Mindanano has become a hotspot for trail running in the Philippines over the past few years, illustrated in both quality and quantity of runners (reigning ATM champion Arnie Macaneras is from Davao) and also by the many event organisations on the large southern island. Team Jegol Runners is the latest addition to the list of organisers and their upcoming event Santa Cruz 70 is accredited as an ATM Candidate Race. The event takes place on the weekend of 25/26 November.

Asia Trail Master followers know that Santra Cruz stands for Mount Apo - highest mountain in the Philippines, host venue of the ATM Championship Final last year and of the forthcoming Mt Apo Sky Race on 9/10 December. But Santa Cruz is more than the gateway to Mount Apo, and Team Jegol wishes to make that statement very clear. The event has three race categories of which the 70k is the longest. Less ambitious runners can go for the 25k and 15k options. Neither one of them goes to Apo.

The 70k ultramarathon trail has an elevation gain of about 4000hm, and will feature scenic and iconic places in Santa Cruz, namely, Mt. Loay, Mt. Dinor, Tacub Laya Falls, Pilan River, Sinoron, Lipantod, Camotes Ridge, and Mt. 796. This will surely give runners an adventure that they will never forget in the infamous mountain ranges of Santa Cruz. The course profile is actually quite distinct and interesting from a competitive point of view. Mount Dinor is the cornerstone and highest peak in the first half, Mount Loay in the second half. Runners should also be aware that after the final descent of Loay, there’s still a 10km flattish section to the finish back in Santa Cruz. That could hurt for some, while be a tactical all-in section for others.

Registration for the SC 70 event goes via this online form . More details can be obtained via the official website and Facebook Page.

The event hotel is the MGL Hotel, with Ms Mercy as contact person (Local tel: 0907-530-7415 / 0929-447-2789)

Teaser video

Lam Dong Trail is the second ATM points race event in Vietnam’s Central Highlands main city Dalat this year and once again showed how great trail running can be. ‘Challenging but achievable’ is the tagline of the event that is determined to give every participant a very welcoming and enjoyable weekend. With the finish line set at the Valley of Love, just 4-5km outside the Dalat city centre, runners can bring their friends and families along. It does not even get so hot, as Dalat sits on a plateau a good 1500m above sea level.

The 75km points races for men and women saw two local race winners, interestingly both from the Mude Sports Team, the team around Hau Ha. The 2022 ATM Champion herself, who won Lam Dong Trail last year, now has other ambitions so she left the competition open for others to take the spotlights. For the first half of the race, Philippines’ Angelie Cabalo, winner of MMTF 100 in 2022, looked the strongest and on the way to collect her second ATM race victory. Julia Nguyen Thi Duong was in second and Luong Loi third. Cecille Wael (ankle pain) and Akane Nemoto were further back and never got in position to challenge the podium. Japan’s Nemoto also suffered from the mid-day sun. Upon entering the last 15 km, Luong Loi surprised most on-lookers as she overtook Nguyen Thi Duong and Cabalo to take the lead! Still young to trail, Luong Loi had already scored two 3rd place podiums this season, but this was unexpected. She crossed the finish with a big smile as winner with nearly 13 minutes advantage over Cabalo and 25 over Nguyen Thi Duong. In fourth was Le Hang, also not unknown in Vietnam’s competitive trail scene.

The men’s race was dominated by Nhon Trong, who - despite being around for several years now - also scored his first ever ATM race victory. Nhon Trong was too fast for his own protégé, Nghia Van Trang - second at 51 minutes. Nguyen Tien Vo confimed his great and consistent ATM season with a third spot on the podium. Nguyen Tuan Anh and Nguyen Dinh Minh were four and five.

Nghia Van Trang: 2nd place

Rhea Batac: now a 3-star ATM Grandmaster!

For about a third of the 100km race at MMTF, Hisashi Kitamura looked like he was going to genuinely challenge Daved Simpat again after receiving quite a beating by the good old Sabahan at TMBT two months ago. But as they hit the more technical sections, once more Simpat was the stronger one and steadily opened up a gap. Kitamura had to let go, and still had to fight with the surprising Chinese runner Bai Xingzhi for second place. Simpat won MMTF for the second time in his career after 2018. He is clearly back at his best level. Bai Xingzhi outsprinted Kitamura for second place some 45 minutes later. The Japanese runner was nevertheless quite satisified as the gap was much smaller compared to TMBT and his biggest objective is coming up in one month. Another Chinese runner from the Zenone Poles Team, Wang Gang, took fourth ahead of Aqmal Adzmi, who showed once more how much he enjoys MMTF.

The women’s long distance race was dominated by Fu Huarong from China. She ran away from her competitors early on and never slowed down to finish sixth overall! Best of the rest was Malaysia’s ultra specialist Siokhar Lim, who was way ahead of her compatriots, such as Celeste Teo and Rejlen James, who suffered a clear off-day. Hong Kong’s Pui Hung Chan was a great third on the podium. Guan Shin Law was a solid sixth, showing her competitive improvement once more.

On the 50km distance, leader from start to finish despite great pressure from his two main rivals: John Ray Onifa. He stays unbeaten in six ATM races and can look towards the Championship Final with the highest ambitions! Kristian Joergensen was pushing Onifa all race but paid a little price himself at the end, also due to a nutritional oversight. Milton Amat finished the strongest of the three and caught Joergensen for second place just 3’38” behind Onifa! Wilsen Singgin is fourth 39 minutes later - great run by him! Aman Mehla from India was fifth, just a minute behind Wilsen. Great new name on the ATM scene: Aman Mehla.

Aurore Dacier was the fastest woman on the 50km. Based in Singapore, the French runner won by half an hour over Nepal's Rashila Tamang with Korea's Boyoung Jan an impressive third - just a week after scoring third in Ulju Trail 5 Peaks. Chhoki Sherpa took fourth place, which means both the Nepalese who also ran Koboi Malaya earlier in the season are qualified for the ATM Championship Final. The same of course for Boyoung Jan.

China’s Fu Huarong - dominant winner in the women’s 100km

MMTF in Taiping is on this weekend and the event has already confirmed its recently achieved status as the biggest Malaysian trail running event alongside Borneo TMBT Ultra. Close to 3000 runners will be taking part across the various race categories, of which the 100km and 50km require our utmost attention. A wealth of Asian trail talent on the start lists, in particular of the 50km with an expected clash between John Ray Onifa - unbeaten in five ATM races this season -, Kristian Joergensen - unbeaten at MMTF -, and Milton Amat - Malaysia’s current most competitive runner and vice-ATM champion 2022.

And if those three top stars somehow suffer a bad day, there’s a long list of others who will very quickly pick up the spoils: Amir Zaki, Wilsen Singgin, Chris Timms, Sapirin and Safrey Sumping, Yakov Kozlov, Jeffery Budin and so on! This is undoubtedly the most competitive 50k of the current ATM season and just one month before the ATM Championship conclusion in Indonesia. Whoever wins will get a major mental boost. Onifa and Joergensen actually just went head-to-head at VMM 50k in September. The Philippines-based Dane attacked halfway through the race, but Onifa managed to come back and win by just a couple of minutes. Last year in Taiping, Onifa ran a superb 50k race, but so did Joergensen twice already in 2019 and 2022 on the 100k. This is the dual at MMTF that betting companies can make money of. And Milton Amat, who has had a more quiet Asian season this year, might just as well profit from the other two’s healthy rivalry. Ever since the end of covid, Amat has proven several times that his pure running pace has increased significantly compared to 2018-2019. All three are also not afraid of heavy rain with its mud thumping and trail surfing. Rain and MMTF, remember, go hand-in-hand.

Taiping is the wettest city in Malaysia and this was underlined again in the build-up towards this weekend’s event. Runners should expect rain, but an extreme situation like last year whereby the 100k had to be stopped seems unlikely.

That 100k will also be very exciting, featuring the rematch between this year’s TMBT winner Daved Simpat and Hisashi Kitamura. Simpat surprised many by easily outrunning the now Tokyo-based Karate Kit last September. The Sabahan is also a former winner of MMTF, in 2018 - the first edition. An uphill task for Kitamura, for whom a wet race is normally not to his advantage either. His biggest season’s goal comes next month at the ATM Final , so in any case we should see a glimpse of the dominant Kitamura from early to mid last year. As on the 50km, there’s plenty of other men with podium ambitions, or more. Another Japanese UGLOW runner, Yuta Matsuyama is a double race winner of Ultra Trail Chiang Mai 100. That race’s nickname is “kiss the rain” , so Matsuyama for sure won’t be intimidated by the excepted trail conditions at MMTF. Nobuhito Kobu, Jin Heng Oh, Amierul Amin are other names to watch out for, and who knows the Chinese trio from Team Zenone Poles in Hangzhou causes an upset.

In the women’s 100km we can look forward to a first real meeting between new Sabah star Rejlen James, winner of the Borneo Ultra Triple (BUTM 100, Borneo Miler, TMBT 100) this season, and Siokhar Lim - widely considered the benchmark in Malaysia for the long and tough trails. James will be among the top favourites next month for the women’s ATM Championship title, based on her performances this season. A win over Siokhar Lim at MMTF would only emphasise that further. Kanna Suzuki from Japan and Fu Huarong may get involved in the race for victory, too. Other podium contenders are Celeste Teo - the only Malaysian woman already guaranteed of a spot on her country’s team for the ATM Final - Norlela Ismail, Halimatun Sa’adiah, Law Guan Shin and Qheiza Wiranda Edelwise. For the Malaysians like Ismail and Sa’adiah it will be important to finish as close to the podium as possible in order to have a chance for ATM Final qualification.

The same applies for Jess Lintanga, who threw herself back in the mix during the summer with two solid results, and in particular third place at TMBT 50. If the The Team Kolumpa ace can repeat that level of performance at MMTF 50, she could still leapfrog others and jump into the top 5 of the ATM ranking. There is some serious competition, however. The Nepalese duo of Rashila Tamang and Chhiok Sherpa are back in Malaysia after their great results in Koboi Malaya Classic back in May. That was a flat race, this one should suit the mountain girls even more. Izzah Hazirah, Chong Mei Tze and Siao Ai Lim may also have a few words to speak in the battle for podium, and so does Korea’s Boyoung Jan - who features on the start list despite having just scored third place in Ulju 5 Peaks last week.

A lot to look forward and we will be keeping you up-to-date on our usual ATM channels as Mark and Richard are in Taiping.

Last year Kristian Joergensen and Milton Amat finished together on the 100km. This weekend they both run the 50km.

Rashila Tamang won Koboi Malaya Classic last May

Chhiok Sherpa took third place in Koboi. The much hillier MMTF should suit her better

Wilsen Singgin needs a top result to get into Team Malaysia for the ATM Final

Jess Lintanga was 3rd in her home race TMBT and could get herself qualified for Team Malaysia

Jeffery Budin was 2nd in UTCR two weeks ago, which boosted his ATM ranking and qualification chances a lot.

What to expect from Kitamura at MMTF?

Autumn in the southeastern mountains around Uljusan in South Korea can be cold already and that’s what runners experienced in this year’s edition of Ulju Trail Nine Peaks. The 9 Peaks race, with 121 km and well over 9000 hm elevation gain, is a genuine test of physical and mental strength. Korean runners completed the male and female podiums, with Junghyun Lim and Sunyeon Lee celebrated as race winners. The 5 Peaks of 45 km went to Ko Minchul and Hyunja Kim. Pre-race favourites Kim Jisu and Kim Jisub both did not start.

Junghyun Lim was in the lead for most of the second half of the tough race and had an advantage of more than one hour over Changsik Choi. Sung Jin Jang and Jong San Park were battling for podium with the former taking it. The women’s 9 Peaks actually saw Jung Soon Park on top of the leaderboard, but she got disqualified for apparently missing CP 9. Also Paulina Svoboda got disqualfied over halfway for not having her power bank on her as a mandatory item. Yonok Song claimed second and Ji Ho Hwang third place.

Ko Minchul grabbed his first ATM victory after two podium places, the last one this season in Korea 50k (third). Ko Minchul is therefore qualified for the ATM Championship Final. Kim Jongyol was second sixteen minutes later and Gyojeong Gu third another eight minutes later. Fourth overall and first woman was Hyunja Kim after an impressive performance. Sun Hwa Lee was second and Boyoung Jan third. The latter is now also automatically ensured of a spot in Team Korea for the ATM Final.

Singapore’s Trung Nguyen and Deric Lau were running in the lower half of the top ten for most of the 9 Peaks race. Trung scored 8th place in the end, and Lau 12th. Also Nguyen Hong Son from Vietnam and Takashi Wakiya got themselves into the top ten as non-Korean runners.

Deric Lau finished in 12th place

Boyoung Jan scored another podium - third - and is automatically qualified for the ATM Final

David Longo was comfortably inside the top eight until he went off course

Nguyen Hong Son and Trung Nguyen warming themselves up at CP 7 water boiling station

This weekend we have the second South Korean points race event on the ATM calendar in Uljusan. Ulju Trail 9 Peaks and Ulju Trail 5 Peaks are genuine mountain races engulfed in beautiful autumn colours. It makes for a wonderful trail experience, but also a very challenging one. The 9 Peaks race is 121 km with an elevation gain of well over 9000 hm. Even the 45km medium distance race has a whopping 3500 hm.

Korean runners are not often seen in the rest of Asia, and the number of trail events in the country is also quite modest then one would expect with so many quality distance runners around. It makes UTNP an event to look forward to with great interest. Looking at the start list of the longest race category, we see the name of Kim Jisu stand out among the local race favourites. Second in Korea 50k earlier this year, Jisu tends to be even more competitive on the longer distances. Last year, he also scored a second place in Seoul 100. Jisu will face some fast and well-experienced runners from Singapore as well, including Deric Lau, Trung Nguyen and Lem Chee Ng. Lau scored two Top 10 placings in ATM this season so far, in Dalat and Sierra Madre. Trung Nguyen had a very good VMM race last month ending in a fourth place. The question is can he sustain that level of effort for another 50km. The women’s 125km appears wide open with Singapore-based Chech Paulina Svoboda an established international name on the start list. Svoboda was running together with Shindy Patricia for over 50km in the very technical Cuc Phuong race in Vietnam before dropping out, but since then she has been very active.

On the 45km start list, the familiar name of last year’s winner Kim Jisub stands out. Question is how well he has recovered from an injury that plagued him for most of the year, even to the extent he has not been able to score any ATM points yet. Jisub won’t get the victory on a silver platter in any case, because there’s other competitors with a pedigree. Byeungwon Park is always solid on the medium distance, and so is Ko Minchul - second behind Jisub last year, and third in Korea 50k last April. Then there’s Hong Kong-based Australian David Longo, who has just scored second in Dark 45 behind Onifa. Longo can set himself up for the ATM Championship Final once again (last year he was 10th). Boyoung Jan and Gyesook Lee are among the favourites in the women’s 45km. Lee won last year’s Nine Peaks, but now doing the Five Peaks.

Stay tuned throughout Friday and Saturday on our Facebook and Instagram channels for updates from the races in Uljusan

We are happy to announce that the inaugural Danao City International Ultra Trail in Cebu, Philippines, has acquired the ATM Candidate Race label. The new event takes place on 27/28 January and is keen on entering the trail running scene with a big bang. It will be the first time Asia Trail Master is involved with an event on Cebu island.

Bitbit Marites Sotto is one of the founders of Danao City International Ultra Trail, and many will remember her as one of Southeast Asia’s best female mountainbikers, adventure racers and trail runners not so long ago. Marites lives and breathes outdoor sports and is very determined to develop Danao as a premium trail event in the Philippines and the wider region. The first edition will likely see the participation of some of the country’s most celebrated runners.

The event offers four distance categories to runners, of which the 100km and 50km are the main races. There is also a 30km and 15km for the slightly less ambitious. The 100km Ultra Trail covers Danao’s four breathtaking peaks: Mt. Licos, Manghilao Peak, Mt. Lantawan and Mt. Mago . Podium placers can expect cash prizes and product prizes.

Danao City has emerged as a prominent destination for sports tourism. With its beautiful landscapes, challenging terrains, friendly locals. and strong commitment to outdoor sports. It will be a place for cultural exchange, friendly competition and the spirit of adventure that Danao City stands for — offering unique and unforgettable experience while respecting the environment and preserving its rich heritage.

Registration is open and you can access via a click on the button below. More details on the event can be obtained via the Danao City facebook page. You can also watch the teaser video and the press conference that took place on 25 October further down below.

The 2023 edition of Ultra Trail Chiang Rai in Thailand turned into a complicated one due to heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday morning, affecting the three longest race categories of which the 250km and 115km offered ATM Championship points. In particular, swollen rivers and flash floods forced a number of runners to stop for a whlle and there was also a minor last-minute re-route. As a result, only twelve runners were marked as official finishers within the 71h cut-off time of the Ultimate 250km race. This cut-off time had been extended mid-race by one hour due to the conditions. Meepoom Mongkolsuksri took the victory in nearly 63 hours, three hours ahead of Chanil Thainguan and Surayos Chuepanich. One female runner made it to the finish at the Sandu School, Patchara Buagun in 70h41 - meaning only 19 minutes within the time limit. Ann Jilian Pulanco looked like she was going to finish as well, but the very tough last 25km proved too big an ask - with the cut-off in mind. A very costly DNF for her, by the way, as she could have assured herself of a spot in Team Pilipinas for the ATM Final.

While the 100 miles category was impressively won by Filipino Rexell Aguirre, runners on the 115km had a good battle for the race win and the ATM championship points. In the rain, Malaysians Amir Zaki and Jeffery Budin built up a nice gap by km 33 and the fourth checkpoint. But the slippery conditions made it tougher than anticipated, and young Thai talent Thosaeng Kunno worked his way back to the front in the second part of the race, hereby also overtaking Filipino Ivan Macosa. Later than expected, Kunno reached the finish after midnight in 19h31, ten minutes ahead of Jeffery Budin and twenty ahead of Amir Zaki. This was a solid victory for Kunno, who burst onto the ATM scene just four months ago in Chiang Mai, winning the Trail of Man 55k race and backing that up with second behind John Ray Onifa in Akha Trail. Kunno looks like the leader for Team Thailand in the upcoming ATM Final, and one of too few Thailanders keen on proper competition. Budin and Zaki did a great job for their chances of qualification for Team Malaysia. The 77km race of Siksorogo Lawu Ultra is also a course that will suit both runners very well. In fourth and fifth in Chiang Rai we had the Italian Giacomo Giovannini, who made a wonderful remark five hours into the race, saying it’s “trail surfing” and not “trail running” when asked about the condition of the trails in the very wet weather at that point. Giovannini held of the Thailand-based Filipino Ivan Macaso, who did a great run in one of his first 100k+ races. For quite a while the duo was joined by the first female competitor in the race: Tara Savage. Living in Thailand already for a long time, the American started her race very fast and quickly put the other women on the backfoot. Singapore’s Vincere Zeng - known as a high mountain specialist - was the closest challenger for Savage but never really saw her during the race. Vincere nevertheless scored a solid second place in this race and is looking forward to the ATM Final, Gunung Lawu being a mountain she has climbed before. Third place in the women’s race looked like it was going to be assumed by Indonesia’s Qheiza Wiranda Edelwise. Born in Sumatra, living in Singapore, Edelwise has put together a nice string of race results this ATM season and will be part of her country’s team in Siksorogo Lawu. A third place in Chiang Rai would have been the cherry on the pie for her season in ATM, but it got denied by what appears to have been a confused race marshal who sent her on the wrong course (the 100 miles course). Eventually, Edelwise - understandably frustrated - threw in the towel, which gave the third spot on the podium to a surprised Malaysia’s Rija Anak Gunes, herself just ten minutes ahead of Pey Luan Ng. Race marshals are often well-meaning volunteers, and ultra trail races are very long with sleepless nights included, yet these kind of situations happen too often in trail events the world over.

Thosaeng Kunno arrives at CP 4 in the 115km race, half an hour down on then-leader Amir Zaki

Jeffery Budin used his ultra experience to grab a very good second place

Early race leader Amir Zaki eventually had to settle for third place, also due to some miscommunications

The Ultimate 250 was tougher than ever before. Meepoom Mongkolsuksri was clearly the strongest

The only female finisher on the Ultimate 250: Patchara Buagun

Ultra Trail Chiang Rai in the north of Thailand again features on the ATM Championship calendar for the first time since the magical edition of 2019, when a.o. John Ellis and Hisashi Kitamura went head-to-head for dozens of kilometres in what turned out to be that year’s championship-deciding race. This time, UTCR is the last points race of the season and so the last chance for Thai runners to collect ATM points within their own country in an attempt to qualify for their national country team at the ATM Final in Indonesia on 2 December.

UTCR has a new venue this year: the Bandu School grounds, closer to the city of Chiang Rai itself. The Ultimate 250 is still the longest points race in our series, and the 115km remains the second choice for points seekers. There’s also a 100 miles category, but that one only matters for the Grandmaster Quest.

On the start list of the 115km we have a lot of Thai runners whom we have not yet seen on the ATM circuit, so we might see a few surprises from a competitive point of view. From Malaysia, however, we have a serious candidate for the race win: Amir Zaki. Already a winner in Thailand a year ago at Doi Nhok Trail, Zaki is in full preparation mode for the last big races of the season, normally speaking for him culminating in the ATM Championship Final on 2 December. While previously a short to medium distance specialist, Zaki has proven this season he should no longer be afraid of the long ultras. In June, he won the inaugural Borneo Miler in a solid fashion and time. His teammate at Sportlicious Malaysia, Jeffery Budin, will also be running the 115 and is himself certainly a podium candidate. Thailand’s upcoming youngster Thosaeng Kunno will be cementing his ATM ranking and could be the biggest challenger for the Malaysians. Kunno was second behind John Ray Onifa in Akha Trail and won Trail of Man in Chiang Mai in June. Japan’s Seiji Morofuji might also find himself close to the podium this weekend.

The women’s 115km sees well-known ATM protagonists such as Singapore’s Vincere Zeng and Indonesia’s Qheiza Edelwise, with Grandmaster-seeker Rija Anak Gubes and also Thailand-based Tara Savage as a potential race winner.

The Ultimate 250km is a challenge not made for everyone, but some runners have made these extreme distances a bit of their specialty. Philippines’ Ann Jilian Pulanco, for example, could be grabbing her second ATM victory of this season after Sierra Madre 75, which could put her in a strong position to qualify for her country team in the ATM Championship Final. Thailand’s Patchara Buagun will be challenger. Malaysia-based Thai Siriporn Leumathong, Malaysia’s Yvette Chong and Manila’s Rhea Batac also can eye a potential podium. In the men’s Adrian Lee, Kittisak Pakton and Chanil Thainguan may be contesting the victory.

ATM will be reporting live from UTCR as of Saturday morning 4am local time, start of the 115km race.

A little later than usual due to very heavy workload over the past few weeks, here is the Tale of the Trail video of the 11th Borneo TMBT Ultra from just over a month ago in Sabah, Malaysia. The 100 km and 50 km races were points races for the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking. Local Sabahans Daved Simpat and Rejlen James gave the home crowd great wins on the 100km, while John Ray Onifa and Vanja Cnops were unbeatable on the 50k. For Simpat it was his third 100k victory at TMBT after 2015 and 2018. Hisashi Kitamura bit the dust in second place for the third consecutive time. For Cnops it was her second consecutive victory on the 50k. Rejlen James successfully concluded her ‘Sabah Triple’ as this season she had already won BUTM 100 and Borneo Miler. Onifa broke the course record on the 50k, despite just ‘warming up’ in the first 15km of the race - leaving good old Bruneian Sefli Ahar, making his comeback, alone out in front for half of the race before reeling him in and dropping him by over fifty minutes. TMBT 2023 had a lot of big stories!

Borneo TMBT Ultra was part of our original series in 2015. After a brief hiatus, the event returned on our calendar in 2018 and has been there ever since.

Organised by Borneo Ultras, TMBT will return to ATM also in mid-September 2024 as well as BUTM in March.

We are happy to announce the latest new ATM Candidate race in Brunei, scheduled for 17/18 February 2024: Brunei Darussalam Ultra Trail Marathon, abbreviated as BDUTM. The event is organised by HJ Khai Event Management and is centred around the Tasek Lama Recreational Park. On the programme are four race distance categories, of which the 50km is the longest. Less ambitious runners can also opt for the 30k, 15km or 5km. Note: this a race with loops, which means the 50km is 10 loops of 5 km. BDUTM is part of the ‘Brunei Loop Series’ .

BDUTM is meant to promote the country as an outdoor and trail running destination with the Tasek Lama Park being the most iconic region to do so. Estimated elevation gain for the 50km is 3100 hm. People who have been running in Brunei before know the hills are often quite steep and more technical than expected. Heat is another obstacle, as of course in many Southeast Asian races. At BDUTM the decision has been made to have the 50km flag off at 21:00, implying most of the race will be held at night with cooler conditions. The looping of course allows for a fun and entertaining event for fans and friends as well, given runners will be passing by on a regular basis.

Registration is open and can easily be done via the official website linked below. The website also has English contact details and everything you need to know in terms of mandatory gear, cut-off times and other race regulations and entry conditions.

Tasek Lama is close to Brunei’s capital city Bandar Seri Begawan, where there’s plenty of accommodation options. BBS also has an international airport.

The BDUTM Loop of 5km around Tasek Lama Recreational Park

It’s been a long time coming, but at least The 9 Dragons is returning on the trail calendar in Hong Kong and in the Asia Trail Master Championship series! The unique event, with its main competition combining two separate races of 50 miles on Saturday and 50km on Sunday, is scheduled for 16-18 February 2024 - five years after its last edition in 2019. The organisation is still in the capable hands of RaceBase, and the concept has not changed either for the fifth edition of The 9 Dragons. ATM championship points seekers should focus on the 50/50 , or Sunday’s single 50km. Grandmaster runners could also opt for the single 50 miles on Saturday.

The 2024 edition will also be sponsored by ATM’s official apparel partner T8, itself also headquartered in Hong Kong. A special edition of the T8 ice tee and shorts will be available for purchase.

The 50 miles race starts at 11:59 pm on Friday, 16 February at the Po Leung Kuk Jockey Club Holiday Camp near Yuen Long and finish at Tai Po Tau Playground. The cutoff is at 19:00pm on Saturday 17 February. The 50km race starts on Sunday at at Tai Po Tau Playground and finish at Shing Fung Studios. The cutoff will be at 20:00pm on the same day. The two courses are not really a secret anymore and can be checked, alongside all other details, on the great new website of the 9 Dragons (click on the button below).

Registration is open, and keep in mind that the spots for the 50/.50 category are restricted to 250 only! No time to lose in other words.

Kaizufumi Ose was the big winner in 2019

Even in Hong Kong, Hisashi Kitamura and Milton Amat have been inseparable..

Hong Kong of course means a lot of staircases..