We have 2 FREE race entries for international runners to the ECHIGO COUNTRY TRAIL in Japan on 19 June! The first Asia Trail Master points scoring race in the country features a scenic and cultural 52km (2000 hm) in the pre-Alps north of Nagano. It is the last race for points before the summer break. 

You get to the Echigo Country Trail via Tokyo and a train connection to Nagaoka in Niigata. From there, the organisation has shuttle busses arranged at given times.

To win a free race entry you just need to answer the following question:

What is the name of the forest park that hosts the start & finish of the race?

We accept your answers via private message here on facebook, or via info@asiatrailmaster.com , and this until midnight on Thursday (i.e. in 30 hours).

Find out all details of the event via our cover page:
http://www.asiatrailmaster.com/#/echigo-country-trail/

And don't forget, there is a welcoming party on Saturday afternoon as well!

While this year's Asia Trail Master series is in full swing, we are already beginning to look ahead to 2017 as well. The following three events taking place in June and July have applied to be points scoring races next year and thus are labelled Candidate Races. We will be providing a race report on each of those three events, and of course also welcome comments from participants.  

Stay up-to-date on our 2017 Candidate Races, races Beyond Asia, and great road running events in our designated section.

BATURU TRAIL - Liaoning Province, Northeastern China on 5 June. The event features a tough 50km with approx 3500 Hm in the beautiful hills of Benxi near Shenyang. 

Mount Hamiguitan Trail, Mindanao Island in Philippines on 26 June. Another 50km on a famous mountain that is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enter the area via Davao. 

Altai Ultra Trail, Siberia in Russia on 15 to 17 July. A new event for adventurers with three race distances. Altai borders Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan and is a remote mountain region. You need time to get there (via Novosibirsk, ideally) but your perseverance will certainly be rewarded! 

This weekend marks the start of the 2nd GlobalLimits stage race of the season that qualifies for Asia Trail Master ranking points. The Last Secret in Bhutan, in its 4th edition, remains a special event on our calendar given its mystical location and the continuous high altitude. In total, participants will cover 200 km in 6 stages. It starts in Thimphu and ends at the world famous monastery Taktshang Goemba, also known as the Tiger's Nest. 

Competitors come from all over the world for this week long event in the Himalayan country. One familiar name in the Asia Trail Master series catches the eye on the list of participants, namely Veronique Messina. The Cambodia-based French runner ended sixth in last year's female championship and won the Wild Elephant Trail stage race. 

Stay tuned via our social media channels for updates on the race during the week. 

The last SuperTrail of the 2016 Asia Trail Master series has opened its registration. The 6th edition of Clark-Myamit Falls Ultra in the Philippines will take place on Sunday, 27 November and offers the traditional 50 miles main race, and the shorter 60km B-race. Pay attention: the regular registration is limited to 300 spots! 

CM 50, as it is often abbreviated, has developed into a genuine classic on the Asian calendar and the event organisation was rated very highly by both domestic and international participants last year. While the race course is relatively straight-forward, out-and-back to the Myamit Falls, the atmosphere before, during and after the event are exemplary. Although not the final race on our Asia Trail Master calendar, the 50 SuperTrail bonus points for finishers will be significant for runners aiming for the championship. That includes Manolito Divina, current leader in the points standings, and who is very much at home in this race. He won it the past two years! 

The main race is 50 miles or 82 km long and has a total elevation gain of approx 3100 Hm. There is a cut-off time of 18 hours, and 16 hours for the shorter 60k race distance. 

Check out concise details of the event via our cover page. To register, visit the CM 50 website. 

TEXT

The 2nd edition of Ijen Trailrunning in Bondowoso, East Java, Indonesia, had an awesome conclusion of the main 70km race as 2015 Asia Trail Master champion Arief Wismoyono and his compatriot Yohanis Hiarei sprinted to the finish line after 70 magnificent kilometers of running. It was Wismoyono who had the fastest dash to the line, and in so doing the Bandung Explorer ace took his third career victory in an Asia Trail Master race after Mount Rinjani Ultra 52k and MesaStila Peaks Challenge last season. An important victory for the 31-year-old Wismoyono also, as other Asian top runners such as Manolito Divina, Yuen Wan Ho and Xu Xiutao have in the past weeks emerged as serious contenders for this year's overall title. 

Arief Wismoyono

Before the race, Wismoyono had already expressed confidence in his ability, despite a tough winter in which his two Hong Kong objectives did not bring what perhaps he also had hoped. Cold conditions are clearly not his thing. Back in Indonesia, Wismoyono felt like a fish in the water. His finish time of 9:21 was above his goal of under 9 hours, yet more than 1 hour faster than he achieved last year on this Ijen course. The defending champion had to dig deep, though, as Hiairei - in his debut on the Asia Trail Master circuit - pushed him to a rarely seen sprint in a long distance trail race. 

Central point of the event is the climb of the famous Ijen volcano, where runners can witness the so-called ' blue fire '. Because this natural phenomenon is best seen around dawn, the race starts at nighttime and the front runners therefore have their headlamps switched on for most of the race. An advantage of climbing at night is of course cooler temperatures. Participants enjoyed a fantastic day in fine weather during a well-organised event by the local Surabayan company Egon Trails. Ijen Trailrunning offers four race distances, and with 2450m of elevation gain on 70km has the most runnable course of all Indonesian races in the ATMs. The ascent of the volcano is the only significant, but tough, climb of the race. 

Ann-Mari Lillejord

Ina Budiyarni had the scare of a lifetime when monkeys jumped on her at dawn

The women's winner at Ijen stunned everybody with her performance. Arriving only 36 minutes behind the leading duo and in fourth overall was Singapore-based Norwegian Ann-Mari Lillijord. She was nearly two hours ahead of Boonthanit Suksodkeaw, after local favourite Ina Budiyarni first missed a marking, then got attacked by a male monkey at dawn and ultimately also suffered from stomach cramps. A series of events that dropped Budiyarni down the order from second to fifth at the finish. "I haven't done so many trail races yet, " said winner Lillejord. "I am very happy with my race, and this race was  beautiful! I did not expect the volcano climb to be that steep, though, but it went well" . In fact, last year she also competed in the Vietnam Mountain Marathon - another points race in the Asia Trail Master series at the end of September - and came fourth, indicating she has upped her performance level since then. 

The 42k B-race of the event was won by Matt Phillips Long and Laure Geroud. 

Top 5 Men in 70 km:

1. Arief Wismoyono (INA) 9.21.09. 
2. Yohanis Hiarei (INA) 9.21.10. 
3. Carlos Paz (INA) 9.47.49
4. Elivas Paai (INA) 10:26:18
5. Vincent Chalias (FRA) 10:31:42

Top 5 Women 70km:

1. Ann Mari Lillejord (NOR) 9:58:03
2. Boonthanit Suksodkeaw (THA) 11:49:27
3. Wu Xiabingqing (CHN) 13:11:18
4. Patricia Shindy (INA) 13:20:39
5. Ina Budiyarni (INA) 13:54:41 

Winner 42k Men:

1. Matt Phillips Long 5:00:08

Winner 42k Women:

1. Laure Genoud 5:39:02

After the superb racing in Malaysia and Southwest China last weekend, the Asia Trail Master series moves to Indonesia for the first points scoring race in the country this year. The 2nd edition of the Ijen Trailrunning in Bondowoso, East Java, will see the first appearance of 2015 Asia Trail Master champion Arief  Wismoyono, who has been quietly preparing in recent weeks to be in top shape as he begins the defence of his title. The event, organised by Egon Trail, is completely centered around the beautiful Ijen volcano. The climb to the crater rim, where runners can witness the so-called blue fire, is the highlight of the trail, and also the only serious difficulty. The main race is 70km long - just enough for finishers to score a point in the Grandmaster Quest - and has a total elevation gain of approx 2500 hm, which is relatively moderate in comparison to the other Indonesian races on our calendar. Fast runners therefore have a chance to do well on Sunday. 

Wismoyono of course starts as the favourite to win the 70k Ijen Trailrunning. He also won this race last year together with Alan Maulana, the latter not featuring on the start list this season. The star from the Bandung Explorers team had a difficult winter as both his Hong Kong adventures, HK 100 and Lantau 100, suffered from extremely cold weather spells, which literally froze his chances for a good result. Let's see how Wismoyono fares back at home on  familiar soil. 

In the women's race, also Ina Budiyarni, fourth in last year's Asia Trail Master championship, will make her 2016 debut at Ijen. Budiyarni has been going well in other trail and road races in Indonesia  all year - find a race where she is not taking part in and win a fruit basket - , but on the start list are several women who could surprise her this Sunday.

Ijen Trail running's start has a lot of  international names this year, and for sure we will discover some new interesting athletes. As always, you can follow the action live via our social media channels this weekend. 

This weekend the first points scoring race in Indonesia is on the agenda with Ijen Trailrunning in Bondowoso, East Java. A "run to the blue fire" as the 70k main race is often called as well. The amazing Ijen volcano crater is indeed the centre of the event, which contrary to several other big races in Indonesia keeps its elevation gain -approx 2450hm - within boundaries, which means plenty of local and international athletes see a chance for glory this weekend. One of them is certainly Ina Budiyarni in the women's competition. The number four of last year's Asia Trail Master championship has been endorsed by the RaidLight brand for this year, and is more motivated than ever to leave her mark. Ina has emerged as one of the most influential people in her country's trail running community. Not only because of her great race results, but also because of her insatiable thirst for long distance running and her stylish appearance. Some say Ina Budiyarni brings glamour to the trail running world. And all this as a single mum. High time to talk trail running with Ina Budiyarni.

By K. Van de Velde

As always, let's first tune in to our guest's favourite running music as background:

Ina's favourite running music

Q: First, you are often called "The Queen of Trail Running" in Indonesia. We can see why, but how did this happen?

IB: Hahaha, I still don’t know why lots of my friends call me ‘The Queen of Trail Running in Indonesia’.

Maybe because almost every weekend I go for trails, I always join trail running events or races and I always wear a fashionable outfit, so I still look good and perhaps like a Queen on the trails :)

And also maybe because of the power of social media, I always post on social media about my trail running journey. I like to also give inspiration for Indonesian women to do trail running like I do.

Have you always been a runner, or is it a recent passion of yours? Did you do other sports before?

I started running three years ago. First, from a 5k, 10k, 21k, 42k runner then continue to be a trail runner and an ultra runner. It is a recent passion of mine, especially trail running and ultra distances.

I was a basketball player and in-line skater. I got some achievements like best player and top scorer as a basket ball player.

Are you a born and raised Jakartian?

Yes, I was born and raised in Jakarta

You are working as a lawyer in the capital, how do you combine your job with all the running and motherhood? 

I try to balance all my activities, as a corporate legal, a runner and a single mother. That’s not easy and it does not always go well but I enjoy all my activities and my busy days.

On the weekdays, I go for training after office hours. On the weekends, I spend time with my son after my running activities in the early morning. And also I still go to the mall, hang out with my friends and spent time with my Mother when there is no race on the weekend.
 

As you are attracting a lot of attention in your country, do you actively encourage other women to take up running? 

Yes, I do encourage other women to take up running with my own way. I startedwith my close friends, family and colleagues.

For Indonesian women out there, they can see my activities on social media, so they can get inspiration to start running and be more beautiful because running makes you always look fit and fresh.

Indonesia is a democratic country. Women from all the religions in Indonesia can do any kind of sports they want.

Soon the annual ramadan begins, as a muslim, what does that imply for your training? 

Like Ramadhan before, It will change my training schedule for one month. I cannot go training in the morning, I will do my training after fasting and until midnight time on the weekends.

You are among those runners who seem to have no problem to run 100km every weekend. What is your secret?

My secret is to eat right, rest well, run happy and enjoy every kilometer :)
 

Do you seek the runner's "high", or is endurance running for you a form of therapy, a way to relax your mind. How do stay motivated to do all this running?

Yes, sometimes I do it for therapy and to relax my mind. I was running ultra distances for therapy to release the sadness - I felt like half of my soul had gone - when my Father passed away in December last year. But normally,  I go trail running on the weekends to relax my mind from the office things.

I stay motivated to do it all, maybe because running has become my passion now. I feel like something is missing if I don’t  go out  to run for some days.

You have a young son, he must be quite excited his mom is often named "the Queen of Trail Running" in Indonesia. Does he like running as well?

Yes, he likes running as well. Like mother, like son. He prefers the trail more than the road. He has got podium finishes in some kids dash trail running races already.

What was your first ever race and what did you learn from it?

My first ever race was Jakarta International 10k. I learnt so much from that race. I never ran a 10k distance before and I had just started running at that time. I felt like 10k was a never ending distance, hahaha

Trail running in Indonesia is still very young, with Hendra Wiyaja as a driving force behind the development of the sport. How have you experienced this evolution?

I am very excited about this evolution. Hendra Wijaya gives a lot of inspiration with his experiences in trail running inside and outside Indonesia. He has developed trail running in Indonesia, and made the sport grow every year, and always introduced people to the beautiful trails in Indonesia.

Hendra 's races are very tough. Some say, they are too hard. Do you have the feeling that organisers exaggerate sometimes with elevation gain and race distance? 

Yes, sometimes I have the feeling like that. But as we know, Hendra is an extraordinary person. As a pioneer in Indonesia, maybe he wants to make a difference between his races and other organizers’ races to challenge his participants. And he is always concerned about providing plenty of UTMB points in his races. 

On the other hand there is the Tahura Trail in Bandung, a very popular race in January, limited to 42km and only moderate elevation gain. Proof that trail running does not need to be extreme to be accepted?

Yes, it does not always have to be extreme to be accepted. For most people, they will choose the races that they will enjoy. Running medium-length distances and have enough time to finish the trail running race as well. 

Do you feel there is a need for more official governance of the sport of trail running, or would you keep it all loosely organised as it is now, with most organisers setting their own standards? 

Maybe we need more official governance of the sport of trail running in Asia. We can use the strict guidelines from ITRA as an international association, but in Asia we have a different situation with two seasons, one wet and one dry. Maybe we need some guidelines to improve safety at races specifically for these two climatic conditions.

Almost all trail events are open to the general public, but often inexperienced participants are confronted with risky, technical or even dangerous situations they may not have been aware of when signing up for a race. How do you see that from a lawyer's point of view?

At some races in Indonesia, sometimes the participants may not be aware of the extreme conditions when signing up for a trail running race. They want to challenge themselvesbut they should know their own capabilities. 

The organisers have to make the rules, regulations and requirements very tight to prevent inexperienced participants from doing ultras with high elevation numbers. Such as, when we sign up for a race, especially for an ultra trail running race, the participants need to submit their results of previous races to meet the entry requirements. That’s the first step to screening potential participants, then mandatory gears check should be imposed before race day and again before the start of the race. Participants with incomplete mandatory gear cannot go to the starting line. The organiser have to stick to the rules that they set before.

What is your favourite race and why?

My favourite race is Bromo Tengger Semeru, because BTS  2013 was my first ultra run and my first ultra trail run. Lots of story and memories from my first ultra there! I love the track, love the view along the route, and always want to come back. 

Have you ever felt scared during a race, e.g at nighttime?

Yes, sometimes I feel scared alone at night time in the middle of a forest and I am worried about wild animals.

What do you think of the Asia Trail Master series?

Asia Trail Master series is a challenging trail running series in Asia. We can compete with other trail runners from other countries by collecting points. We can get to know each other and familiarise ourselves with other trail runners around Asia.

Asia Trail Master series also give lots of options for doing trail races around Asia. Asia is a beautiful and unique continent.

I hope for the best and more success for Asia Trail Master series this year and upcoming years ahead.

This year you have become an official ambassador for the popular trail running gear brand RaidLight, together with Arief Wismoyono. How do you like the RaidLight stuff?

Yes, I feel honored become RaidLight ambassador this year. I really like and love RaidLight stuff. The outfits are very comfortable, quick drying, light, fit and fashionable on the trails. Indeed, a Very high recommended brand for trail running.

How do you select races outside of Indonesia?

I am looking for races with points. Points for ATM and points for UTMB/UTMF.

Last year you ended in 4th place in the women's Asia Trail Master ranking. Do you hope to score top 3 this year?

Some competitors this year have already shown  good performances in some races. I am not an athlete, I still have to balance my life between running, working and raising my son as a single mother. There is always the hope to score top 3 this year , I will do my best this year and let God do the rest.

Is there someone you look up to in the running community?

Not someone, but ALL strong women in the running community, especially the single mothers. 

What does your 2016 race plan look like? What is your main target?

My race plan for 2016, well, it looks like I will race every weekend in every month, hahaha

I plan to do all the Asia Trail Master series in Indonesia and probably also looking for Asia Trail Master series outside of Indonesia after UTMF. My main target in 2016 is to become a UTMF finisher in September as I registered as a participant.

Thank you very much, Ina, good luck and keep enjoying the trails! 

The Philippines' Manolito Divina was a true class of his own in the Malaysia SuperTrail race in and around Bukit Mertajam last weekend. Divina even quickly left other established runners like Jan Nilsen far behind and took victory in less than 30 hours over the 100 miles race distance. After his joint-second place - with Nilsen - at UTHK earlier this year, Divina is now the new points leader in the 2016 Asia Trail Master championship at the expense of Hong Kong's Yuen Wan Ho. Also in the women's race, a clear winner emerged from the rainforest: Tahira Najmunisaa was in fact the only woman to finish the longest distance race, which was characterised by extreme heat, humidity and rainfall - even for Malaysian standards. After winning in Brunei's Beach Bunch Trail Challenge, Tahira also moved into the points lead of the Asia Trail Master championship with her second victory of the season - and her third ATM race title of her still young career (Tahira also won the Bromo Tengger Semeru 100k Ultra in Indonesia last year). 

Manolito Divina: simple hydration was very important in Malaysia last weekend

Podium of the men's 100 miles race

There was another great racer and winner last weekend: Aleksis Capili, also from the Philippines but residing in Thailand, became the first ever Asia Trail Grandmaster. And, wow, did he complete his Quest in style: second place in the 100 miles race behind Divina, his best race result to date in an Asia Trail Master event! Capili has thus completed six races of 70km or more within two calendar years. Starting with Borneo TMBT last year in August, he followed up with the Vietnam Mountain Marathon, CM 50 in Philippines, Bromo Tengger Semeru Ultra in Indonesia, UTHK in Hong Kong, and now Malaysia Eco 100. As a Grandmaster he will receive his first badge of honour including 1 star, enter the Hall of Fame, and receive a host of other prizes. Now Capili has reached the all important first level, he can add stars to his badge in the next months without any time pressure.  A second star follows after completing another four ultra distances. 

Capili is a superb example of the tough ultrarunner who somehow always makes his way to the finish. Arguably not the fastest of all in the field, his resilience, stamina and body never seem to let him down when others on occasion take a fall or suffer an injury. Jan Nilsen, for instance, is a protagonist wherever he starts and the Norwegian has been in excellent form lately as well. However, Nilsen is blister-prone, and after 100km and with a quasi guaranteed podium place in sight, he had to retire from the race just like he was forced to in the Bromo race last November. Nilsen was disappointed, but his feet tend to recover quickly and he'll be back strongly again soon. Divina was then already two hours ahead by himself, and Singapore's Henry Yang became his closest chaser. Unfortunately, Yang slipped on a wet rock at nighttime and hurt himself in the process. After taking medical care at the next refreshment station - which were all well-prepared - Yang gave it another go to try and finish the race, but to no avail. And so Capili moved up to second place, and Malaysia's own Abdul Rahman - husband of Tahira Najmunisaa - suddenly had a podium finish in his grasp in his debut race over an ultra distance! Rahman, a navy seal, ran with his wife for most of the race, but then wanted to secure third place and so he did. The next runner to reach the finish was Thean Sin Bong, who was slightly ahead of Tahira.

Only 8 starters on the 100 miles reached the finish out of more than 40 starters. Malaysia Eco 100 did not have excessive numbers of elevation ( approx 4500 hm ) , but it was obviously more than hard enough. The DNF quota on the 100km race distance was also very high with just 24 finishers  out of roughly one hundred.

The next points scoring race in Malaysia will be the Magnificent Merapoh Trail at the end of July.

Abdul Rahman and Tahira Najmunisaa both are part of the Running Project Team

The finishers of the 100 miles race:

1. Manolito Divina (PHI) in 29:47:08

2. Aleksis Capili (PHI) 34:41:14

3. Abdul Rahman Abu Hassan (MAS) 36:08:04

4. Thean Sin Bong (MAS) 37:16:35

5. Tahira Najmunisaa (MAS) 37:17:49 - winner female

6. Kian Philip Yong Yeo (MAS) 38:34:17

7. Meng Piow Low (MAS) 38:49:26

8. Chin Tat Lim (MAS) 39:16:24

100 km - Winner - Men

1. Alan Toh (MAS) 23:27:20

100km - Winner - Women

1. Adelinah Lintanga (MAS) 

Aleksis Capili is the first Asia Trail Grandmaster

The 50 km race of H-Soil Ultra Tu Wenchuan on 15 May 2016 was the 2nd race in mainland China on  the 2016 calendar of Asia Trail Master series. Wenchuan, a peaceful small town with astonishing mountains view, sits in the northwest of Sichuan Basin, which is described as the “Heaven Country” in Chinese literature. It is famous for the birth place of Da Yu, one of the greatest leaders of ancient tribes in Chinese history, and for the first Chinese to plan for smart irrigation systems around 5000 years ago. Wenchuan is also one of the habitats of the panda, the unique animal living only in southwest of China, and which relies on local bamboo shots for its food. There are many ethnic minorities,  such as Tibetan (藏族), Qiang (羌族) and Hui (回族). You can see the Tibetans and the Qiangs wearing their featured apparels walking down the street. It is a place with a leisure atmosphere and friendly locals. The people there like playing a game called Mahjang, which looks like a 4-person chess but needs more tactics on calculating and analysis. All the buildings here, from the apartments to stadium and schools, look clean and new with ordered planning and decorations of ethnical features.

By Xiaozhao Zhao

The nature never hides its beauty from locals and tourists. Clouds roll along the peaks of more than 2000 meters altitude and higher from far a distance. Suddenly the bright sunshine tears up the iron curtain of clouds, and dyes everything with a layer of golden color. Standing on some peaks after a struggling ascent, you can see some snow caps of Hengduan Mountains (the boarder of Tibetan Plateau) shining under pure blue sky.

The start of the Wenchuan 50k race was still held at nighttime, though just before dawn

Going back to the unbelievable darkest moment of Wenchuan, the devastating earthquake on 12th, May, 2008 is a heart-braking painful memory. Wenchuan got destroyed into piles of bricks and rubbles of collapsed buildings in a matter of seconds and minutes. All the traffic to the outside world and power supply was completely cut off, paved roads were twisted and split, horrified survivors squeezed themselves out from bodies under smashed concrete walls, mourning their family and friends who died on the spot in great agony. Being regarded as the most serious one after 1976 Tangshan Earthquake, it claimed more than 69 thousands lives in Wenchuan, and even other places in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu province. Some people in Beijing and Shanghai reported that they felt the ground trembling slightly for seconds as well.

Revival and rebuilding are much like a phoenix reborn from flames. With all the help and support from all over China and the rest of the world, relying on their own resilience and diligence, a brand new Wenchuan has been established in just a few years and is ranking in the middle of a recent official survey on economics and social development in Sichuan Province.

The H-Soil Wenchuan Trail Tu is divided into 3 categories: 12km team, 23km and 50km solo. The route of 50km is nearly a loop on  the mountains around the town. Runners need to climb up 2 mountains and accumulate about 3800m of total ascent. The highest point is nearly 2800m from the sea level, while the lowest about 1000m. In the last 13km, there is a steep and long descent from the highest point to the finish at the altitude around 1200m. Thanks to the hilly terrain, 90% of the course is unpaved and consists of rugged stones, dirt single tracks and trails zigzagged in the farms and fruit gardens. Note: never lose yourself in face of the natural beauty and forget to pick up your pace, because the cut-off time is pressing 14 hours, plus all 5 checkpoints have their own time limitation. The slogan of the race said: Never Try Never Know.

As race director Lang He said, designing such a tough race is our way to the objective of demonstrating the potential of future development of outdoor sports in Wenchuan,  and let more people enjoy trail running.

107 runners from at least 5 countries competed in the 50km category, while approximately 120 in the 23 km and around 50 in 12km. Only the 50km race gave Asia Trail Master points to finishers. For most local runners it was the first Asia Trail Master points race of the year, except for Zhong Guan, who had finished 8th in last month's Tsaigu Tangsi Plus. 

Bi Duanyuang from Beijing was the fastest man in the race

The Asia Trail Master’s 50km race started at 5.00 am, in the chilly dawn of after a day of raining. Runners first ran along a short distance of wandering and narrow concrete road, and then switched into rugged trails covered by bushes and single tracks along the exposed ridgeline with cliffs on both sides. They traversed the mountains and farmlands and had to deal with major ascents and descents.

At first, dense and humid fog floated among the high peaks and the course was so slippery due to the rain the day before. Runners really had a hard time jumping and squeezing among the rocks and bushes. As time went by, sunshine came out, so they were able to enjoy the “natural beauty” , nevertheless along with painful struggling: alpine meadows, frightening deep valleys with steep slopes at both sides, and the two very long ascents. Wang Guang led the race until 37.5km where he came up to serious pain in knees, followed by Bi Duanyuang and Kuo Li. the recent winner of a race in Northeastern China. Then Bi Duanyang took the 1st place and managed to hold it all the way to the finish. “It is a well-organized and fabulous race with pretty nice view and very technical path in lots of places,"said Bi Duanyang. " I love the meadow and snow caps of high peaks far away. Marks are ok in all. All the staff and locals are very kind and helpful. Races of Asia Trail Master series are very interesting so I will have a closer look and pick up some for my races calendar. ”

As the 2nd-placed Kuo LI said “I love the last 10km with the long and steep descent. I can dash at will without braking, kinda feeling of flying freely. I encouraged Wang Guang to stay on course at 37.5km when we are at the check point, before I pushed myself to the highest point. ”

“I appreciate the help of Kuo Li when I was at the brink of total collapse due to my inflaming knees. The time is not so ideal so I will do this race again with a better performance, I have still room for improvement.” Said Wang Guang.

Zhou Dongmei won the 50km race for women. Last year, she came second in a 100km race on Gonga Shan, also in Sichuan, so her new victory may not come as a major surprise. For the 2nd Female Yihan LIU, a musician when she is not running,  it was her perfect debut in ultra-trail races. “I lost my way several times but each time I could meet kind friends to help me out of trouble. Being afraid of getting lost again, I walked the last few kilometers to the finish, focusing on locating marks rather than accelerating. Any way I am enjoying the running and the atmosphere of socialization.”

82 runners finished the 50km with valid results (64 male and 18 female) within the 14 hours cut-off. 

Race podium result

Top 3 male of 50km:

1. Duanyang BI (06:32:30)

2. Kuo LI (06:56:33)

3. Guang WANG (07:11:17)

Top 3 female of 50km:

1. Dongmei ZHOU (08:33:24, the 13th over-all)

2. Yihan LIU (09:23:49)

3. Jun YANG (09:28:46)

In all, the H-Soil is more than a race, it is a lesson about how to make each day count during our limited lifetime, from the spirit of a revived and peaceful town and its people, returning from a  great loss with toughness and hard work.

Last weekend Ultra Tu Wenchuan was organised in China's Southwest province of Sichuan. Runners loved the astonishingly beautiful scenery along the 50 km course, but also reported on how tough it was. In any case, the race made an impressive debut also thanks to its fine organisation by Mr He Lang and his team. We spoke with him a few days before the race. 

Race organiser Lang He was firstly a climber rather than a trail runner. He used to devote himself to technical mountain climbing. But once he discovered the beauty of trail running, he realized this is a sport that he will never stop exploring. "Trail running has similar elements as climbing, and I aim to develop trail running with the ideas which are often used in technical climbing," says Lang He. "I want push the boundary of trail running, I want to see people run in places in which people have never run before. I want see there's no boundary between trail running and climbing. Exploring new possibilities shall always be a part of the trail running world."

As a trail runner, Lang He accumulated most of his race experience back when he was working in Norway. He has finished TGC in 2013 and UTMB in 2014. This year, his main project is Xreid race in Norway and the Mt. Siguniang Shan race. "They're also ideal races for me: remote, harsh environment, new boundaries for trail running, " says Lang He with a smile. 

Asia Trail Master: What brought you the idea to establish a trail race in Wenchuan, the place of the disasterous earthquake in 2008? 

Lang He: Wenchuan is the closest place to Chengdu where we have big mountains. My idea is to run in big mountains, and Wenchuan is a perfect place. It's relatively dry and trail condition is less affected by precipitation compared to the nearby Sichuan Basin. The mountains around Wenchuan city are populated by local villages, and this gives us a lot of trails for running.

I have no intention to connect our race with the earthquake, neither Wenchuan government has. We want to show everybody this is a new Wenchuan and it has already moved on from its sad history. 

Do you think the name Wenchuan will deter some runners from joining the event given what happened?

Yes,  I think people now may still have a few doubts about coming to Wenchuan, but via events like ours we hope to erase those doubts. We do have a runner who used to serve in the PLA rescue force after the quake. He said he is excited about coming back to the place where he fought so hard for at the time. That is the kind of story we are happy to hear, but we don't want to promote such stories. We want people to come here for our race, not because of a link with the earthquake. 

UT Wenchuan is an upgraded version of last year's initial event. What has been changed exactly and what extras can runners expect?

The length of the course has been extended from 42K to 50K. And an extra 1000 hm has been added to the total elevation gain. Given the fact of the rather rough condition of some trails, we do expect the difficulty of our race to have been significantly increased. 

Both in TT Plus and Korea 50, experienced runners were complaining that race organisers nowadays all want to have the toughest event without adding anything meaningful or beautiful to the race course. What is your view on this as race organiser? 

I think as a race organiser you have to think about the nature of your race course. You need to understand why you design a course like you do it. It's not a wise idea to make lots of turnarounds on hills just to achieve a certain longer distance or higher elevation gain. I believe each trail course should have a purpose, like UTMB, it's purpose is to run around Mont Blanc. UT Wenchuan's purpose is to run around Wenchuan City and to see the beauty of this place from different aspects.

The race takes place at high altitude, but remains below 3000 hm, which from a medical point of view seems wise for an event open to the general public. Was it a conscious decision not to aim for the highest peaks?

We have the possible option to aim for a 4000 m highest point, which is also close to our current race course. But it would be too difficult to design a reasonable course. I don't like to have any turnarounds on my course. I want the shape of my race course to be simple and beautiful. Also, aiming for the highest peaks also brings challenges regarding logistics.

What should runners from other countries do and see when they come to Wenchuan?

They should go to Woolong Natural Reserve, which is the first national natural reserve established in China. Its biodiversity will astonish everybody who goes there. Also people can visit some of the old Qiang villages [and see a panda as well, kvdv]

Would you say there is a big difference in the trail running scene in East China compared to Southwest China? 

Southwest China has a deeply carved landscape. Mountains here are so huge that probably one of those climbs is enough per race. 

Which finishing time do you expect for the race winner? On the basis of the current start list, who would be your favourite to win the men's and women's races?

I expect the male winner to finish a little bit under 8 hours. On the current start list, we have several really strong runners who have won Dalian 100 (Kuo Li), Asics Mountain Marathon (Duanyang Bi) etc. But in my view they may actually not win UT Wenchuan. Given the steep terrain and big climb, local Chengdu runners who are used to run here before probably have a better chance to win. My friend Ruqiao Ren is not a famous runner. He grew up in the mountains and his agility and endurance really impress me. Last year he scored the 2nd place in the Mt. Siguniang Shan race, only behind a Tibetan mountain guide in the highest race in China. If I can bet, I would put my stake on him.

Read our race report of Ultra Tu Wenchuan here. 

Already the third SuperTrail race of the season is on the Asia Trail Master menu this weekend, as runners from all over the continent gather in Penang for the Eranzi Malaysia Eco 100. It will be an important event for the 2016 points ranking, but also for Aleksis Capili. The Thailand-based Pinoy runner is set to complete his Grandmaster Quest of six races of over 70k in two calendar years!

While Penang is the gateway to the event, organised by Endurance Nature, the start and finish of the three race distances is in Bukit Mertajam opposite Penang Island. The 100 miles and 100k races will soak up most attention, but the 50k is definitely not without merit neither in the hot and humid climate of Malaysia. Challenging conditions for many runners, who are perhaps fortunate that the elevation gain is considerable yet not excessive. Race Director Seow Kong Ng, an icon in Malaysia's endurance runnjng scene, of course knows where the acceptable limits are.

The rankings will look very different after this race. Both Jan Nilsen and Manolito Divina are going for the win, and for the lead in the men's Asia Trail Master championship ranking at the expense of current leader Isaac Yuen Wan Ho. Nilsen is in top shape, having just beaten Divina in a big race in the Philippines a fortnight ago. The 100 miles in Malaysia are more runnable, though, and more humid. They will be challenged by several other top runners from Malaysia itself.

Also in the women's we are bound to see a change of leadership in the points standings.Upcoming local hero Tahira Najmunisaa is doing the long distance race this weekend, and if she finishes will move ahead of Ma Yanxing and Yuen Kit Shan. The impressive winner of the Beach Bunch Trail Challenge in Brunei is only 50 points behind and will be the first of the top runners to compete in two races this year. However, also on the start list is the number 2 of last year's Asia Trail Master series: Mila Marlina from Indonesia. Marlina had a tough run at UTHK earlier this year, but if she is back to her best level - which brought her wins at e.g. MesaStila Peaks Challenge last year - she will certainly give Tahira a run for her money. At the end of December, the best three race results per runner count.

Aleksis Capili is the real ultrarunner: perhaps not the fastest of all, but he just keeps on going weekend after weekend... Malaysia Eco 100 miles will be his sixth Asia Trail Master race of more than 70km in less than a year! Capili has not left at that, as he also regularly runs other races outside our calendar as well. Capili is orginally from the Philippines, but based for work in Thailand. If he successfully completes this weekend's 100 miles, Capili will enter the inaugural Hall of Fame as an Asia Trail Grandmaster. 

Watch our social media pages for news and updates of the Malaysia Eco 100 this weekend!

The 2nd edition of the Tengri Ultra Trail in Tamgaly Tas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Almaty in Kazakhstan, was won by Egor Nadymov in the men's and Akmaral Meirman in the women's. Runners and organisers were very satisfied with the weekend in the remote grassland and canyon area, although runners said the long distance of 70km was much harder than last year's 55km. 

Akmaral Meirman also won this race last year. Nadymov, and runner's up Bahtiyar Kasenov and Anatoliy Korepanov moved up the ranking after two strong Russian runners from Krasnoyarsk, Sergey Donets and Yuri Shtankov were disqualified for missing a mandatory checkpoint.

More details and photos of the event are coming soon.