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.

In the past few months we have received a lot of interest from India in our Asia Trail Master Championship series, which is a clear sign that the trail running sport has taken off in the large South Asian country. Today we are happy to announce Deccan Ultra as a 2021 ATM Candidate Race, scheduled for the weekend 8/9 February. The second edition of the event features four race categories of which the longest measures 115k and 4850 hm ascent. There’s also an 80km (3500 hm), 55km (2100 hm) and 30km (1370hm).

Deccan Ultra is set up by Grand Indian Trails and with Nupur Singh and Sandeep Kumar has two directors who know what distance and trail running is about. The races are on trails nestled deep within the Sahyadri Range, offering mesmerizing views of the Deccan Plateau. The Deccan Ultra route includes the highest peak of Maharashtra, Kalsubai at an altitude of 1646m and also the toughest triple-trouble forts in Sahyadri; Alanggad, Madangad and Kulanggad, commonly called the AMK.

The route is a mix of easy-ascent slopes as well as treacherous rocky outcrops overlooking the valley below. To climb the near-vertical slopes there are iron ladders along the course. The 115km and 80km category circulates around the Bhandardhara dam and involves climbing 5 forts and the Kalsubai peak

To get to the event, the easiest international connection is Mumbai - 165km away , which translates in a 4h car drive. A shuttle bus service from Mumbai is available in the early morning of 8 February. Local event accommodation is centred around the Akolemaza basecamp, which is a campsite. Please take a look at the event website for further details on logistics. The button link is below, as well as the race registration, which is still open.

After Solang Sky Ultra in the north of the huge country, the 2nd edition of the SRT Ultra in India’s southwest on 8 December is now a 2020 Asia Trail Master Candidate Race. The application underlines the growing enthusiasm for international trail running in India and we are looking forward to having our first ATM Championship points race in the country soon.

One of our frequent contributors at ATM actually took part in the inaugural edition of SRT Ultra last year and returned home with satisfaction. The SRT stands for Sinhagad, Rajgad and Torna: three historic forts on an ancient route that are protected monuments of the Maharashtra State Archeology Department. The event takes place in Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is famous for the Maratha empire of the 17th century India. The ultra marathon takes place in the south-west of the town of Pune which is known as the Sahyadri mountain range. The longest distance category will be 53 km with 2320 elevation gain. The beauty of the SRT Ultra Marathon course is that it is a point-to-point route, without any loops. So every moment will be a new experience in the heart of the Sahyadri mountains. Runners will pass through evergreen mountains, dense forests with abundance of flora and fauna.

SRT Ultra is highly challenging in the sense that almost 70% of the marathon route comprises of technical trails, rocks, mud, scree, grass & roots, at an average altitude of 1000 metres. The SRT Ultra not just involves mountain running, but also considerable amount of climbing, which is encountered while ascending as well as descending one of the most pristine locations in Pune.

3 RUNNING CATEGORIES:

• Sinhagad Half Vertical Kilometre: 11km with elevation gain of 700 meters ASL. (Distance & previous route subject to change)

• Sinhagad to Rajgad (S2R): 25km with elevation gain of around 1000+ meters ASL. (Distance & previous route subject to change)

• Sinhagad Rajgad Torna (SRT): 53km with elevation gain of 2320+ meters ASL. (Distance & previous route subject to change)

Check out the event website and the SRT Ultra Facebook Page .

Registration is available on 2 websites:

1. India Running (individual) https://events.indiarunning.com/Event/Details/SRTULTRAMARATHON/3142

2. Townscript (group discount of 10% on a group of 3 or more runners) https://www.townscript.com/e/srt-ultra-marathon-331030

Video trailers and presentations can be seen below:

Last weekend we also had the pleasure of the first Asia Trail Master Candidate Race in India! A large new country is slowly opening up to the trail running world and the Solang Sky Ultra in the “Hell Race series” is a great example of what India has to offer to ultra trail runners. The Solang valley is indeed very remote in the north of the country, but very rewarding and the event was a grand success. The Indian Himalayas saw amazing athletes prepared to grit it out on technical terrains. Perhaps the best known Indian runner in Asia and a Grandmaster to boot, Shashwat Rao, managed to win his home race in 23:21:04 for the 100K. The 60K was won by Nupur Singh in 9:46:48.

Stay tuned for more details on the Solang Sky race in 2020.

Full results on https://www.townscript.com/e/solang-skyultra-021131/results