Elevation Profile #7

Elevation Profile is a weekly column from doi trail research covering the world of trail running, running fashion, and outdoor culture, with a particular eye on Thailand and Southeast Asia.

From two Chiang Mai races on our home mountains to a poolside party in Bangkok and a couple of drops that have everyone talking. Let's jump in.

CM Nouveau: A Return of a Local Favorite

On Saturday and Sunday, the CM6 mountain ultra series held CM Nouveau, a set of alternative courses designed to give runners a more technical, ridgeline-heavy take on the trails around Chiang Mai. Where the standard CM6 routes are already well loved, the Nouveau format gives racers a chance to run parts of Doi Suthep that are usually reserved for people doing CM5 or CM6.

Three distances were on offer. N1 is roughly 20 kilometers with 1,095 meters of elevation gain, run as a reverse-direction take on the classic CM1 course. N2 steps up to around 40.8 kilometers with over 2,000 meters of climbing, staying high along the ridgelines rather than dipping into the valleys. N3 extends that route out to 56.8 kilometers and 3,130 meters of gain, the longest and hardest option in the series.

Everyone looks like they've been training hard because the results look strong. In N1, Parn Watcharapon Khanthong, who runs for Kailas Fuga Thailand, took the men's win in 2:11:10, with doi hardcore runner Samuch Taweekasemsombut finishing 3rd in 2:24:51.

Satjalak Sibsanpiam, who we featured at the Maha Samut Trail in EP#3, finished 6th overall in 2:33:50. Our friend Wann Chotiphat Sritanawarakit finished 9th overall in 2:55:33, and Bank Nuntawat Temchoktaveesub rounded out the top 10.

Our Wednesday run leader from TANN, Michael Napat Wongvoranet, finished in 3:29:50, good for 2nd in his age group.

On the women's side, Kawfang Thitiporn Titprasaoe took the win in 3:16:41, with Paepae Wannakarn Pipatsaowapak, also featured in our Maha Samut Trail coverage in EP#3, taking 2nd in 3:18:50. Khim Nutchaya Boonthum, representing Storm Valley Racing Team, finished 4th in 3:45:21.

In N2, Seksan Jakkaew, who runs for Hoka Thailand and Mileage Runner, won the men's race in 4:09:04. On the women's side, Prapaipit Chaowalit took the win in 5:46:53, and our friend Toon Suda Tantiveerasut, running for Hoka Thailand, finished 3rd in 6:36:31.

A shoutout to Pimpisa Ueasukruethaikul, owner of Wood and Mountain, who we featured back in EP#1, finishing 5th female overall in 7:46:20. Big Piisuth Chitcharoonsri, a doi hardcore runner, finished in 6:22:49 for 2nd in his age group. His weekend wasn't over, as he also had to be the 30km sweeper at MyHomeTrail the next day. Great recovery plan, Big!

N3, the big race, saw Kris Kitanon Angkanawaraphan, who we covered after his win at Mae Mon Coffee Trail in EP#5, take the men's title in 6:59:03, with Sidsdi Pinsook finishing 2nd in 8:19:13. On the women's side, Dr Nisachon Morgan won in 8:40:23, proving that age is nothing but a number.

A strong showing across all three distances. CM Nouveau is the perfect introduction to Chiang Mai's rainy season, although it didn't rain at all on Saturday. The nice cool morning burned off by 11am, but the vibes were high and the results were fantastic. Congrats to all our friends!

The weekend also included Navitrail, run alongside CM Nouveau by The Navigator Thailand as part of CM6's 9th anniversary celebrations. Navitrail is a team-based orienteering challenge: teams of two navigate using clue sheets and maps to find hidden control points, with no fixed route, just a time limit and a score to maximize. Our friends from Bangkok, Beth Henderson and LV Cataby, came away with 2nd overall in the female team category. A different kind of challenge entirely, and a great showing from our friends.

MyHomeTrail: Bas Takes the Win

MyHomeTrail 2026 ran across four distances, but we're just covering two of them here: the Skyline 30k, a 31.70km course with 1,137 meters of combined elevation gain and loss, and the Unknown 50k, a 49km course with 2,438 meters of combined gain and loss.

In the Skyline 30k, Boonyarit Ladee took the men's overall win in 3:31:27, and Phitchanan Mahachot took the women's overall win in 3:48:38.

A few friends of doi were out there giving it their all. Spy Nonthakorn finished in 3:40:57, 4th overall (1st Age Group), Bram Van den Bossche finished in 3:58:39, 2nd in his age group. Manow Chutikarn Dejkriengkraikul finished in 5:16:55, 3rd female overall, and Pele Thirarat Phutthawong finished right behind in 5:26:00, 5th female overall. And our friend Tohto rounded things out in 4:40:50, 9th in his age group.

The bigger story, though, is the Unknown 50k. Our good friend Bas Narathip Chanwang, founder of Basecamp Coffee Club and a name we've covered more than once in this column, took the overall win in 5:59:07. After telling us Mae Mon Coffee Trail's 35km was "just a training run" back in EP#5, this is the kind of result that makes that comment land differently. After the race, all he texted us was "the Hardcore Session worked!" And it's true, everyone from our doi Hardcore Sessions had a great result.

Jenthicha Seamsakul took the women's overall win in 8:11:36. From our doi hardcore crew, Michal Sitthichai Wangkhiri finished in 8:31:14, 2nd in his age group. Our friend Darika Suwanmongkol finished in 8:43:32, 2nd female overall.

A strong day out for everyone involved, and a big congratulations to Bas on the win.

Escape Runn x Yupster: Trail Motion Lands in Brown

Our friends from Chiang Mai's Escape Runn crew put out the visuals for Yupster's Trail Motion campaign, and they always make trail running look so good.

The photoshoot took place at Mae Mao Reservoir (อ่างเก็บน้ำแม่มาว), about an hour outside of Chiang Mai, and it's a good reminder that Thailand still has beautiful places we haven't seen yet. These photos could be someone's computer wallpaper, they're that good. Nice work to the boys, Kom, Yammy, Moss, Guest, Alec, and the rest of the crew.

On the fabric side, Trail Motion is built from 100g cationic polyester engineered for moisture-wicking and quick drying, with 7A antibacterial treatment and 4-way stretch. It's the same technical spec as Yupster's full performance range, just with a more relaxed, lifestyle-oriented fit that gives you more room to move, and new colors you'll want to move in.

Anta C202 Zone 2 and Strava Come Into Bangkok

Anta brought the C202 Zone 2, often called the Zone 2 90, to Bangkok this week, and they made it a party, literally.

The shoe itself is an unplated super trainer built specifically for easy recovery runs, daily mileage, and Zone 2 training, with a Nitro Edge 90 super foam midsole that delivers a soft, bouncy, lightweight ride. No carbon plate here, just a shoe designed to make the easy days even easier.

To celebrate the launch, Anta teamed up with Carnival Running and Ari Running to host two separate 10km+ group runs, both finishing poolside at the River Club for what they called the Anta Zone Two Space.

Ari Running's edition had a DJ set up on the back of a pickup truck, which is the kind of run club move we've seen pop up around the world but never gets old. It reminded me of our friend Tee from Saucony, who spun records out of the back of a tuktuk for one of Saucony's collaborations with Carnival. There needs to be one of those in Chiang Mai sometime.

But overall, a shoe release with a group run that leads to a pool party with a DJ sounds like a great Saturday.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Strava came into Bangkok to meet up with the running community for a quick chat and a group run. For the special occasion, Brooo made custom Strava x Brooo shirts, which look like a collector's item.

It’s really cool to see the most popular social fitness app coming to Thailand to share updates and connect with the culture here. They even experienced running through Bangkok during rainy season and did some sightseeing. What a big weekend for collaborations.

Jakarta Running Festival x adidas EVO SL

Heading over to Indonesia, the adidas Adizero EVO SL is getting its own Jakarta Running Festival edition, and the campaign leans hard into what JRF has become: a celebration of speed, rhythm, and city energy.

The framing is built around the idea of the streets becoming the track, with the EVO SL staying true to its identity as a minimal, responsive shoe built for tempo.

This release builds on the Jakarta Running Festival, which is Indonesia's premier urban running and sports tourism event. Founded in 2023, it brings together tens of thousands of participants across a Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and a Junior Dash, combining competitive racing with health and wellness exhibitions and community celebration.

This year's edition is set for October 24 and 25. Whether you're chasing a personal best in the marathon or bringing the family out for the 5K, JRF is built for everyone. Seeing the EVO SL get a dedicated edition says a lot about how seriously adidas is taking Indonesia's running boom.

Here at doi, it's making us curious about checking out Indonesia's booming running scene. We'd say Thailand has it pretty good, but it's nice to see our neighbors also embracing movement culture at a high level.

Two Colorways Everyone's Talking About: Y-3 Adios Pro 4 and Asics Superblast 3

Staying with adidas for a moment, but moving into the high-fashion end of things. Y-3, the long-running collaboration between Yohji Yamamoto and adidas, has dropped a new take on the Adios Pro 4 in a "warm clay" colorway.

The palette mixes night red, warm clay, and active maroon into a moody, muted look, with signature Y-3 branding on the tongue and heel and a marbled outsole pattern that ties the whole thing together. It's a shoe that actually splits the difference between runway and race track, which is exactly what Y-3 has been doing since 2003.

At the same time, Asics dropped the Superblast 3 in a "White Orange Glow" colorway, and this one has taken over the conversation. The fiery red-to-orange gradient has anime fans and sneakerheads drawing immediate references to Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira from Demon Slayer. I'll be honest, I haven't seen Demon Slayer, but seeing this much hype around a colorway makes me want to.

Personally, I'm more drawn to the Y-3 execution. The warm clay palette feels like a more unique look, especially compared to the SATISFY version, in my opinion. But if hype is the measure, the Asics colorway is winning this round by a wide margin.

Notes from Abroad: Trail 100 Andorra and Cape Town's Major Moment

Two race stories celebrated far from home, but both are worth a mention.

Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB kicked off on Friday with 3,800 runners taking on the trails of the Pyrenees, the biggest edition of the event to date.

The flagship distance is 105 kilometers with around 6,900 meters of elevation gain, much of it above 2,000 meters across alpine meadows, scree fields, and glacial lakes.

3,800 people on a start line for a course like that is hard to picture. That start line energy must be something else entirely, and the views from the Pyrenees would be incredible. Add this race to our bucket list.

And in a much bigger announcement, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has officially been confirmed as Africa's first Abbott World Marathon Major, set to take effect on 23 May 2027. For decades, the Majors list has run through Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, and Sydney, and this is the first time the list expands to include the African continent, a continent that has produced some of the greatest marathon runners in history without ever hosting a Major of its own.

The general ballot for the 2027 race is open from 10 to 24 June, with entries for the Peace Run and trail runs opening on 3 July.

A huge win for Cape Town, and a huge win for our friend Ziyaad Solomun and the Everyday Athlete crew, who have been pushing for more friends from Thailand to come make the trip out. This race is a strong reason to.

The World Cup Comes for Running Fashion

With the World Cup underway in North America, running brands are doing what they do best: turning a global moment into a kit drop.

Bandit released their 4th annual soccer kit, with home and away tops inspired by the three FIFA 2026 host nations, the USA, Mexico, and Canada. The design leans into an almost topographic, symmetric pattern that feels more like a geometric acid trip than a jersey. It'll turn heads for sure, and that's what Bandit is known for.

Bandit isn't alone. Heartbreak put out their own take on a World Cup kit, adidas linked up with Pace Athletic for a version of theirs, and a newer name, Deadlast, has also thrown a kit into the mix. Human By Nature went a different direction and leaned into nostalgia, and Hermanos Koumori went with some bright, unique designs that felt thoughtful.

The biggest crossover, though, comes from outside running entirely. Travis Scott's Cactus Jack, in collaboration with Nike, dropped a full World Cup collection built around the Total 90 era, an early 2000s Nike Football lineup that a lot of people have been waiting to see revived. The drop covers ten nations, including Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Korea, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the USA, with country-specific graphics filtered through Cactus Jack's own visual language. It's less about club or national pride and more about football as a piece of global culture, which is a very Travis Scott way of approaching it. There's also a catch: once a featured nation is eliminated from the tournament, that country's pieces reportedly get pulled, so if you want a specific one, the clock is ticking alongside the bracket.

Taken together, it's the latest example of something we keep coming back to in this column: the line between running and streetwear keeps getting thinner and thinner. A running brand making a national team kit, or a streetwear label reviving a football archive, isn't really about football itself. It's about being part of a cultural moment, and right now, that moment belongs to the World Cup and to running in general.