Siksorogo Lawu Ultra is the 2023 ATM Final!
We are happy to announce that the 2023 Asia Trail Master Championship Final will be held in Indonesia at the very popular Siksorogo Lawu Ultra event in Central Java on 2/3 December! Host area is Karanganyar near the cities of Solo (Surakarta) and Yogyakarta - two famous destinations for culture, art and outdoor enthusiasts. Last year, Siksorogo Lawu Ultra saw 3000 participants distributed over the various race distance categories and was universally hailed as a big success. The event is managed by some of Central Java’s most experienced trail runners including event director Rachmat Septiyanto, race director Furqoni Syabana and race manager Agus Wibisono.
The ATM Final will be held on the main 77 km race course including the ascent and descent of Gunung Lawu, of which the summit sits at 3265 meters above sea level. Total elevation gain is estimated at over 5000 hm, which is significant. However, the trails are quite runable and considered much less technical than last year’s Mount Apo in Philippines. Gunung Lawu is also the key section of the race with the summit coming around halfway. Start and finish is at the campground in Sekipan. Start time for the ATM Final is set at 5 am.
Gunung Lawu is a stratovolcano that is officially active, but has only had one reported and very modest activity as far back as 1885. It is a mountain with a lot of significance in Javanese history and culture, and basically divides Central Java from East Java.
As last year, runners need to qualify for the ATM Championship Final by scoring ATM points throughout the year. Per Asian country, maximum five male and five female runners - the highest point scorers - will receive the invitation to join the final race. A minimum of 2 ATM race finishes is required for everyone. Qualified runners will receive free entry, 3-night accommodation and airport shuttle service. The top 10 male and female will be honoured and awarded during the podium ceremony, as well as the best country team.
Previous ATM Champions can get a wild card no matter what, as long as they finished two ATM points races this year. Host country Indonesia has so far had two ATM Champions: Arief Wismoyono in 2015 and Ruth Theresia in 2018. A new generation of Indonesian trail athletes has come to the fore in domestic races, but so far they have not competed at the regional Asia level yet. Perhaps this year will be their breakthrough year?
Siksorogo Lawu Ultra is of course also open for everyone else. The mass participation 77km will follow the same course as the ATM Final but starts two hours later at 7 am. Less ambitious runners can also sign up for shorter distance categories, such as 50km, 30km, 15km and 7km. This means you can support and cheer for your country’s ATM Finalists and still do some running yourself also!
The reigning ATM Champions are Arnie Macaneras (Philippines) and Hau Ha (Vietnam). Both have proven already early this season to still be in fantastic shape. Hau Ha, in particular, has even stepped up to the global level with success already.
Below is the Siksorogo Lawu Ultra event website, which will soon be updated and open for regular race registration. All information and details about the ATM Championship Final will also be published as usual on the ATM Website on a dedicated webpage here.
ATM Final Qualification: Requirements
The 2023 Asia Trail Master Championship Final will be a winner-takes-the-title race as it was last year. The male and female finalists who cross the finish line first will be the new ATM Champions. The best team will be the new ATM Team Champion.
However, you do need to qualify to be able to take part in that last race, the ATM Final. In each country, maximum five male and five female runners who score most ATM points during the year will qualify and be invited to enter their country’s National Team for the Asia Trail Master Championship Final.
The Final is therefore projected to be a race with selected elites-only, who are members of National Teams. Maximum five male runners and five females. Apart from the Individual Championship there will also be a Team Championship. The latter will be based on the accumulated finish times of the best three male runners and best three female runners in each team (= 6 finishing times in total)
The number of runners per team is subject to there being an ATM points race in the country.
Minimum 1 ATM points race —> 5 male runners, 5 female runners
no ATM points race —> 4 male, 4 female
Runners who are ranked 6th to 8th in their country are the eligible reserves in case anyone in the top 5 cannot take part in the Final.
Please note:
Expats working and residing in Asia: if the expat is an Asian passport holder, he will represent his native country and not his resident country, unless he decides himself to represent his resident country. If the expat has a European or American passport, or any other non-Asian passport, he will be eligible to join Team Asia Expat. Exception: expats who have resided in one and the same Asian country for 8 years or more can join their resident country team.
Minimum requirement of 2 ATM race finishes: runners in the top 5 of their country ranking must have completed minimum 2 ATM races to be eligible to join the ATM Championship Final and represent their country.
Wild cards: former ATM Champions get a wild card to take part in the 2023 Final, provided they have scored points in minimum two ATM points races during 2023. Also, the team of the host country can at any times be represented by 5 male and 5 female runners, provided these have scored points in minimum two ATM points races during 2023.
Equal points: if two runners have the same points total in the country ranking, a distinction will first be made on the basis of highest ranking obtained in a race (e.g. a 3rd place race result is better than a 5th place race result). If that still does not divide them, the number of kilometres run in the relevant races will determine who receives the highest place in the country ranking.
