Over the past few weeks a lot of social media posts have been going back and forth, it is a sign of the times. Long-term commitments are unfortunately difficult for many people nowadays, especially in the event industry , as the world keeps struggling with the covid 19 pandemic and all the restrictions and mitigation measures this entails. The (very) good news, however, is that ‘real’ events are no longer a nostalgic memory from the recent past, but again something to look forward to in the coming weeks and months!

Later than usual, but also we are happy to announce that the 7th edition of the Asia Trail Master Championship series is a definite go, with the first four events of our ‘intended’ race calendar last December now all confirmed to take place. Four races in four countries in March, within the frame of three weekends! A great way to initiate the new season, and it’s Ultra Trail Koh Chang (UTKC) in southern Thailand that has the honour of opening the runners’ points accounts for the ATM Championship and the Grandmaster Quest. The regulations for the Championship have been changed somewhat in the light of the ongoing covid situation, and the main objective for runners is now to get ranked in the top 5 of their country and join its national team, in order to enter the ATM Championship Final mid-December. Grandmaster Quest challengers still need to register their intention via this online form, but can relax as all pre-pandemic points remain valid (as long as the runner registered for the GM Quest via aforementioned form).

UTKC has become a classic event on the ATM calendar and has witnessed the emergence of great trail talent over the years, and indeed some superb head-to-head battles between protagonists as well. Two years ago, UTKC was the last truly international ATM points race before the world shut down. In 2022, it is a great season’s opener. As always here, runners score points on both the 100k and 70k race distances.

One weekend later we have a doubleheader with Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon (BUTM) in Sabah, Malaysia and the 2nd edition of EcoTrail AlUla, a pioneering trail event in Saudi Arabia. BUTM is often referred to as the little sister of Borneo TMBT Ultra, and the organisation is managed by the same team, but it’s an awesome and tough race in itself. BUTM participants can also score points on both the 100km and 50km race distance categories. In AlUla, the focus is exclusively on the 80km race. This is a pure desert race, and mostly runable except when runners climb and go through two rocky canyon sections. Definitely an outlier in terms of running terrain, but highly recommended for those looking to have a different kind of trail experience.

The last weekend of March then sees the return of Dalat Ultra Trail in Vietnam. The event features a 70k race that was one of the best races of the 2019 ATM season. What’s more, it takes place in the pine forests nearby a great tourist city so it makes for an ideal family outing.

After these four events, there may be a bit of a breather in terms of the ATM Championship, as the next event, Korea 50K is yet to be confirmed. South Korea is still struggling to come to terms with the pandemic inside its borders. What was confirmed earlier this week ,however, is that Bali Trail Running Challenge is joining our Championship calendar on 15 May! In addition, Echigo Country Trail in Japan is on for 19 June. From that point onwards, it will become very busy, as the majority of the year’s points races are being scheduled in the second semester and culminating in the ATM Final on 17/18 December.

Throughout the season, we will of course also pay attention to our Candidate Races. Events that are keen to join the Championship calendar next year or in the near future. The first one of those is highly likely to take place near Manila in the Philippines at the end of April. Stay tuned for more on this one!

BUTM is new in the ATM Championship this year. The Sabahan community is looking forward!

Paul Dunn and Fredelyn Alberto: winners of the 100k race at UTKC 2020, just before the global pandemic struck

We are happy to have received good news from Vietnam: the popular Dalat Ultra Trail is back on the schedule in 2022, and will even take place quite soon on the last weekend of March. After the tragic flash flood edition during the rainy season in 2020, the event is thus moved forward again to its usual March slot, at the end of the dry season. ATM Championship contenders and Grandmaster Quest challengers need to focus on the 70 km race.

The 2019 edition of the event was an absolute highlight of that year’s Asia Trail Master series with excellent weather and a beautiful varied course encouraging runners to give the best of themselves. After local hero Quan Tran faded dramatically in the latter part of the race, Hisashi Kitamura looked like he was going to collect what would have been his first ever ATM race victory. However, John Ellis dug as deep he could and still caught up with the Karate Kit and dropped in the final few kilometres to grab what turned out to be very relevant victory in the context of winning the ATM Championship later in the year.

The women’s race was equally interesting as two former ATM Champions went head-to-head for the first… and till today also the last time. Malaysia’s Tahira Najmunisaa, our 2016 champion and until then unbeaten in ATM races, returned to the trails after a stressful period of her life, and put the hammer down from the get-go. But Hong Kong-based Kim Matthews, who succeeded Tahira as champion in 2017 before suffering a nasty hip injury, had a bit more endurance training in the legs and took the lead just over halfway the 70k race. Time flies, it has been three years since both great and inspiring women scored headlines on the ATM scene. Let’s hope that we can welcome both of them back this coming season.

Meanwhile, several local Vietnamese runners have been gaining experience and improving their overall trail running performance. Whereas in 2019, the top 20 of the men’s race was almost entirely foreign, this year we could expect local heroes to contest the podium places even if strong runners from other nationalities make the trip to Dalat. The authorities in Vietnam have announced the country will open the borders on 15 March, and do away with quarantine mandates and nearly all covid-related restrictions. While awaiting the precise regulations to come out, it does sound like the 2022 Dalat Ultra Trail will be the first Vietnamese race in two years that is not limited to domestic runners-only.

DLUT is characterised by quite a runable but hilly course that traverses pine forests. The race takes place just outside the city of Dalat, which is one the big tourist attractions in southern Vietnam. It’s essentially sitting on a hill plateau at approx 1500m above sea level, which implies temperatures are nowhere near as hot as in the coastal cities. In fact, it can be cold in the early morning and at night. Ideal for the majority of runners. As the city itself is also the event base, accommodation is easy to find and non-running friends and family members can spend an enjoyable weekend sightseeing as you compete in the race.

Registration is open and can be done online via the link to the official website below.

Typical view of Dalat Ultra Trail: runners in pine forest

With hindsight John Ellis took an important step towards his 2019 ATM crown in Dalat by catching and passing Hisashi Kitamura a few kilometres before the finish

Fantastic women’s podium in 2019: 2017 ATM Champion Kim Matthews edges 2016 Champ Tahira Najmunisaa and 2019 vice-champion Christine Loh took third place.

Less than three months ago, the BTR Challenge in Bali was one of the first real events that got organised in South East Asia after the long covid-related break. As a Candidate Race, the organisers of Bali Trail Running proved their skills and professionalism with a short, but solid and covid-safe experience that lay the foundation for more racing plans in 2022. To begin, the November 30k race has been moved forward to 15 May and has been accepted as a points race that counts for the Asia Trail Master Championship!

30 kilometres is obviously not the longest race in ATM’s history, but fans may remember the Japanese event Kushigata Wind Run from our early days. That one hardly reached 30 clicks, but just like the BTR Challenge had enough elevation and technical sections to test everyone’s mettle. The BTR Challenge is all about famous volcano Gunung Batur in the northeast of Bali. The course has 1230 hm and the cut-off time at the finish is six hours and thirty minutes.

Registration is already open and you need to be quick as spots are limited, still due to covid mitigation efforts. Please note that only the 30k provides ATM Championship points, not the 15k that is also on the event programme. Circumstances keep changing, but at present Bali and Indonesia are also making efforts to reduce the level of restrictions imposed on foreign tourists and visitors. Today people who have had a booster shot against covid are required to isolate for 3 days upon arrival in Bali.

Thimo Kilberth and Emma Payne, both residents in Bali, won the inaugural edition in an exciting competition of which you can watch the highlights again here below.

Thimo Kilberth in the descent of Batur and on the way to winning the inaugural edition last November. (Photo credit: darmasusila.dek_piyo)

We are very happy to share the news that Echigo Country Trail is also returning from a two-year- covid hiatus and has been scheduled for Sunday, 19 June. Taking place in Niigata, Japan, Echigo is a classic on the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar, having been part of our series since the beginning. It is a cliche’, but this event is more than just a trail run if you don’t live in Japan. It is a great fun weekend experience and runners are welcomed with incredible enthusiasm by the local communities along the race course.

The 2022 edition does have a few changes compared to three years ago. First of all, the race course has been extended from 52 km to 63 km. A notable difference, as we are talking more than one hour more exercise for the majority of participants. Elevation gain is 2350 hm, which shows this is not a flat speed race at all. The terrain varies between lush hilly forest - including some steep sections - and open (rice) fields.

Gateway to the event is the town of Nagaoka, which is connected to Tokyo by the Shinkansen fast train. Estimate time to reach Nagaoka is 2, 5 hours. However, the Niigata Prefecture also has an airport with domestic connections, and even a few international flights.

The 63 km race offers ATM Championship points as usual.

The 2019 edition saw victories of Kazufume Ose in the men’s and Naoko Iida in the women’s.

We are delighted to announce the signing of Malnad Ultra as the first Asia Trail Master Championship points race in India. The 6th edition of this event, one of the country’s biggest trail events -if not the biggest -, is scheduled for the last weekend of November on the 26th and 27th. Taking place in the Western Ghats region of southern India, the routes on offer will be 100 km, 50 km and 30 km, whereby the two longest categories offer ATM Championship points. The programme therefore offers options for all types of trail runners.

The origin of the name Malnad is attributed to Male meaning Hill and Nadu meaning Land. So, Malnad is the land of the hills. The organisation is in the capable hands of the Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM), and further driven by a large team of enthusiastic volunteers. The races are challenging and across various types of terrain with accumulated elevation gain of approx 4500 hm for the 100 km and 2500 hm for the 50 km. The courses take runners through the Mudigere area in the State of Karnataka, which has Bengaluru (previously known as Bengalore) as its capital. That big city is also the international gateway to the event. From there, busses will take runners to the Robusta Valley Inn, where the event centre is located. Accommodation is plentiful in the area and catering to all budget levels. Detailed information about travel, accommodation and touristic options are available on the official website of Malnad Ultra (see button link below).

Two events in Vietnam on our ATM race calendar have just announced their weekend dates for 2022. In fact, it will be back-to-back weekends in September with the oldest and classic Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM) scheduled for 9 to 11 September, and the Mu Cang Chai Trail Ultra (MCC) one week later on 17 September. It’s a combo that may appeal to trail runners who can spend a week in the northern part of the country.

The Vietnam Mountain Marathon will once again a wide range of race categories. Important for runners aiming to qualify for Team Vietnam and the ATM Championship Final: it’s the 100 miles and the 100 km races that matter. There’s also a 70k category, which is of course valid to notch up a point for the individual Grandmaster Quest challenge, but not for Championship points.

While VMM may thus attract the long ultra runners, Mu Cang Chai in Yen Bai province may cater for runners who prefer to be speedy over the medium distance, in this case 50 km. MCC will be a points race for the first time after a Candidate race stint in 2020, at a time events were cancelled in most other countries in Asia.

Registration will open in due course. The first event in Vietnam on our ATM calendar is Dalat Ultra Trail in the southwest of the country at the very end of March. More details on that popular event are coming soon after the Tet Festival (Vietnamese New Year).

VMM offers 100 miles and 100 km as the points races for the ATM Championship contenders

MCC is the event for the lovers of faster and shorter races: 50 km of action-packed running guaranteed