Conclusion of 2020/21, Fast Forward to 2022

When over a year ago we decided to merge the 2020 Asia Trail Master Championship series with the 2021 season, to honour runners’ efforts before the covid-19 pandemic went global, we were full of hope that this year would be a return to a ‘kind-of-normal’. Alas, it was not to be.

Throughout 2021 not a single event on our intended 2021 event calendar has been able to take place and country borders have remained as good as shut for leisure travellers on the Asian continent. Fortunately, it is not all gloom and doom anymore as there seems to be some light at the end of this long dark tunnel now, or should we say ‘again’. In a majority of countries the vaccination campaign has led to some success in curbing the spread of covid 19, and a number of borders might reopen soonish. A few trail running event organisers are even bravely persisting to make things happen in the final quarter of 2021 (e.g. Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival, Vietnam Mountain Marathon, High Trail 9 Peaks Ulju in South Korea and Izu Trail Journey in Japan). Nevertheless, these events will only feature domestic runners.

As a result, we feel there is no other way but to officially cancel the 2020/21 ATM Championship and shift the focus entirely towards 2022.

The current points leaders in our ranking, Trung Nguyen (Singapore but now based in Vietnam) and Julia Nguyen Thi Duong (Vietnam), receive an honourary mention in the ATM archive as such.

The ATM Championship ranking for competitive runners will be reset to zero at the start of 2022. Runners who focus on completing the ATM Grandmaster Quest retain their finish results of 2019, 2020 and 2021 due to the special circumstances, but must register their Grandmaster Quest intention via our usual online form in advance of their next race.

What’s next?

First, rest assured that Asia Trail Master aims to continue in 2022. What will the series look like next year? We do not have a crystal ball and formal plans we make today may be entirely outdated or impossible to implement two months from now. The corona crisis is not over yet. However, we remain optimistic and we do have a vision for next year, and that vision will be shared into the public space in the course of October.

Meanwhile, as mentioned above, we will give full support to the few events that still have the intention to proceed in the last months of 2021.

Stay Strong, Stay Ultra. Covid 19 has been a major challenge for all of us. The ATM crew wishes the entire community continuous strength and stamina to combat the crisis. Keep in shape, keep running to protect yourself, both physically and mentally. Soon we will all be able to meet and compete again on our favourite trails. Imagine that upcoming first race. What a joy it will be. No forest too thick, no mountain too high. What a joy it will be!

Trung Nguyen: 2020/21 ATM male points leader

Julia Nguyen Thi Duong: 2020/21 ATM female points leader