24/09/2026
The Season XI (11) Champions will be crowned at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam in ten days from now, but the overall Points King and Queen of the season are already known. Hiroyuki Matsuda from Japan and Kimberly Flores from Philippines!
Both runners score more ATM Championship points than anyone else in their male and female categories during the course of the season that started with Luang Prabang Trail in Laos mid-October 2025 and lasted until - de facto - Borneo TMBT Ultra and Shiga Kogen 100 at the very end of August. Matsuda scored 1925 points in his best four races of the season, which included three big race victories: BUTM 105, BTR Bali 100 and Mantra 116. Partially based in Indonesia, Matsuda’s engine really got going in Sabah in April. Before BUTM, he ran slightly under the radar with two fifth places in Tahura Trail and 9 Dragons 50km, although that may just as well be an indication of where his real strength lies: the longer ultras. Matsuda preceeds his compatriot and 2023 Points King Hisashi Kitamura by 25 points. Running fewer races than in previous years, largely due to his relocation to Tokyo from Kuala Lumpur, the Karate Kit nevertheless still grabbed a second place at Deep Japan Ultra and two big race wins at the end of the season (Minamiaso Caldera Trail and TMBT), raising his total to 13 career ATM race wins. Kitamura hopes to finally clinch the ATM Championship title in Vietnam, after finishing second already twice in 2024 behind Jeff Campbell and 2019 behind John Ellis. Third place in the Season XI points ranking is for Kik Suello from Mindanao in the Philippines, confirming his upward trajectory to becoming one of Asia’s finest trail runners with also two race wins: Sierra Madre Trail Ultra and Hardcore 100 Miles (H1).
Kimberly Flores started her journey towards the top of Mindanao’s female trail running pyramid already back in August 2025 when she won The Punisher 80km on Samal Island. As Shally Yuson struggled with injury for most of the season, Flores continued to score race win after race win in Season XI: Mount Apo Sky Race, New Corella Trail Ultra, MUSPO and Marilog Ultra. In between was also a second place at Hardcore 100 Miles, behind the country’s leading lady from Luzon, Angelie Cabalo. Flores is one of many young trail talents who have come to the foreground in Mindanao over the past few years. Overall ATM Points Queen with 2000 points, the upcoming Championship Final in Vietnam will be her first big race abroad. It will be interesting to see how she fares outside Philippines. Japan’s Chisato Kario already knows everything about racing outside her home country. Fifth in last season’s Championship Final, and now second in the overall points ranking with 1715 points. In April, she collected a victory at BUTM 50 in Malaysia as well. Third in the ranking is Singapore-based Filipino Mia Revilla with 1705 total points. A new name this season and just like Chisato Kario and Hiroyuki Matsuda BUTM played a big role in her campaign: Revilla won the women’s 100km at that event.
The full ATM Points Ranking of Season XI can be consulted on our dedicated webpage. The ranking determines qualification for the seasonal ATM Championship Final, which this year is held in Vietnam at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail.
https://www.asiatrailmaster.com/news/2026/9/24/hiroyuki-matsuda-and-kim-flores-are-the-points-king-amp-queen-of-season-xi
