After the inaugural ATM 500 Virtual Run in June, which did not focus on any elevation gain to be done, mountain lovers can now look ahead to a serious virtual mountain run challenge. ‘Champion the Mountain’ will take place between 15 and 24 August in teams of four runners and it’s all about accumulating elevation gain!

Set up by Asia Trail Girls, the recently launched initiative by our 2019 ATM Champion Veronika Vadovicova, and Sportlicious Malaysia, the virtual event requires the teams to gain as many vertical metres as possible. Despite what some people may have thought, this is not a female-only event. The challenge is open to both genders evenly, meaning in each team of four should be at least two women.

Run at home up your stairs, run up a car park, run outdoors on an uphill road, run in the trails, up the mountain, run on a treadmill or at any place convenient to you. Each member of the team should achieve 2500 hm or metres of elevation gain within the event timeframe of ten days. The top 3 after ten days will be awarded by Sportlicious Malaysia and score prizes.

Visit the Asia Trail Girls official website for more details on race procedures, the terms and registration that will begin this Saturday on 1 August : https://www.asiatrailgirls.com/challenge .

Introducing the new HOKA Clifton 7. Building on the Clifton’s best-loved qualities, the “7” continues to deliver the perfect combination of soft and light. Crafted with the same midsole and ride characteristics, the Clifton 7 features a streamlined silhouette and updated upper made from engineered mesh. Outfitted with a plush collar that eases Achilles pressure, this daily runner is equipped with an intuitive pull tab at the heel for easy on-and-off.

The Clifton 7 is now available to purchase at your local retailer.

#Timetofly

It’s only been a good three months since the praised release of Uglow’s 2020 Capsule One collection, and here’s Capsule Two already! Building further on the core 2020 colours and designs, C-2 is especially made for hot summer weather, with its tank tops and an “open back” for female runners.

As the Uglow press release reads:

“THE C-2 COLLECTION IS A REPRESENTATION OF OUR BEST SELLERS AND BEST PERFORMERS IN WARMER CLIMATES. ROMAIN JEAN DE DIEU (CEO AND FOUNDER) COLLABORATED WITH HIS TALENTED SISTER, ELSA JEAN DE DIEU, TO DESIGN THE COLLECTION. THE PLACEMENT OF THE INK DRIP PATTERN VISIBLE ON THE SPEED FREE AERO 5 SHORTS IS COMPLETELY UNIQUE. NO TWO PAIRS OF SHORTS WILL BE THE SAME. THE RESULT IS UNIQUE IN DESIGN AND PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF PERFORMANCE. LIGHTWEIGHT, BREATHABLE, FUNCTIONAL AND 100% STITCH-FREE.”

Despite the cancellation of most running events in the world since March, the Uglow Team has clearly not been sitting in a corner crying. Capsule 2 radiates optimism and joy. As we read in the lookbook: “This is the time to embrace exploration and take the pressure of performance away. […] A feeling of opportunity.”

The new C-2 collection and its vibrant colours certainly create positive vibes!

We kindly invite all runners to join our new Strava Club, appropriately named ‘Club ATM’. Strava is the world’s most popular sports social media platform on which people can post their workout details and track those of others, mainly using GPS data. Already ten years ago Strava became very popular in cycling communities, but in recent years also runners have embraced the app and website around the globe. In these months of event postponements and cancellations, we thought it a good idea to finally launch our own Club on the network. Strava motivates many people to keep up the training activities by seeing what others are doing on a weekly basis. There’s a lot of features that go into tiny details should you wish so.

In the weeks to come we will be posting a number of exciting things on the Club ATM strava page, so join now not to miss out on anything.

Stay tuned !

Back to School is the title of the next episode of our video talk show Tale of the Trail, which airs tonight in Asia at 19:00 Hong Kong/Singapore time. In this slightly longer edition before the ‘summer break’, we talk about the ill-fated Dalat Ultra Trail with Trung Nguyen and Masafumi Yamamoto, who are both in Vietnam and took part in the event. Furthermore, we highlight Grandmaster Robert Butcher, who reveals the reason for his uncharacteristic DNFs in the races before covid 19 struck, and how ATM 500 and Amy Khor motivated him to put the running shoes back on. Amy also brings on Bernabe Sanchez in the “Singapore Connection” part. Bernabe finished the ATM 500 …. twice … in two different teams. And that is not even all he did in the past two months! Looking ahead event-wise, we talk to Seow Kong Ng following last week’s announcement that Ultimate Trails of Penang - scheduled for 10/11 October - remains on the schedule. Last but not least, we find out how 2018 Asia Trail Master Champion Ruth Theresia is doing in Indonesia, after her nasty fall on training in early May.

The Tale of the Trail will be published as usual on our facebook page, YouTube channel and here on the website, too.

Today we received the official announcement of the cancellation of the 2020 edition of The Great Malaya Trail in Malaysia, scheduled for 26/27 September. The 50K race on the programme of the event was an ATM Championship points race.

Apparently, it is felt by local authorities in Selangor that the event date comes too soon for a safe and secure happening.

The 2021 edition will take place around the same time.

While last week, also TNF 100 Malaysia threw in the towel, two other Malaysian events have announced they are confident on keeping their event on as planned: the Ultimate Trails of Penang on 10/11 October and the Jagoi Heritage Run in Sarawak, Borneo, a week earlier.

Introducing the brand new Clifton Edge from HOKA available now to buy in stores. The Clifton Edge is designed to make you feel like you can run forever. With a combination of responsive cushion and their softest, lightest foam yet, it features a snappy ride and unique heel geometry designed to provide a smooth impact and gliding sensation. Clifton Edge is a culmination of all of HOKA’s innovation to date. Step into the future.

FEATURES

• Embossed TPU yarn delivers a premium finish with targeted support in the forefoot and eyerow

• Padded collar delivers enhanced comfort at the ankle

• New vertical pull tab for easy entry

• Early-stage Meta-Rocker allows for a responsive ride

• New high-resiliency foam offers a lightweight, springy take on signature HOKA cushioning and ride

• Extended heel creates a softer landing and smoother transition from heel to toe

• Rubberized EVA outsole delivers lightweight, wraparound midsole support with a snappy feel