ghats region of southern India, the routes on offer will be 100 km, 50 km and 30 km, whereby the two longest categories offer ATM Championship points.

The origin of the name Malnad is attributed to Male meaning Hill and Nadu meaning Land. So, Malnad is the land of the hills. The organisation is in the capable hands of the Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM), and further driven by a large team of enthusiastic volunteers. The races are challenging and across various types of terrain with accumulated elevation gain of approx 3400 hm for the 100 km and 1700 hm for the 50 km. In fact, it’s a 50km loop that 100k runners do twice. The courses take runners through the Mudigere area in the State of Karnataka, which has Bengaluru (previously known as Bengalore) as its capital. That big city is also the international gateway to the event. From there, busses will take runners to Attigundi, roughly 6 hours away, where the event is held. Please note Malnad Ultra is a real trail adventure and takes place in a remote area so allow for enough time to reach the final destination. International runners are recommended to email the event organisation or Asia Trail Master directly for details about transportation options to the event site. Accommodation is mostly homestays and are plentiful in the area. Detailed information about travel, accommodation and touristic options are available on the official website of Malnad Ultra now.

We are delighted to announce the signing of Malnad Ultra as the first Asia Trail Master Championship points race in India. The 6th edition of this event, one of the country’s biggest trail events -if not the biggest -, is scheduled for the last weekend of November on the 26th and 27th. Taking place in the Western Ghats region of southern India, the routes on offer will be 100 km, 50 km and 30 km, whereby the two longest categories offer ATM Championship points. The programme therefore offers options for all types of trail runners.

The origin of the name Malnad is attributed to Male meaning Hill and Nadu meaning Land. So, Malnad is the land of the hills. The organisation is in the capable hands of the Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM), and further driven by a large team of enthusiastic volunteers. The races are challenging and across various types of terrain with accumulated elevation gain of approx 4500 hm for the 100 km and 2500 hm for the 50 km. The courses take runners through the Mudigere area in the State of Karnataka, which has Bengaluru (previously known as Bengalore) as its capital. That big city is also the international gateway to the event. From there, busses will take runners to the Robusta Valley Inn, where the event centre is located. Accommodation is plentiful in the area and catering to all budget levels. Detailed information about travel, accommodation and touristic options are available on the official website of Malnad Ultra (see button link below).

 

It has been quiet on the event front for a couple of months now for obvious reasons, but today we are happy to announce a new forthcoming Candidate Race in India. Malnad Ultra has earned itself a reputation since 2016 as one of the large country’s most popular trail running events, and is now keen to join the Asia Trail Master community. The 2020 event is on the schedule for 7/8 November, but currently ‘on hold’ given the pandemic.

The origin of the name Malnad is attributed to Male meaning Hill and Nadu meaning Land. So, Malnad is the land of the hill. All the race categories are beyond 42 kms on hilly terrain and the longest distance last year was 110km. The event organisation is exploring the the possibility of adding a 100 miles category to the programme in the near future. The race course takes runners through coffee estates and provides magnificent views of the Bhadra Reservoir and Bhadra Wildlife Reserve in the Western Ghats of South India. These estates have a history of over 150 years and are home to over 100 plant species and 50 animal species. .

Stay tuned for more updates on Malnad Ultra to come out soon, and in the mean time watch the YouTube video clip below for your background info.