Trail runners in Asia can look forward to a brand new series of races taking place on the Asian continent as of 2015. The Asia Trail Master series features an annual championship based on a transparent and easy-to-follow points system, but puts emphasis on all participants via special achievement awards for persistent long distance finishers.
The new series is a creation by Hong Kong-based Kuai Sports Promotions and currently lists 8 races in 6 Asian countries, beginning with 'The Wild Elephant Trail' in Sri Lanka in early March 2015. Other countries with events on the current schedule are China, Philippines, Japan, Cambodia and even Bhutan. The calendar for the inaugural edition of the Asia Trail Master series next year is not yet complete, as negotiations with a handful of other race organisers are still ongoing.
"We are very excited to launch this new initiative for the ever-growing trail running community in Asia," says Kris Van de Velde, managing director of Kuai Sports Promotions. "The boom of the sport is a result of people's modern urban lifestyles, in combination with an increased desire to live healthily and in proximity to nature. Advocating a healthy lifestyle and respect for the environment are two important pillars of the Asia Trail Master series. A third one is connecting people from various countries and cultures and bringing them together to enjoy some great sporting experiences. Finally, we aim to actively assist organisers in promoting their events, and give runners the opportunity to take part in quality races across the Asian continent and provide a reward for their efforts as well."
Runners score points in each ATMs event that they finish and in so doing receive a place in the ATMs Ranking, which will be updated immediately after every race on the series' calendar. Points come two-fold: distance points reflect the number of kilometres run (so 100km = 100 points) and performance points reflect the ranking a runner obtained in the official result of a race, and follow a well-defined points distribution table published on the ATMs website. The annual Asia Trail Master champions, men and women, are those runners who scored most points during the year, taking into account each runners' best three results. Along with the title, cash and sponsored product prices will be their rewards.
Furthermore, all participants in ATMs races can aim to obtain the honourable title of Asia Trail Grandmaster. To become a Grandmaster you need to finish six long distance races within two calendar years. As a token of achievement, Grandmasters will receive a unique and specially designed badge shield that can over time be topped up further from 1 star (6 race finishes in 2 years) to 4 stars (20 career race finishes).
All details on the new Asia Trail Master series can be found on the official website www.asiatrailmaster.com . Runners and event organisers who wish to join the series are also welcome to send an email to kris@kuaisports.com and/or connect to several social media networks.
