Dalat in the Central Highlands of southwestern Vietnam is quickly becoming the epicentre of trail running in the country. Prenn Trail Challenge is the latest event born in the outdoor tourism and culinary hotspot and promises to be very distinct from the already established Dalat Ultra Trail and Lam Dong Trail. Not only will Prenn Trail Challenge take place on 31 December - Yes, New Year’s Eve - the event venue and race courses are also different. The event is managed by Unique Events & Media and hosted by the Tea Resort Prenn at Prenn Pass Foot, Da Lat City. It has received the ATM Candidate Race label.

The event features four race categories, of which 80km is the longest and 15km the shortest. Elevation gain for the long distance is moderate at 2600 hm, and remember Dalat is on high plateau of about 1500m above sea level, which leads to cool temperatures for running on most parts of the day. Runners will go through pine forests, tea and coffee plantations that are typical for the Dalat plateau. Highlight will be the Prenn Pass, leading to Pinhatt Peak - the highest point of the course offering a wonderful panorama over the region and the Tuyen Lam Lake. Cut-off time is 20,5 hours for the 80km, which means the big majority of participants should be able to finish and celebrate New Year’s at the event venue.

Runners can reach Dalat via air or land. There’s a domestic airport in Dalat, but you can also take a bus or hired car from Ho Chi Minh City (estimate 5-6 hours drive to Dalat). Accommodation is plenty and can be found easily online.

Registration is open for this one-of-a-kind trail into 2024!

Please check all event details via the official website and facebook page.

While Hisashi Kitamura cruised to an easy 6th ATM race victory in his running career on the 42km course, all 100k ultra runners were struggling their hearts out on the very tough 100km course through the Cuc Phuong National Park. What was labeled as an easy and runable trail turned out to be one of the more extreme races in ATM history with participants even vanishing off the GPS map between five to seven hours. No surprise then there were a lot of DNFs. Most had just not mentally prepared for a technical battle with thick jungle and sharp rocks, let alone armies of leeches. The contrast between the 100k and the 42k could not be bigger. Race winner Nguyen Si Hieu had estimated a finish time around 11-12 hours based on his performance on the 70k last year. Instead, he crossed the finish line in 15h20! Shindy Patricia - with a long pedigree on tough ultra races - won in 19h14, and was fifth overall, slightly ahead of Japan’s Tomohiro Mizukoshi. There were only three women who completed the race. Paulina Svoboda - anything but a softie - and Grandmaster Yvette Chong were even among the DNFs.

It was moist and drizzling at times in the oldest national park of Vietnam, which is one explanation for the much slower running times compared to a year ago. However, the routes were also changed quite a bit and the 100k. was a new distance that would cut straight through the Park. The 100k started at 10pm, which meant the first half was ran entirely in darkness. Pre-race favourite Nguyen Si Hieu quickly set the pace up front, seeking his first ATM win since VMM 70 in 2018. Thimo Kilberth was following neatly, together with Yoyong Sacayle - in his debut outside of Philippines - and Vu Tien Viet Dung. Mizukoshi was a little further back with Nguyen Tien Vo. Paulina Svoboda and Shindy Patricia stayed together at the front of the women’s race with 2022 ATM Finalist Vu Thi Lan Huong not far behind them. By the time the 42km race got underway at 7am on Sunday morning, most of the 100k runners had gone beyond CP6, where their GPS trackers stopped signalling. That’s how remote and deep the jungle was. Only at CP 7.1. we would still catch a glimpse of what was happening, before everyone disappeared again until 2-3km before the finish line. At CP 7.1. a lot of participants threw in the towel and caught transport back to the race venue. Later, when runners arrived at CP 8, the first thing they all had to do was rip off the many leeches from their body parts (see the video of Shindy and Tomohiro below).

Eventually, Nguyen Si Hieu retained and extended his advantage over the others and won the extreme race. After third place in Dalat Ultra Trail, things are already looking good for him to qualify for Team Vietnam in this year’s ATM Championship Final in early December. The same applies for Yoyong Sacayle. The popular runner from Mindanao stayed with second Vietnamese and internationally experienced Vu Tien Viet Dung all race. While he could not respond to the late dash of his companion to take second, Sacayle’s third place in his first race overseas was very promising for the future. The duo was one hour behind Nguyen Si Hieu and 45 minutes ahead of fourth place Nguyen Tien Vo.

As said, the 42km was nowhere near as complicated. Race winner Hisashi Kitamura even said “easy course” halfway into the race. Nobody was able to keep up with the Karate Kit, who had time to plan his trademark kick across the finish line (see video below). Behind him, there was a big battle between five, six runners for the podium. Vietnam’s up-and-coming mountain trail talent Nguyen Phuong Quang tried to follow Kitamura in the very early stages, but blew himself up and in the end dropped to fifth place, just ahead of V Trail winner Alex Tilley. For the three traditional podium spots, Chris Devoize held the best cards until an unfortunate late misunderstanding with the otherwise excellent marking signs saw Trinh Nam Phong and Jose Luis Alvelais sneak ahead. Note that Kitamura won the 42km in 3h39, a full 40 minutes ahead of the others.

In the women’s race, Hanoi-based Christine Mitchell was tipped as the favourite to win and so she did in 4h45. The British woman was also unthreatened with half an hour advantage over Nguyen Thi Huong and Phung Thi Trang.

The next Vietnamese points race event is Vietnam Mountain Marathon in September. Runners can opt for 3 distance categories: 100km, 70km and 42km. In agreement with the event organiser, all 3 categories will offer ATM Championship points.

Later on 11 November, there is also Lam Dong Trail in Dalat. Registration for both VMM and Lam Dong Trail is open.

It was the 4th ATM race victory for Shindy Patricia since 2015

Second podium of the ATM Championship season for Mindanao’s Yoyong Sacayle

This weekend already the second Vietnamese points race event takes place a few hours south of Hanoi near Ninh Binh: it’s the 2nd edition of Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths. An event by Race Jungle with several distance categories, of which the 100km and 42km offer ATM Championship points. On paper the course here is fairly runable, but moist or wet conditions may make it tougher than expected. despite modest elevation gain of about 3000hm for the 100km and only 1000hm for the 42 km.

Cuc Phuong is the oldest National Park of Vietnam, founded in 1962, and located 120 km southwest of Hanoi and close to Ninh Binh. It’s very big and densely forested with limestone mountains, rice terraces, hundreds of birds species and all kinds of wildlife. It’s also the home of the Muong ethnic minority. Close by are also Tam Coc and Hoa Lu, famous sites on Vietnam’s backpacker tourist trail.

Competitive runners are divided between the categories (and there’s even a 70km option as well..), but both the 100km and 42km should see some great action for the top placings. Arguably the biggest star on the start list, Hisashi KItamura, has chosen the medium distance for this weekend in an attempt to extend his premium form for longer than was the case last year, when he gradually burned out in August and September. Also, contrary to the 100km that starts at 10 pm Saturday night, the 42 km will be held entirely in day light with the start scheduled for Sunday morning 7 am at Mac Lake. Looking at the profile, this should be Kitamura’s kind of race. but he will receive a challenge from two newcomers on the ATM scene: Hong Kong-based Mexican Jose Luis Alvelais and Vietnam’s Nguyen Phuong Quang. Avelais belongs to the Gone Running-Joint Dynamics Team, which also consists of a.o. Jeff Campbell. Coming back from injury, he last week took part in the Lantau 70 Relay race with a.o. Ezster Csillag. Alvelais has ambitions for this year’s ATM Championship, but says his favourite running distance is actually 70 to 100km. However, medium-distance speed work first, as he is also scheduled to run Korea 50K next month. Hanoi’s Nguyen Phuong Quang impressed the local community in recent months with some strong performances in short races with considerable elevation gain. Question now is how does he fare on more runable terrain. Outsiders for the 42km podium are Britains’ Alex Tilley - winner of the V Trail in Laos two months ago -, France’s Chris Devoize and Vietnam’s Bui Duc Long.

On the longest distance, the runner-to-beat is probably Nguyen Si Hieu. Always meticulously prepared, Nguyen Si Hieu has been accumulating ATM race podiums for years, seven in total now, and recently still so in Dalat Ultra Trail (3rd). This weekend presents him with a good chance to score his first victory since 2018, when he was fastest in the 70km race of VMM. But it won’t be straightforward because Filipino Yojong Sacayle has been in great form of late. Sacayle, from Mindanao, won Mt Apo 100k last December and finished second behind Elmer Retolado in Santa Ines Mountain Adventure 80k two months ago. It’s his first race abroad, however, but the fact the Cuc Phuong rainforest is cooler than those at home allegedly plays in his favour. Other podium contenders are Thimo Kilberth, always solid on runable courses just like Tokyo’s Tomohiro Mizukoshi. On the Vietnamese side, we also watch out for Vu Tien Viet Dung, Le Trong Nghia, Vu Xuan Binh and Vuong Xuan Hoa.

In the women’s race, Indonesia’s Shindy Patricia might as well collect another international race victory this weekend. From a competitive point of view, Shindy hardly ever has a bad day and it would be surprising if we don’t see her on the podium again. The runner from East Java is especially known for her mountain climbing strength (she was the fastest climber on Mount Apo during the ATM Final last December, en route to a 4th place in the race). Still, she has also won more speedy races like Cameron Ultra 100 (2019). Her main competitor for the race victory in Cuc Phuong may be Paulina Svoboda, Czech but living in Singapore and a former winner of MMTF (2018) and TTMT (2018). Vietnam has ATM Finalist Vu Thi Lan Huong and Pham Chi Mai in the women’s 100k race.

Hung Hai, one of Vietnam’s top runners, is the course director of Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths and will not be racing himself.

ATM Champion Hau Ha is taking a rest after Dalat Ultra Trail and a road marathon in the past weeks.

ATM will be reporting live from Cuc Phuong on Saturday and Sunday on our usual channels, with livestreams of the start and finish planned on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, and video updates throughout the race including on instagram.

Always a favourite: Shindy Patricia - 4th in last year’s ATM Championship on Mt Apo

Nguyen Si Hieu: ATM race podium collector - can he win this weekend on the 100 km?

Jose Luis Alvelais, up-and-comer from Hong Kong, will make his debut in ATM on the 42km race

The Central Highlands’ city of Dalat in Vietnam has established itself as a premier trail running destination in recent years. A fact that was re-emphasised just a week ago with over 7000 people registered for the Dalat Ultra Trail. Since last year, a second high-profile trail event has been set up carrying the name of the province Dalat is the capital of: Lam Dong. A successful ATM Candidate, and so the new event has now also become a points race for the ATM Championship ranking scheduled for 11 November. Lam Dong Trail offers a number of race distance categories, but the longest one - 75 km - is the main race for points. 

Dalat is located 1500m above sea level, which creates a coolish climate year-round. Often, residents say that Dalat a place where you can experience the four seasons in just one day: spring in the morning, summer at noon, autumn in the afternoon and winter at night. These conditions make the city an attraction magnet for weekend trippers from Ho Chi Minh City, domestic and international tourists, and distance runners who enjoy the cooler temperatures. 

Lam Dong Trail is organised by Vietnam Joy and Green Hat, companies with extensive event management experience in Vietnam. Runners should note that ‘LDT’ in November may share the same venue as ‘DLUT’ in March, but the race course and set-up is different. The 75 km race starts at the Lac Duong Cultural Center at 4 am on Saturday morning (shuttle busses provided) and finishes at the Valley of Love just outside Dalat City centre (easy to reach by tax or Grab car). The cut-off time for those just aiming to finish the race is 21:30 at night (i.e. 17 hours and 30 minutes). All participants of the 75 km (and 45km) can also enjoy a delicious buffet dinner after the race briefing on Friday late afternoon and evening at the finish site, the Valley of Love. 

Competitive runners should note there is prizemoney on offer for the top 3 on the podium, too. Last year’s inaugural edition saw Vietnam’s trail heroes Quang Tran and Hau Ha - now the Asia Trail Master women’s champion - win the long distance race. 

The Race DIrector of Lam Dong Trail is none other than Le Tan Hi, himself an excellent trail runner: “Lam Dong Trail 2023 will bring athletes extremely interesting experiences because the weather in November is the time of transition, with cool and fresh air of the high plateau of Dalat in the blooming season of flowers,” says Le Tan Hi. “ The 5km, 15km, 25km, 45km, and main 75km routes take athletes through pine forests, hills of Lang Biang, natural streams/lakes, to admire the diverse vegetation of dense forests, swamps, pine forests, and tropical forests. Across the ancient cherry blossom hill, admire the local people harvesting coffee, the **Rose myrtle** hill, the pink grass hill racing for the colors. All are ready to welcome athletes, together conquer the journey back to nature and immerse in the sound of nature.”

Registration for the event is already open. International runners are encouraged to sign up timely to ensure their spot. There’s accommodation options near the Valley of Love, but staying inside Dalat City is also not an issue. 

All details of the event, including mandatory gear list,  can be found on the Lam Dong Trail website linked below. 

Lam Dong Trail’s ‘Tale of the Trail’ in 2022

Quang Tran won the men’s long distance race last year

Hau Ha was second overall and winner of the women’s race last year ahead of a.o. Julia Nguyen Duong Thi

Alessandro Sherpa scored his first ATM points race victory since Penang Eco 100km in June 2019, and his 5th ever at last Saturday’s 5th edition of Dalat Ultra Trail in Vietnam. After running initially together with local talent Le Tan Hi, Sherpa went ahead by himself in the last 25 km of the race through the pine forests of the Central Highlands. The Italian T8 runner crossed the finish line in 9:06:17. Afterwards, Sherpa declared great satisfaction with the trail course design in Dalat as being ‘textbook’ trail running. A good half hour later, Le Tan Hi managed to hold onto second despite a late charge by the experienced Nguyen Si Hieu, who scored yet another podium in an ATM points race. France's Jean Haniqaut came in fourth, showing competitive improvement after his 5th place in the 100 miles of VMM last year. Especially considering he preceeded the Japanese tandem of Yuta Matsuyama and Tomohiro Mizukoshi in fitfh and sixth places. Trung Nguyen finished 7th, Nguyen Tien Vo 8th and Singapore’s Deric Lau 9th.

Hau Ha was best woman, and fifth overall in a time of 10h14. The ATM Champion did not push too hard in her first ultra of the new season, and considered it an excellent training for her personal goals later this season, in which she hopes to make a mark on the global stage after her successful regional campaign last year. Kathryn Cush and Luong Thi Loi completed the women's podium. Cush actually ran a superb race herself, coming in the finish together with Tien Vo and Deric Lau inside the overall Top 10.

The next Vietnamese points races in the 2023 Asia Trail Master Championship series are the 100km and 42 km categories of Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths near Ninh Binh on 1/2 April.

Alessandro Sherpa enjoyed the race a lot, and had its proceedings pretty much under control

Nguyen Si Hieu and Le Tan Hi completed the podium

At 3am tomorrow morning, reigning Asia Trail Master women’s champion Hau Ha will start her new trail campaign in Dalat. The 5th edition of the Dalat Ultra Trail is on the schedule, a race that she comfortably won a year ago in her first appearance on the ATM circuit. Since then, Hau Ha has only still gotten better - not in the least as she has now gained valuable competitive experiences including an overall win in Vietnam Mountain Marathon 100km last September, and a coming-back-from-behind to claim the championship title on Mount Apo in Philippines in December. Especially that last performance showed everyone that she can also grit her teeth together when the going gets tougher-than-expected. Mentally not recovered from a 50k race in Thailand a weekend before, Hau Ha was left behind and put under severe pressure by Vanja Cnops in the early parts of the Apo title race. However, when at the end of the day we look back at the race result she finished 6th overall and three hours ahead of the second-placed woman Sally Yap, and also in front of Vietnam’s male trail reference Quang Tran! If one had not followed the live race coverage, one would have thought it had just been another ‘walk in the park’ for Hau Ha.

Nevertheless, after Mt Apo she took a welcome break and she has started 2023 with a few road runs, including a road marathon in Ho Chi Minh City, where she beat an international women’s field and scored a new personal best of 2 hours 56 minutes. This Saturday’s Dalat Ultra Trail will be her first ultra distance of the new season.

The event has actually increased the race distance from 70k to 85k this year. That’s the points race for the ATM Championship ranking and the Grandmaster Quest. Combined with all the shorter distances on the event schedule, the organisers are expecting more than 7000 participants! That’s massive and yet another indication that trail running is nowhere else more popular in Southeast Asia than Vietnam.

Hau Ha will meet a number of familiar faces from last year’s ATM scene, including Alessandro Sherpa, Yuta Matsuyama, Gaetan Morizur and Deric Lau. Sherpa has been in Vietnam already for nearly two weeks and may find the pine forest trails very much to his liking. His form at the end of last season was great, with a 3rd place on the podium in the Apo title race as evidence. Yuta Matsuyama is a double winner of Ultra Trail Chiang Mai and has been a consistent top 20 finisher in Japan’s highly competitive Izu Trail Journey. Also for him, the cooler temperatures in Dalat will suit him a lot - knowing how he suffered in the heat of Al Ula in Saudi Arabia a year ago. Gaetan Morizur is the winner of last year, for sure he will give the two others a run for their money. And Singapore’s Deric Lau was one of the exciting newcomers on the ATM scene in 2022. Let’s see how he fares in Vietnam.

A precise start list was unavailable to us at the time of writing, so we apologise in advance for missing anybody important.

Deric Lau was one of the most impressive newcomers on the competitive Asian scene last year

A new entry on our 2023 Asia Trail Master Championship calendar is Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths in Vietnam on 1/2 April. An event organised by Race Jungle who previously brought us the Cau Dat Farm Ultra in early 2020 won by Alessandro Sherpa, and Tam Dao Mountain Trail in Hanoi in 2017 - won by Steven Ong during his amazing season back then. Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths is in its second edition this year and brings runners to the popular national park, on the trekking and hiking itinerary of many since over two decades. Accessible via Ninh Binh in the north of the country - not too far from Hanoi - CPJP offers a 100km and 42km as points race categories for the ATM Championship ranking. For Grandmaster Quest runners, there is also a 70k option to choose.

Cuc Phuong National Park (or Cuc Phuong forest) is a nature reserve, a special-use forest located on the boundary of three provinces: Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa. This national park has a diverse flora and fauna system featuring tropical rainforests and was also introduced as the first national park in Vietnam.

The race courses are generally quite runable, which explains the rather tight cut offs. The 100 km needs to be covered in 22 hours, for instance. Start of all catgeories is at the Ho Mac Area. Long distance runners need to be aware that the start time of the 100km is on Saturday night , 10 pm. Many will thus run mainly at night. The 42 km race starts at 7 am on Sunday morning with a cut off of 13 hours. If you arrive in Vietnam early, there will be an option to collect your race kit already on Thursday in Hanoi city.

Accommodation and transportation options are available, please check the link to the official website below.

Dalat Ultra Trail is an early season classic in our Asia Trail Master Championship series, taking place on 4 March this year. The longest distance of the Vietnamese event is the traditional points earner, and for 2023 the organising team offers a 85 km course. Dalat typically has quite runable terrain in pine forests and across a number of hilltops. What makes the event so loved is the cool temperatures of the Central Highlands and the impressive organisation.

Many of ATM’s top performers have run Dalat over the past years, such as John Ellis, Hisashi KItamura, Mohammad Affindi, Kim Matthews, Tahira Najmunisaa and last year the event gave us a first hint of the incredible trail talent that is Hau Ha, now of course also the reigning Asia Trail Master champion. The race venue is not far from the city of Dalat, a tourism hub in the south of the country as well.

Registration is open and you can find all details via the website , also in English.

Their race victories were anticipated, but the manner in which they did was still impressive. Quang Tran and Hau Ha made it look so easy the 70km Lam Dong Trail seemed nothing but and advanced training session for them. Both Vietnamese elite runners from the Mude Factory Team did run their own pace, however, resulting in Quang Train crossing the line first in 7h44 with Hau Ha second overall in 8h15. The Lam Dong Trail in Dalat was a Candidate Race for the 2023 ATM Championship calendar, and did leave a fine impression.

The 70 km race started at 4 am just outside the city centre of Dalat in Vietnam’s Central Highlands with a solid field of runners. Very quickly the Mude Factory Team Trio that also includes Nhon Trong, who returned from a complicated foot injury, set the pace up front. Others such as Hoang Huu Thang, Bui Van Da, Stephen Barkey and Thailand’s Guntawee Tiwapong already had to appreciate a gap of over 30 minutes at km 18. Interestingly the three teammates ran by themselves, following personal training plans with a view to their bigger objectives next month that include the ATM Championship Final in Philippines on 17 December.

Hau Ha gradually lost terrain vis-a-vis Quang Tran, also due to some stomach cramps halfway in the race. Nhon Trong in his first run for 26 days did remarkably well and at CP 5 was still just 5 minutes behind the female star from Sapa. The injury-caused lack of training and heavy rainfall around lunchtime would slow him down in the final 20 km, but his second place in the men’s was never in danger. Guntawee Tiwapong in fact had arguably the best ATM race of his season and scored third place on the podium, ahead of Hoang Huu Thang and Bui Van Da. The latter two are also qualified for Team Vietnam in the ATM Final next month.

Quang Tran admitted he felt very comfortable all race and showed that he is one of the men to beat on Mount Apo for the ATM title. One caveat, he has scheduled to run a 100 miles race the weekend before, too. Not so for Hau Ha, who is determined to test herself as a female trail runner for real on Philippines’ highest mountain, competing against co-favourites Ezster Csillag and Vanja Cnops. Until today, even coach Guim Valles admits we have not seen her real limits yet in competition. Even when she beat Gaetan Morizur, Nhon Trong, Tomohiro Mizukoshi and others at the Vietnam Mountain Marathon 100k race last September, she didn’t have to go into the pain cave. Both her and Quang Tran are THE faces of the incredible growth that trail running in Vietnam has witnessed over the last five years. It would be the first time a Vietnamese runner becomes Asia Trail Master Champion, in fact none has ever made it onto the season’s podium.

Lam Dong Trail and Dalat Ultra Trail (the ATM points race in March every year) share the same race venue at the Valley of Love, but the race courses are different. Participants were treated with a great arena setting and welcoming dinner, amongst other benefits. Most runners who did both argue that the older event has a long distance course that is arguably a touch more technical in nature, and agree there is a place for both events on the ATM Championship calendar.

This weekend we have the final ATM Candidate Race of the 2022 season in Dalat, Vietnam. Lam Dong Trail is hoping to secure a spot on next year’s Asia Trail Master Championship calendar and as a new trail event organiser keen to leave a great impression. What might help with that is the presence of Vietnam’s two greatest trail stars of the moment: Quang Tran and, of course, Hau Ha.

On the menu we find four genuine race categories with the 70k as the longest distance. Both Quang Tran and Hau Ha are signed up for this one. Most likely they will not get a lot of competition and will it be a solid training exercise for their bigger goals in December, including the ATM Championship Final on Mount Apo on 17 December.

The Lam Dong Trail has the same start/finish venue as the Dalat Ultra Trail, but the running course is different. Dalat being a wonderful place to run with its cooler climate, most runners won’t mind returning to the same place anyway. The biggest hillclimb comes right after the start at 4 am, and Asia Trail Master will be reporting live from the 70k race from start to finish. Just tune in to our usual channels.

It was a busy weekend with two ATM Championship points races in South Korea and Vietnam, plus an ATM Candidate in Sabah, Malaysia. The most striking performance was signed by Jeff Campbell at the Vietnam Jungle Marathon in Pu Luong. The Hong Kong-based Canadian went out of his comfort zone by tackling the 70k long race, but it hardly showed as he beat two-time race winner this year Gaetan Morizur and 2019 VJM winner Hisashi KItamura in a hard-fought battle. The lead trio were in a league of their own with Campbell finishing in a time of 7h03 (for 70k and 3000 hm) , half an hour ahead of Frenchman-in-Vietnam Morizur, who himself managed to pass Kitamura in the dying moments of the race for second place. All three class acts deserve applause for their spirited performances on Saturday. Far behind them, Ivan Grigorev took a solid fourth place, ahead of Vietnam’s Hoang Huu Thang, who has been very busy this season - last week he still completed the gruelling UTOP 105km in Malaysia. He will be rewarded with a quasi guaranteed qualification for Team Vietnam in the ATM Championship. Most of the big names in Vietnam were absent from the race last Saturday.

Not absent, and placing herself nicely between the top 3 and Grigorev was Vanja Cnops. The Belgian had no competition in the women’s race and as such could set her own pace throughout. Her winning time was 9h08. Vietnam’s Vu Thi Lan Huong was a good second, boosting her ATM points total into a safe zone for ATM Championship qualfication. Hoàng Xuân Vân Anh completed the podium in third place.

The trails around Pu Luong were quite dry and more runable than ever, which partially explains the very fast times. Kitamura was 50 minutes faster than his winning race in 2019. Vanja was more than 1h30’ faster than three years ago.

Over in Seoul, global trail star Gediminas Grinius delivered a fine performance by winning the 100k race in 12h53, almost 45 minutes ahead of Korean ace Kim Jisu. In third place we had Sim Jae Duk in 14h04. Among the ATM Championship protagonists we noted a nice 7th place for UTCM winner Yuta Matsuyama. Tomohiro Mizukoshi was a DNS after suffering from a bad cold late last week. The women’s 100k race saw a Korean success with Jung Soon Park having the better of Japanese duo Tomomi Bitoh and Kanna Suzuki.

The 50k was dominated as expected by the fastest Korean trail star since years, Kim Jisub. He finished the race 1h13’ faster (!!!) than second-placed Heeseong Noh. Seung Jae Min and Sangmin Chung were together in third and fourth. Japan’s Moeko Yasugahira won the women’s 50k, ahead of Boyoung and Yunmin Lee.

There’s been quite a few new events in Sabah this year, and Kokol Ultra is the latest one keen on getting a place on the ATM Championship calendar in the near future. The new 50k race could count on nearly all the big names in Sabah and they did not disappoint. Milton Amat was a clear winner once again, cementing his position as one of ATM’s best performers this season. Imagine he had been at VJM this weekend…. Barely a week after his 126km slog in Penang, WIlsen Singgin toed a starting line again and managed to get second place ahead of a surprisingly strong Jude Maikol in third.

In the women’s Kokol 50 race, we saw a nice resurgence of Jassica Lintanga as a competitive racer. “Jess” recent training efforts are paying off as she had the better of her younger sister Adelinah Lintanga and Aslin Sarawi.

Vanja Cnops: fourth overall and another easy win in the women’s 70k race

Moeko Yasugahira, 7th overall and women’s winner of the 50K in Seoul

Yuta Matsuyama (7th) and Kanna Suzuki (3rd) had solid runs in Seoul

Men’s podium at Kokol; 50: Milton Amat wins, Wilsen Singgin 2nd and Jude Maikol 3rd

Jess Lintanga was a bit faster than her sister Adelinah in the women’s 50k, Aslin Sarawi takes third

This weekend’s Vietnam Jungle Marathon is the last of three ATM points races in the country that have succeeded each other quickly. And has the best one been saved for last? One could say so looking at the men’s start list in particular: Jeff Campbell and Hisashi KItamura, Hung Hai and Gaetan Morizur. That’s serious trail dynamite for the 70k race in Pu Luong and the type of competitive race that warrants a good bet. In the women’s race eyes will be focused on Vanja Cnops in the absence of Hau Ha, resting after a busy number of weeks.

The 2019 edition of VJM was one of the biggest classics in ATM racing history, culminating in a very entertaining battle between Kitamura and Veronika Vadovicova, whose star was rising very quickly that spring. Indeed, VJM used to be held in May, but the annual scorchingly hot temperatures have convinced the organisers to move things to mid-October since then. It was the Karate Kit’s first ATM race victory, and for sure he will need to dig deep this Saturday to repeat that feat. Especially as he has not been looking very fresh in his last ATM appearances. Jeff Campbell on the other hand was his usual dominant self at the Ferei Dark 45 two weeks ago. The interesting thing is that Campbell will be leaving his comfort zone at VJM: 70 km is not a race distance he entertains very often. Similar to Vanja Cnops in the women’s, Campbell prefers the shorter distances and run them at very high speeds. Gaetan Morizur has been the man-to-beat in Vietnam’s trail races this season, and is a runner who is very familiar with VJM. Morizur beating Kitamura and Campbell would perhaps be kind of surprising, and yet it cannot be excluded at all - especially if the others go head-to-head from the start, a dangerous tactic that was applied by Hung Hai in that 2019 race. Hung Hai ran away from everyone early on, but got reeled in over halfway and finished half an hour behind Kitamura. Hung Hai is in great shape, he came second behind Quang Tran in VMM 100 miles last month, and beating the others this weekend would raise his international trail profile quite a bit.

Normally speaking, in-form Vanja Cnops will be tough to beat in the women’s 70k race. For the Singapore based Belgian, this race is also a bit of an advanced training for the 75k race on Mount Apo in December, the ATM Championship Final. Vietnam’s Julia Nguyen Duong Thi and Thi Lan Huong Vu are also podium contenders.

In 2019 Hung Hai attacked early, but got reeled in by Hisashi Kitamura.

Gaetan Morizur at VJM 2018. Since then, the Frenchman has metamorphosed into a multiple race winner!

Jeff Campbell and Hisashi Kitamura raced each other before at Tahura Trail 2020. Campbell won, and Alessandro Sherpa put himself between the two.

Julia Nguyen Duong Thi can safeguard her ATM Final qualification this weekend

The women’s 2019 podium with Vanja Cnops on 2 behind Veronika Vadovicova on 1 and the late Fredelyn Alberto on 3.