UM Sai Kung with Ellis, Longo & Csillag

Three weeks after Ferei Dark 45 we already have the second ATM points race in Hong Kong on Sunday. Ultramarathon de Sai Kung by XTE Events has been on our calendar since the early part of the season, and although the 100 km has had to be scrapped due to the ongoing covid restrictions in the city, the 58 km is the longest real race in Hong Kong in quite some time. The field of participants is not big for this one, but there’s a couple of international stars scheduled to race and collect relevant ATM Championship points in the persons of a.o. John Ellis, David Longo and last-but-not-least Eszter Csillag. The latter has just returned to Hong Kong from her native Hungary in Eastern Europe, following motherhood and a sensational 5th place in UTMB last summer. Csillag has competed on our ATM tour before, winning the 2019 edition of the 100k at Magnificent Merapoh Trail in Malaysia. For the remainder of 2022, supported by T8, she aims to go for the ATM Championship title in December. Qualifying for Team Asia Expat requires ATM points, and UM de Sai Kung looks like the perfect race to open her account.

Reigning ATM Champion John Ellis will be hoping to score better than his 3rd place at Dark 45 this weekend, but in any case will be happy to know that a race finish means automatic qualification for the ATM Championship title race in Philippines on 17 December. Past ATM Champions get a wild card as soon as they have finished two ATM points races in 2022.

It will be very interesting to watch if Ellis can keep up with his fellow-Australian David Longo, who was a very strong 2nd three weeks ago. Longo clearly made a leap forward in competitiveness during the covid years, the question is whether that can result in a first ever ATM race victory.

We will be following the race via our usual channels this Sunday.

David Longo was a strong 2nd in Dark 45 three weeks ago, can he score his first ATM race win this Sunday?