The Trail of Man night race in Chiang Mai City delivered some outstanding performances by runners new to the Asia Trail Master Championship series. Victory in both the men’s and women’s 54km points race went to locals: Thosaeng Kunno and Nisachon Morgan (picture left). Especially Kunno had to battle hard for it as he was under consistent pressure from Vietnam’s youngster Tran Van Nghia, France’s Chris Devoize and Hong Kong’s Luis Alvelais. Kunno finished in 7:28, just four mnutes ahead of Tran Van Nghia from Run For Life , who is now the second youngest ATM race podium finisher at the age of 22 , after Filipino Godwin Mirar, who took 3rd at The Punisher last year at the age of 21. Nghĩa Trần is a member of Run For Life club in Ho Chi Minh City and hails originally from Dalat. This was his first ATM points race, as it was for Kunno. Devoize placed 4th in April’s Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths, just behind Luis Alvelais. In Chiang Mai they switched positions. Both in any case did a fine job to boost their chances to get into the ATM Championship Final in December. Julien Petit from France was fifth. He scored two third places at VMM 70 back in 2017 and 2018 and is now returning to the front, apparently.

The race was more technical than most expected, but runners gave the thumbs up for the course and overall organisation. Some argued it would be better to race in daylight so you can actually witness and enjoy the scenery.

Nisachon Morgan won in 9h 11 and was 7th overall. She was out on her own and had wide margin over the other women. Roan Biguasen came second, for the third time this season in an ATM points race. The Filipino, based in Malaysia, is basically guaranteed already of her spot in Team Pilipinas for the ATM Championship Final with those results. Biguasen has been active all season, running well and selecting the races as to the best of her own ability. She also takes over as overall women’s points leader in the ATM rankings from her compatriot Irish Glorioso, who also already has four results in the bag this season. In the second semester of the year, they both can focus on trying to eliminate their worst result as only a runner’s best four results count in the ATM ranking. Third place in Chiang Mai went to Nachpraewa Srichokhtam ahead of Singapore’s Poh Suan Puah.

On Saturday night, the first Thai points race of the 2023 ATM Championship season will take place in Chiang Mai City. Trail of Man is a 55km race catering for medium distance specialists who don’t mind running at nighttime. Most of the course will be on the trails used in last year’s world championship event. With start and finish very near to the city centre of Chiang Mai, it makes for a great weekend trip to northern Thailand.

With the sudden forced cancellation of UTKC in January, it’s indeed taken nearly six months before Thai runners get a chance to open their ATM 2023 points accounts. Luckily, after Trail of Man there’s also still Akha Trail early August and the classic Ultra Trail Chiang Rai in October. Nevertheless, several Thailanders are already on the points board. For example, Jay Jantaraboon won Korea 50k, and Narin Kongsiri won the V Trail 55km in Laos. Kongsiri fearures on this weekend’s start list, too, and ranks among the several podium candidates. So does his countryman Amorn Kimnguan. But there’s quite a number of international runners who will be challenging them. Ho Chi Minh City-based Frenchman Gaetan Morizur is on the start list. Having won several races in Vietnam since covid, Morizur took a break from trail running after VJM last season as he became a father. Let’s see if he is already back in shape to fight for a victory in Chiang Mai. Hong Kong-based Jose Luis Alvelais will be starting his 4th ATM race of the season and a win would put him on top of the men’s overall ranking. In any case, Alvelais is making it clear he wants to be part of Team Hong Kong at the end of the year in the ATM Final in Indonesia. Firmeza Washington and Chris Devoize are also contenders, having already scored a top placing in earlier ATM races this season. From Vietnam, the young Tran Van Nghia is one to watch out for.

In the women’s race, KL-based Filipino Roan Biguasen, already twice on the podium this year, is also competing for the fourth time and could reclaim the overall ATM points lead at the expense of her compatriot Irish Glorioso.

Gaetan Morizur was strong winner of Dalat Ultra Trail in 2022

Roan Biguasen will be starting her 4th ATM points race of the season and may claim the overall top spot in the women’s ranking again

Jose Luis Alvelais will be competing already for the 4th time in ATM this season