KOTM series gets going

ULTRAMARATHON runners from all over the world get to test their endurance as the King of the Mountain Series formally kicked off last month.

With the 50-kilometer Mount Pack Ultramarathon over, runners for the Old Spanish Trail 60K (OST60) gets going today, February 16, which starts and ends at Kayapa Central School in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya.

The Old Spanish Trail 50K route begins with a steep climb to the summit of Mount Ugo, before dropping towards the picturesque Old Spanish Trail, then several ascents more to another summit before heading towards the finish line in Kayapa.

The KOTM series was formally launched on April 1, 2012 with the holding of the first Mount Ugo Marathon (MUM) and its half marathon side event. The OST60 and Four Lakes 100K (FL100) ultramarathons were held less than two months later.

In February of 2013, the pioneer edition of the Hardcore 100 Miles (H1), the longest and toughest event of the series was staged, followed by the MUM again in March, and OST60 and FL100 in May.

In 2014, another event, the Pulag 100K (P1), was opened by the organizers to give H1 aspirants a feel of the longer, 100-mile course. The P1 route is H1’s first 100 kilometers. In 2015 the route of Old Spanish Trail was shortened from 60 to 50 kilometers. The sequence of KOTM events was also modified so that the lesser distance races would be scheduled earlier in the year.

This year, the 50-kilometer Mount Pack Ultramarathon with a 30-km side event was created, replacing the Mount Ugo Marathon.

The KOTM series kicked off with the Mount Pack Ultramarathon (MPU50) in January, followed by the Old Spanish Trail 50K (OST50) and Four Lakes 100K (FL100) this month, the Pulag 100K (P1) in April, and Hardcore 100 Miles (H1) in May.

KOTM is accredited by the Department of Tourism of the Philippines as well as international trail running associations in Europe (ITRA) and the United States.

Since 2013, KOTM events have been point-earning races for the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB®), Europe’s largest ultra-race.

KOTM’s centerpiece event, Hardcore Hundred Miles or H1 is the only ultramarathon in Asia aside from UTMF in Japan that stands as a lottery entry race for two of the most prestigious ultramarathons in the US: the Hardrock 100 Miles, and Western States Endurance Run, the world’s oldest 100mile race.