Season IX of the Asia Trail Master Championship series continues this weekend in the Philippines with the 3rd edition of Bagtit Ultra in Luzon. On the programme are both 100km and 50km races for ATM points. The event, organised by the Pace Republic, replaces last season’s Santa Ines on our calendar, and was a Candidate Race last June. That day we learnt that the race course of Bagtit is to be taken seriously.

‘Bagtit’ is the local Ilocano translation of the word ‘crazy’. The 100km course has an accumulated elevation gain of 4800 hm and has five distinct peaks. One can experience a panoramic view of the Tarlac and Pangasinan plains and Mt. Arayat from afar. Mt. Damas may arguably have the distinction of being the most scenic mountain in Tarlac. But it is the less explored trails on Mt Sem-Ilya that are considered to be the highlight of the event. The start and finish venue of the 100km is in Mayantoc Municipal Hall. Runners are required to toe the line on Saturday morning 6am. The 50km has a different start location: the Papaac Basketball Court (Camiling, Tarlac) and only starts at 1am on Sunday early morning - meaning the first four five hours will be in darkness.

The list of participants looks very solid as expected for any race that offers points for the ATM Championship ranking and the Grandmaster Quest. However, in the absence of ‘super elites’ like John Ray Onifa and Arnie Macaneras, the battle for podium on the 100k and 50k is wide open. Especially in the men’s category. Maynard Encormal is from Luzon and could be the one to watch out for most on the long distance. Already a podium placer on a few occasions in ATM races, Encormal may be keen to finally get on the top step of the podium. He was qualified for last year’s ATM Final but decided against participation. Sean Aying, Ariehmar Bardoquillo, Avelino Versola III and Florence Alave will certainly be challenging him. Also last year’s 80k race winner Julius Iglesias is back on the start list, and so is good old Angelito Vertudazo, who could produce the upset.

In the women’s 100k, the runner-to-beat is Elizabeth Dangadang. Part-time obstacle racer, part-time trail runner, Elizabeth Dangadang was a convincing race winner a year ago at Santa Ines, well ahead of Angelie Cabalo and Cecille Wael no less. While she may start as the favourite, plenty of other women will contest the podium, and -who knows- apply pressure on Dangadang. Davao’s Julie Ann Morales has been in great shape recently, also winning the Mount Apo Sky Race 100 in December in a solid time. Ann Jilian Pulanco showed in Sierra Madre Trail last season that she should never be discounted when the going gets tough and when she decides to go for it. And just a month ago, Michella Aradanas won the Grand Malico Ultra (ATM Candidate Race) in great style. Furthermore, there’s Shally Yuson, Kimberly Gaela, Cheryl Bihag, irish Glorioso, Roan Biguasen and Manilyn Mamugay.

On the 50km we have a similar set-up as on the 100 with a more pronounced female race favourite and an open field in the men’s. Looking to return to her most competitive level after a difficult 2023, Cecille Wael had a great start of the year at the Danao 50k just two weeks ago. The victory eluded her, but she showed her speed on technical trails is coming back. This weekend she will be up against a.o. Melanie Hingpit, Anne Rongavilla and Jennifer Commandante.

The men’s race looks very open with Noy Gentoleo and Aleksei Rodionov as solid podium candidates. Gentoleo is also returning to the scene after a long break during the pandemic.

ATM will be reporting live from the Bagtit Ultra event on our usual channels, and subject to connectivity along the race course.

Florence “Enciong” Alave: third on Mount Apo in December

Avelino Versola III : ATM Finalist in 2023

Sean Aying starts his 2024 campaign this weekend

Julie Ann Morales: race winner in Mindanao a number of times already. Can she also be victorious in Luzon?

Shally Yuson: 3rd on Mount Apo last December

Winner of Grand Malico Ultra just a month ago: Michella Aradanas

Two weeks after finishing 2nd in the Danao Candidate Race, Cecille Wael is aiming for the 50k win at Bagtit

We are happy to announce that the redesigned Pacific Mountain Coast Trail Festival in Luzon, Philippines, has obtained the ATM Candidate Race label for the event on 6/7 July. General Nakar is a large municipality located to the east of Manila in Quezon Province, passed the Rizal mountains. On the event programme we find 100km and 50km as main race categories, but less ambitious runners can also choose for the 25km or 12km. There is also a kids race foreseen. This event coincides with the towns' founding anniversary, celebrating bounties and culture through the Gapo and Palusong Festival.

The new PCMTF event is in a way not brand new. A previous version was held back in 2018 under a different management. Back then, the event had a runable terrain, but according to the new race director there will be more technicality in the hinterland this time around. General Nakar itself, of course, lies by the sea. The precise course map will be made available soon.

You can find more information via the webpage and the facebook page linked below.

The first Danao City International Ultra Trail in Cebu, Philippines proved to be a great addition to the Filipino trail calendar and was a successful ATM Candidate with promising years ahead. Andy Toniacao and Chloe Base won a very tough 100km race, but performance-wise it was probably Larry Apolinario who raised eyebrows the most with a stunningly dominant win on the 50km, 1h35’ ahead of second place…

The new event received large support from the Danao City authorities and featured a start & finish arena in the centre of town, which always boosts the festival atmosphere and the enthusiasm of the local population to be involved. Runners were given a technical course that was well-appreciated, including well-stocked aid stations that had about anything you could imagine. Especially the 100km ultra distance turned out to be a genuine challenge for the majority of participants. The 6300 metres of elevation gain were a warning sign on paper, but those numbers never say anything about technicality and gradients - both uphill and downhill. Experienced Filipino runners argued that Danao 100 comes close to being the toughest 100k trail in the country - and it was not even raining. The race winner’s finishing time of 20 hours and 37 minutes of course already says a lot. That winner is Andy Toniacao, a well-known and respected competitive trail runner in the Visayas region of the Philippines. Not a so-called nobody. He was in the lead from the start and soon build up a big advantage over the other runners. Despite slowing down slightly in the final sections - it was Toniacao’s debut on the 100 km - he arrived back in the bustling city centre of Danao on Saturday evening with an advantage of 1h15’ over Jensen Pasaforte and Juan Salang. Only one female runner managed to beat the 30 hours cut-off time: Chloe Base. She was probably the one who managed her efforts in the most efficient way, as during the whole of Saturday she was never reported to be inside the top three.

While the 100km was clearly a race for the toughest of trail runners, the 50km and 30km races were more manageable for the standard runner. Mind you, also the 50k was reviewed as ‘technical to very technical’. All the more impressive was Larry Apolinario’s pace as he blasted away from everyone else. At CP2, he already led the field by 25 minutes after just 15 kilometres. The majority of runners struggled their way to the finish, but Apolinario looked as if he had just gone for his regular Sunday’s jog. His race performances outside the Philippines, particulary in ATM races, have somehow been mostly below-par but on home soil he has firmly set his foot besides Onifa and Macaneras. His finish time was 6h25. Dante Soreno, all cramped up, finished second in 8h00’ , followed by Rodney Ortega in 8h16’.

The women’s 50km saw a very nice dual between local hero Kathleen Ligan, from Compostela - the town between Cebu City and Danao City - and the established competitor Cecille Wael. Both stayed together until aid stations 3 just over halfway. Then, Wael went off course for too long to still have a fighting chance against Ligan. Both of them were in good shape, finishing fifth and seventh overall. Let’s see if Ligan can build on this victory to become yet another contender for the already strong Pilipinas Team in our ATM Championship. From her side, Wael, was happy to have finished a technical race without the injury pains that plagued most of her 2023 season.

For once, the 30km category also attracted a lot of interest from trail followers due to the presence of reigning ATM Champion John Ray Onifa and the young up-and-comer, some would say ‘The Prince’ , Godwin Mirar. Still only 23 years of age, Godwin caught everyone’s eye already back in 2019 when he finished fourth behind Kitamura, Macaneras and John Ellis in the Punisher 80k race on Babak Samal island. One of those talents with a potentially big future in the sport. Godwin Mirar has been doing things the smart way: no long ultras for him yet, it’s all about body development, speed training and gaining technical experience in shorter races first. Already in VMM last year he showed the progress he had made since 2019. On the 50km he finished third behind Onifa and Joergensen, but just a mere 11 minutes behind. In Danao, Godwin Mirar could have a go at John Ray Onifa. It’s only 30km and Onifa is in recovery from a serious 100km in Hong Kong a week ago. Indeed, the Prince put the pressure on the King. At CP2, Godwin Mirar arrived a minute ahead of Onifa, who did twist his ankle just before. The ATM Champion realised he was in a serious race, grit his teeth together and managed to catch him again before opening up a gap. Mirar also missed a marker somewhere to eliminate his victory chances, but his bravery of taking the fight to Onifa can only be applauded. At the same time, John Ray Onifa showed his resilience to continue racing with a damaged ankle. After he crossed the line, he went straight into the ambulance. Luckily, it soon turned out to be relatively okay despite a swelling. His participation in the 9 Dragoons in three weeks is not in danger.

Chloe Base as the only female finisher of the 100 km

Kathleen Ligan: impressive victory on the 50km

Larry Apolinario: man of the weekend?

The 1st edition of the Danao City Ultra Trail in Cebu, Philippines, can look forward to the participation of reigning ATM male champion John Ray Onifa this Sunday. Being more or less at home in the Visayas, Onifa will be running the 30km shorter distance race of the ATM Candidate event, which also offers 100km and 50km categories. Onifa is probably hoping for a calm race, having just done a highly competitive 100km in Hong Kong last weekend, but will have the 23-year-old up-and-comer Godwin Mirar on his tail this Sunday.

The new event Danao City Ultra Trail has been set up under the direction of Bitbit Marites Sotto, a former highly successful adventure, MTB and trail running racer. The ambition seems clear: make this the stand-out trail running event in the Visayas. Runners can look forward to lush forests, rocky trails, and stunning vistas. The 100km ultra will certainly not be the easiest race to complete, looking at its continuously ondulating profile and the more than 6000 hm of elevation gain. Cut off time has been set at 30 hours with start at midnight. Ezekiel Cheruiyot from Kenya will be one to look out for. As one of few in his country of runners to have a clear focus on long distance trail ultras, Cheruiyot has been on the ATM scene before - collecting a second place in the 100 miles race of Ultra Trail Chiang Mai in Thailand in 2022. Looking at the start list, amongst the known competitors, we find Noy Gentoleo - always a contender for podium or at least top five. Florence Alave, recently third on Mt Apo Sky Race 100, will certainly also be in the mix.

On the 50km eyes will be focused on Larry Apolinario and Cecille Wael in the men’s and women’s races, respectively. Both had a rollercoaster year in 2023 with great race performances alternating with injury-related struggles. Apolinario is also one of those young local stars trying to stay in the slipstream of John Ray Onifa and Arnie Macaneras in the hope of one day taking over the crown.

ATM will be providing live race coverage all weekend from Danao City. You can follow the action as usual primarily on ATM Facebook, but also on ATM Instagram, ATM YouTube and ATM X channels.

John Ray Onifa kicks off his 2024 ATM season with the 30k at Danao City Candidate Race, but will face some strong opposition by the name of upcoming youngster Godwin Mirar

Cecille Wael will be aiming for success on the 50km having taken it easy over the past two months to allow her persistent ankle injury to heal

Larry Apolinario when he impressively won MUSPO 100 in July 2022. He will be on the 50k this weekend.

Malico Grand Ultra in Santa Maria West, Pangasinan, in the West of Luzon a little south of Baguio, was held for the first time as an ATM Candidate Race last weekend. Organised by the Maharlika Team that also brings you Sierra Madre Trail Ultra in March, Malico turned out to be quite a tough and technical course with the 75 km long distance winner requiring 15h39’ to complete the distance. Miguel Carranza is not a soft cookie, though! The weather was cold in parts, but Carranza likes long ultras and was in his element to take the measure of a strong Bhert Orpiada, who took second and Sai Tonog II , one of last year’s Filipino protagonists who narrowly missed out on qualification for the ATM Final. One of the Finalists and pre-race favourites, Avelino Versola III suffered from hypothermia in the cold weather and decided to DNF with a long season ahead.

A great newcomer on the ultra distance has won the women’s Candidate Race: Michella Aradanas! She managed to outpace none other than last year’s Sierra Madre winner Ann Jilian Pulanco on the technical terrain. Pulanco came second. As you can hear in the post-race chat, Aradanas has a background in ultra cycling and bodybuilding training, so the basic fitness level is clearly there!

The next Filipino Candidate Race is already coming up in 2 weeks in Cebu: Danao City Ultra Marathon, which will have several big names at the start. The first ATM Championship points race in the Philippines will be Bagtit Ultra next month, followed relatively quickly by Mt Kalatungan Ultra and Sierra Madre Trail in March. The first quarter is indeed the trail high season in the country.

The men’s Top 3 on the Podium of the 75 km race with Miguel Carranza as winner

Michella Aradanas scored a nice win of AJ Pulanco in one of her first ultra races

Last year’s Sierra Madre winner Ann Jilian Pulanco had to settle for second

We are happy to add Mount Kalatungan in Philippines to the ATM Championship calendar for season IX on the weekend of 2/3 March 2024. The event was a popular Candidate Race in March 2020, just before the entire world went into lockdown. After four years, the event finally returns to the trail calendar and the longest race category, 85 km, offers points for the ATM Championship and the Grandmaster Quest.

Mt. Kalatungan, also known as Catatungan is a volcanic mountain located in Municipality of Pangantucan, Province of Bukidnon. It is a stratovolcano but with no known historical eruptions. It is the fifth highest mountain in the country with height of 2,287 meters above sea level. It is known as a technical mountain climb, so runners taking part in the 85km should have appropriate trail race experience already. The estimated elevation gain of 4,500 to 4,600 meters (to be finalise on GPX file) sums it up nicely: this is a tough course. The course of Mt Kalatungan Trail Ultra is a 95% trail for 85km combination of dirt roads, farm roads,single tracks (mostly going to the summit). The route will take place runners to tourists spots of Pangantucan like the Lake Napalit, Kidanggin Hot Spring, Blue Water (Kimereges) with amazing views of the mountain like Muleta Falls, BarRCamp Pangantucan, Mt. Kalatungan peak, hills, valleys, grasslands, plantations (sugarcane, corn. cassava banana & pineapple) and local villages along the way.

Less ambitious runners can also sign up for the 55km, 32km & 17Km. The host venue is the Pangantucan Municipal Gymnasium in Pangantuca, Bukidnon.

Please note that, as with Mount Apo, there is a fixed quota of people permitted to climb the mountain per day. Hence, register as soon as possible to avoid missing your spot on the 85km start list. Also take note of the fact that the race essentially takes place on Sunday, not on Saturday, which may influence your travel plan for the event.

You can find more details via the event’s facebook page linked below.

The first Filipino points race event on our 2024 ATM calendar is the Bagtit Ultra event in Matantoc, Tarlac on 11/12 February. It’s the third edition organised by The Pace Republic, and “Bagtit” basically substitutes for Santa Ines Mountain Adventure, which was part of our championship calendar early this year.

The event will feature three challenging categories: the 100km, 50km and 30km races, with 100k and 50k valid for ATM championship points. Additionally, the 100km category of course presents an opportunity to earn a Grandmaster point.

As written on the official website: “Bagtit’ is the Ilocano translation of the word “crazy” and “Ultra”, short for Ultramarathon. Ultra trail runners are often called ‘crazy’ because people thought that running these distances would be impossible to accomplish. What made it crazier is the difficult and technical trails of Mt. Damas and Mt. Sem-ilya.

For more details you can check our previous news announcements or the official website linked below. Registration is open. Further down below is the official video teaser for you to get an idea of the terrain of Bagtit Ultra.

The 2023 edition of the 100km long Mount Apo Sky Race in Santa Cruz saw two wonderful race winners: Isaiah Paraiso and Julie Ann Morales. At the finish line on the beach, both had a significant gap on their nearest rivals. For upcoming talent Paraiso it was his first ever ATM race win, for Julie Ann Morales already the third, after The Punisher (2022) and MUSPO Bukidnon 100 (2023).

The men’s race initially had a nice dual between 24-year-old Paraioso and the ten years older Jevie Cagatin. Florence Alave, Jomarc Ferrer and Kik Russel Suello were still keeping up as well. Pre-race favourite and last year’s 100k winner Yoyong Sacayle was a last-minute DNS, still feeling a bit fatigued after his excellent performance in the ATM Final in Indonesia just a week before. Also ATM Finalist Sean Aying did not find the legs to compete for the podium and would eventually finish in 8th place. Former Mt Apo Sky Race winner Ronnie Torlao had to be content with 9th place as well.

Isaiah Paraiso made the difference primarily in the descent of Mt Apo and the ensuing runable part back to the finish, in this beach to summit out-and-back race. He came home in 15h18, which eventually was an impressive 2,5 hours ahead of Cagatin. The latter was chased down heavily by Alave in the final sector, but held onto second place by a mere two minutes. For both it was the first ATM race podium as well. In fact, Cagatin managed to complete this race 2h48 faster than a year ago: quite an improvement!

Julie Ann Morales had the upper hand on main challengers Shally Yuson and Manilyn Mamugay from the beginning. She reportedly had a half hour gap on the summit, which she then extended big time on the way back to the finish. Morales came in in 22h07. In fact, Christine Montuya managed to grab second place in 26h08’ after overtaking Mamugay and Yuson in the descent and the way back to the finish.

The Mt Apo Sky Race was one of two opening points races of Season IX of our ATM Championship series. The new season will end already in September, hence.

Special thanks to and photo credits for: Florence Alave, Jerrson Botea.

First ATM race victory for Isaiah Paraiso

Second place for Jevie Cagatin

Great podium for Florence Alave

Julie Ann Morales: a solid win on Mt Apo

Shally Yuson

A year ago the Mount Apo Sky Race was the ATM Championship decider seeing Vietnamese sensation Hau Ha and Davao local Arnie Macaneras winning the titles in the female and male categories respectively. This weekend the event and its 100km race is one of two season openers for Season IX of our series. The other one is Izu Trail Journey in Japan on Sunday.

Mount Apo and its boulderface remain a popular challenge for plenty a trail runner. It’s the highest mountain of the Philippines, after all, and the race goes from the beach in Santa Cruz to the peak and back. On the start list we find last year’s 100k winner Yoyong Sacayle, who just a week ago ran arguably the best competitive race of his running journey at Siksorogo Lawu Ultra. As part of the winning Team Pilipinas, Sacayle kept up with none other than Hisashi Kitamura for the big majority of the race. Only a small dip towards the end still saw Wilsen Singgin overtake him, but his seventh place and the manner it came about was a positive surprise for all observers. Has Sacayle recovered enough this week to take a repeat victory on Apo this weekend? His main competitors are likely to be another former Apo winner - Ronnie Torlao - and Rexell Aguirre, who was outstanding in the 100 miles race at UT Chiang Rai in October. What can Sean Aying do? Part of Team Pilipinas alongside Sacayle last week, Aying did not have the best of race days in Indonesia and contented himself with ‘just’ finishing. His racing season has been very long and his greatest form that saw him, a.o. score third place in Mantra 116 in July, may be over by now. Or can he find a final burst of energy on Apo to challenge for the win? Let’s also keep an eye on Bernie Bauyot and Jomarc Ferrer.

In the women’s race, we are looking forward to what can be a close competition between Julie Ann Morales, Manilyn Mamugay and relative newcomer Shally Yuson. Only a few weeks ago, Yuson outpaced Mamugay in the Santa Cruz 70 Candidate Race and Matanao in October, but now we are going up Apo. Mamugay has won this race already. Yuson also finished ahead of Morales in Matanao 70 last October. But Morales was the best Filipino female in the ATM Final last year with a great fifth place.

Just a week after showing how much competitive improvement he made in a year: Yoyong Sacayle is going for the double on the Mt Apo 100

Shally Yuson is one of Mindanao’s new faces this year, very much like Mary Joy Sumanda.

Julie Ann Morales was best Filipino on Mt Apo last year

Full of experience and a former winner on Mt Apo: Ronnie Torlao. Can he challenge a potentially tired Sacayle this Saturday?

Also a former winner and always a contender: Manilyn Mamugay

The Candidate Race in Santa Cruz, easily enough titled ‘SC 70’ , saw quite a number of new faces from Mindanao’s ever growing trail running community. The 70km main race, which had 4000 metres of elevation, featured several regional peaks but avoided Mount Apo. Youngsters Eldy Bulod and Shally Yuson emerged victorious.

Organised by the experienced Team Jegol Runners, SC 70 flagged off in the afternoon for what then mainly turned into a nighttime race. Eldy Bulod and Isaiah Paraiso set the pace with Anthony Paladin initially as the closest chaser. Bulod and Paraiso stayed together across the hills until the final section, which was 10km flattish back to the race venue. Bulod had the fastest legs and won ahead of Paraiso, who also scored second in Matanao Mountain Marathon last month behind Yoyong Sacayle. Good old Angelito Vertudazo - ATM Finalist last year - eventually claimed the third step on the podium.

Shally Yuson led the women’s race from an early stage, but was pushed forward most of the way by Manilyn Mamugay, who is reaching her best competitive level again after a few years off. Yuson was second in Matanao a month ago behind Cecille Wael. Beberly Lim and Cherry Fuentes were third and fourth.

The first ATM-affiliated event in 2024 is a new Candidate Race in the Philippines: Malico Grand Ultra in Santa Maria West, San Nicolas, Pangasinan on the weekend of 13/14 January. Organised by the Maharlika Trail Series team that also brings you the great new ATM points race Sierra Madre Trail in March. Malico Grand Ultra has more race categories than the aforementioned, but 75km is also its longest distance. Less ambitious runners can aim for 42km, 21km or 10km.

Pangasinan is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon, and basically south of Baguio on the map. International runners can fly to Manila or also to Clark, if available from your port of origin. The race uses some historical trails of Villa Verde, as you can see in the images below this is a very scenic region. The cut-off time for the 75km is 20 hours, so just like Sierra Madre you better have some preparation in the legs before you take the start.

Registration is open via RaceTecPH , which you can access via the event facebook page and webpage. Please also make sure you fulfill all conditions of entry and have the mandatory gear at your disposal.

Mindanano has become a hotspot for trail running in the Philippines over the past few years, illustrated in both quality and quantity of runners (reigning ATM champion Arnie Macaneras is from Davao) and also by the many event organisations on the large southern island. Team Jegol Runners is the latest addition to the list of organisers and their upcoming event Santa Cruz 70 is accredited as an ATM Candidate Race. The event takes place on the weekend of 25/26 November.

Asia Trail Master followers know that Santra Cruz stands for Mount Apo - highest mountain in the Philippines, host venue of the ATM Championship Final last year and of the forthcoming Mt Apo Sky Race on 9/10 December. But Santa Cruz is more than the gateway to Mount Apo, and Team Jegol wishes to make that statement very clear. The event has three race categories of which the 70k is the longest. Less ambitious runners can go for the 25k and 15k options. Neither one of them goes to Apo.

The 70k ultramarathon trail has an elevation gain of about 4000hm, and will feature scenic and iconic places in Santa Cruz, namely, Mt. Loay, Mt. Dinor, Tacub Laya Falls, Pilan River, Sinoron, Lipantod, Camotes Ridge, and Mt. 796. This will surely give runners an adventure that they will never forget in the infamous mountain ranges of Santa Cruz. The course profile is actually quite distinct and interesting from a competitive point of view. Mount Dinor is the cornerstone and highest peak in the first half, Mount Loay in the second half. Runners should also be aware that after the final descent of Loay, there’s still a 10km flattish section to the finish back in Santa Cruz. That could hurt for some, while be a tactical all-in section for others.

Registration for the SC 70 event goes via this online form . More details can be obtained via the official website and Facebook Page.

The event hotel is the MGL Hotel, with Ms Mercy as contact person (Local tel: 0907-530-7415 / 0929-447-2789)

Teaser video