At last, we have the 10-year-anniversary of Borneo TMBT (‘The Most Beautiful Thing’) around Mt Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia this weekend. Cancelled twice due to covid, it’s been a rough two years for the event organisers of this Southeast Asian trail classic, and we are all delighted it’s back on, and with a large and attractive start list as well. The main event is of course the 109 km race, but for the first time runners will also score ATM Championship points on the equally competitive 50k race distance this year. Still, the eyes of most people will be on the meanwhile popular dual between local hero Milton Amat, winner in 2019 and 2017, and Hisashi Kitamura, second three years ago after a fantastic fight. The Japanese Karate Kit was in the lead at the last checkpoint, but had no answer when Milton Amat found an extra gear on the long moderate uphill climb to the finish line. Beforehand, Kitamura had announced he “would beat Milton in his home race”, which of course enhanced the spectacle for the Sabahan running communities and all the fans. This year, Kitamura has proven to be even better as a trail runner and has naturally again stated that TMBT is marked red hot in his race agenda of 2022. During the course of the season, Kitamura has proven to be more confident on technical trail courses, and running smarter and more tactical when the situation permits. But. There is a ‘but’. In August, Kitamura showed signs of fatigue, both physically and mentally, at the Punisher in Philippines and at the Jagoi Heritage Run in Sarawak, an ATM candidate race. In fact, the Jagoi 50k race course suited him perfectly, and yet it was … Milton Amat who won the race! Milton has been running exceptionally well this year, too, and clearly has increased his general running pace on flatter trails. The two went head-to-head until the finish at BUTM 100 in March half a year ago (Milton won after Kitamura got penalised for mandatory gear infringements), but since then it would appear that Milton has kept his top form and Kitamura’s has been slightly going backwards since winning Cameron Ultra 100 in mid-July. Was that planned and deliberate to take the edge off for several weeks? Kitamura is being coached, so it is certainly possible that we may see the very best Kitamura again this Saturday. And that would make for a superbly exciting race, which everyone can follow via our GPS live tracking platform (link https://live.asiatrailmaster.com/tmbt2022/).

There are of course other top Asian runners on the 109 km start list. To begin with the other Sabahan aces, Daved Simpat and Wilsen Singgin. Simpat has been running much better and consistent than before the covid crisis and has remained injury-free. A former winner of TMBT, can he score an upset tomorrow using all his experience and, who knows, his friendship with Amat should the latter have an off-day? The youngest of the Sabahan trail stars, Wilsen Singgin, has not yet shown the level of speed that is probably necessary to win a race like TMBT. But who knows? Singgin was an impressive winner of MMTF mid-December last year, and if the trails are indeed more wet, muddy and technical than usual following extensive rainfall of late- according to the race director- , Singgin might be in his element here.

From peninsular Malaysia, Akmal Adzmi is a podium contender, and so is Singapore’s Deric Lau, who was second in UT Chiang Mai just three weeks ago. Two other expats should be considered: Mark Steacy from Ireland living in Kuching, and Yakov Kozlov, Russian living in Kuala Lumpur. Steacy ran great behind Amat and Kitamura to third place in the previously mentioned Jagoi 50k race, and Kozlov is a known fast guy from the MKRC team.

In the women’s 109km, we can expect a battle for the victory between Sally Yap, this year’s new name in Malaysia, and Izzah Hazirah. Other podium contenders are on paper Isabelle Bedard, local hero Adelinah Lintanga, Laslin Sarawi and Siti Hajar Razali.

On the 50k start list, we find some big names of runners who have already scored wins in ATM races this season. Mohammad Affindi even already has two victories on his record. He will be up against Sapirin Suming, Malachy Kirwan and Moo Sat, but also Pierre Victor Morales, French but based in KL from the aforementioned MKRC Team. And in the women’s 50k, Singapore-based Belgian Vanja Cnops will aim to get another ATM points race victory after BTR in Bali in May. Cameron Ultra 100 race winner Vincere Zeng is also on the start list, and so is TMBT’s arguably best-known ambassador: Jassica, aka Jess, Lintanga.

Running back in time… 2019 - Race Finish of Milton Amat

Muhamad Affindi has already won 2 ATM 50k races this season. Hattrick this Saturday?

Last week Ha Hau beat all the men during VMM 100, can Vanja achieve the same on TMBT 50?

Jess Lintanga has been one of the ‘faces’ of Borneo TMBT Ultra since many years. She has podiumed a number of times, this year she will try again on her favourite distance, the 50 km

The 2020 edition of Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, has been cancelled after all. This year was supposed to be the 10th anniversary of the classic event. Originally planned for end of August, the event already got rescheduled to 19 December last May, which would have made it the 2020 ATM Final. But the current covid 19 resurgence in Sabah makes it impossible to conduct the event in a responsible way. The organising team Borneo Ultra Trails announced the cancellation yesterday evening via their facebook page.

People who registered for the event can check the facebook page for refund or deferment details.

Next year’s 10th edition of Borneo TMBT Ultra has now been scheduled for the weekend of 11/12 September 2021. It will be the Malaysia SuperTrail in the Asia Trail Master Championship series, offering 50 bonus points to finishers on the 100km and 50km.

In the context of the Asia Trail Master season, the last active ‘real’ points race has therefore become Japan’s Izu Trail Journey on 13 December. The 2020 season has already been merged with 2021 so no new champions will be crowned, but runners can score points in the few remaining races on the calendar and carry them over into next year.

Sometimes bad news also comes with a silver lining. The organisation of the classic Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, is compelled to postpone its event from end-August to mid-December as a result of the ongoing corona pandemic. However, as such it suddenly became possible to turn the ‘Malaysia SuperTrail’ label into the ‘2020 ATM Final label’ and it did not take long before both parties agreed. Borneo TMBT Ultra will close the curtain on this difficult Asia Trail Master Championship season on 19/20 December.

The ATM Final has become a significantly mediatised attraction in recent years and got scaled up another notch last December with the impressively executed Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival in Taiping. It has developed in a real social sports festivity after a full year of battles between the elites, and the many individual achievements on the Grandmaster Quest. Prior to this week, our core team had been planning and discussing for months to get the 19/20 December calendar slot filled. The original plan fell apart in March as a direct consequence of the corona crisis, and two alternatives were also unable to provide guarantees - that is guarantees for having the necessary time to prepare and build up the event. In contrast, Borneo TMBT Ultra offers few surprises on that front. The event will celebrate its tenth anniversary already and is generally acknowledged as a true classic of Asian trail running. We are confident that TMBT is the right choice for this year’s ATM Final and we are highly appreciative of the enthusiasm the TMBT team showed to assume this title. More specific details on what this implies for the runners will be communicated in due course. What is for sure is that only the 100K race will be relevant for those elites fighting for the Championship title.

Given the now several race cancellations on our calendar, we are also looking into the best manner to proceed with the ATM Championship and the Grandmaster Quest in the latter part of the season. We will communicate on this before the end of May.

In conclusion, please read the official statement from the event management of Borneo TMBT Ultra on the postponement of the event to December and the implications for those who have registered already.

POSTPONEMENT OF TMBT 2020

It is with great regret that Borneo Ultra Trails has to announce the postponement of the TMBT Ultra-Trail Marathon which was scheduled for 29th and 30th August, 2020.

There are some positive signs of the COVID-19 pandemic being contained and restrictions are gradually being eased in many countries, but whilst we would like to be optimistic, we consider it unlikely that the TMBT can be organised and run in a format that pays tribute to the 10th anniversary of the event, by end of August without undue risks. The primary concern of Borneo Ultra Trails as the organisers, is for the safety of the participants, staff and volunteers as well as the communities we pass through. Running an event with a large international contingent, under the current circumstances, is not in line with this. Rather than cancelling the TMBT 2020, it has been decided to tentatively postpone it till 19th and 20th December 2020.

In addition to the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the event, we are pleased to announce collaboration with Asia Trail Master (ATM) with the intention to have the TMBT as the ATM Championship Final for 2020.

The world is only just starting to define “life after lockdown”, and we cannot predict how this will develop over the next few months and whether it will be even feasible to organise and run the TMBT safely at year end. We can work on ways to reduce risks, which may affect the race format, but ultimately the race can only be organised and run as planned in December if it is deemed safe. If the race can be carried out within the regulatory framework at that time, it will be run if it has the support of the local communities and it can be organised and run in a format suitable for the event.

For those who have already signed up for the event, we apologize for any disappointment of not being able to go ahead with the race in August, but hope you will understand and join us in hoping the race can be organised successfully in December. Runners who have already signed up/registered for the TMBT in August 2020 will have their entries and registrations automatically transferred to the TMBT scheduled for 19th and 20th December 2020. Should runners who have already registered prefer a refund instead at this stage, please email info@borneoultra.com with all details.

If the eventuality should arise that it becomes necessary to cancel the event in December 2020, those who preferred to maintain their current registration for the new dates for TMBT in December 2020 and those who register henceforth for the event, will be offered the following choices:

• 1. A full refund of the registration fee or

• 2. A transfer of the registration to the Borneo Ultra-Trail Marathon (BUTM) or the TMBT in 2021.

With the best wishes for happy trail running and please do stay safe.

Borneo Ultra Trails

Last year local hero Milton Amat won an incredible race against the inevitable Hisashi Kitamura

We had a surprising Chinese winner on the women’s 100K last year, as Wen Danju from Guangzhou overtook race favourite Asuka Nakajima in the final kilometres

Watch the entire Episode 2 of the Tale of the Trail including the TMBT announcement

The 9th edition of Borneo TMBT 100 goes into the history books as one of the most exciting, if not the most exciting! In both the men’s and women’s main race the decision fell in the final 10 km of the classic race in Sabah, East Malaysia. The local crowd had a lot to cheer about, as home favourite Milton Amat delivered his best racing performance ever in outbluffing the once again amazing Hisashi Kitamura for a superb victory. The Uglow Malaysia duo fought an amazing battle at the end of the race, after Alessandro Sherpa settled for third place.

Milton Amat was in great shape and he could not hide it for long. He dropped his fellow Sabahan Daved Simpat, who won TMBT a year ago, and the other main contenders already going into WS 4 at km 36. Amat would stay solo in the lead for the rest of the race until the meanwhile inevitable Hisashi KItamura began the chase in earnest. Alessandro Sherpa, adopting a more conservative race strategy this time around, kept himself in the mix as well. Daved Simpat, however, decided to DNF after 60km. His sore ankle began to hurt too much once again.

 Kitamura perfomed his famous ‘Karate Kit’ jump to indicate his intention to attack, but his first attack proved fruitless. Even Sherpa came back to him eventually, and Amat remained out of reach. In fact, at WS 9 the gap had increased again to 20 minutes - the biggest it had ever been!

Not for the first time this year, Hisashi Kitamura showed incredible grit and gave it his all. The next two sections to WS 11 were mainly downhill and the Japanese used his natural running advantage. It was here that Sherpa had to let go once and for all. Kitamura was flying and minute by minute he edged closer to Milton Amat - as could be seen on the fantastic Dot Track Asia map, showing each runner’s GPS locations. In the approach to the final aid station WS 11, Kitamura caught Amat and passed him straightaway! The stunned Sabahan had no immediate response. But… and this is the great bit: Milton Amat kept his head cool and did not give up! The last 10km to the finish of TMBT are all gradually uphill and mostly on road. Amat has the advantage over Kitamura on that type of terrain…. and indeed: he crept closer and closer to the struggling leader and caught him again with 8k to go! Now it was the local hero’s turn, catch and pass. Kitamura was dead in the water. Milton Amat stormed to the finish and showed a great deal of emotion , which does not happen often, as he crossed the finish line. A superb performance! Kitamura came in second, exhausted. Sherpa cruised home in third, and Canada’s Jeremy Ritcey came in fourth not too far behind. Ritcey ran a very consistent pace all the way, despite arriving in Kota KInabalu just before the start after a delayed flight. Brunei-based South African Christo Swart made it up to fifth in the race and finished, ahead of Brunei’s Alexander Chung. 

Milton's winning time for the 109 km was 14:22. Kitamura 14:39 and Sherpa 15:24. Milton Amat won his home race for the second time after 2017. Visibly delighted with his second ATM race victory of the season after Mantra Summits Challenge, Amat moves up to third in the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking and remains very much in contention for the title. Kitamura, though, remains the leader.

In the women’s, Japan’s Asuka Nakajima led from the start, but a painful knee slowed her down towards the end. In a situation similar to the men’s race, Guangzhou’s Wen Danyu had never been far away and caught Nakajima on the way to Cp11. Danyu pressed on uphill and took a great first victory in an ATM points race. Despite missing out on her fourth race victory of the season, Nakajima regains the points lead in the Asia Trail Master Championship at the expense of Fredelyn Alberto. It is now obvious that any woman who wants to become ATM Champion this year will need to pass Asuka ‘Bazooka’. Jcy Ho from Hong Kong ran a very consistent race and was third. A result that will push the Oxsitis runner into the top 10 of the ranking, with more to come for sure. Malaysia's Ng Song Hiang was a strong fourth place and first of the home runners.

Wen Danyu's winning time was 17:50. Nakajima came in in 18:04 and Jcy Ho in 18:36. 

Both the men’s and women’s 100k races were pure promotion for the sport of trail running. A trio of runners giving it their best the whole day and creating the kind of excitement that even non-runners can enjoy. TMBT of course has a well-varied course that lends itself to this, with an ideal mixture of runable and technical sections. The races took place in cool, hazy conditions but were dry. Contrary to the days before, when heavy rainshowers put the organisation under a lot of pressure. A re-route due to a swollen river was implemented right after the start. It meant, a.o. things that the total race distance was increased to 109 km.

The 50k race - always well-stocked in talent but not a points race for the ATM Championship - was won by Kim Jisob from South Korea and Lauren Woodhouse from Great Britain.

Two classic South East Asian trail running races back-to-back now with Borneo TMBT Ultra this Saturday and Vietnam Mountain Marathon next week. TMBT continues to attract a lot of people to Sabah, one of the East Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. It’s an event with a lot of categories, but the 100K remains the flagship and even the most popular one. It is indeed a 100K that many people argue “you can do”. However, this is by no means a walk in the park and besides the tropical humidity, heavy rainfall can cause muddy, slippery trails at all times.

Quite some international trail and spartan stars have been invited to the event this weekend, but nearly all of them are running the shorter distances. Good news for the Asia Trail Master Championship contenders and especially defending champion Alessandro Sherpa, as they can go for the prestigious race victory and the full 500 ATM Championship points whack! In fact, it is something the Italian desperately needs now if he wants to keep his ambition to retain the ATM title alive. Top favourite this weekend, though, must be local star Milton Amat. Currently 5th in the Championship, Milton can become third with a strong result and winning would reduce some pressure in that sense. Winning his home race is in any case Milton’s dream. He already did so in 2017, but that was jointly with … Sherpa (who made his debut as a ultra trail runner back then!). Last year, Milton came in fourth and quite far down on his fellow Sabahan Daved Simpat. Even youngster Wilsen Singgin (who runs the 50k this weekend) finished ahead. Milton Amat of course will excel if the terrain gets rough. He is slightly disadvantaged if the faster legs in the starting field can make their speed to work. In any case, for all contenders staying ahead of ATM Championship leader Hisashi Kitamura will be essential to prevent the Japanese Uglow ace from earning too much of an advantage. And there we have Kitamura’s goal of the weekend rightaway. Three weeks after his stellar show in Merapoh, he cannot improve on his total points tally - 2575 - at TMBT. His fifth and “worst” result is 500 points for 2nd place in the SuperTrails Dalat and Mantra. At TMBT 100, the winner scores 500. But it is important for Kitamura to beat his opponents in a straight dual just in case down the line in Taiping and TNF Malaysia runners end up with the same number of total points.

There’s a question mark behind the participation of another Sabahan star, Daved Simpat, winner of this race a year ago. He returned injured from Europe last week and will see how he feels. Simpat has not run any ATM races so far this season and does not seem to be a title challenger, therefore. There’s a few dark horses, too, mostly expats. Jono Woodhouse, from Australia but living in Hong Kong, could be most dangerous. Stephen Dundon is another Ozzie who won Merapoh 70k and also scored third in Ijen Trail 70k over the last few weeks. Jeremy Ritcey is coming back after a break and Scott Pugh is an ultra runner who is likely to appear in the top placings of the leaderboard late in the race.

Also in the women’s 100k, a lot of participants and it is hard to know each one’s background. But those 6 women in the poster below will be close to victory and podium for sure! Asuka Nakajima lost her top spot in the Asia Trail Master Championship to Fredelyn Alberto in Thailand two weeks ago, but the Japanese runner can reclaim it on Saturday. Unless she DNF like in Penang Eco, TMBT will be her 5th result of the season and that means a full whack of points still. Being 317 points behind Alberto in the ranking, a top 9 result will do the trick: definitely within reach! Nakajima already won three ATM races in 2019, there’s a good chance that she will be the target for the other title contenders in the next few months. Adelinah Lintanga, however, is the home runner in Sabah and very keen to win this weekend. Lintanga is racing much less this year, and with great competitive effect: she won Penang Eco 100 miles in style! Adelinah has a weak ankle, which hopefully won’t bother her too much. Hong Kong’s Oxsitis ambassador Jcy Ho is on a roll: she ran the 62K in Chiang Mai two weeks ago and came 4th, now she is on the 100k and next week she is also doing Vietnam Mountain Marathon. Jcy Ho made herself known in the 9 Dragons 50/50 earlier this season by coming second, and backed that up with a solid 5th place on the fast Sungai Menyala Forest Trail. A podium at TMBT is a real possibility. Paulina Svoboda, from Czech Republic but living in Singapore, is always a contender. She won MMTF and Merapoh last year, this year she was 4th in Ultimate Tsaigu 80K. Chong Mei Tze from peninsular Malaysia is a newcomer and as she said herself in Merapoh: a newbie in running even! Her relative inexperience still shows, but the pace is there. If she can get it all together, watch out for an upset victory this weekend! From Philippines comes Melanie Hingpit, another dark horse who on given days rises up to the occasion. Finally, we are also interested to see how Evelyn Lek from Singapore will fare. After winning Merapoh 100 and VMM 100 a year ago she has been struggling a bit competitively, but winning aforementioned races proves the ability is there. Also on the start list, but a DNS is Faherina Mohd Esa, who suffered a badly twisted ankle last week.

As usual we will be reporting live from Sabah starting on Friday afternoon and throughout the race on Saturday, which starts at 6 a.m. local time.

Asuka Nakajima can regain the points lead in the ATM Championship at TMBT 100

Local running hero Daved Simpat has scored a new victory in his home race Borneo TMBT Ultra 100 after 2015. In fact, it was a very successful weekend for the Sabahans with more wins and podium places in the other categories as well. There was a major upset at km 29 as well, when ATM Championship leader and last year's TMBT winner Alessandro Sherpa pulled out of the race with knee pain - after leading the proceedings in the first 25 kilometres. 

Simpat ran most of the race together with his fellow Sabah runner Milton Amat, until the latter began to fade on the way to CP 7. Philippines-based Dane Kristian Joergensen caught up and passed a fading Amat in the final 20 km to take a strong second place. Joergensen had been running more or less at the same pace as the leaders all day, yet could not seem to bridge the gap to Simpat. Another local Malaysian runner from Sabah, Wilsen Singgin, was third in the finish and thus took away the final podium step from Milton Amat. Singgin was running a very consistent pace all day and passed Amat at the end. Milton Amat himself was still happy to come home fourth and become the best-ranked Malaysian runner in the ATM Championship.  Japan’s Hisashi Kitamura, recently 3rd in TMMT 100 and 7th in the ATM Championship, was proving his ultra credentials again and moved up to 5th place in the second half of last weekend's race. Kitamura also leaps into the top five of the ATM ranking. Canada’s Michael Mclean overtook 5 people in the last 10k and finished in sixth! Koh Kian Ti from Malaysia was 7th. Sam McGrath was 8th. 

In the women’s race, Corinne Williams overtook Britain’s Lucy Scott after about a third of the race. The Okinawa-based American won her second ATM race of the season after 9 Dragons, although a dog bite still threatened to spoil her party at the end. Malaysa’s Malin Salungin is third. Kuala Lumpur-based Filippino Jefferlyn Castellano scored another good result with 4th. Hong Kong's Jocelyn Cheung decided to stop halfway, while home favourite Adelinah Lintanga did not have the legs to compete with the frontrunners and finished as 19th woman.

On the 50 km, which was not a points race but had a lot of quality runners in it, home-favoruite and Grandmaster Jassica Lintanga took a good race win ahead of Brunei's Erin Liam. In the men's race Julian Baker crossed the line first ahead of Daniel Fernandez and Sahaban Safrey Sumping. However, later Baker would receive a 1-hour time penalty as a mandatory gear check revealed he only carried one lamp instead of the required two. 

After 2015, local hero Daved Simpat wins Borneo TMBT Ultra 100 again in a commanding way

Corinne Williams takes her 2nd ATM points race victory at TMBT 100

Milton Amat is now best-ranked Malaysian in the ATM Championship

Wilsen Singgen is another Sabahan on the podium of the 100k, passing Milton Amat in the final kilometres

Also for Daniel Fernandez it was a tough day: 2nd on the 50 km behind Julian Baker

Home-favourite Jassica Lintanga won the 50 km race

After his great and relatively easy victory in the Magnificent Merapoh Trail three weeks ago, Alessandro Sherpa returns to the scene where it all began for him 12 months ago. Borneo TMBT Ultra was his maiden trail run, having come to Malaysia with a solid background in mountainbike racing. Sherpa not only took part, he even won the 100k together with local star Milton Amat. Tomorrow he enters the race in Sabah again as points leader in the Asia Trail Master Championship - and Amat, who is doing well by himself in ATM this season - will again be one his rivals for the win. 

Borneo TMBT Ultra is now back in Asia Trail Master after a three year hiatus. Back in 2015, David Simpat and Joanna Kruk took the 100k race wins. Interestingly, both feature on tomorrow's start list as well. Simpat for sure will be one of the main competitors for Sherpa. Kruk, however, has had to withdraw from the event. The police woman in Adelaide did not manage to get leave from her professional duties this weekend. 

This is one of Southeast Asia's oldest events and attracts runners whom you do not often find back in other races during the year. Surprises can therefore always occur, although Manila-based Dane Kristian Joergensen won't finish far from the podium tomorrow. Japan's Hisashi Kitamura could get close as well, three weeks after a very strong run and third place in Merapoh. Kitamura is seventh in the current points standings, and another strong result could propel him up to as high as fourth. Brunei's Alexander Chung has always been good in his country's Beach Bunch Trail Challenge. How will he fare in Sabah? 

In the women's we have of course the Lintanga sisters on home soil. Adelinah will be the only one on the 100k, though, as Jassica opts for the 50k this weekend. Adelinah got second in Merapoh three weekends ago, proving her good form, but most likely the Okinawa-based American Corinne Williams will the one to beat in the absence of Kruk. Williams won the 50/50 9 Dragons Ultra earlier this year and also got third place in the Izu Trail Journey last December. Victory in TMBT would push her inside the women's championship top ten. 

Kristian Joergensen returns to the ATM tour

Grandmaster Adelinah Lintanga ready for another tough 100k 

As announced via social media last weekend, we are happy to confirm that Borneo TMBT Ultra Marathon returns to the Asia Trail Master Championship series after a 2-year-hiatus. The classic event near Kota Kinabalu in Sabah was the first ever ATM points race in Malaysia, and this year will offer 100K runners again with a chance to boost their 2018 championship points and their Grandmaster Quest. The event will be held on 1/2 September and also marks the beginning of a very busy September in ATM, with Hakuba Trails, Bandung Ultra 100, Vietnam Mountain Marathon and Ijen Trailrunning occupying the other weekend slots that month. 

Race registration for Borneo TMBT Ultra Marathon is already open, and you better do not wait too long! 

The event will stay loyal to its traditional courses of 100K, 50K and 25K and is a genuine test of physical and mental strength through the mountainous rainforest of Sabah on Borneo. Please note that only the 100K will offer ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest points. 

The TMBT is Malaysia's oldest Ultra-Trail® Marathon with the inaugural race held in 2011. The acronym stands for "The Most Beautiful Thing", and makes reference to the iconic Mount Kinabalu, which at 4,100 m is one of Southeast Asia's highest peaks and a world heritage site. The TMBT course is set over the ridges and in the river valleys around the base of Mt. Kinabalu, with the highest elevation on the race course just under 2000m.

The event takes runners from the quaint native villages at the foothills on the western side of Mount Kinabalu towards the southern side of the mountain. The 100k category continues around the base of Mount Kinabalu and to the South-Eastern ridges of the mountain to finish in the village of Kundasang.

The routes are challenging but beautiful and give runners an opportunity to experience remote villages and follow village trails through a varied landscape of forest and cultivated areas. Trails pass paddy fields and climb steep ridges clad in pineapples with amazing views to Mt. Kinabalu and over the surrounding ridges and valleys which are often shrouded in clouds. The routes cross numerous streams with refreshing water on a hot day, while most larger rivers are crossed via hanging, bamboo or log bridges. Part of the trails follow the old heritage trails that used to be a part of the old buffalo trading routes linking villagers from Kota Belud to Bundu Tuhan.

The race has a reputation for being challenging to complete with a combination of steep terrain and technical trail sections, and the weather, usually hot in the first part of the day and with a good chance of tropical showers in the afternoon, often add to the challenge.

Borneo TMBT Ultra Marathon