The postponed Vietnam Mountain Marathon takes place this weekend at the Topas lodge in Sapa with domestic runners-only. That’s unfortunate but no longer real news in these challenging covid-19 months, and it certainly won’t spoil the fun. Saturday’s 100km main race in the men’s category contains is a who-is-who of the most succesfull trail runners in Vietnam over the past years. On paper, they are all competing against each other in the same race rather than being spread out over the various race distance categories of the event. That’s pure publicity for the sport and we are all excited to find out who comes out on top this Saturday.

It is not for nothing therefore that the Vietnam Mountain Marathon was granted the ATM SuperTrail label after the initial postponement of Dalat Ultra Trail in spring. That means the winner of the 100km race collects 550 points instead of the usual 500. This places one of the big favourites in a position to conquer the lead in the 2020/21 Asia Trail Master Championship ranking. Hung Hai already scored 500 in Dalat last June and is the winner of VMM the past two seasons! The 36-year-old multisport athlete will indeed takeover from Frenchman Gaetan Morizur if he comes first (+550) or second (+500) this weekend. Morizur himself will be in the race, too. The revelation of the Vietnamese season (read our Q&A with Gaetan Morizur here) was second in VJM a month ago (450 points) and can boost his total by maximum 100 points to 975.

Hung Hai and Gaetan Morizur will have to deal with more serious contenders for the race victory. Quang Tran is the 2017 winner and proved in smaller events this year that he remains a very strong trail runner on his day. Most likely he won’t be running VMM 100 if he weren’t ready for it, so we expect to see Quang Tran at his best again. Originally from France but residing in Vietnam like Morizur, Romain Berion was the new name in ATM who won the Vietnam Jungle Marathon last month. Berion is a former competitive cyclist and it will be great to see him going against the likes of Hung Hai and Quang Tran on those tough mountain trails around Sapa.

There’s more contenders for the podium, and who knows even the prestigious race win. Until a year ago, Nhon Trong was a champion of the 50k trail distance but since then he has also been trying out his fortunes on the longer ultra distances. If Nhon Trong can keep his speed going over 100 km, the others better watch out. When it comes to trail running experience, stamina and overall toughness, Quang Duc Nguyen can also never be discounted. Expect him to make up ground in the second half of the race, when some of the others may blow up in their enthusiasm. And what to think of the unexpected return of Cao Ngoc Ha? The number 8 of the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship is making a return to high-level trail running after spending the past three years in - mainly - triathlon. Cao Ngoc Ha had some great results in ATM 2017, including a win at VJM. Yet, three years is a long time in competitive sports..

Other well-known competitors in the race who could aim for a podium are Phi Lanh Le and Trung Dang Nguyen, the numbers three and eight in the current ATM Championship ranking.

In the women’s 100km we will most likely get another dual between ATM Championship leader Julia Duong Nguyen Thi and VJM 70 winner Nguyen Thuy Dung, although it is not yet clear if the latter will run the 100k or 70k race this weekend.

Hung Hai: can he make it a hattrick in Sapa and claim the ATM Championship lead?

Return to the trail in Sapa: Cao Ngoc Ha!

Nhon Trong: could VMM become his real breakthrough?

After taking VJM, can Romain Berion repeat that feat in VMM? (pic: VJM)

ATM Championship leader Julia Duong Nguyen Thi has been second and third already at VMM, will 2020 be third-time lucky for the win?

It was supposed to be the second points race in South Korea this year, but for a well-known reason its entry in our Championship has been delayed to - normally - next year: High Trail 9 Peaks Ulju. A succesful Candidate Race back in 2018, was revived earlier this year and is certainly looking forward to the future and welcoming many international runners to Yeongnam Alp. As such, in association with the Korea Tourism Organisation, the event crew has come up with an innovative idea. Come to South Korea and run the High Trail 9 Peaks by yourself to score a range of benefits, including discounts on the registration for next year’s official event! If you then also make a selfie-video on top of one of the mountain peaks, you will get even more prizes and benefits!

Have a look at all details by clicking on the button below.

The event date for next year’s High Trail 9 Peaks Ulju event will be communicated in due course. This is a tough event that requires proper preparation with 105km and no fewer than 8800m of elevation gain to be conquered. It could actually be challenging Mantra Summits Challenge in Indonesia for the toughest mountain trail event in the Asia Trail Master Championship!

Julia Duong Nguyen Thi is the new points leader in the women’s 2020/21 Asia Trail Master Championship by winning the very wet Dalat Ultra Trail 100 in June and coming second in Vietnam Jungle Marathon 70 two weeks ago. It marks the first time a Vietnamese runner tops our championship sheet. Certainly, it is the year of corona with all its restrictions for many people, but achievements like these do not just fall out of the sky neither. ‘Little Sugar’ - as Julia is often nicknamed - grabbed the opportunity with determination, proper preparation and, of course, some pretty strong trail running on both race days themselves. Time to learn a bit more about Julia Duong Nguyen Thi and her inspiring journey to the top of the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking.

Q&A by Kris Van de Velde

Could you explain a little on your background. Where are you from in Vietnam and what made you become a trail runner?

I am from the countryside of Ha Noi. I am from Co Loa – Dong Anh- Ha Noi. Since I was young , I was always smallest in the class (when I was 15, I weighed only 30 kg.) I not only failed at sports, but I hated them. That why my name “ Tiểu Đường, or “Little Sugar”.
My family is very poor. When I was in high school, my sports teacher helped and encouraged me to take my exams for university. To show my gratitude to him, I volunteered for a 400m race. That was the first time I ever enjoyed anything sport related.

In Ha Noi Industrial University, I was also part of the running team for 5 years. We only practiced one month out of the year, and only ran 1.5 km for fun.

Afterwards, when I started going to work, I stopped running. In February 2016, I heard about the LDR long-distance runners team. When I heard that they ran a 15 km lap around West Lake, I thought they must be crazy! But one day when I attended, I found that I could run 15 km myself. I was surprised and wanted to challenge myself more, so I gradually started running more. I discovered that I love the running community. The people are so positive and social. 

When j Ioined in LoopUltraTrail 2016, Ms. Nha from Salomon gifted me with a pair of shoes. She said to me: “do your best, run VMM, and bring the prize back to Vietnam. We’ve never had a Vietnamese runner stand on the podium for this race, in our own home country! So I tried very hard to bring the prize to Vietnamese women. I was then of course very proud that I was a Vietnamese woman who could stand on the podium of the 100km race in 2017 to receive the award. My love for my country is what empowered me to achieve that honor.

So sports is actually a relatively new thing for you.

Yes, my 1st long run was that 15 km lap in February of 2016. I’ve only recently overcome my limitations and fallen in love with the sport.

Do you have a trail running coach or are you just going by yourself?

I m used to make my training plan myself, but with some advice from experienced runners. 

When I lived in Ha Noi, daily I run alone between 20h-22h00 * 2-3 Sunday/ months: I go to Ha Noi center 20km from home, running with team LDR long distance, DAR Dong Anh , LB Long Bien, Eco park ….Or go trail running, at Soc Soc province, 30km from home. After I moved to Ho Chi Minh City in August 2019, I often run alone. On Sundays I join long runs with the VNG team, UPFIT team, RFF team, ARteam … Now the nearest trail is 80 km away, so I only can trail run 1 times/ months.


For sure trail is still just a hobby? What do you do for a living?

That’s right. I found that I fell in love with running, but especially running on the trail. I learned studied chemical engineering at university. I had a high salary working for a Japanese company. Then In August 2019, I quit my job. I wanted to do something in the fitness world because it is my passion. I moved to Ho Chi Minh City. I got an interview with Mr. Al Morgan, who is one of the people who brought the gym industry to Vietnam over a decade ago. He started a new company called Upfit which specializes in fitness coaching and corporate fitness, and is passionate about bringing up the quality of training in Viet Nam. He said that I have a lot of energy and passion, so I can help many people. So I learned and changed my field. Now I am a coach for Upfit, and I am very happy and proud to say that I help people change their lives and become better versions of themselves.

You were the only official female finisher in the gruelling Dalat Ultra Trail 100 last June. How bad were the conditions for you that day?

2 weeks before DLUT, I had an accident. I sprained my ankle badly. It was very difficult for me to run, as I was supposed to ensure my ankle always keeps stable by landing flat. The heavy rain during the race… I am sad. Suddenly there was the accident with one participant, and the organization did try its best to handle the situation. If it takes place again next year, I will join again.

Two years ago you won VJM 70 in a time of 13:16:51. This year you finish second in 10:16:24, behind new name Dung Nguyen Thuy. You improved by 3 hours and you did not win. Has the Vietnamese trail running level improved that much in two years?

Ms. Dung surprised me and amazed me. She has gotten so much stronger. I am really happy that Vietnamese runners are getting stronger. It’s really great for our running community.
This year in VJM, I got really unlucky as the race fell on my “woman’s time”, and I had to push through a great deal of discomfort. But I tried my best and I’m very satisfied. And I feel that I improved a lot after starting a cross training program with Upfit in our home office of VNG Gym. I’m really thankful to Upfit and VNG for that. When I lived in Ha Noi, I only ran, and didn’t know anything about cross training.

You have already done quite a few races on the ATM tour, including in Malaysia (Penang Eco). Did it feel different to be running in a different country than Vietnam?

Being able to speak English makes it a lot easier to bond with runners outside of Vietnam. I love running races outside of Viet Nam for the opportunity to see the beauty of other countries and experience their cultures. I ran in China 42km , Thailand 100km, Malaysia 100km. It was really wonderful. However, it’s a little expensive, so I only race overseas about once per year.

Will you run VMM next month? If yes, which distance?

I’m already registered for the VMM 100 km, but I am still considering whether or not to join. Because between VJM and VMM, only one race of the two will be retained for my ranking for ATM in 2021. 
Also I’m registered for the VNExpress 42 km in my hometown for my birthday on November 28.

You are the new women’s leader in the ATM Championship with 950 points in 2 races. If you win VMM 100, you could still improve slightly and finish the year with 1000 points. Does it make you proud to be the first Vietnamese runner to top the ranking?

Regarding the position at the top of the ATM board, I am quite surprised, happy and humbled to have the honor of representing Vietnam

I really hope that I can achieve 5 more strong results in 2021. But as of right now, I haven’t decided which races to run.

I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with sponsors in order to have the opportunity to participate in more foreign events, to add ATM points and mark Vietnamese women at prestigious international running competitions. I hope that Asia Trail Master can continue to develop and encourage more runners in Asia, so that we can join more famous races around the region and the world.

Thank you for this great Q&A, Julia, and best of luck in the months to come!

‘Little Sugar’ on her way to winning VJM in 2018, her first race victory on the ATM tour

Two weeks ago, Julia settled for second place at VJM, but it was enough to claim the points lead (photo credit: VJM)

Last week’s Vietnam Jungle Marathon in Pu Luong gave us two new points leaders in the merged 2020/21 Asia Trail Master Championship. While domestic star Julia Duong Nguyen Thi already had a pedigree in our series, the name of Frenchman Gaetan Morizur raised many eyebrows among followers of our championship. He had been around for about two years, too, but never came close to an ATM race podium until Dalat Ultra Trail last June, when he scored third place. Proving that was no fluke, he upped the ante even more and competed for the win last week against former cyclist Romain Berion and Quang Duc Nguyen. Ultimately he came second, but Gaetan Morizur has certainly made a name for himself at the higher levels of our competitive Championship series. High time to get to know the man a bit better.

Could you explain a little on your background. Where are you from in France and what made you come to Asia?

I’m from the north west of France, the region known as Bretagne or Brittany. I moved to Vietnam in 2009 initially for a 6 months internship. I fell in love with Asia region and Vietnam so I extended my stay. I moved to Cambodia for work during 5 years and I’m back to Vietnam since 1 year. I feel very fortunate to live here in such a dynamic environment.

Have you always been a runner or is this a relatively new hobby?

It is a relatively new hobby. In France I was in found of bodyboarding and surfing and spent most of my free time in the sea. When I moved to Vietnam I totally stopped sport for a few years. At some point I started to join some friends who were running occasionally. Then we started to register for longer races and participating to some ultras. I have been running for few years but at a very modest level and got more into it recently.

How do you compare Cambodia with Vietnam? How do you compare the running scene in both countries?

Running Scene in Vietnam really boomed in recent years and there is now a huge running community. It’s quite impressive, now each race has a few thousand participants… In Cambodia the running community is way smaller but also very bond together which makes it also very nice to belong to. For trail running there is more hilly terrain in Vietnam and also much more events so it is more motivating to train.

Rumours have it that your recent surge in performance form is due to your move to Vietnam. Have you joined any running team in Ho Chi Minh City, or do you have a trail running mentor there?

I prefer trails very much but living in Ho Chi Minh city I spend most of my time training on roads. I can enjoy trails during the weekend going to Dinh Mountain or during Holidays. My girlfriend is also a runner so we can enjoy running trips together. My recent improvement is due to the fact I started to train more seriously since the beginning of 2020. Romain Berion (who won VJM) gave me some useful training advice. I also read several books to understand proper methods. By doing more volume and adding progressively some variation (intensity and elevation) I was able to progress well.

For sure trail is still just a hobby? Are you surprised you made podium in both Dalat and Pu Luong?

Yes it is a hobby and will remain so for sure. In fact it was a big surprise for me to do a Podium in Dalat. After Dalat I had the motivation to train more seriously for the upcoming VMM.

In Pu Long I was feeling more confident and had good sensations so I tried to push a bit the pace to enjoy the race and see how it would go.

Where did Romain Berion make the difference to win ahead of you by a few minutes only?

For the first part of the race we were running at 3 very close together with Romain and Quang until CP 4. I also a bit of time in the check points where I really lacked of efficiency. Romain passed me at CP 4 while I was refilling. He then created a gap in the steep concrete uphill just after which he mostly ran - he is a very strong uphill runner. I had a low time after CP5 so I Think the gap reached several minutes there. After that I gave it my best but I couldn’t catch him up. He deserved to win.

What did you learn in those two big races this year?

I learned to trust my training and to focus on listening my own body feelings. Another good lesson is the critical importance of fueling well during the race and preparing well your nutrition plan.

Will you run VMM next month? If yes, which distance?

Yes, I will run the VMM 100 km. I hope authorities will allow the race to happen. It will be a very exciting event as it seems that all the best Vietnamese runners are joining: Quang Tran, Hung Hai, Quang Nguyen… and many more including Romain as well. I would like to thank the organizers the Topas team who make a lot of efforts to make those events happen which is not easy in the current context.

Your story sounds similar to the story of ATM protagonist and previous Championship leader Hisashi Kitamura, who also started modestly in trail to develop into an international trail race winner in little over a year’s time. How do you see yourself improving further as a competitive runner? Should the Kitamuras, the John Ellisses, Milton Amats and Kristian Joergensens become afraid of Gaetan Morizur in the 2021 ATM season?

Those runners are inspiring examples but I’m still far from their level and from their experience. I’m doing my best to train well and progress one step at a time to push my limits further and become a stronger runner. For now, my focus to prepare well to be hopefully in good form for VMM.

For 2021 I will start with Vietnamese events VTM (an ATM Candidate, kvdv) and Dalat Ultra Trail if it is confirmed. Then from there, we will see how the year goes and also if the borders re-open.

Q&A conducted by Kris Van de Velde

2020/21 ATM Championship Top 5 (31 October 2020)

1. Gaetan Morizur (FRA/VIE) 875 pts

2. Hisashi Kitamura (JPN/MAS) 850 pts

3. Lanh Le (VIE) 825 pts

4. Quang Duc Nguyen (VIE) 720 pts

5. Watchrin Luarlon (THA) 700 pts

3 more points races to go in 2020:

• Monkeys Trail 100km , Koh Samui, Thailand, 14/15 November

• Vietnam Mountain Marathon 100km/70km, Sapa, 21/22 November

• Izu Trail Journey, Izu peninsula, Japan, 13 December

  Note: Runners in Vietnam and Thailand who also competed in VJM and UTCR will only carry over to 2021 their best points result of the two races

Sanya Khanchai is one of the so-called big-three of Thailand’s first modern generation of elite trail runners and when he announced he would try and tackle the course record of UTCR’s Ultimate 230k race category set by Jag Lanante two years ago in 37:05:35, you could bet he was going to put up another show of his. Khanchai won the Classic 125k race of this great event in the north of Thailand two years ago and celebrated that with a handstand and salto at the finish line in Singha Park. Khanchai is no longer one of the youngest in the start lists of races, but his dedication to running and fitness continue to put him on top op podiums - at least in his own country.

At Ultra Trail Chiang Rai 2020, the Thailand SuperTrail with a field of domestic runners-only due to covid 19, Khanchai started out quickest, but made it a habit to wait for the next participant at each of the first couple of aid stations. Saving his energy for the last 100 miles or 160k - because that’s a distance he knows to manage well from past experiences. In any case it was clear nobody would even threaten to beat him in the race last weekend. Sanya Khanchai started chasing his personal goal and passed the km 200 mark one could foresee him reaching it: do the Ultimate 230 in less than 37 hours. He arrived in 36 hours and 20 minutes 4 seconds to take the victory - and importantly - 600 points for the 2020/21 Asia Trail Master Championship. Khanchai has never done enough races to really feature in the Championship shoot-out at the end of the year, but perhaps this win with the maximum points available for any race could be a stimulant for 2021. In any case, it was his 3rd ATM race win after UT Koh Chang 100 and UT Chiang Rai 125 in 2018.

Equally impressive was the first runner-rup: Robert Butcher. The 61-year-old (!) Bangkok-based Britain has had very difficult months behind him fighting with cancer and chemotherapy to complete the 230k in a remarkable time of 45:25:33, which is only four-and-a-half hours away from his time set last year in this race. The terrain in Chiang Rai must suit Butcher as he was already once on the podium before here: third on the 125k in 2017. Last weekend, the final step on the podium went to Sittisak Suwannee in 49:26:16.

The women’s Ultimate 230 was a closer battle between five women, of whom Kanlaya Thongfachalai got the upper hand at the end. She finished in a time of 56:02:37. It’s her first ATM race victory and it is not a complete surprise as Kanlaya has been improving her competitive game in the last couple of years. Second and third place went to Benjamas Chotemateepirom and Thanawal Nawachartkhosit.

In total, 36 runners completed the Ultimate 230 within the time limit of 60 hours.

A rather surprising winner emerged on the Classic distance of 125km yesterday: Somkiat Roddeeying. The Thai athlete had a two-hour gap on second place Amorn Kimnguan and five-and-a half on Graeme Fancett. What is stunning is that Somkiat’s winning time of 21:14:21 is almost exactly ten hours (!) faster than his own time in this same race three years ago! Talking about improvement! A year ago he completed the Ultimate 230 in 53:35, which was good for 16th place overall. In ATM races, he had never come close to even a podium but last weekend he took advantage of the situation and grabbed his maiden win in a time that would have given him a Top 10 ranking in last year’s elite-filled race.

In the women’s 125k race, the victory went to Patcharee Chuaythaisong in a time of 25:54:04. It was her second ATM race victory after taking UTKC 70k category in 2018. Issaree Kengnok and Natha Raveephusita were second and third in 29:20:54 and 32:48:32 respectively.

With special thanks to Running Insider and Teelakow for image material

Ultimate 230 winners in 2020: Kanlaya Thongfachalai and Sanya Khanchai

Final metres for Kanlaya in the SIngha Park

Impressive first ATM race win for Somkiat Roddeeying on the Classic 125k

The 2020 “domestic” edition of Vietnam Jungle Marathon in Pu Luong resulted in two new Asia Trail Master Championship points leaders. In the men’s, not Hung Hai - who took an easy day in between road race assignments - but Vietnam-based Frenchman Gaetan Morizur earned the top spot by finishing second on the 70k , only four minutes behind his compatriot and new face on the ATM tour, Romain Berlon. Morizur bagged 450 points on top of the 425 he earned last June by finishing 3rd in Dalat Ultra Trail 100 and so pushes Hisashi Kitamura, 850 points, down to second place. Local trail star Quang Nguyen Duc completed the podium yesterday in third 23 minutes behind Morizur. Quang came a joint second in this race last year, when the aforementioned Kitamura actually took his first ever ATM points race win. Also for Quang it was the second podium of the corona year 2020: he was 3rd in Dalat as well, abeit on the 70k B-race over there. He improves his ATM Championship total to 720. Markus Gnirck was fourth in the race and just a couple of minutes behind Quang. Phi Lanh Le came fifth. The first runner-up at Dalat Ultra Trail 100 in June thus boosts his ATM total to 825 points - that’s third place behind Morizur and Kitamura.

In the women’s 70k competition we saw a new winner on the ATM tour, too: Dung Nguyen Thuy. She was highly impressive running together a time gap of nearly 40 minutes to established Vietnamese trail star Julia Duong Nguyen Thi! As a price of comfort, the latter took the points lead in the women’s 2020/21 Asia Trail Master Championship with 950 points. Admittedly, she is first of the elite women to deliver two big results in this special year, but she still did it and is the first Vietnamese runner ever to top the ATM Championship ranking. Two years ago, Julia took her first ATM race win at VJM 70. Last June, she won Dalat Ultra Trail 100, too.

Third woman was Hien Tran, officially from the Czech Republic. Hien was fourth on the 100k of the more mountainous Vietnam Mountain Marathon in Sapa last season. That classic race is still coming up, by the way. As VJM, which normally takes place end of May, VMM got postponed from September to end of November. As a reminder, to balance fairness between runners across Asia, each runner will only carry over their best ATM points result of these two races into 2021. The same applies for Thailand, where residents are competing this weekend in Chiang Rai and can do so again on Koh Samui in November, whereas in most countries there is a complete event stop due to the covid 19 pandemic.

With special thanks to Trung Nguyen, himself winner of the 55k race category at VJM yesterday!

Photo material courtesy of Vietnam Jungle Marathon, except where watermark says differently

Gaetan Morizur: new ATM Championship leader

Romain Berion: superb ATM debut

The men’s 70k podium 2020: Berion, Morizur and Quang Duc Nguyen

The women’s 70k podium: Dung Nguyen Thuy, Julia Duong Nguyen Thi, Hien Tran

Only a day after the cancellation announcement by Borneo TMBT Ultra, another Malaysian event everyone was really looking forward to has thrown in the towel. Ultimate Trails of Penang cannot take place in a fortnight. The Botanical Garden, where the event’s start and finish is located, is no longer giving permission to use the agreed venue due to the recent wave of increased Covid-19 cases throughout the country. Event Director Seow Kong Ng, who had spared no effort in the past weeks to make UToP happen within the currently permitted framework put forward by government, sees no chance to find an alternative event venue in such a short time and has decided to look forward to 2021 from now on out. UToP has been scheduled for the weekend of 9/10 October 2021.

This means that there will not be any points races in Malaysia in 2020. The five scheduled events this year were Cameron Ultra, The Great Malaya Trail, Borneo TMBT Ultra, Ultimate Trails of Penang and the TNF Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival. All events remain on the 2021 Asia Trail Master calendar.

For the remainder of 2020, only the events in Thailand (Ultra Trail Chiang Rai, Monkeys Trail), Vietnam (VJM and VMM) and Japan (Izu Trail Journey) are looking to go ahead as planned. Lantau 70 in Hong Kong has not officially been cancelled yet, but seems increasingly unlikely to happen. The same applies for The Punisher on Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

The 2020 edition of Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, has been cancelled after all. This year was supposed to be the 10th anniversary of the classic event. Originally planned for end of August, the event already got rescheduled to 19 December last May, which would have made it the 2020 ATM Final. But the current covid 19 resurgence in Sabah makes it impossible to conduct the event in a responsible way. The organising team Borneo Ultra Trails announced the cancellation yesterday evening via their facebook page.

People who registered for the event can check the facebook page for refund or deferment details.

Next year’s 10th edition of Borneo TMBT Ultra has now been scheduled for the weekend of 11/12 September 2021. It will be the Malaysia SuperTrail in the Asia Trail Master Championship series, offering 50 bonus points to finishers on the 100km and 50km.

In the context of the Asia Trail Master season, the last active ‘real’ points race has therefore become Japan’s Izu Trail Journey on 13 December. The 2020 season has already been merged with 2021 so no new champions will be crowned, but runners can score points in the few remaining races on the calendar and carry them over into next year.

The covid 19 pandemic seems far from over, yet a number of 'real' events are looming at the horizon now. EP7 focuses on Ultimate Trails of Penang and Vietnam Jungle Marathon with event & race directors Seow Kong Ng and David Lloyd as guests on the show. The major end-of-season race Izu Trail Journey in Japan is also still on, and Tatsuo Chiba and Ms Oematsu share details wih us. Amy Khor talks to Malaysian promising trail newbie Alyssa Ong, Steve Carr explains why 2021 could be the year of the 9 Dragons and on top we catch up with Kirk Kenny! It's a long episode this one, but our guests were in top shape! Enjoy.

At last some ‘real’ trail running events on the Asia Trail Master calendar are approaching. In fact, the last weekend of October will be a blockbuster. While Ultra Trail Chiang Rai in Thailand holds that weekend originally, the postponements caused by the covid 19 pandemic have also compelled Ultimate Trails of Penang, Vietnam Jungle Marathon and Ultimate Tsaigu to take place on those days. The ideal occasion for a proper update and a new episode of the Tale of the Trail talk show, entitled “Prepping for relaunch”. Contrary to the previous episodes, this one will air on Saturday at noon Hong Kong time, i.e. 11 am in Vietnam or Thailand and 1 pm in Japan and South Korea. You can watch the show live or later on our YouTube channel, Facebook page or here on our website.

UGLOW Sport has replaced their Ambassador Program with Le Club, a community of passionate athletes looking for the opportunity to experience the camaraderie of being on a global team. All levels of athlete can apply & applications for 2021 are closing tomorrow, Thursday, 18 September.

Le Club 2021 Members will unlock exclusive member-only promotions and benefits throughout the year.

Make 2021 your best year yet & join the same team as some of your favourite ATM Challengers.

For more information, FAQs and the application form click here:

https://www.uglowsport.com/introducing-le-club-2021/

PS: the above offer is not valid for Hong Kong residents due to prior local agreements

International travel remains heavily restricted for the foreseeable future, but at least a few trail event organisers are determined to make it happen, albeit with domestic runners only. Nevertheless, not everyone is permitted to do so, as Jey Jang and the team of Korea 50k sadly found out in Seoul. After two previous postponements, Korea 50k is now officially cancelled for 2020.

Ultimate Trails of Penang is next on the 2020 ATM Calendar. The Malaysian event had already been postponed by two weeks, but the good news is that all looks set for a real event on 24 October! Regulations in Penang have forced race director Seow Kong Ng to make significant changes to the programme, though. Both the 100k and 60k cannot be run as all sports and social activities past midnight are banned at present. The longest race category of UToP will therefore be the 40 km. It has been decided that the 40 km is long and tough enough to credit it as a points race for the ATM Championship. Because make no mistake: UToP is a tough one! Elite runners in Malaysia can therefore score some points going into 2021, according to the amended regulations of the Championship announced last month.

Thai runners can do the same on that same weekend of 24-25 October, as event organising company Teelakow announced that UTCR in Chiang Rai will take place as scheduled. Several events have been taking place in Thailand already since a few weeks, but of course also limited to Thailand residents. Thai runners still have two possibilities to score ATM Championship points this strange year, as the Monkeys Trail on Koh Samui is still on schedule for mid-November. Remember that if runners do both UTCR and Monkeys, only their best points result will be carried over into 2021.

Runners on the Grandmaster Quest can collect a point at both events as usual, if they complete either the 230K or 125K in Chiang Rai, and the 100K on Koh Samui.

The last weekend of October also has the postponed Vietnam Jungle Marathon on the calendar. Today, the event in Po Luong is still active. Runners living in Vietnam will therefore retain two more chances for ATM Championship points and Grandmaster Quest points as well, given VMM is set for 21/22 November, too.

Trail running events in Hong Kong remain a difficult matter for the time being, but the Trail Hub Team of Lantau 70 have not thrown in the towel yet. LT 70 is on the programme for 31 October.

Vertical 2 Sky on the other hand is still upbeat about the chances of The Punisher taking place as planned on 28 November. Filipino runners may thus get an opportunity to collect some points going into next year, after all other events this year were cancelled.

Moving into December, there was good news from Japan last week as Tatsuo Chiba announced that Izu Trail Journey will be set up as scheduled on 13 December. The classic 72k race will only see Japanese runners, in line with the anti-covid measures adopted in other countries. Runners in Japan may have an earlier second option to score points, too. The situation around Hakuba Trails in October is a bit unclear at the moment, though.

The final event of 2020, Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah, Malaysia, continues to hang in the balance. Event Director Claus Pedersen is hopeful the event can take place on 19 December, but under which conditions is still a question mark.

2021 Event Situation

We are already in the middle of September and sadly few organisers can already confirm whether their events in early 2021 will take place or not. The covid 19 pandemic is unlikely to be resolved by the end of December, and most governments may keep the country borders firmly locked for non-essential travel. Our traditional season opener, Tahura Trail in Bandung, Indonesia, is currently not in a position to open registrations or determine how and if the popular event can take place on the third weekend of January. The most optimistic event organiser of the early season is Teelakow in Thailand, who already opened registration for the classic UTKC on Koh Chang island on 20/21 February 2021. Of course, nobody can rest assured people will be able to fly into Thailand by that time…