TAIPING — Japanese ultra-trail runners Yutaro Yokouchi and Mika Taniguchi captured the men’s and women’s MY100 category victories at the Malaysia Ultra-Trail by UTMB 2026, held in the rainforest trails surrounding Taiping, Perak. The third edition of the event under the UTMB banner drew over 3,000 competitors representing 63 nations, including more than 1,000 international runners competing across five race distances: MY100, MY50, MY25, MY13, and MYKids.
MY100 Division: Japanese Double and UTMB Finals Qualification
The flagship MY100 route challenged runners with a 97.5km course featuring approximately 4,800m of cumulative elevation gain. The distance incorporated the “Vertical King/Queen” segment—a timed 7.96km climb from the Murugan Temple metal bridge to AS1 Angkasa featuring roughly 1,200m of vertical ascent.
In the men’s division, 33-year-old Yutaro Yokouchi moved into the lead by the third checkpoint, pulling away to claim his first 100K-category career victory in 12:18:44. Myanmar’s Duyakar Bahar Duu finished second in 13:25:19, followed by Japan’s Hiroyuki Kawachi in third (14:09:47). Malaysia’s Ibrahim Karim delivered the top domestic performance, finishing eighth overall in 15:50:38.
In the women’s MY100 race, Mika Taniguchi established an early lead to win in 15:37:54. Philippine runners Angelie Cabalo (16:12:39) and Mia Revilla (18:10:59) completed the women’s podium. Yen Sim Yip finished as the fastest Malaysian woman in the category, crossing in 23:42:59.
The top three men and women in the MY100 division earned direct qualifying spots for the CCC (Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix) race at the 2027 UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix, France.
MY50 Division: Chinese Sweep and Podium Finish for Michelle Ng
The 54.02km MY50 category, featuring 1,800m of elevation gain, saw Chinese athletes sweep both elite titles. Erqing Wu won the men’s category in 5:03:47, finishing ahead of compatriot Sheng Zhang (5:16:13) and Japan’s Koyo Ogasawara (6:00:55). Daniel Yap was the highest-placed Malaysian male runner, finishing fifth overall in 6:13:21.
China’s Dayu Wang captured the women’s MY50 title, completing the course in 6:23:53. Malaysian runner Michelle Ng secured second place overall with a time of 7:29:38, competing despite an ankle injury sustained the week prior to the event. Hong Kong’s Sham Ming Li finished third in 7:33:56.
By virtue of their top-three finishes, the MY50 podium finishers secured entry into the OCC (Orsières-Champex-Chamonix) division at the 2027 UTMB World Series Finals.
Short-Course Results: MY25 and MY13 Divisions
In the MY25 category, India’s Bir Bahadur Rai took the men’s title in 2:25:01, finishing ahead of Malaysian runners Osama Alif (2:29:39) and Daaraneshwaran Siva Kumar (2:32:16). Hong Kong’s Ho Ting Yu won the women’s MY25 category in 3:24:56, with Malaysia’s Eryn Tan taking second place (3:31:59) and Spain’s Delia Gemma finishing third (3:34:30).
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The shorter MY13 categories were won by Elodie Desporte-Duperry and Tracy Power respectively. Originally launched as the Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival in 2018, the Taiping-based event serves as Malaysia’s sole qualifying fixture on the global UTMB World Series circuit.
