Steven Soonseng Ong and Kim Matthews are the celebrated winners of the Tam Dao Mountain Trail in Vietnam, one hour northwest of capital city Hanoi. Malaysian Ong already took his third Asia Trail Master race victory of the season and jumps ahead of Indonesia's Arief Wismoyono in the championship ranking. After last weekend, it has become obvious that anyone with ambition should get passed the sympathetic ULTRON runner from Malacca, yet there are still plenty of races on the programme this year, including three SuperTrails with bonus points, as well as a few 100 milers, also with bonus points.
Tam Dao is the name of the old French mountaintop retreat, now popular with tourists and cyclists keen on a genuine long and hard climb. Trail runners probably have mixed feelings, as the climb - on tarmac - makes up the final 9 km of the races. Participants scored championship points on the 70 and 42 km distances. Finishers of the 70 also collected a point on their individual Grandmaster Quests. In general the course was a mixture of fast runable sections and technical single trail jungle sections. A number of hills tired the legs out, but as in an alpine stage in the Tour de France that ends on top of the mountain, nothing is decided until you cross that finish line.
Unfortunately, for the local Vietnamese fans that is what hero Cao Ngoc Ha discovered as well. The always-smiling new face on the Asia Trail Master circuit this year was running as strong as ever and was leading the race solo at the halfway point. That was no mean feat, given the strong line up of this race. However, things did not go as smoothly for some of the other favourites and ATM Championship contenders. Singapore-based Spaniard Pablo Diago Gonzales set a solid pace in the early stages and was still running with the leaders at km 35, when he twisted his knee in a descent. In his post-race interview (see facebook), Diago Gonzales said he was feeling unwell after a long and tough working week, and twisting his knee broke his morale. A DNF and no points for the winner of Mt Apo Skyrace and Ijen Trailrunning 70 this time around. He will be back for minimum the three remaining SuperTrail races in Indonesia, Philippines and Japan later this season.
Given his incredible pace during the first 100km of the Penang Eco last month, Hong Kong's Isaac Yuen Wan Ho was arguably the top favourite for Tam Dao. But things turned sour for him early on, as he chose a wrong trail and lost a lot of time in getting back on the right course. Halfway through the race he was nearly half an hour behind leader Cao Ngoc Ha and down in 9th place. Nevertheless, Yuen Wan Ho is not one to resign. In the second part of the race he chased down runner by runner, set the fastest time on the final mountain climb (allegedly, he ran all the way up!) and overtook a shocked Nguyen Duc Quang in the final 4 km to still grab the third spot on the podium! Yuen Wan Ho finished 41 minutes behind the race winner. What if? "No, " said the honest-or-modest Hong Kong runner, who also became a Grandmaster for finishing his sixth 70+ km race within two years. "Steven Ong was very strong in the second part of the race, I doubt I could have beaten him."
Steven Ong is building a reputation for being a tactical mastermind, or is it just down to experience? At CP 7 after approx 55 km, the gap to leader Cao Ngoc Ha had increased to five minutes. But then things got more technical again, and as the trails started to go up he caught the Vietnamese star already before the last CP 9! On the final mountain climb, Ong continued his rush to the finish and the victory. The verdict: still 23 minutes advantage over Cao Ngoc Ha. Despite his second place, Cao Ngoc Ha was full of admiration for Steven Ong and had no problem admitting the strongest man had won.
Ong only lost one ATM race this season: at the very runable Sungai Menyala Forest Trail in Malaysia last April, current ATM champion Manolito Divina proved too fast. For sure, these two will meet again at the end of the season, CM 50 or Izu Trail, with maybe even the championship on the line. Throw the dice on who will win then!
Conditions at Tam Dao were very hot and humid, which made it extremely tough for a lot of runners. The women's champion Kim Matthews from Australia had to give everything on the final climb to reach the finish, despite being comfortably in front. Matthews, who won UTKC 70 in February but also struggled with the heat to lose Penang Eco 100 in the final 10k, fell down - with a smile, though - from exhaustion right after the finish line. She had suffered a minor heatstroke. It looked a bit worrying at first, but she turned out to be okay. With this second race victory of the season, plus the second place at the previously mentioned Malaysia SuperTrail, Kim Matthews has become a serious contender for the women's ATM Championship. Now 4th, but with one or two races less than the three women ahead of her, it is significant she has 20 points more than defending ATM champion Tahira Najmunisaa. Most definitely, the women's championship is anyone's guess at this moment!
Second and third place in the women's 70km went to Vietnamese runners Nguen Thi Duong and fast starter Nguyen Chi. While in the shadow of Matthews, it should be noted that trail running is very new to Vietnam and both young women showed remarkable grit. More to come, for sure!
The 42 km races were won by Singapore-based Britain Timothy Kelsall in the men's and
Up next week is the Altai Ultra Trail in Russia's Siberia, followed by a resting month, in which there are nevertheless two Indonesian Candidate Races in East Java (Mantra Summits Challenge) and Bali (BNI Plataran X Trail). Early August we have the trail classic Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset and the new classic Magnificent Merapoh Trail in Malaysia.
One month after the Jungle Marathon, Vietnam is again in the spotlight this weekend as the Tam Dao Mountain Trail is on the Asia Trail Master Championship programme. Hosted by the Belvedere Resort 1,5 hours northwest of capital city Hanoi, the 70 km race is highly anticipated and has the potential to grow into a classic. The race course is very interesting and quite unique, with the big climb of Tam Dao coming at the very end of what is otherwise a runable course. The 70k starting field sees several big names, and two runners can even become the new leader in the male Asia Trail Master Championship ranking. Four runners of the current male top 10 will be competing this Saturday!
Vietnam is increasingly establishing itself in the Asian trail scene, and this second of three points races in the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship can also count on the participation of the first local star Cao Ngoc Ha. Third in UTKC (Thailand SuperTrail) and winner of the Vietnam Jungle Marathon, Cao Ngoc Ha can make a statement this weekend. One of his main competitors will be Malaysia's Steven Ong, who finished ahead of him at UTKC, but being a real endurance athlete may find 70 km a little too short. In any case, Ong will not be able to afford himself an easy start this time around. It's a big occasion for the ULTRON athlete, as he can take over the lead in the ATM championship from Arief Wismoyono. Tam Dao will also be his 4th ATM race of the season already. But were Ong to have an off-day, Spain's Pablo Diago Gonzales can take over also! Residing in Singapore, Pablo Diago is on a winning streak with victories at Mt Apo in the Philippines and at the Ijen volcano in Indonesia in the past two months. Can he add Tam Dao to that list? Note that both those races were also.... 70 km.
And in the end there is also Hong Kong's Isaac Yuen Wan Ho, who showed at Penang Eco six weeks ago he is absolutely flying at the moment. Although also a typical 100 miles runner, Yuen Wan Ho has the speed to put all the others on the backfoot from the get-go. All things considered, he may have the key to victory this weekend and propel himself into a championship-winning position later this year. For him, it will be the third race of the season. One peculiar characteristic of Yuen Wan Ho, though, is that he has a subscription on second places.
In the women's the outspoken race favourite appears to be Australia's Kim Matthews. The rather unfortunate runner-up at Penang Eco 100k (Matthews led the whole race until she fell asleep at the final checkpoint and then saw China's Dong Minfei pass by to grab the win), has recently moved to south Vietnam and is another fast-paced runner who can be expected to open up a gap in the early stages and hang on during the Tam Dao climb. Matthews, after all, won UTKC 70 k last February. In her third race of the ATM season, she can hop over Tahira Najmunisaa to fourth place in the championship. The same applies to Siawhua Lim from Malaysia, albeit in her 4th race already.
As usual we may encounter a few new names as well this weekend. After all, this is trail running and even in a new trail country.
We will be reporting live from the event - signal permitting - via our social media channels.
Steven Ong: new potential ATM leader
Isaac Yuen Wan Ho: the man to beat?
Kim Matthews is one of the favourites in the women's race
Pre-race top favourite Shunsuke Okunomiya won a fast edition of the Echigo Country Trail 52k in just under five hours. The celebrated Japanese runner was pushed forward all the way, though, by his compatriot Hayato Kimura. Kimura was never far behind and took second place just five minutes behind Okunomiya. Niigata's Jun Kaise came back from a modest start to take third place, and after winning Kushigata Wind Trail three weeks ago is now the top Japanese runner in the ATM championship. Kazuyuki Takahashi was a solid fourth place, and Kobe's Yuta Matsuyama completed the top 5. In the women's race, Kayo Siimbo led from start to finish.
The race was held in good weather conditions with rather cool temperatures at the start. Nevertheless, the 2000 metres of elevation gain are treacherous, as several forest climbs are so steep ropes are required to reach the top. As a result, there were again a considerable number of DNFs as the cut off time proved rather tight.
A photo album of the event can be found on our facebook page.
THe Echigo Country Trail has established itself as one of those unique races on the Asia Trail Master calendar. Not necessarily because of the race course or distance (52 km, 2000 hm), but because of the warm and jolly atmosphere during the event. Festivities already begin this afternoon at race pack collection and are followed by an organised dinner at Oguni Forest Park, close to Nagaoka in Niigata. That is the west coast of Japan's main island and north of the Japanese Alps. Local communities are delighted to have the race and come out to cheer for the runners, as if it were a road marathon. The race tomorrow morning itself promises to be a good one as well again, with several top Japanese runners present, mixed with motivated international runners. Jun Kaise, second last year and recently winner of the Kushigata Wind Trail is a favourite, along with Shunsuke Okunomiya.
Our team is present at the Echigo Country Trail and as usual will be reporting live, signal permitting. Follow the action on our social media channels.
Japanese trail running is gradually becoming more accessible for international runners with also the IZU Trail Challenge coming up as the Asia Trail Master final and Japanese SuperTrail later in December. Registration for the Izu Trail is now open but remember only until the end of this month! It is one of the biggest races in Japan and fills up very quickly.
Lots of green around the course of Echigo
He was second in the Echigo Country Trail last year and determined to win the colourful race in his home region of Niigata this coming Sunday. Jun Kaise is one of Japan's fastest non-professional trail runners, especially on the medium distance. He proved as much three weeks ago when he won the Kushigata Wind Trail, the shortest race in the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship series. Not that it was a walk in the park, because no fewer than 2500 metres of elevation gain had to be conquered over a mere 30 km. Perhaps Kaise is not just fast, but also stronger than he thinks. A smile on his face wherever he goes, Jun Kaise will be one to watch this weekend. And possibly for the rest of the season, as another victory means 1000 ATM Championship points, which would put him right up there in the ranking. Let's find out a bit more about the Japanese trail runner!
Q: Where were you born and did you grow up ?
In Minamiuonuma city, in Niigata Prefecture.
Q: What created your interest in running and trail running in particular?
To make use of it for my day to day work. Also, I love mountains.
Q: What do you do for a living?
I am a firefighter, or an emergency medical technician. I need to be in good shape.
Q: What do you like about the Echigo Country Trail?
I very much like to talk with the local people.
Q: What is your ambition for this event?
First and foremost, enjoying the contact with local residents.
Q: Do you prefer the long 100k ultras or shorter trail races like the 52k Echigo?
I am at my best racing around 30 to 50 km.
Q: In your eyes, what is the current state of trail running in Japan?
I am excited about it, and I think that it will be even more exciting in the future.
Q: There have been some set-backs in Japan lately for trail runners, with arguably the biggest event UTMF cancelled this year and still without a confirmed date for 2018. What do you think is the reason?
Because the act of running in the mountains can not get the understanding of some stubborn people.
Q: What do you talk about when you talk about running?
The splendor of mountain scenery.
Q: You won Kushigata Wind Trail two weeks ago, is that race comparable with Echigo? Not so much. In my view, KUSHIGATA needs speed, but Echigo is requires a high degree of toughness.
Q: Have you ever run IZU TRAIL Journey? It is the big final of the ATM Championship this year.
Not yet, but I am looking forward to it.
Q: Is it easy for Japanese runners to travel abroad to other trail races in the Asia Trail Master championship series?
In Japan, there are many people who have difficulty in taking leave from work, and it is difficult to travel for more than just a couple of days. So, it is difficult to go to remote areas of Asia.
Q: How do you see the future development of trail running in Japan?
I think that as the number of competing runners increases, it will become more and more familiar and understood, also for those people who are not runners.
Q: Many athletics federations in Asia do not recognise trail running as a genuine discipline. How's that in Japan?
Unfortunately, in Japan this is also the same situation.
Q: Should trail running become recognised as an olympic sport?
I think it is difficult. Because you can not get the same course, distance and altitude difference every time.
Q: What is your favourite piece of running music?
Japanese pop music.
Jun Kaisen proudly wearing the winner's shirt of Kushigata Wind Trail 3 weeks ago
Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset is a genuine classic on the Asian and Asia Trail Master calendar. The event will soon take pace already for the 19th year in succession! There's very few, if any, trail ultras in Asia that can claim such a long history. Moreover, this is a race in a very distinct and remote area: the wide grasslands on the plains of northwestern Mongolia.
- The untouched nature of Northern Mongolia is the setting for the 19th Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset (MS2S) 42km and 100km trail run from July 29th to August 5th 2017.
- Registrations are open until end of June! Sign up on www.ms2s.org to experience the unique nomadic culture and run in one of the world’s most remote mountain areas.
PRESS RELEASE:
Mongolia (5 June 2017) – Adventure seeking runners can still sign up for the ultimate Mongolia experience: The registration period for the 19th edition of the Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset (MS2S) closes on June 30th. The MS2S 42km and 100km ultra marathon will take place from July 29th to August 5th, 2017. The race location in Hovsgol National Park is stunningly beautiful: With the crystal-clear Lake Hovsgol, remote, marshy forests, windblown lowlands and craggy mountains, the MS2S is without a doubt one of the most beautiful runs on the planet.
The Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset is more than a marathon and ultra-marathon race: Participants from all over the world spend one week in the wild nature. They get in touch with the nomadic culture of the locals and learn about Mongolian traditions, beliefs, and way of life. On their quest to complete this spectacular race, runners pass by wild horses and yaks, seas of wildflowers, the craggy mountains and windblown lowlands. MS2S opens new perspectives.
All proceeds of the event are used to keep Hovsgol National Park pristine and clean as well as to support the culture of the local nomads via the “ecoLeap foundation”. “We want to keep this pristine mountain area as beautiful as it is now. That is why we fund a litter control project and its ongoing operation including hiring park rangers, providing eco-friendly garbage bags and raising awareness nation-wide through TV ads and education of local children and families”, explains race director Nicolas Musy.
Beautiful & challenging
The race is not only beautiful but also challenging: The accumulated elevation gain/loss in the marathon distance is more than 2.200 meters, in the 100km ultra run it is more than 3.300 meters. Still, everybody with a strong spirit and good training can complete the race. The cut-off time is 18 hours.
IZU TRAIL Journey, the Japan SuperTrail in this year's Asia Trail Master Championship and last race of the season has opened registration! Be quick for this very popular event running from A to B over 72 km through the Izu peninsula with magnificent views of Mt Fuji! Be prepared as there's 4100 m of elevation gain as well. The race takes place on Sunday, 10 December and you can access it best via Tokyo Haneda airport.
Registration goes easily via https://www.sportsentry.ne.jp/entry/t/70830/e
Check out more via our cover page and the event website: http://www.asiatrailmaster.com/#/izu-trail-journey/ and http://www.izutrailjourney.com/ENGLISH/index.html
While the main island of Java has been enjoying a boom of trail running activity in recent years, relatively little has been happening on Indonesia's main holiday island Bali. This is about to change with the birth of the BNI Plataran X Trail event on 22 July, the first major trail running on Bali with an international ambition. The event features a 50 km fast trail course through the West Bali National Park, and has eco resort Plataran L'harmonie as home base for start and finish.
The new event is also a Candidate Race for the 2018 Asia Trail Master Championship. .
A genuine trail run with a mixture of forest paths, beach and rainforest single trail. There will be almost no tarmac road or concrete in the race course. Elevation gain in West Bali NP is limited, but there are a few hills to be negotiated nonetheless to add some spice and to offer some breathtaking views of the coastal area. Brief, this is a very runable course in a very beautiful setting that will appeal to trail lovers of all levels. Lots of cultural performances and add-ons are planned, and along with a generous COT to allow everyone to finish, BNI Plataran X Trail is set to be a trail running festivity.
The event has 3 race categories:
50 K , COT 11 hours
25 K, COT 10 hours
7.1K fun run
Registration is open via: http://plataranxtrail.com/online-registration/