Run and support the Merapoh caves in Malaysia
Another exciting new entry in the 2016 Asia Trail Master series is The Magnificent Merapoh Trail in peninsular Malaysia. The 2nd edition of the event has been scheduled for the last weekend of July and will be upgraded to have a 100 km as main race distance. And good news for the pure runners among you: the Magnificent Merapoh Trail is very runnable and has only limited elevation gain.
In total, the event - organised by Running Project - offers three race distances: 100 km, 60km and 30km. Finishers on the two longest distances will score points for the 2016 Asia Trail Master championship, and finishers on the 100km will also earn 1 point for their Grandmaster Quest.
Participants will run on beautiful trails through the Merapoh caves and wade through rivers, all in the immediate vicinity of Malaysia's famous Taman Negara National Park, which can be visited on a side trip before or after the race. As mentioned above, it is a fast course with few technical sections and caters for beginning trail runners as well. There is a cut off time of 20 hours for the main race, of 12 hours for the 60km and of 10 hours for the 30km category. The section through the caves is obviously not that long, but definitely a unique highlight of the event. Participants in the inaugural race last September were thrilled!
The Magnificent Merapoh Trail was founded as an event to save the Merapoh Caves. Our main objective is to preserve this national heritage, which includes at least 85 precious limestone hills and dozens of rare species of flora and fauna. These national heritage is under the threat of destruction from a big-scale planned cement production project in the area.
The organiser is working closely with the local people in Merapoh to promote sport and outdoor events in supporting local eco-tourism. The next five years will be dedicated to create more events in Merapoh including trekking, trail running, MTB, caving and adventure trips.
Please read more details on our Magnificent Merapoh Trail cover page, which includes a link to the registration form and key info regarding logistics.
