As of today, our 2016 Asia Trail Master rankings have been put into a new outfit, which will increase the user experience and the search possibilities for runners, coaches, journalists and anybody else wishing to check the current status of the Asia Trail Master 'championship' this year. The system, designed primarily for mobile platforms, has been developed by our partner Race Timing Solutions (RTS) in Hong Kong, one of the absolute references in Asia for both participant registration and time-keeping services. RTS, amongst many others, does time-keeping for the biggest Hong Kong trail races as well as the territory's half marathon road race and triathlon/duathlon events. It is indeed a privilege to have RTS as a partner of the Asia Trail Master series. 

Via the new ranking interface, you can easily filter the total points  ranking by nationality and age. In addition, by clicking on a runner's points total you can also see in a pop-up window in which races that person scored his or her points. 

Now there is also a search box, in which you can put the name of your favourite runner and see where he or she is placed at this point in time. Finally, you can also download the whole ranking into MS Excel. 

Work continues on the interface. In the near future it will be offered in various languages and will incorporate links to the full results of each race in the ATM series. The ability for ranked runners to edit their ATM personal profiles will also be introduced in due course. 

We are happy to announce that HK 168 will be the second points-scoring race in Hong Kong in the 2016 Asia Trail Master series. Already a traditional ultrarunning event on the local territory's race calendar, the 4th edition of HK 168 will be organised on the weekend of 5/6 November. Three race distances qualify for points: 173km, 93km and 63km. 

Organiser Felix Shun from the company XTE is regularly hosting outdoor and trail running events, and not only in Hong Kong. His flagship event, HK 168, has been maturing over the past few years and is a great addition to the Asia Trail Master series. Centre of the event is the Shing Mun Reservoir in the New Territories, even though the long distance race starts all the way east at Pak Tam Chung. HK 168 overs ome f he ost eautiful cenery n ong ong, ncluding emote illages, ncient orests, ature rails, eservoirs nd teep ills. It is a true ultra endurance race with 8200 metres of elevation gain on the 173km. 

An interesting event for the Grandmaster Quest, as two race distances qualify for 1 point as well. 

Registration for the event is already open via this link. Key details on accommodation options can be found on our event cover page and on the event website. 
 

Map of the two longest race distances at HK 168

Razif Yahya, organiser of the Magnificent Merapoh Trail, describes his event scheduled in and around Taman Negara National Park in peninsular Malaysia on 29-30 July.

Registration is still open for the races over 100km, 60km and 30km. Have a look at our event cover page for all details. 

The Cordillera Mountain Ultra on and around Mt Ugo in the Philippines (Luzon) is scheduled for 5 June. You can still sign up for the 50km race now. The event also highlights the Cordillera Conservation Trust, an environmental NGO that definitely deserves your attention. Get some local coffee while you are at it! 

Doi Calbes, local organiser of the 2nd Mount Apo Sky Race on Mindanao in the Philippines, has been compelled to announce the postponement of his event today. The race on the country's highest mountain was scheduled for 23 April, but wide-ranging forest fires have forced the local authorities to shut off the mountain from public access. It is not yet clear when Mount Apo will be re-opened again. 

Mt Apo Skyrace was set to be the first points-scoring race in the Philippines this year. While there is hope that the event can go ahead later in 2016, trail runners can look forward to a number of other Asia Trail Master races in the Philippines this year, including on Mindanao island. 

Stay tuned for more details. 

Our official Asia Trail Master charity partner Operation Smile will be actively taking part in the upcoming Korea 50k event in Dongducheon City, north of Seoul, on 24 April. Amongst others, Korea's own American TV celebrity Tyler Rasch will be taking part in the event, and even run the short distance race to raise funds for Operation Smile. You can also help young children in need of a life-changing surgery.

As of 31 March, participants and friends alike, will be able to trigger support and invite donations from friends, family, colleagues and anyone else for Operation Smile in the context of the Korea 50k event. In order to do so, a special webpage will be launched for you to use and share, as explained in the flyer above. 

Give your participation in the Korea 50k even more meaning. 

If you need more details about the charity, please click on anyone of the images to go to the Operation Smile international website. Or you go to our cover page: 

Operation Smile

We are excited to announce the Echigo Country Trail as our first Asia Trail Master points-scoring race in Japan! The colourful event, organised by a fervent international trail runner,  is scheduled for 19 June and will therefore be the final race before the summer break. Runners can look forward to a varied course of 52 km long and  just over 2000 metres of elevation gain. The Echigo Country Trail takes place close to Niigata, in Nagaoka, which itself is north of Nagano, a former Olympic Winter Games host city, and all of this is northwest of Tokyo. 

Hiroaki Matsunaga sees a bright future for his event, which technically has its second edition this year, although the 52km course is brand new. "It is very exciting to be part of an international trail running series, and we welcome runners from all nationalities to come and visit this beautiful but little known mountain area, " says Matsunaga. "Meeting with local people, learning about our lifestyle and tasting our local food, your journey to Nagaoka-Niigata will leave everlasting impressions. After 50km or running, you may want to come back here to live!"

In fact, while the race is on Sunday, it will be more than worthwhile to make your way to Nagaoka and the Oguni Forest Park, the start and finish place, on Saturday. Local booths with traditional cuisine and cultural items will be set up, and in the late afternoon there will be an official opening ceremony and welcome party. 

The race course will lead you between Echigo, Oguni and Ojiya countries on authentic local mountain trails.  The race is set to commence at 6 a.m. and the cut off time is 10 hours later. Along the route, there will be no fewer than six aid stations. Accommodation can be booked and arranged in Oguni, Ojiya and Nagaoka, from where there will also be a shuttle bus to the race start at the Oguni Forest Park. International runners will be able to sign up for the event via Asia Trail Master as of Wednesday. By the way, beginning runners or children could also opt for a 15km short distance or a 2,5km Oguni Kid Race!

Check the very original map of the Echigo Country Trail

After the test edition last year, the popular Gribanovka Ski Resort in Russia's Primorsky Krai is organising the first official Mount Falaza Trail Challenge on 16 October. A hilly race through a forested area over 60, 40 or 16km with maximum 2500 metres of elevation gain. It is the first ever Russian event in the Asia Trail Master series and also the most northern one. Prepare for a new exciting trail running and cultural experience!

Primorsky Krai, also known as Primorye, is a province in the far East of Russia, bordering China and North Korea, and having Vladivostok as its administrative centre. Primorsky means maritime and that is no coincidence as the province also borders the Sea of Japan to the east. Participants will enter the region via Vladivostok, which has international connections by air, sea and land. Worth visiting by itself, of course, runners and their partners can explore the city and stay overnight, before hopping onto the event bus at noon on Saturday. Gribanovka and its ski resort is a 175km or 2 hour bus ride away from Vladivostok. Runners will stay at the resort on Saturday night before the race on Sunday morning. All hotel and transport services can be booked when you sign up for the race. 

The race is centred around Mount Falaza (1279m), a mountain located at the southern end of the Sikhote-Alin range, which is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is an area known for its large biodiversity.  In autumn, the forest shows itself in many colours.  The event hosts at the Gribanovka resort, a favourite skiing destination for regional people in winter, have substantial experience in organising adventure, MTB and ski races. 

You can read more details of the event via our event cover page. Registration for the race goes via our online form. 

Finishers of the 60km and 40km races will score 100 Asia Trail Master finisher points, plus performance points according to their race result. 

We are delighted to announce another fantastic new entry on the 2016 Asia Trail Master series' calendar: Ultra Tu Wenchuan is a 50 km mountain trail in Sichuan, Southwest China. The 2nd edition of the event is scheduled for Sunday, 15 May and is organised by Sichuan Trail, a company managed by people with extensive international running experience. Being not excessively long, the 50km race is ideal for runners who wish to get a taste of mountain trail running. 

The event is the second race in China where Asia Trail Master points can be scored this year, after Tsaigu Tangsi Plus on 16 April. As the gateway to the Tibetan Plateau, Wenchuan is quickly becoming a new hotspot for trail runners. UTWenchuan is not only a race, but also an opportunity to explore an area surrounded by 5000m high mountain peaks and several deep gorges. Runners have never trodden some of these trails before, so this race gives you the chance to explore a new horizon in trail running. And last but not least, this event’s date coincides with the famous Wenchuan cherry harvest. So don’t forget your race shoes and your appetite!

In 2008, Wenchuan was struck by a devastating 8.0 earthquake. In this most deadly earthquake on earth since 1976, 87150 lives were lost, cities are destroyed. Now 8 years have passed and a new Wenchuan has risen up. The race in the mountains of Wenchuan, serves both as a memory of the past and the optimistic striving for the future of the city.

Fantastic high mountain backdrops all along the UT Wenchuan trail

The 2016 version of UT Wenchuan consists of 2 different categories for individual runners: 50km and 23km, with accumulated elevation gain of 3600m and 1650m. The 50km trail is the icon of UT Wenchuan, circling clockwise around the city of Wenchuan. It connects the high mountain passes, Minjiang gorge and ancient villages of Qiang people. It’s challenging, scenic and natural. Finishing this race distance will give you Asia Trail Master points. While the elevation gain is high for a 50km race, note that highest altitude you will reach is 2700 metres above sea level, meaning that the risk for altitude sickness is minimal. Nevertheless, it always helps to arrive at the destination a few days before the race. 

Trail conditions can be relatively rough at times. Local villagers instead of tourists create the majority of our trails, which then offers you a great chance to interact with and get a look into the life of the Qiang people. The 50K course consists of 55% single-track, 35% dirt road/double-track and 10% paved road.  Please check further details on our cover page or the local event website. 

The organisers already have advanced plans to develop the event in the next years, and are going out of their way to assist participants who are coming to join the race. Gateway to Wenchuan is the capital city of Sichuan, Chengdu, which is served by plenty of international airlines as well. From the airport, a new highway links Chengdu with Wenchuan in less than 2 hours. A special runners' bus will depart on Saturday morning the day before the race, and return after the race. Please check all logistics via our cover page. 

It is possible to sign up for UT Wenchuan via us at Asia Trail Master, or via the local event website. The registration fee is, of course, the same. 

The 2016 Asia Trail Master series have started and this means the deadline for event organisers to join this year's series is coming closer. We therefore kindly remind and invite organisers to contact us at the latest by 15 April, or if already done so, to produce the required paperwork by that date. It is to the benefit of all parties, not in the least of the runners who need to plan their races, if all formalities were finalised well in advance of the event date. 

The event application form is linked here , and if you wish to read up more on the benefits of joining, and on the details of our points systems, please refer to our guidebook (in PDF). 

It is of course also possible to apply already for the 2017 Asia Trail Master series. The earlier the better, as remember we adopt a maximum number of races per country (currently five). 

Several additions to this year's race calendar, mainly for the second half of the year, are due to be announced in the next weeks, including some exciting new entries. Fast runners aiming for the 2016 Asia Trail Master title will have plenty of chances to score points in at least three races, and we are likewise bound to see several persistent ultra runners succeed in their Grandmaster Quest (6 races of +70km in 2 calendar years). 

We are also very happy to partner up with a number of important brands and companies in the Asian trail running community. These will also be presented in detail over the next few weeks, as we are heading towards the very busy mid-April to early June period. During the spring time we will get to know several runners of our community a bit better via our 'Talking Trail Running' series on this website. 

Don't forget to follow us on facebook or instagram to get the latest updates and flash news announcements. We have also opened a membership-only trail running forum on facebook, where you can discuss anything related to the Asia Trail Master series. You can applaud, question and criticise, but keep it decent at all times. Remember we all wish for the same: foster the development of trail running as a quality sport, and bring people from various backgrounds together! 

Sunday is Valentine's Day and several trail runners around Asia will likely be very excited: at 7 a.m. the registration for the Cordillera Mountain Ultra opens and what can be a better gift for one's loved one than a weekend in a breathtakingly beautiful location in the Philippines on the first weekend of June. 

As the website of the event organiser, the Cordillera Conservation Trust, says:

The Cordillera Mountain Ultra is a showcase of the beauty of the Pine Clad mountain forests of the Cordillera Region. Situated on the southern slopes of Mt. Ugo in the town of Itogon the Cordillera Mountain Ultra will feature 3 events: The 50km Ultra Marathon, 21km Mountain Run, and a Vertical KM. 

Mount Ugo dominates the course profile clearly, with its peak at 2200m above sea level. The race will actually commence in relatively relaxing mode as the first 15km are predominantly downhill. After the ascent and descent of Ugo, there is another 2km slope to the finish, which will be important to keep in mind for the fast men and women aiming for a top result. All finishers of the 50km race will score 100 Asia Trail Master finisher points, and added to those will of course be the performance points according to the ranking in the race result. 

The event organiser is an experienced environmental NGO, which throughout the year also sets up mountainbike races in the region.  The Cordillera Conservation Trust seeks to provide relevant practical and sustainable solutions to environmental problems arising in the Cordillera region that undermine the continued ecological services that the mountain region provides for its people.  Any contribution from runners to the Trust is therefore highly welcome. For instance, by purchasing a pack of the delicious local coffee! 

Registration can be done as of Sunday via the event website.  You can also see key details and video trailers on our website here. 

Mount Ugo in the Cordillera dominates the profile of the 50km long race

Good news for all runners with tight work and family schedules, Ultra Trail Hong Kong has decided to keep the online registration open until 10 February, allowing for last-minute decisions! Over 500 people have already registered for the 156km, 103km or 50km races that will take place from 19 to 21 February in the New Territories. This includes several protagonists of last year's Asia Trail Master series as well. You can still do so as well via registration.asiatrailmaster.com !

UTHK is the first points-scoring event of the 2016 Asia Trail Master series, and it is Hong Kong's SuperTrail as well. That means finishers will score 50 bonus points for the 2016 points ranking. This is also an event where both the 156km and 103km provide a point for each runner's Grandmaster Quest. 

Finish point and centre of the race is the Duke of Edinburgh Training camp site near Lam Tsuen. Find out more details of the event via our cover page or via the event website.