After a DNF in Lam Dong Trail and a 5th place in Vietnam Trail Marathon, Filipino youngster Godwin Mirar has finally gotten his 2025 ATM Championship season really on track. Mirar won the tough Mount Kalatungan Ultra Trail 55km in his native Bukidnon region against an established field and with margin. He led the race nearly from start to finish, despite suffering also from blisters and a fall in the descent of Kalatungan, at 2880m one of the highest mountain peaks in the Philippines.

Almost 30 minutes later, Roberto Cain III finished second to kickstart his 2025 ATM campaign. Perhaps for Cain the 55km distance is a bit on the short side as he has recently been excelling in longer ultras. Kik Suello took third place, just one week after also finishing third in BUTM 100 in Malaysia! That’s a great start of his campaign to once again try to be part of Team Pilipinas in the ATM Final in October. Suello was 7th at TMBT last September - his best result to date. At Kalatungan, he was marginally ahead of Jevie Cagatin - winner last year of MTKU 85 and also an ATM Finalist in 2024.. Newcomer Johnkisler Lamigo came in an excellent fifth!

In the women’s 55km race, Angelie Cabalo confirmed her pre-race favourite status by taking a convincing win without too much pressure from the others, which was impressive when seeing the names of those. The number 3 of the 2023 ATM Championship Final missed out on last year's team qualification, but she launched her 2025 campaign in the best possible way, collecting 500 ATM points for her victory. It's Angelie's 4th career win in ATM.

A good hour behind her, Julie Mae Marquez scored her best performance in an ATM-promoted race with a superb second place. Last year’s race winner Julieann Morales took third on the podium this season. Shally Yuson settled for fourth place and in fifth, we had a nice performance by Belinda Ortiz.

MKTU also had a longer 85km distance, which this year was only relevant for the Grandmaster Quest. This category was won by 2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras, who only needs to finish two ATM races to collect a wild card for this year’s Final. The women’s 85km saw a very popular win by local Kimberly Flores.

The next Filipino points race is scheduled for 5 April, one of the young ‘classics’ in the country, the Sierra Madre Trail Ultra in the Rizal mountains near Manila.

Roberto Cain III : second best male behind Mirar

Eye-catching performance by Julie Mae Marquez: second in the women’s 55k behind Cabalo

After 3rd in BUTM last week, Kik Suello scored another 3rd at MKTU

2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras ran the 85km (Grandmaster-point-only) and won it easily

Local hero Kimberly Flores was fastest woman on the 85km

While Alessandro Sherpa and even Francisco Faria were initially able to keep pace with Jeff Campbell, the reigning ATM Champion went solo already before halfway and even increased his advantage in the very technical second and mountainous half of the V Trail in Laos.

The Hong Kong-based Canadian was out of his own comfort zone but completed the 53km course in approx 8h39, a little faster than Arnaud Beck last year. Second victory for him this season, after Prenn Trail Summit in Dalat, Vietnam, in December. As such, Campbell collected his wild card for the ATM Final at Mu Cang Chai in Vietnam on 4 October. It was a tough day out there in Vang Vieng, with temperatures well above 32 degrees as of noon.

Jeff Campbell winning a 53km race in 8 hours and 39 minutes, that certainly does not sound like Campbell. But this is how difficult the V Trail course, especially the second half, really is. Anyone who knows the ATM Champion for some time is aware that he has never been a fan of these ‘technical hiking’ courses and prefers to make use of his fast running speed. Kudos to Campbell for nevertheless always giving these type of trail races a try. Eventually, one can only learn and develop further as an all-round competitive trail runner here in Asia, where terrains can be very varied, indeed. It’s clear that Jeff Campbell will not relinquish his ATM Championship title easily this coming October at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail !

In second and third on podium we saw Phissanuwat Inon from Thailand and Nizar Surydratama from Bali, Indonesia. A great and unexpected result for both. A nice introduction to Inon, especially. Both runners finished in just under and just above ten hours. 2018 ATM Champion Alessandro Sherpa went off course in the mountain area and lost significant time to end up in fourth place. Thailand’s two-time Finalist Amorn Kimnguan was fifth, followed by Antoine Deligne from Belgium. Portugal’s Francisco Faria in the end dropped down the leaderboard to finish 8th in 13h19.

First female was Italy’s Anna Turrini, who led basically from start to finish but had Tara Savage closing in on her earlier on the day. For Turrini, who hails from Florence in Tuscany, it’s the first ATM race win. She crossed the line in 13h09, underlining again how tough V Trail really is.

Tara Savage finished half an hour later to grab second place on the podium. Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Huong is third, just ahead of local runner Toukta Inthavong, who was third in Luang Prabang last October as well and is practically certain of being the first Lao qualifier for the ATM Championship Final on 4 October.

The next ATM points race event in Laos will be Luang Prabang Ultra Trail in late October, one of the very first events of Season 11.

This weekend’s second points race for the ATM Championship ranking is taking place tomorrow in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines. It’s the Mount Kalatungan Ultra and it’s also the first Filipino points race event in Season 10 of our series. The focus is on the 55km, while the 85km category is valid for the Grandmaster Quest-only. So, the same as in Laos’ V Trail today - the first event of this ATM doubleheader weekend. 

Mount Kalatungan is the second highest mountain in Mindanao after Mount Apo. Just like APo, also Kalatungan is not always open for outdoor enthusiasts, so the trail running event by the Amigleo brothers and the Ultra Runners Republic is a special treat. Both the 80km and 55km courses go to the summit of Kalatungan. 

Among the expected victory challengers are mainly local Filipino runners. In the men’s 55km, we can look forward to an interesting confrontation between Roberto Cain III and Godwin Mirar, with ATM 2024 Finalists Jevie Cagatin, Kik Suello and Jomarc Ferrer lurking in the shadows. Either one of these five can come out on top tomorrow. In fact, Jevie Cagatin is last year’s winner, ahead of Yoyong Sacayle and Jomarc Ferrer on that day. Godwin Mirar looked like he was going to take victory in Vietnam Trail Marathon 70 two months ago, until the cold temperatures literally froze him. He will be keen to do better than fifth in Kalatungan to ensure qualification for this year’s ATM Final as part of Team Pilipinas, one of his key goals of the season. But that is also the case for Roberto Cain III, who has been winning several races in the Philippines including ATM Candidates and Grandmaster-only races. We are very keen to find out what Cain III can do when real championship points are up for grabs. Cagatin finished just outside the Top 10 in the 2024 ATM Championship Final last September, and this will be his first ATM rendez-vous since. For Kik Suello, much will depend on how much he has recovered from last week’s 100km in Malaysia, BUTM, where he finished third on the podium. 

Outsiders for a podium are Bernie Bauyot, Sean Aying and Bhert Orpiada, but we for sure will also get to know some new names. 153 starters are expected for the 55km. 

The women’s race is likely to see a competition between Shally Yuson and Julieann Morales for the victory. Shekinah Velaquez can also be a contender, as she has been developing her performances ever more since last year. 

The 85km race category has no Championship points on offer, but finishers will of course collect a Grandmaster point as it’s longer than 70km. Important for 2022 ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras, who will try to score his wild card this month with both Kalatungan 85 and Lantau 70 on his race schedule. As former ATM champion, he only needs to finish 2 ATM races during the season. 

ATM will be updating live from Bukidnon the whole Sunday from start to finish on our usual channels. 

The Asia Trail Master Championship series continues in Laos this weekend with the 5th edition of the V-Trail, the country’s first major trail running event since 2018. It is known as one of the more scenic, but also one of the toughest ‘jungle trails’ on our circuit. The event has remained largely unchanged with Vang Vieng, a tourist town between Vientiane and Luang Prabang as host.

This season the 55km will attract most attention as the points race for the ATM ranking and thanks to the participation of reigning ATM Champion Jeff Campbell and 2018 Champion - and V Trail race winner that year - Alessandro Sherpa. For both runners it will be the second race of their season, meaning they both can score their wild cards for the 2025 ATM Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam on 4 October. Incidentally, Campbell and Sherpa also won their first race in Season 10. Campbell was superb in Prenn Trail Summit in Dalat, Vietnam, last December. A few weeks later, Sherpa returned to his winning ways with a great run in Tahura Trail in Bandung, Indonesia. On Saturday, we could see a nice battle between the two. Campbell may have more natural speed, but Sherpa - on his day - has a large toolbox on technical trails like those in Vang Vieng - plus he has already done this race before and knows what he is getting into. In fact, Sherpa has been staying in Luang Prabang for several weeks already, too.

Bali’s Nizar Surydratama, ATM Finalist last year, is one of the other podium contenders, along with Thailand’s Amorn Kimnguan, also a double ATM Finalist in 2023 and 2024. There’s quite a few international names on the start list as well, so we might get a few surprises. One major podium and even victory contender is Danon Rattanatumrong, but he is running the Grandmaster-only distance of 86km this weekend.

In the women’s 55km race, Tara Savage may be the one to beat on paper. Local Laotian runner Toukta Inthavong may be the biggest challenger. She came third in last October’s Luang Prabang Trail.

ATM will be reporting live from V Trail from start to finish on Saturday on the usual socials.

The 2025 edition of Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon goes into the history books as an atypical one. A lot of rainfall preceeding the event created more mud, river crossings and slippery slopes than usually in this event. Technical terrain requires proper trail running skills and experience, and it was perhaps no coincidence therefore that the 100k and 50k race winners bulk of exactly those two assets. Most eye-catching was the 50k victory of Daved SImpat, ahead of younger and fellow-Sabahans Wilsen Singgin and Milton Amat. Since last year, Simpat has again been showing great running form and suddenly is again the man-to-beat in Sabah after some five-six years operating in the shadow of Milton Amat. Even on 50k courses! One could even argue that recently it has been Milton who is suffering from a dip in performance level. To his own credit, Wilsen Singgin continues to prove that he still has upward margins. Leading the race early on, and battling with Simpat until the very end, Singgin may finally be ready to make that last step up the competitive ladder. At the finish in Kiulu, the gap was just a minute. Milton came in third, but a full 25 minutes later and just ahead of the surprising newcomer Vitus Daimi.

In the women’s 50km, Aggy Sabanal, the 2018 ATM Vice-Champion behind Ruth Theresia, scored her first ATM race win since July 2022 (MUSPO100). Sabanal ran a very strong race, also aided by the treacherous conditions to finish 7th overall and about 34 minutes ahead of another Filipino runner, Ritzy Amor - also the overall points leader in the current ATM Championship ranking. Boxer/trailrunner Ritzy Amor ran the best race of the season herself and second place is her best result and second podium after third in Broder 50 last October. In third place, we had Lolita Lintanga preceeding her elder sister Jess by 18 minutes. That’s one place better than a year ago for Lolita. Last year’s winner Shamiera Auther was unable to come to terms with the slippery terrain and had to settle for fifth place last weekend.

On the 100km long ultra, both race winners were the same as a year ago: local stars Gustin Tiam and Rejlen James. Both were pretty much in control throughout, although Rejlen in particular felt some pressure from Adelinah Lintanga, who took a quicker start than usual. The result was that both Rejlen and Adelinah were always comfortably inside the overall top ten of the 100k race. Closest to Gustin Tiam was Moo Sat, who did well to finish second ahead of Philippines’ Kik Suello, the number 7 in the ATM Championship Final last year found the course of TMBT more to his liking. Lynda Marylyn completed the women’s podium - just like last year.

The next Malaysian points race event takes place in Sarawak: Silabur 100 on 12 April.

Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon, in short BUTM, is really no longer the “little sister” of TMBT later in the year. Organised by the same team at Borneo Ultra, BUTM is a wonderful event in itself taking place in a different part of Sabah, in and around Kiulu. The start list for this year’s edition again features a lot of names and also a lot of star athletes from Malaysia mixed with a solid number of international runners. As usual, both the 100km long ultra and the 50km medium distance offer points for the ATM Championship ranking. Interestingly, both Milton Amat and Wilsen Singgin are again opting for the 50km. The numbers 1 and 2 from last year will even see Daved Simpat with them in the race, which does not happen very often. After a few years plagued by injuries and other issues, Daved Simpat - sometimes nicknamed “The Original” for being the first Sabahan trail runner to really break through in the Asian region - , has been performing really well again in recent races. It is not very often that they are three in the same race, so we are looking forward to see how that battle unfolds this Saturday.

Other expected podium contenders are Ahmad Tanjong, Amirul Tuah from Brunei and certainly several local and new Sabahan runners, too.

Staying with the 50km, the women’s race will see last year’s winner Shamiera Auther returning for what will also be her first ATM race of Season 10. Jess and Lolita Lintanga are also again in the race, but the battle for podium is likely to include at least two Filipino runners, too. Aggy Sabanal has made the trip to Malaysia for what could be one of her last appearances for a while. Sabanal was 2nd in the 2018 ATM Championship behind Ruth Theresia. Since then, she has become a mother and selective in the number of races, but when she takes part it’s always for the prizes. Ritzy Amor is also on the 50km. ATM overall points leader at the moment following her 3rd place in Broder 50 and 4th in VTM 70 earlier this season. Ritzy Amor is a multisport athlete, however, and has just come out of the boxing ring. A martial arts adept, Amor had her first boxing fight just a week ago. One could imagine that her body is still in recovery mode this weekend.

Moving to the 100km race category, which obviously is also a Grandmaster category, we will see last year’s winner Gustin Tiam also returning to Kiulu. He was brilliant back then, but this weekend he may face some stern competition for the victory by up-and-comers such as Haziq Asyraf and Yasbie Ismail, and also MIndanao’s Kik Suello - the number 7 of last year’s ATM Championship Final at Borneo TMBT! Suello was excellent in that race - as was Asyraf, in fact - and it will be great to see how they perform now five months later. Moo Sat and Bernardo Linus are other potential podium candidates on a good day.

The women’s 100km is likely to see a repeat of last year’s race, with the entire podium back in it. Rejlen James, Adelinah Lintanga and Lynda Marylyn. Let’s see if Lintanga and Marylyn have found a strategy to get closer to James, or even get ahead of her. Rejlen James has been nearly unbeatable on home soil since 2023, but had an unfortunate off-day at TMBT and the ATM Final last September.

ATM will be reporting live from the RPC on Friday, and then from start to finish on Saturday on the usual channels.

Last year’s 50k podium with Milton Amat having the upper hand over Wilsen Singgin and Alessandro Sherpa

Rejlen James was the fastest female 100k runner last year

Shamiera Auther returns to BUTM to try and win again

Last week she was in the ring, this week she is on the trails: Ritzy Amor

This weekend we have a doubleheader on the Asia Trail Master circuit, which will kick off in the Philippines on Friday early morning with Pulag Ultra Trail. A Grandmaster-only event with potential to enter the Championship calendar as well in future. Mount Pulag is a fantastic mountain experience near Baguio in the Cordilleras. .

The event, managed by Intrepid Spirit from VJ 100 last December, is in fact an A to B race and has two Grandmaster distances on offer: 132 km and 65 km. The latter is short of 70km, but - as Mantra 65 in Indonesia - has more than 4500 hm making it eligible as a GM point race.

Pulag Ultra Trail 132km starts in Kabayan deep in the Cordillera Mountains and finishes in Baguio City. It is an exhilarating journey through the majestic landscapes that embrace Mount Pulag, Mount Awa, Mount Ugo and Mount Bidawan and the myriad of scenic landmarks that grace the path leading to Baguio City. Needless to say this is a pure mountain run you should come prepared for. It’s tough, but the untamed scenery will ease the pain Mount Pulag in particular is famous for its views from above the clouds. Official elevation gain for the 132km is 8827 hm and nearly 4600 hm for the 65km.Along the epic course you will also encounter enchanting villages and iconic landmarks that have stood the test of time. As the website reads: “Their presence will ignite your spirit and fuel your determination, as you draw inspiration from the rich tapestry of history and culture that surrounds you.”

The event has attracted quite a large number of brave souls, because this is indeed a serious Grandmaster Quest challenge and the finisher point will be hard-earned. Some well-known runners are taking the start tomorrow, including ATM Finalists and Grandmasters Mary Joy Sumanda, Eduardo Fuentes and Henry Yang from Singapore. Also, Poy Brillantes, a lover of long and tough ultras, will go for the 130k. Jeong Taeyun from Korea and Zheng Limin from Shenzhen (China) are also on the start list.

ATM will be reporting from Pulag Ultra Trail from start to finish on ATM facebook , plus ATM YouTube and Instagram.

Mary Joy Sumanda, double ATM Finalist in 2023 and 2024, will be attempting the 130

Henry Yang, ATM Finalist in 2023, is also aiming for another Grandmaster star

Poy Brillantes is a big fan of ultra long challenges

Julie Mae Marquez is going for the 65km option, which also offers a GM point as the elevation gain exceeeds 4500 hm.

After the cancellation of Tioman Ultra, we are happy to announce that the Penang Sky Race will take its place on the 2025 Asia Trail Master Championship calendar. Also organised by MMTF Consultant, the Penang Sky Race event programme offers a 50km category that will have ATM points on offer for the best 25 performers in the result. The event is scheduled for Saturday, 26 April with start at 3 am.

As the event name suggests, Penang Sky Race is also part of the global Skyrunner series and in particular the 30km race, which almost has the same elevation gain as the 50km (approx 2300 hm).

The 50km Sky Ultraks race category has start and finish at the Youth Park in Georgetown, main city in Penang. As such, this is a convenient event logistically with also an international airport to the south of Georgetown. The course will take runners on ondulating terrain with Penang Hill as a highlight. The highest point of the course is Western Hill at 833m above sea level. As we know from the longer UTOP races, Penang island is a trail running paradise as long as you are prepared . Hills can be very rugged and technical, and then there’s the heat and humidity. But once you finished, the beach is also not far away and Georgetown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site do definitely worth your time to wander about.

Registration is still open for the event and can be accessed via the official website linked below.

MEDIA RELEASE. - We are very happy to announce that the 2025 Asia Trail Master Championship Final will be held in Vietnam at the 5th edition of the incredibly scenic Mù Cang Chải Ultra Trail event in Yen Bai province, in the Northwest of the country. Mù Cang Chải was part of our 2022 ATM calendar and has only grown more in popularity since. The 2025 edition is scheduled for 4 October, making it a perfect host for the conclusion of Season 10, which began in Indonesia late September 2024. The ATM Championship Final race will take place on the 75 km long course with qualified runners in national country teams and with a separate start time. . The event programme of course also features other categories that are open for the general public, and three of those also offer a point for the ATM Grandmaster Quest: 100 miles, 100km and 75km. Less ambitious runners can also sign up for the 55km, 25km and 12km, implying that all ATM Finalists can bring lots of friends to Mù Cang Chải in moral support!

It will be the first time the ATM Championship Final takes place in Vietnam. Over the past few years, Vietnamese trail runners have become increasingly competitive and visible. Not in the least thanks to Hau Ha, the young woman and single mum, from nearby Sapa, who burst onto the ATM trail scene in 2022, winning our women’s championship on Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines. It was the beginning of Hau’s remarkable success story on the world stage . So far, Hau Ha is the only Vietnamese trail runner who has managed to win our championship, but great athletes such as Nguyen Si Hieu, Loi Luong and Julia Nguyen Thi Duong have been contenders and podium placers. With Mù Cang Chải as host of this Season’s Final, the Vietnamese community has home advantage and an excellent opportunity to show there is more than only Hau Ha!

Mù Cang Chải Ultra Trail is organised by the company Viet Jungle and is located in Yên Bái province, northwest of country capital Hanoi. It’s a large area famous for its spectacular rice terraces and hiking trails. It is mainly populated by the Black Hmong, a subgroup of one of Vietnam’s largest ethnicities.

As per tradition, the ATM Final will be held with all top runners together in one and the same race. The 75 km long course includes the best and most scenic parts of the Mù Cang Chải trail network and has a total elevation gain of 3700 hm. There are technical jungle trail sections, but the majority of the trails are quite runable, subject to weather conditions, of course. The race will start at Khuôn Viên at 5:30 am, roughly half an hour before sunrise. The finish line is at the same location.

As in the past three years, runners need to qualify for the ATM Championship Final by scoring ATM points throughout the season. Per Asian country, maximum five male and five female runners - the highest point scorers - will receive the invitation to join the Final. Former ATM Champions can score a wild card independent of the points ranking. A minimum of 2 ATM race finishes is required for everyone. The invitation includes 3 nights accommodation (1 in Hanoi, 2 in Mù Cang Chải), shuttle bus Hanoi-Mù Cang Chải-return, free race entry and the usual race pack collection perks. The top 10 male and female, plus the best performing team, will be invited to the ATM podium ceremony after the race.

The reigning ATM Champions are Jeff Campbell (Canada/Hong Kong) and Priya Rai (Nepal). Both are scheduled to defend their respective titles at Mù Cang Chải . The defending team champion is Team Nepal.

Below is the Mù Cang Chải event facebook page, where you can find all details on the event and also find the link to register for the open public races.. All specific information and details about the ATM Championship Final will be published, as usual, on the ATM Website on our dedicated webpage, and shared via our social network.

To get excited already, have a look at the 2025 teaser video and gallery below!

All details on the ATM Championsip Final will be made available on this dedicated web page.

Hau Ha is the only Vietnamese ATM Champion in our 10-year history

Last year, Loi Luong scored a great 4th place in the women’s ATM Championship Final in Malaysia

Nguyen Si Hieu was 6th in last year’s men’s ATM Championship at Borneo TMBT in Malaysia

The 5th edition of The 9 Dragons event in Hong Kong’s New Territories saw 2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa and Japan’s Kanako Edamoto emerge victorious after winning both stages on Saturday and Sunday. Both runners proved superior to their competitors, but nevertheless had to work as Oleksii Melnyk and Man Yee Cheung kept them honest all weekend. The 50km single day race saw fantastic runs by Hong Kong’s ever-improving Wai Hei Ng and France’s Aurore Dacier.

It was a warm edition of the 9 Dragons, which caused many participants to cramp up with dehydration at some stage during the two days. During the 50 Miles (or 82km) on Saturday, John Ray Onifa appeared to be using cruise control rather than going flat out from the start, as he usually tends to do. He nevertheless opened up a gap to HK-based Ukranian Oleksii Melnyk, second in the 50/50 category already last year behind Kristian Joergensen and determined to try and win this time around. Initally, also the young Japanese runner Shoma Maruyama accompanied the duo during the first six hours at nighttime. Maruyama would blow up later, while Melnyk managed to bridge the gap towards Onifa with some 22km left to run. It was arguably a wake-up moment for Onifa, who was - tellingly - wearing earpods. The Filipino shifted to a higher gear on the next hilly section and again took the advantage by a few minutes. However, while Onifa ran home comfortably to grab the stage win, his interview could not be completed because the resilient Melnyk finished just a single minute later. Just one minute difference between the two protagonists, there was no better way to raise excitement for Day 2 on Sunday. Hong Kong duo Tsang Kit Chuan and KC Chan still managed to get ahead of Murayma for third and fourth on the day.

In the women’s 50/50 group, Japan’s Kanako Edamoto was in command from the beginning. Hong Kong’s Man Yee Cheung and Austria’s Cornelia Oswald were keeping up, although the gap would increase ever more. Edamoto took 26 minutes on Cheung to go into day 2’s 50km. It was also her first ever ATM race victory.

There was also a 50 Miles single day race category, only valid for the ATM Grandmaster Quest and not the ATM Championship ranking, which saw former 50/50 winner Kazufumi Ose and Hong Kong’s Lai Shan Pak take the win in the male and female category, respectively.

Onto day 2 with a 7:30 am race start. Tradition says making it to the start line is the hardest part of the day for the 50/50 runners. Oleksii Melnyk had clearly recovered well as he started quick and even put some minutes on John Ray Onifa by CP 1 after 10 kilometres. Was an upset in the making? That thought did not last long, however, as Onifa was again clearly pacing himself. Flying up the subway stairs and the concrete uphill path aroundd CP1 (at Fan Ling), Onifa was saving his ammunition for later on in the day. He knew what was coming as he won the 50km single day race last year. The 50km course at the 9 Dragons is one of the toughest around. Meanwhile, the battle for the 3rd podium spot on the 50/50 was decisively going into Tsang Kit Chuan’s favour. Murayama was holding his own, but KC Chan seemed least recovered of the trio and would never look in contention on Sunday. Between CP 3 and C4 at Shing Mun, Onifa caught Melnyk and immediately pressed ahead as temperatures kept rising, which was an addtional difficulty for the Ukranian. It was the moment the race was won for John Ray Onifa. He would even still finish second overall on the 50km, behind one surprisingly quick local newcomer on the ATM scene. Melnyk did great in finishing just eight minutes later, showing again his mental strength as well. Tsang Kit Chuan impressed with third place, just 20 minutes behind Onifa. Murayama salvaged fourth place, ahead of Fo Lok Liu, who still managed to overtake KC Chan for fifth. Overall, this was one of Onifa’s most mature race weekends and hopefully illustrative of many more beautiful performances to come!

The one runner who managed to win the 50km outright was Hong Kong’s Wai Hei Ng. Part of T8’s Hong Kong team, Wai Hei Ng is not exactly a newbie, but someone who was out of the racing scene for two years before coming back and is seemingly faster than ever. The 9 Dragons was his first appearance on the ATM scene. He took control of his 50k race halfway when Filipino Randolf Gonzales disintegrated entirely, apparently the result of back pain. Gonzales was also new on the ATM scene, coming from obstacle racing. He set a blistering pace initially that nobody could follow. Besides back pain, also lack of experience may have done him in to ultimately finish down in 12th. Gonzales vowed afterwards to come back stronger next time. Kose Rodarte also was among the fast starters who suffered later on, but he still managed to get a third place on the podium of the 50k single race category. Even Wai Hei Ng appeared to be slowing down in the last section, but he nevertheless took a convincing victory in 6h20. That’s 14 minutes slower than Onifa did a year ago. A name to remember, Wai Hei Ng is also scheduled to run Lantau 70 next month. Behind him, Matthew Gay came second on the podium. Gay ran an excellent race, moving up the leaderboard in the second part, showing that his strategy worked. He even still overtook the first female runner, highly touted Aurore Dacier, winner in ATM already three times at MMTF 50, Lantau 70 and Bali Ultra 50. Dacier was unchallenged in the women’s 50km, but arguably gave herself a hard time by trying to follow the leading men. At checkpoints, Dacier would repeatedly say she is not feeling well , but she was also sixteen minutes ahead of the time schedule her coach had laid out before the race. Finishing in just under 6h59, Dacier gave evidence of the progress she has made as a competitive trail runners since last year. Unfortunately, the announced ‘dual’ with Eszter Csillag did not materialise as the latter was a DNS on Sunday. Quite a long way behind Dacier, there was nevertheless a nice battle for the remaining podium spots of the women’s 50km. Eventually, Nicole Lau had the upper hand, ahead of Philippines’ Trisha Reyes and Kimmy Leung.

The next ATM points race event in Hong Kong is Lantau 70 at the end of March.

Wai Hei Ng: winner of the 50km category

ATM Race win number 4 for Aurore Dacier de Biaisi on the women’s 50km

The 50k men’s podium

The women’s 50/50 podium

One year after the fantastic return of The 9 Dragons it’s time for the fifth anniversary of the Hong Kong event. The renowned 2-day stage race, with 50 Miles on Saturday and 50km on Sunday, is a challenge for even the toughest elite runners and it won’t be any different this weekend as temperatures are expected to rise to the mid-twenties despite still being so early in the year. 2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa is giving the 50/50 a go, having already won the 50k single day race last year. His main challengers for the victory will be Ukranian Oleksii Melnyk, KC Chan, Chun Kit Tsang and Shoma Maruyama. Of those, Melnyk can count on his experience from last year: he finished second behind the brilliant Kristian Joergensen.

The women’s 50/50 appears wide open with several runners who can realistically dream of victory and podium. Japan’s Kanako Edamoto, Hong Kong’s Man Yee Cheung and Cornelia Oswald, but also proven tough cookies such as Tara Savage, Rachel Chan, Chamelia Suhra and Cecille Wael. Resilience and coping with the weather conditions will be key.

As always, people could also choose to register for just the 50 Miles on Saturday or just the 50km on Sunday. The former is over 70km so there’s a Grandmaster point to be scored, but for Championship point seekers it’s the 50km that matters. On Sunday, many eyes will be fixed on 2019 ATM Champion John Ellis. Winner of the 9 Dragons 50/50 in 2018, the now 46-year-old is returning to racing these months after a long break while recovering from injuries including surgery. Ellis has always been more competitive on the longer ultras, but it will be a good indication of where he stands in terms of pure running pace. He’s up against other victory contenders such as Randolf Gonzales, Wai Hei Ng and Kieren Dsouza.

The women’s 50km promises to be a highlight in this year’s edition of The 9 Dragons with world level star Eszter Csillag beginning her 2025 campaign. The Hong Kong-based Hungarian won’t get the race win presented on a silver platter, however, as France’s Aurore Dacier will be keen to show her progress as an up-and-coming trail athlete. Dacier, based in Singapore, was the surprise winner of Lantau 70 last year and also took the win in Bali Ultra 50 in August. Since then she has been training a lot in Hong Kong and has familiarised herself with its specific trails and its many ‘stairs’. This could be an exciting race to follow on Sunday. Last year’s 50k winner Naomi Fung is also in it, and so is Kimmy Leung, Trisha Reyes and Meg Sterling.

ATM will be reporting live from Hong Kong on both days and on the usual channels (facebook, youtube, instagram), with the start of the 50 Miles scheduled at midnight on Friday night.

2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa tackles the 50/50 stage race this weekend

Also Ezster Csillag will make another appearance on the ATM circuit: 50km on Sunday

Victories in Lantau 70 and Bali Ultra for Aurore Dacier last year in ATM. Can she add the 50k 9 Dragons?

Also Cecille Wael returns to the scene this weekend after a prolonged absence

We are delighted to announce that the Ijen Green Trail event in Indonesia is joining the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar on 6/7 September with the Ijen Mountain Marathon race. This race is 50km in distance and includes the ascent of the fantastic Ijen volcano. The event has been organised successfully for several years already out of Banyuwangi in East Java. Ijen Mountain Marathon will be the last points race in Season 10, and thus the last chance for runners seeking last-minute qualification for the Championship Final one month later in early October.

The Ijen volcano has a long history in ATM. From 2015 to 2019 inclusive, Ijen Trail Running was one of the more remote yet more popular races on our calendar for international runners especially. That event, however, was by a different organiser and held out of Bondowoso, which is the regency to the west of Banyuwangi. The covid crisis meant the end of that event, but Ijen Green Trail has managed to survive - also because Banyuwangi is one of Indonesia’s hot spots in tourism development. You cannot go further east on Java island, and Banyuwangi City is just a short ferry ride away from Bali. As such, international runners can also consider flying into Bali and travel by bus/car/ferry to the event. Or by domestic flight. Banyuwangi has a small airport with connections to Jakarta, Denpasar and Surabaya as well.

The 50km on the programme is new and the precise course map and details will be made available soon. Those familiar with Ijen volcano mountain and the surrounding trails know that one should expect runable terrain, unlike many other big mountain ultras in Indonesia.

Indonesia is very fond of Instagram, so most event information can be found there on the Ijen Green Trail page (link below).