We are happy to announce that Vietnam Trail Marathon in Moc Chau will for the first time be a points race event in the new season of the Asia Trail Master Championship. The sister event of VMM is scheduled for 20 January 2024. Runners aiming for championship and Grandmaster points need to focus and sign up for the 70 km race category.

Vietnam Trail Marathon follows VMM and VJM as the third offering by the Topas Team, and is a wonderful early season event characterised by a not-too-difficult and colourful course thanks to the many orchards with white and pink blossoms. This 70k ultra has everything that Moc Chau has to offer. As usual, participants will go through some remote areas and enjoy a warm welcome by the villagers. The course covers a huge variety of trails and landscapes, taking runners to wild areas rarely visited by anyone but locals. Total elevation gain is estimated at 3000 hm.

Registration is already open, click on the button below.

Moc Chau is also located in the north of the country. The international gateway is Hanoi , from where there’s shuttle busses to the event venue. Travel packages including accommodation are also available as usual. The official website has details. Please also make sure you read the mandatory gear list for the 70k race.

Vietnam Trail Marathon 70 will be the first of two Vietnamese points races in the first semester of 2024. The second one will be Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths in April.

One of this season’s successful newcomers on the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar has already opened registration for next year’s edition. Deep Japan Ultra in Niigata will take place from 21 to 23 June and again feature two points races: 100 miles and 80km. As 2023 proved, Deep Japan Ultra is an event to be taken seriously!

Hiroaki Matsunaga is a very experienced and competitive trail runner in Japan, who on top is very familiar with the international running scene. Almost ten years ago now, he created Echigo Country Trail, but since the corona crisis he focuses his efforts on his new brainchild, Deep Japan Ultra. The event takes place in his native Niigata Prefecture, roughly 2-3 hours by shinkansen northwest of Tokyo. There’s also a few international flights to Niigata city. Visitors not familiar with Japan will experience the real countryside, which often remains unexplored. The host venue is the Mount Asakusa Park. Participants should be prepared for technical mountain trails, which at higher altitudes may still be covered in snow. Especially if you sign up for the 100 miles, do not come unprepared and unfocused. This is not a race to ‘try out’ 100 miles for the first time. The 80 km category has plenty of spice and technicality as well.

Register as soon as you can, because spots are limited. Give yourself time to plan the event, including accommodation and travel, and get yourself ready for a wonderful trail experience next June!

A little later than usual due to very heavy workload over the past few weeks, here is the Tale of the Trail video of La Sportiva Penang Eco from just over a month ago in Malaysia. The 100 miles and 100 km races were points races for the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking. Wilsen Singgin and Sally Yap won the miler, Alex Tilley and Siet Fah Lim were fastest on the century run.

Penang Eco has been part of our series since 2015. Since last year, the event alternates with Ultimate Trails of Penang, aka UTOP, as a points race event for the championship ranking and Grandmaster Quest. Both events are organised by the same team of Endurance Nature with Seow Kong Ng at the helm. Incidentally, this weekend is Ultimate Trails of Penang on its traditional weekend on the second weekend of October.

We are happy to present the preliminary event calendar of the next Asia Trail Master Championship season until the end of the first semester in 2024. The big change compared to the past is the fact that the ATM Championship Final is scheduled to be brought foward significantly and take place in Q3 - the third quarter of 2024. As a consequence, the next - ninth - season - Season IX - will begin immediately after the conclusion of this year’s championship early December.

Izu Trail Journey in Japan and the Mount Apo Sky Race in Philippines will both open the new season on the weekend of 9/10 December. - one week after the ATM Championship Final in Central Java, Indonesia - the Siksorogo Lawu Ultra.

15 points race weekends until the end of June are on the programme so far. That is in line with our standard target of 30 weekends per year. Please note that several standard entries, e.g. in Thailand and South Korea, have not yet been added to the calendar as no formal communication on 2024 dates have as yet been communicated to us. Interesting to point out is the entry in January of the Vietnam Trail Marathon, organised by the same team as VMM, and the return of The 9 Dragons Ultra in Hong Kong in mid-February. In Malaysia, we are scheduled to have a points race for the very first time in Sarawak, celebrating the recent surge in popularity of the sport over there as well as the excellent performances of athletes such as Sally Yap, Siet Fah Lim and Celeste Teo. Laos is poised to have one more event on the calendar alongside the V Trail. Bolaven Trail was a Candidate Race just before the covid pandemic and is now set to return. We are also happy to see Brunei coming back to the ATM Championship calendar for the first time since the now defunct Beach Bunch Trail Challenge in 2018. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more additions and news regarding the Season IX calendar.

The 2024 ATM Championship Final will be announced at a later stage. Discussions are taking place with two event organisers in two different countries.

Preliminary event calendar Q1 & Q2 ATM Championship series, season IX

• 9/10 Dec 2023 - Philippines - Mindanao - Mount Apo Sky Race: 100 km

• 9/10 Dec 2023 - Japan - Izu Pensinsula - Izu Trail Journey: 70 km

• 20/21 Jan 2024 - Vietnam - Moc Chau - Vietnam Trail Marathon: 70km

• 3/4 Feb 2024 - Laos - Vang Vieng - V Trail: 85km & 50km

• 10/11 Feb 2024 - Philippines - Luzon - Bagtit Ultra: 100 km

• 16/17 Feb 2024 - Hong Kong - New Territories - The 9 Dragons Ultra: 50/50 & 50km

• 2/3 Mar 2024 - Malaysia - Sabah - BUTM: 100km & 50km

• 16/17 Mar 2024 - Philippines - Luzon - Sierra Madre Trail Ultra: 75km

• 16/17 Mar 2024 - Hong Kong - Lantau - Lantau 70: 70km

• 06/07 Apr 2024 - Vietnam - Ninh Binh - Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths: 100km & 45km

• 04/05 May 2024 - Malaysia - Sarawak - Silabur Cave Trail: 100km & 50km

• 11/12 May 2024 - Indonesia - North Sumatra - Bukit Lawang Orang Utan Trail: 50km

• 25/26 May 2024 - Laos - Pakse - Bolaven Trail

• 8/9 Jun 2024 - Brunei - Simpur Ultra: 50km

• 20 Jun 2024 - Japan - Niigata - Deep Japan Ultra (100 miles & 80km)

ATM Candidate Races

• 30/31 Dec 2023 - Vietnam - Dalat - Prenn Ultra

• 27/28 Jan 2024 - Philippines - Cebu - Danao City Ultra Trail

Please note that this is a prelminary calendar. Events will still be added while others might still change .

One of the newcomers on our Season IX calendar, Vietnam Trail Marathon

Welcome back to the 9 Dragons!

A Candidate this season, a Championship points race next season: Bagtit Ultra replaces Santa Ines

John Ray Onifa is unstoppable in the second half of this season! The Filipino stormed to his fifth ATM race victory of 2023 in Hong Kong’s Dark 45 in a time of 4h41! This follows a hard-fought 50k win over Kristian Joergensen in VMM just a week ago. Second place in Dark 45 - like last year - went to David Longo in 5h20, seven minutes faster than Wai Hung Wong. A performance that confirms the competitive step forward made by Longo last year, Australian but living in Hong Kong for a long time after a university spell in Central Java no less.

Ryan Whelan had to settle for fourth in 5h41, Jose Luis Alvelais was seventh. The latter is already guaranteed of a spot on Team Hong Kong for the ATM Championship Finals in Indonesia on 2 December. Interesting to note was that 2019 ATM Champion John Ellis returned from a long injury break with a 30th place finish - and finishing was the only goal.

The women’s 45 km race was won by Kit Chun Wong in a great 5h54. That was 25 minutes faster than Angie Yan. Hoi Yan Ng completed the female podium. Last week’s great VMM 100 winner Man Yee Cheung was fourth, not yet fully recovered from that tough Vietnamese race.

The second edition of Dark 45 was efficiently set up by The Peak Hunter, a young event management team, with great success. This is definitely an event-to-stay at the start of Hong Kong’s trail running season!

Photos are courtesy of Lam Sport Photos, Hong Kong

Kit Chun Wong was a great female winner , her first on the ATM circuit

Five ATM races in 2023: five wins. The top favourite for this year’s ATM title ? John Ray Onifa!

David Longo does not run a lot of races, but when he does, he is in the mix for podium these months!

Jose Luis Alvelais assured himself of a spot on Team Hong Kong for the ATM Championship Final