A unique trail race starting in Chiang Mai and reaching the top of Chiang Dao. Asia has another landmark Ultra Trail on the race calendar, and indeed also on the Asia Trail Master series calendar. The new event in the popular tourist region of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand will be organised from 4 to 6 December and features  a "single day" 150km race as main event, but those who prefer to take it  just a bit easier can also opt for the three-day stage race over the same total distance. As all main ultras, UTCM will be semi-self-sufficient with a few stops in mountain villages.

Ultra Thai Chiang Mai is organised by experienced French runner Sebastien Bertrand, and is part of a bigger project called Thailand Mountain Trail (TMT), which investigates and marks mountain trails in Northern Thailand. Its aim is to revive the old paths previously used by hill tribes that are now disappearing. Working together with local tribes, respecting nature and areas, and promoting sport and outdoor activities are TMT’s core objectives.

The organiser is leaving nothing to chance and last November invited 20 runners from Europe and Asia for a test run of the UTCM course. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, so a new classic end-of-the-year ultra is in the making. For UTCM to see the light took a year’s research among the hill tribes, hundreds of kilometres covered on foot, walking or running, and a massive amount of work clearing and marking the paths. The course is therefore predominantly as natural as can be, with ethnic hilltribe paths leading up the highest peak in the country at over 2000m altitude.

Note that the prefix "ultra" is well-deserved, as there's 8800 metres of elevation gain along the 150km route, which also crosses five mountain peaks. The single day runners are required to complete the distance within 45 hours. 

The official registration for the event opens on 15 April via the event website. In the context of the Asia Trail Master series, this is a big event to boost your points tally at the end of the year. 

You can also stay up to date with key event facts via our cover page. 

The first ever edition of the Asia Trail Master series has begun in style with two equally brand new races, Ultra Trail Hong Kong and the Wild Elephant Trail, the first two of already 20 confirmed events on the race calendar. We are indeed very grateful to have received the support and encouragement of plenty an organiser and sponsor, and we are looking forward to a fruitful cooperation in a fantastic debut year! 

In order to focus on the tasks at hand and to ensure quality service to all our stakeholders, the operational and strategy teams behind the ATMs have decided to impose a deadline for further applications for the 2015 ATMs race calendar. Event organisers keen on joining this year's Asia Trail Master series are kindly requested to approach us and submit a written application to kris@kuaisports.com by 31 March 2015. As of 1 April, we will only accept applications with a view to next year's 2016 race calendar. 

As a reminder, please find below the key eligibility conditions for event organisers to join our Asia Trail Master series: 

• Race participation open to everybody men & women of any nationality above the age of 18
• The main race course distance equals or exceeds the standard marathon distance of 42, 195km
• The race course must be at least 75% offroad.
• Appropriate registration and electronic time-keeping system (ideally ATMs customised system)
• Appropriate event safety and insurance policy standard
• Willingness to assist in promotion of the Asia Trail Master series and of other ATMs events on the year's calendar

In addition, it should be noted that we allow only a maximum of five races per country on a given year's race calendar. For 2015, this implies that there's only one more spot left for China and for Indonesia, as both countries already host four races. By the same token, if you wish to ensure you are one of five  in 2016, please do not hesitate and contact us sooner rather than later to open the discussion. 

We are also happy to hear from any brands interested in marketing and promoting their product(s) via the Asia Trail Master series. Any kind of packages can be set up, tailor-made to a brand's specific needs.

Finally, the inaugural Asia Trail Master series and the 2015 'championship' are set to conclude mid-December with another brand new single day trail race in a new country. This one will be special, so stay tuned for more news coming up in early April! Following the last race of the year, the 2015 men's and women's Asia Trail Master champions, or short the 2015 Asia Trail Masters, will subsequently be crowned and celebrated. 

We wish everyone a lot of fun and successful challenges on the beautiful trails of Asia! 

As the Wild Elephant Trail concluded last weekend in Sri Lanka with two French winners, Stephan Vernay and Véronique Messina, the Asia Trail Master ranking has now been updated with points earned by participants in the aforementioned stage race. Obviously, Vernay and Messina join the UTHK winners at the top of the ranking. The Hong Kong winners remain in position 1, however, as they scored their 575 points in a one-day race, which is slightly higher evaluated than a stage race (see points guidelines). 

Asia Trail Master - ranking 15 March 2015

The bulk of points-scoring races in this inaugural edition of the Asia Trail Master series takes place in the second half of the year, but a great quartet of events is coming up as of April:

• Tsaigu Tangsi Plus, China
• Dalian 100 Endurance Trail, China
• Gede Pangrango Marathon, Indonesia
• Tengri Ultra Trail, Kazakhstan

You can still sign up for Tsaigu Tangsi Plus and for Tengri Ultra Trail via our website. Also for Gede Pangrango, but note that the event is nearly fully booked. Dalian 100 is already sold out for a while. 

We are happy to announce our latest entry onto this year's Asia Trail Master calendar: the Tengri Ultra Trail near Almaty in Kazakhstan. The 50km and 25km long races take place in a truly magnificent setting called Tamgaly Tas in a valley of the river Ili. As the experienced local organisers write on their website: Tengri Ultra Trail is a race for people who love freedom and vast expanses of land, run up hills all along green fields, dodge through rocky canyons, and breathe pure prairie air.

The event takes place on 10 May, but participants are required to check in at the remote starting venue, approx 100km from Almaty City, already on Saturday the 9th from 15:00 onwards. Out there in Tamgaly Tas runners are sleeping in tents for the night, increasing the outdoor adventure appeal of the event. 

Leisure sports is developing in Kazakhstan, also in the context of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games bid by Almaty City (for which Beijing is the only competitor left). Kazakhstan remains relatively unknown but the large country has plenty to offer for the outdoor enthusiast. The Tengri Ultra Trail race is open to everybody, but participants need to be aware of the cut-off times. Participants who run the 50km course should reach the finish within 10 hours, whereas those doing 25km have 6 hours of time to complete the course. Finishers on both race distances will score points for the Asia Trail Master ranking. 

You can sign up easily for the Tengri Ultra Trail via our website. Your place is confirmed as soon as we receive payment of the race fee (USD 50 or USD 35). Busses can be arranged between Almaty and the race venue. Please indicate in the online form if you require a bus seat. We recommend you to bring your own camping gear for the Saturday night, although tents and sleeping bags can be requested on a first-come-first-serve basis. 

Please note that most nationalities require a visa to enter Kazakhstan. However, some countries' citizens do not (e.g. Hong Kong, Russia, South Korea,...). In addition, there is an on-going 'no visa' pilot programme that includes citizens of Malaysia, Japan, plenty of western EU countries and the USA. To find a quick overview of these countries, please check wikipedia. Obviously, please doublecheck your visa requirements for Kazakhstan in your country of residence. 

Almaty is the international air gateway to the Tengri Ultra Trail and worth of a few days of extra stay. 

Our staff at Kuai Sports Promotions is happy to answer any questions on this new event on the Asia Trail Master circuit. 

We are happy to announce the latest entry on the race calendar of the inaugural Asia Trail Master series. On 11 April, trail runners are expected in Central China's Zhejiang Province for the Tsaigu Tangsi Plus, a hilly race over 58km (ITRA-certified) in a popular domestic tourism area with start in Linhai.

Race Organiser Yu Cai is an experienced trail runner himself and is keen to develop his race further, and present the Taizhou region - in which Linhai is located - to the international running community via the Asia Trail Master series. 

Tsaigu Tangsi Plus has an interesting course profile with start near sea level and a highest mountain peak of approx. 1350 metres before descending all the way down to the finish line. For sure, this will foster some tactical gameplay among the fastest runners in the field, some of which may be better going up than going down and vice versa. In total, the course has 3850 metres of elevation gain. Less ambitious runners can also opt for the shorter 28km B-race distance.

Together with Dalian (18 April) and Dali (31 October), Tsaigu Tangsi is the third mainland China race on the calendar. It boosts the chances of Chinese top runners to get a high score in the ATMs ranking at the end of the year, for which each runner's best three race results count. 

Linhai is a city roughly 2 hours away from main international gateway Ningbo, and well-connected with the latter via high-speed train and busses. It is also possible to fly into Hangzhou, which is just a bit farther away. Please check our event cover page with some logistical details, and register conveniently for the race via the Asia Trail Master series online form. 

Only one week after Ultra Trail Hong Kong, the Asia Trail Master series continue with another inaugural event: the Wild Elephant Trail” from 6-14 March 2015 in Sri Lanka.  A country that, moreover, is quite new to the sport of trail running.

As the official press release by organiser Global Limits reads: 52 runners from 23 countries from all continents in the world, including top Sri Lankan marathon runner Sanath Bandara, will compete in the stage race.  The Asia Trail Master series team is happy to promote this new event, and assist in the development of running opportunities for athletes in Sri Lanka. 

The course is expected to be quite adventurous and technical in parts, but filled with cultural landmarks as well.  The press release continues: the 210km, 6 stages race begins at the rock fortress of Yapahuwa, the short-lived capital of medieval Sri Lanka.  The runners will then head to Sasseruwa, the giant Buddha in “Freedom from Fear” pose, the picturesque Ritigala Mountains, and the Kandalama Lake.  The finishing line is set at the top of the World Heritage Site, the Sigiriya, ”The Lion Rock”.  In between the stages, the runners will stay at local pilgrim halls, campsites, and local village houses.  

Finishers of the stage race will collect a significant haul of Asia Trail Master points, and by coincidence the distance points - 175 - are the same as for last weekend's single-stage UTHK race. The rule for stage races namely says that 175 is the maximum number of distance points that can be won, which aims to avoid all-too-easy gains. 

Progress of the stage race can be checked via the GlobalLimits website, but also here and on the Asia Trail Master series facebook, twitter and instagram sites. 

Following last weekend's Ultra Trail Hong Kong, the first Asia Trail Master ranking has now been released based on the results of the 175km and 92km races. As Alex Fan, Lau Hoi Fai, Wong Tze Wan and Chung Pak Hang have all four been confirmed as winners in the men's longest distance race at UTHK, they are also granted the same number of performance points. In the women's Yuen Kit Shan leads.

The Asia Trail Master ranking is a points-based ranking, adding up runner's distance points and performance points for each race on the Asia Trail Master calendar. At the end of the year, each runner's best three points results will count for the championship ranking. The champions in the men's and women's overall categories will win a cash prize of USD 1,000 as well as a number of quality sponsor items. To find out more details on the points system, please read here. 

Following the particular  conclusion of the UTHK men's race, it was decided - as reported yesterday - to add a new line in the points regulation to prevent tactical manoevres by runners competing for the championship later in the year. If runners cross the finish line of a race in what can be called brotherly fashion, performance points for each runner will be attributed according to their respective ranking at the last timing checkpoint before the finish of that race.  

The next race where points will be scored is the Wild Elephant Trail in Sri Lanka next week. 

Dominant winner of the 92 km race: Lam Chi Yung (HKG)

The first edition of the 175 km long Ultra Trail Hong Kong tool place last weekend in the New Territories and turned out to be much harder than most runners expected. As could be seen on our live coverage page, only 37 runners finished within the 50-hour deadline, with a buffer granted to three more runners to get a place in the official race result - which is also the basis for the distribution of performance points for the Asia Trail Master ranking. 

The first race of the ATMs began in cloudy but generally great running conditions on Friday early afternoon. Runners from China took off very fast, but then would miss a couple of signs when darkness fell. This opened the way for a number of local runners to grab the top spots at checkpoints. Eventually, four of them, Alex Fan, Lau Hoi Fai, Wong Tze Wan and Chun Pak Hang, would reach the finish together in a time of 39:31:26. Rather than sprinting against each other, they crossed the line in brotherly fashion.

In terms of Asia Trail Master points, this will put the quartet also at the top of the first ranking with 575 points each. The ATMs ranking committee has decided not to distinguish between them, but to avoid controversial situations in the future, it has also added a detail in the points regulations: if runners cross the finish line together, the ranking at the last checkpoint before the race finish will be consulted to determine who scores the most performance points. 

Two women mastered the 175 km course last weekend, with Yuen Kit Shan even scoring tenth overall in 43:45:51! Behind her in second was Kathy Yu  Hiu Kit, and Tan Seow Ping was the last timed finisher in third in 51:04. 

There was also a B-race at UTHK, but not exactly short neither at a length of 92 km. One man dominated that race, Lam Chi Yung in 15:58. He scores 92 distance points and 200 performance points for a total of 292. Eagle Lee Kin Wai and Lino Lopes grabbed the remaining steps on the podium, aided by a last-minute retirement of Neil Fraser, who got lost with a mere 6km to go. Suzanne Liu was the fastest woman in 21:29, with Poon Yuk Pui not far behind in second and Kennis Chueng Ping Ting in third. 

The next race where points for the ATMs ranking can be collected is next week's Wild Elephant Trail in Sri Lanka (event sold out), before the series moves to China for a couple of races in April.