We are expecting to mostly follow the updated 2025 routes - hoping for drier and less slippery and muddy conditions for 2026 although the majority of participants seemed to get a kick out of the muddy conditions. We will further expand our alternative route options if it should be an equally wet year. Route details from 2025 can be found on the website under "Course Maps & Profiles".

Overall Layout

The overall layout of the race courses with a central start and finish area at Kiulu will be maintained, although we have to move the start/finish location as the Riverside Park has been closed due to ongoing construction works for a road bridge. Having Kiulu as a central start/finish area works well logistically and is convenient for runners - in particular for those driving to the venue themselves. All race categories make single loops out from the start/finish area.

The main aid station W1/W8 is maintained at Kitapol, but shifted to a new and better open hall along the river.

100 km

The overall concept of the 100 km course as a "Figure 8" with a central start/finish and halfway station at Kiulu is maintained - see image below. Key changes for the 100 km route introduced in 2025 includes:

From the start to W1 the first downhill section is on a new track/trail. This got surprisingly muddy and slippery in 2025, and we will re-assess leading up to the race. The first river crossing is now on a new road bridge to avoid any risk of queuing at a hanging bridge.
The dirt road section leading to W1 has been exchanged by a new 1 km rough track and 3 km small trail section to reach the new W1 at Kitapol. This reduces the previous overlap between Loops 1 and 2 and exchanges a dirt road for a nice trail section.
The jungle trail section from W2 to W3 has been slightly extended to climb the shoulder of Bukit Dikalod, offering spectacular views from the top over much of the Racecourse from start to W4 on a clear day. Looking back, Kitapol with W1 will be nestled in a valley with the South China Sea further in the background. Looking forward, the feared "Talantang Loop" from W3 to CP1 can be seen as a large horse-shoe shaped ridgeline (if not hidden in the clouds). This amendment to the trail not only provides great views, it also improves safety compared to the old trail as it cuts out a trail section along a narrow ledge with a significant drop-off where a couple of runners have had incidents during past events.
The trail from W5 to W6 has been extended along the ridgeline with a new downhill trail towards W6. This is a little more open and should be less slippery in wet conditions than the old trail that could turn treacherously muddy and slippery.
From W9 to W10, the old course that was becoming increasingly sealed has been exchanged for a shorter route on forest trails which includes several stream crossings, offering good opportunities to cool off on a hot day. In 2025 the 50 km and 30 km competitors experienced very muddy and slippery conditions with the small streams growing increasingly deeper due to rain. For safety, we sent the 100 km runners via the alternative "safety route" as the rain continued into the night and there was a risk that the streams could go into flood. We hope that the 100 km runners will get to experience the intended "Plan A" route for 2026.

50 km

For 2025 the 50 km course was changed from Loop 1 (blue) to Loop 2 (yellow) of the 100 km course, except for the section from W7 to W8 where it followed the new jungle trail section (blue in map below). The 50 km route thus took in the two main new trail sections from the 100 km course (Items 2, 4 and 5 described above for the 100k). This will be maintained for 2026. If it should be equally wet in 2026 to the unusually wet 2025 (it is statistically the dry season, but the climate is far less predictable now than previously), we will likely activate alternative routes to cut down on the number of stream crossings and treacherous mud sections.

30 km

The 30 km route also saw major changes in 2025. Rather than going to W6 as previously, the 30 km course followed the 100 km route to W8 from the start, and then included the additional loop from W9 to W10. The 30 km route was slightly extended with new trail sections, but with slightly less elevation gain, and the overall level of difficulty was estimated to be similar to the previous course. This was, however, changed by the very wet and slippery conditions in 2025 which probably made it one of the toughest editions of BUTM 30 km to complete. In response we extended the 30 km cutoff time.