Trail of the Kings - Lake Toba by UTMB, live.

Trail of the Kings on Samosir Island

Trail of the Kings – Lake Toba by UTMB is a UTMB World Series event on Samosir Island in Lake Toba, North Sumatra, with every race starting at Waterfront City in Pangururan.

The organiser places the race on what it calls the site of the largest volcanic eruption in the world, and names it for the Batak people, who it describes as trailblazers clearing routes through dense forest and hard terrain to build their communities. The courses cross hills and valleys tied to old legends, forest, heritage sites and views over the lake. The 2026 edition ran on 13 and 14 June; the organiser has since published the 2027 edition for 11 to 13 June 2027.

The longest race, Caldera Crown 100K, measures 101.19 km with 4,205 m of ascent, starts at 03:00 and allows 30 hours, with hard cut-offs at aid stations 7 and 8. Ultimate Expedition 60K is 64.03 km with 3,236 m, starts at 06:00 and allows 20 hours, with a hard cut-off at aid station 5. King’s Ascent 28K is 23.6 km with 1,206 m and nine hours, starting at 07:00. In 2026 the Sunday programme had a 10.9 km Legacy Dash, a 6.6 km Legend Leap and a 700 m kids’ race. Mandatory kit applies to the trail races.

The 100K starts in the dark and spends long hours in forest and high ground away from the town, where a phone may lose its signal. On Livebib the runner shares a link to their own broadcast, and family open it in a browser, with no account and no app. They see the position on the course line, the distance covered and a finish estimate that updates as the race goes. When the signal drops, the position is carried forward along the course and marked as estimated rather than freezing, and the runner decides who gets the link.