An exciting and successful edition of UTSG 50 in Singapore saw the end of John Ray Onifa’s unbeaten streak of over six years in ATM. While our reigning champion ran a great race himself and looked like he was on the way to yet another victory, Hong Kong-Canadian Jeff Campbell found some energy reserves deep down at the end of the flattish race to catch Onifa again, and pass him for victory! Both great athletes finished the 50km within 4 hours, and eventually five minutes apart.

For Jeff Campbell it’s the 8th ATM race victory in his running career, his first of the season on a typical Singaporean and runable course that suited him perfectly despite a jetlag. He traveled back from London just the day before. John Ray Onifa took his defeat with a smile and lots of respect for Campbell, whom he knows very well, of course. In the end, Onifa did as he predicted the evening before at the pre race gathering at the Red Dot Running Company (see our video below). Onifa was right on the money finishing in 3h59, but Campbell just had too much speed in his legs.

Meanwhile, 2022 female ATM Champion Hau Ha was only four minutes behind Onifa... She was probably the fastest runner overall in the last 10km! Securing her wild card for this season’s ATM Championship Final, the Vietnamese star took a relatively modest start and even saw local resident Vanja Cnops coming back at her around the 10km mark. Competitive as always, Vanja had a brave run for sure, but an eye infection and the hard fact that Hau Ha has just become not only still a stronger trail runner, but also a faster runner, meant Vanja eventually had no answer. Going up on a road, Hau Ha just had too much strength in her legs for the Belgian. Still, Vanja’s finishing time of 4h25 nevertheless shows she had no off-day.

Hau Ha was running with Chris Timms nearby for most of the race. Timms, also a local resident, had a fantastic performance himself last Saturday. His third place on the men’s podium in 4h06 was illustrative of that, even though his podium spot was challenged severely by newcomer Siu Hong from Hong Kong. The latter went off course at some point early on, which may have cost him that top 3 podium spot. Still, Siu Hong, from the T8 squad, is a great new name on the scene. Singapore’s Deric Lau completed the top five with an excellent run himself ahead of Hong Kong Australian David Longo. Edmund Villaraza follows, then Gael Beron and Daniel Yap.

Behind Hau Ha and Vanja Cnops, Patsy Tan took the third podium spot. She finished just a minute ahead of Shifan Hu.

UTSG 50 showed that trail running, despite long concrete and road sections, can be great fun in Singapore. The X Trailblazers created a very fine experience for the 400-odd starters.

The five fastest runners in the finish

Initially, John Ray Onifa applied some serious pressure on Jeff Campbell.

Chris Timms and Hau Ha ran most of the race in each other’s vicinity

Patsy Tan completed the female podium in Singapore

Big names on the start list of the UTSG 50 event in Singapore this Saturday, the first ATM points race in the country since 2018. Organised by the large X Trailblazers community, UTSG will start and finish in the Macritchie Park and offers a course for the speedsters amongst the trail runners, in the absence of serious hillclimbs in Singapore. Pure running in other words, and it’s great to see a very well-stacked and international list of participants. Four names stand out: reigning ATM Champion John Ray Onifa will be facing Jeff Campbell for the men’s victory, and 2022 ATM Champion Hau Ha will be up against Singapore-resident Vanja Cnops.

Until a year ago, few people would have bet against Campbell on a runable 50k against even Onifa. But the Hong Kong-based Canadian has been shifting his attention towards the long ultras. People who follow the stats on Strava’s ATM Club know that Campbell ranks very high every week in the ‘total distance run’ column. Still, his sheer running speed won’t have disappeared so quickly, of course. His main issue will be his late arrival into Singapore, and the potential jet lag after spending time in the UK. Running UTSG 50 is a bit of a must for him, given his ambition to qualify again for the ATM Championship Final in September. Campbell was injured earlier in the season, and has no points on his 2024 account yet. John Ray Onifa will be keen to keep his unbeaten ATM streak going for a while longer. Earlier this year, Onifa indicated having an interest in road marathons now - to try and increase his running pace on the flat. UTSG will be a good indication where he stands with that.

There’s several other fast runners expected to join, such as David Longo and Chris Timms.

The women’s dual for the win should be between Vietnam’s Hau Ha and Belgium’s Vanja Cnops. It will be the second time they face each other in the same race. At the 2022 ATM Final on Mount Apo, Vanja was the first woman ever to make life hard for Hau Ha in a race. Eventually, Hau would get the upper hand going up and down Apo, but on Saturday the course is flat and suited towards Vanja Cnops, who has been living in Singapore for over ten years. If there’s one race where Vanja might have a chance against Hau Ha…. Her half marathon PB is still significantly faster than Hau’s, but can she prevent losing too much pace on 50km?

ATM will be reporting live from SIngapore starting at 6:30 am on Saturday.

Reigning ATM Champion John Ray Onifa wants to test his sheer running pace in Singapore this weekend

Jeff Campbell is increasingly focusing on long ultras now, but on Saturday he is back on his 50k top distance

2022 ATM Champion Hau Ha and her coach Guim are using UTSG as the perfect tune-up for their big goal in August

What can Vanja Cnops do against Hau Ha on flat trails in her long-time resident country Singapore?

Trail runners across Asia will be happy to learn that Luang Prabang Trail in Laos is a new addition to the ATM Championship calendar of Season 10. The 3rd edition of the event, organised by the same team as V Trail, will be held on the weekend of 19/20 October 2024 and features two points race categories (105km, 55km) for the Championship ranking, and one for the Grandmaster Quest (105km). Luang Prabang is the former capital of the country, and now a large UNESCO World Heritage Site and tourism magnet.

While trail runners can look forward to a very scenic new destination, they should also come prepared. Luang Prabang Trail - like V Trail in Vang Vieng - is no walk in the park. The 105km race has an estimated elevation gain of 6850 hm and the 55km has approx 3500 hm. Luckily, the cut-off times are reasonable - as you can see in the image below.

Trail running in Laos is still very much in its infancy, but the team of Green Step has built a solid reputation since 2018 with V Trail. International runners are highly encouraged to join the event’s facebook page to stay up-to-date with latest developments in English language. Event Director Philip Tay is also available via whatsapp for any queries there may be. There are a number of international flights to Luang Prabang from Thailand, Vietnam, China and Cambodia. Alternatively, you transit in Laos’ country capital Vientiane , or take a long distance bus from there. Accommodation is plentiful via the usual hotel booking agents online.

Deep Japan Ultra in Japan’s Niigata region, roughly 2-3 hours northwest of Tokyo, is rapidly gaining prestige as one of the great challenging events in our series. Managed and directed by experienced Japanese trail runner Hiroaki Matsunaga, DJU again provided a very satisfactory experience for participants, despite the high degree of ‘toughness’ . There’s two long ultras on the programme with the 100 Miles and the 80km, and in particular the ‘Miler’ is a serious test for everyone. Total elevation gain is only just short of 10.000 hm. It caught 4-star Grandmaster Masafumi Yamamoto by surprise once again, and also Hong Kong’s Rachel Chan even had to throw in the towel at km 120.

It’s an event where the locals perhaps have a clearer advantage, just because they know what is coming. Ryota Nakatani won the men’s race in 27h02’. He was followed on the podium by Tatsuya Saguchi and Tomo Ihara. In the women’s race, Yukiko Sawada won comfortably ahead of Ayako Murai and Kiyoko Nakata.

Gediminias Grinius from Lithuania returned to DJU and Niigata after an injury-induced DNF last year, and this time managed to secure race victory in 8h55. The female winner was the same as last year: Miki Saito in 12h14. Honourable mention goes to young Filipino Poy Brillantes who scored a fantastic 3rd place!

On the 100 miles distance, Yuta Matsuyama took a great fourth place. The same for Vietnam's Julia Nguyen Thi Duong in the women's race. Both collect 425 points at DJU, which will help them get qualified for this season's ATM Final at Borneo TMBT on 14 September.

Images courtesy of Dogsorcaravan

Winner on the 100 miles: Ryota Nakatani

Female winner on the 100 miles: Yukiko Sawada

Lithuanian Gediminias Grinius had unfinished business at DJU and took victory on the 80km

Poy Brillantes ran a magnificent race to finish 3rd on the podium in the 80km

Miki Saito won the 80km for the second consecutive year

ATM 2023 Finalist Yuta Matsuyama scored 4th place on the 100 miles

Trail des Gombak, a new ATM Candidate Race in Selangor, Malaysia, saw a 100km victory for the duo Philippe Daniel and Malachy Kirwan! Both Singapore residents finished in 14 hours 40 minutes, well ahead of third-placed Malaysian Tuan Hafandi. Frenchman Daniel and Irishman Kirwan ran the race in duo format.

In the women's 100km, another expat, Carly Balmforth took the win ahead of Norlela Ismail in 21 h 20. Balmforth is an ATM Grandmaster and a two-time finalist in 2022 and 2023.

The 50 km saw a nice battle between eventual race winner Mohd Aminuddin Musa and Mohd Hatta Wahab. Finishing time was 6h32. Ahmad Aqwa Bin Othman completed the podium. Filipino Ritzy Amor Ectin was the fastest female runner in 7h58. She was 27 minutes ahead of Federica Lara and Daniele Finocchi, both from Italy.

Carly Balmforth

Malachy Kirwan and Philippe Daniel

This weekend the third edition of Trail des Gombak will be held at Dewan Serbaguna Orang Asli, Gombak in Selangor, peninsular Malaysia. It is a new ATM Candidate Race. The route of this race consists of jungle trails, river creek, waterfall, asphalt, rolling hills and much more that Gombak can offer, including scenic views on Kuala Lumpur.

The event is organised by Projek Hijo and offers traditional race distance categories of 100km and 50 km , alongside shorter versions of 30 km and 15 km. The 100km can also be done in duo format.

Gombak is located near Kuala Lumpur and to the Batu Caves, a touristic hotspot, making it a very convenient event from a logistical point of view. The event location is the Orang Asli settlement. On paper, Trail des Gombak is not the most difficult with approx 3600 hm of elevation gain for the 100k and 1800 hm for the 50k, but as usual numbers never tell the whole story. The 100km starts at day time, 11am on Saturday, and there’s a cut-off time of 32 hours.

The start list features some well-known runners from Malaysia, including some whom we haven’t seen in recent months. Grandmaster Ben Lee is scheduled to run the 100km, and so is Norlela Ismail. Malachy Kirwan and Philippe Daniel, both Singapore residents, are an interesting entry on the 100km duo race. Malachy is one of Vanja Cnops’ training buddies and known for his fast legs. Gombak may even be his first ever 100km distance. Philippe Daniel on the other hand is very much used to the ultra distances already. No better guide, in other words. On the 50km, we have ATM Finalists Carly Balmforth, Izzah Hazirah and Nur Amaani .

Penang and Endurance Nature have been an integral part of the Asia Trail Master series since the very beginning and continues to be in 2024. On the long weekend of 18 to 20 October, trail runners will score points for the ATM Championship ranking and the Grandmaster Quest at Ultimate Trails of Penang, better known as UTOP. The 5th edition of the event takes place on the island proper and is widely regarded as one of the tougher races on our calendar. This year, there is also a 100 miler on the programme.

UTOP 100 Miles and the 60 km medium distance will be the two categories offering championship points. There is also a 100km category, which obviously offers a Grandmaster point for all finishers as it’s above 70km.

Since the covid crisis, UTOP and Penang Eco, also by Endurance Nature under event director Seow Kong Ng, have alternated on the ATM calendar. The trail courses of both events are completely different, but have one thing in common: they’re both very tough even if they don’t necessarily look so on paper. Easy runable sections are mixed with steep technical jungle trails, and some serious elevation. The 100 Miles comes close to a massive 10000 hm for 171 km, whereas the 60km (actually 64km) also has no fewer than 4300 hm - which is only 200 hm short of Grandmaster qualification. In other words, participants better come prepared.

Start and finish is at the Lapangan Memanah Youth Park, which is really just outside the city centre of Penang’s capital city Georgetown, making it convenient for a family trip as well. Georgetown also has an airport with a few international connections, and plenty of accommodation options at various levels. If flying to Georgetown is difficult, there are many comfortable busses per day from KLIA and Kuala Lumpur to Penang.

As described on the official website, Penang Island is blessed with amazing numbers of trails for many decades. Blazed by the local inhabitants of Penang, these trails link up various heritage sites and points of interests all over the island. Starting from Youth Park and Botanical gardens, the trails spread out from the north to central and southern part of the Island, from Air Itam, Batu Ferringhi, to Teluk Bahang and Balik Pulau.

Two years ago, Jeffery Budin pulled off his first ATM race victory at UTOP 100km, which was a very popular achievement. Budin did benefit from a few other contenders going off course, but managed to defend his position once he realised he could win. It was a liberating win, too, because since then Budin’s competitive performance has improved further and last month he grabbed his second ATM race win at Silabur in Sarawak. The strongest woman in 2022 was home favourite Siokhar Lim, during a season she proved that the post-covid Grandmaster had also become a very competitive runner.

Registration for UTOP is already open. Make sure you check all the details, including mandatory gear, before you sign up.

Jeffery Budin took his first ATM race victory at UTOP in 2022

We are delighted to announce that Dieng Trail Run in Central Java, Indonesia, will be the opening event of Season 10 in the Asia Trail Master series. ‘DTR’ , as it is commonly known , will have its 3rd edition on 21/22 September and offers points for both the ATM Championship ranking and the Grandmaster Quest. Organised by the experienced Goat Run Team, Dieng Trail Run offers one of Java’s typically breathtaking trail courses and is not for nothing taglined “Run Above the Clouds”.

As the official website, linked below, states: “Dieng Trail Run isn’t just a race; it’s a commitment to a positive impact on the environment and local communities.” Event organiser Jeffri Riccardo is driven by a passion for trail running, but also for environmental protection and focus on sustainability. The event upholds the principles of Leave No Trace, and has a commitment towards a positive impact on the environment and local communities. The team is also active in raising awareness amongst runners and has introduced the option to register without purchasing an event shirt, reducing carbon footprint and waste.

It is not the first time Indonesia will host the ATM Season opener. Before the covid crisis and before we changed our season parameters, Tahura Trail in Bandung was our traditional and highly successful opener in January. Central Java has had several points races on our calendar over the years, not in the least the 2023 Championship Final in Solo and the Siksorogo Lawu event.

Technically, runners first of all need to be aware of cold temperatures at nighttime, despite being in Indonesia. The Dieng plateau is the highest one on Java island as has an average altitude of 2100m above sea level. Both the 100k and 60k will have nighttime running. The 100k starts mid-afternoon on Saturday, the 60k has a flag off at midnight. This is a mountain trail run, so make sure you check the mandatory gear list and the route description carefully on the event website. GPX files will be provided and should be downloaded.

The 2024 edition is significantly different from last year’s ATM points race, in which Risqi Kurniawan took the measure of mountain running veteran and former ATM Champion Arief Wismoyono in a 50km race. It was regarded as the ‘changing of the guard’ in Indonesia’s trail community - at least for the medium distances. This year, the medium distance has been boosted to 60km and a 100km has been added to the programme. The 60k has no fewer than 4000 metres of elevation gain, and by far most of it comes in the second half. In other words, the first Championship points race of the new season will be a tough one.

Registration is open already and can easily be done via the official event website.

There are various ways to reach the event venue at Taman Syailendra Dieng. As described on the website, you could fly to Yogyakarta, Semarang and Surabaya and take a bus from there. Or you just go to Jakarta and hop on a long distance bus or train. To reach the event location, you will at the end always need a bus or car to Lapangan Pandawa. International runners with questions on logistics can contact event director Ms Ayu by email on info@diengtrailrun.id , or find her telephone number on the website.

Last year’s men’s podium with Risqi Kurniawan defeating Arief Wismoyono

Event teaser 2023 edition of DTR

We are happy to announce that Marilog Ultra 70 in Davao, Phillipines, has received the ATM Candidate Race label for the event on 31 August/1 September. Organised by Team BRAD, Marilog aims to be more than just a race. It's about giving back to the community, protecting the environment, and promoting eco-friendly tourism in the area. The race director will be Julieann Morales, herself one of the leading trail runners in Philippines and a winner of three ATM points races already this season.

The Marilog event has four different distance categories on the programme. The 70km is the longest and has an estimated elevation gain of 3629 hm. The 42km has 2325 hm of elevation gain, the 21km 1300hm and the 12km nearly 800 hm. The course map can seen via Google Earth and is linked below. Start and finish is MWES Marahan in the Marilog district of Davao, to the west of the city.

Registration is open and can be done easily online.

A successful edition of Point Trail Ultra in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, as one several ATM Candidate Races this season. The 50km race had a big and interesting field and at the end we saw Jevie Cagatin and Shally Yuson come out on top of the result sheet. A great performance by both of them, showing competitive progress and also that their current high ranking in the Philippines’ ATM standings is not a coincidence. Both runners took the lead quite early, but could not relax if they wanted to secure victory. Ian Ray Hilapon, Jomarc Ferrer, Ariehmar Bardoquillo kept the pressure on Cagatin, while Shally Yuson had to fend off Mary Joy Sumanda, ATM Finalist and 10th on the extended championship podium last season. In the end, Yuson kept a nice 16-minute advantage over Sumanda. Both are aiming to qualify for this season’s championship final at Borneo TMBT. Yuson actually ranks 2nd at the moment with four results already. Sumanda is 7th with two races in the account so far. Jevie Cagatin is currently in fifth in the men’s ranking, meaning he is currently set to make his debut in the ATM Final in September. Also Jomarc Ferrer, third in Point Ultra, is qualified for the team at present after three top five placing in points races this season.

Within their own country Philippines, runners still have two chances to score championship points and qualify for Team Pilipinas. On 13 July at MUSPO 50 - also in Bukidnon - and finally on 10 August at the Punisher 80 on Babak Samal Island.

Jevie Cagatin is also going well in the ATM Championship: he is currently 5th Filipino and thus qualified

Shally Yuson finishing ahead of Mary Joy Sumanda was news of the day in the women’s race

The women’s top 5

Sabahan trail stars Wilsen Singgin and Adelinah Lintanga both claimed their third ever ATM race victories at Simpur 50 in and around Brunei’s capital Bandar Seri Begawan last Sunday early morning. In what was essentially a night race, both used their technical skills, race experience and great form this season to score comfortable wins over local Bruneian Alexander Chung and fellow Sabahan ‘Butet’ Lynda Marylyn. Simpur 50 was the return of Brunei on the ATM Championship calendar after six years. As anticipated, the race course was tough and technical, typical of Brunei - the relatively small country between the Malaysian States of Sarawak and Sabah on Borneo Island.

A wonderful start and finish setting in Bandar Seri Begawan saw about 100 participants for the 50k category take the start at 9 pm on Saturday night. Absent from the scene was Milton Amat, who decided last-minute not to travel to Brunei. This left the way open for Wilsen Singgin to try and take top honours for the third time in his running career, and the first time since Penang Eco 100 Miles last year. Singgin is anyway in great shape this season and he set the pace from the beginning. Alexander Chung, winner of the Simpur race last year when it was an ATM Candidate, was following him in second place. Chung is one of the more experienced and competitive trail runners, who operated a bit in the shadow of Sefli Ahar in 2016-2018. But last weekend he ran fully in the limelight, even trying his best to catch Wilsen Singgin again at some point during the race. His efforts made sure that nobody would come back from behind in the second part of the race. Malaysia’s Mohd Sulhan was by himself in third place , and behind him was another considerable gap towards Brunei’s Jonaidi Omar and Australia’s Toby Dharan Gibson. Those two would change position still towards the end.

If the top 3 positions in the men’s race were kind of cast in stone from the beginning, that was not the case in the women’s race. Surprisingly, it was Grandmaster Yvette Chong Mi Chin from Miri in Sarawak who appeared in the lead at the first checkpoint and beyond. Yvette is an ultra distance enthusiast, but was clearly in her element in Brunei and showed a running pace that few probably had expected. Adelinah Lintanga followed from a distance, with her sister Jess Lintanga in third initally. Jess, not feeling well, would eventually DNF, which may jeopardise her chances of qualifying for Team Malaysia in the ATM Championship Final. Adelinah, on the other hand, is already certain of that and she may even rank among the favourites for a top placing at Borneo TMBT Ultra. The entire season she has looked rejuvenated and after three podium placings she reached out for the win in Simpur. She caught and passed Yvette Chong and would eventually put and hour and fifteen minutes between herself and second place. That position eventually went to the young Sabahan Lynda Marylyn, who passed Yvette Chong towards the end. Chong suffered from bad stomach cramps in the final section, but managed to hold onto third place on the podium - her first ever. For Adelinah Lintanga it was her third ATM win, her first since Penang Eco 100 Miles in 2019 - five years ago. Previously she won the 100km at the same Penang Eco event all the way back in 2016. “Narna” has been around for so long , one tends to forget how difficult it can be to actually win a real race.

Brunei’s Norazimah Mohd Zin and Pg Mas Norazlin Pg Momin completed the top five, while Singapore’s Sophia Yee took sixth. Only 45 runners reached the finish line in Simpur 50.

Wilsen Singgin is cruising towards his third consecutive ATM Championship Final qualification

Fourth podium place of the season but finally another race victory for Adelinah Lintanga!

Experienced Alexander Chung defended Brunei’s honour with a fantastic 2nd place

Mohd Sulhan confirmed his talent with another podium finish

A great second podium finish of the season for Lynda Marylyn , aka Butet

Grandmaster Yvette Chong decided to test herself on a non-GM distance with a podium as result!

We are delighted to announce that Näak is as of now our new official nutrition partner! The international brand has been rising quickly as one of many ultra and trail runners’ favourite, and by connecting itself to the Asia Trail Master Championship series Näak hopes to also gain presence in Asia, and specifically Southeast Asia.

Fuel Your Ultra with Näak as it makes its journey with Sportlicious Asia & ATM this season lX.

Näak was born in Canada in 2016 with one mission: build the most efficient and sustainable fuel for endurance sports. Everyone can finish an ultra distance with the right nutrition. At Näak, we drive to ensure long lasting energy powered by high quality and sustainable ingredients to ensure performance and sustainability. All Näak products are designed and tested in close collaboration with world class pro athletes in the Näak Lab. Often, the question is raised what Näak actually means. As we can read on the official website, Näak stands for Adventurous Nutrition for Athletes who travel Kilometers. At ATM, we are genuinely pleased that Näak is joining us for the remainder of Season IX and for Season X, and we look forward to seeing more trail runners explore the brand across Asia.

In Southeast Asia, Näak is represented by Sportlicious, seated in Malaysia.

About Sportlicious Asia

“We started in 2012 to provide a better online and physical shopping experience for Malaysia trail, track, and road runners as well as multi-sport athletes,” as explained by KC Tan.

“Our aim is to provide key products to assist you in achieving a balance lifestyle by offering the best products (gear we use ourselves) as well as knowledgeable advice to make sure you get the kit and nutrition that is best for you. “

THRU SPORTLICIOUS ASIA ..new tag line “RACE ASIA WITH US” our goal is to reach out to wider Asian community…build stronger bonding in term of friendship, running experience and foster greater friendship.

Below you can find all details on Näak and Sportlicious Asia by clicking on the respective buttons. Also check out the very extensive Näak YouTube channel to get more acquainted with our new nutrition brand.