(New) Season 10 ATM Championship Final:
The 9 Dragons (HKG)

official announcement

We are very excited to announce that the Season 10 Asia Trail Master Championship Final, postponed after the cancellation of Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail due to the devastation caused by typhoon Bualoi , will now be held on 28 February 2026! The place is Hong Kong and the event host is none other than The 9 Dragons! 

We are absolutely thrilled and grateful that RaceBase, in particular Steve Carr and Michael Ormiston, were immediately keen to substitute for the Vietnamese event following the latter’s cancellation. It did not take long for all the pieces to come together and we are convinced the organising team will design and put on a fantastic new race within their existing event programme.  The ATM Championship Final race will be held on a special course of 70km with approx 3800 elevation gain and a separate race start at 1 a.m. The trail will largely follow the default 50 Miles course, but then see a shortcut to bring the distance down to the standard 70-75 km window, as usual for the ATM Final.

The 9 Dragons has been a very popular classic in our Asia Trail Master series since 2018 and has always fostered a solid competition amongst elite runners, while simultaneously never losing sight of the overall event experience for the every-day runner. It will be the first time in ATM’s decade-long history that the Championship title will be decided in Hong Kong. 

All the runners who were qualified for the ATM Final at the Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail two weeks ago, remain qualified for the new Final at the 9 Dragons. The Season 10 points ranking is closed and will not be re-opened. The events taking place as of Luang Prabang Ultra Trail in Laos this weekend all count towards the new Season 11 ranking already. All relevant runners will soon receive details and guidelines for the 9 Dragons event .

Also, in the context of the regular 9 Dragons event, please note  that the 50/50 stage race and Sunday’s 50km race remain qualifying points races for the aforementioned Season 11 Championship ranking.  Registration for the 50/50 and other open public races is still open. Response has been superb this year, so if you wish to secure a spot for the open public races you better sign up quickly.

In addition, please note that it is also confirmed that Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail in Vietnam will now host the Season 11 ATM Championship Final on 3 October 2026. And last but not least, a priority agreement has been struck with MUTRA to host the Season 12 ATM Championship Final in Myanmar in 2027! For competitive-minded runners, the scene is set for the next two years. This longer horizon gives ATM stability and enables us to work on greater developments to benefit all in the years to come.

official website the 9 dragons

Asia Trail Master Premium Sponsors of Season 10

Official Apparel

Co-founded by 2019 ATM Champion John Ellis in Hong Kong. Designed by ultra runners. Ultra light. Super cool. Chafe-free

Official nutrition

Näak - Official energy and nutrition partner of the Asia Trail Master Championship. Distributed in Asia via Sportlicious Malaysia

Timetable

All ATM Championship Finalists are expected to arrive in Hong Kong on Friday, 27 February, check-in and pick-up their race pack at the event hotel in Sha Tin before going to the race start venue later that night. Runners are entitled to 2 nights accommodation (Friday and Saturday night).

  • 15 November 2025 - Qualified runners are expected to confirm their participation in the ATM Championship Final race by this date.

  • 27 February 2026 - Participants check-in at the event hotel in Hong Kong and collect their race packs before heading to the race start venue

  • 28 February 2026 - Season 10 ATM Championship Final starts at 1:00 am at the base of Tai Mo Shan

  • 28 February 2026 - Cut-off time at the finish at Tai Po Tau Playground is set at 22:00 .

  • 1 March 2026 - Podium ceremony at TBC

Competition regulations (including mandatory gear)

The official race regulations of the 9 Dragons event can be found on the website (link: https://www.the9dragons.asia/rules ) . Please note that for the ATM Championship Final race, pacers are NOT allowed. The mandatory gear is listed on this webpage as well.

Please also pay attention to these points, specific for the ATM Championship Final race:

Coming soon

Qualified runners

Support Crew regulations

  • Support crews are allowed at designated aid stations only. There will be 3 aid stations / checkpoints where support crews are permitted. These are checkpoints 2, 4 and 6.

  • Support crews must obey the commands of the race director and/or aid station managers at all times.

Podium Ceremony

The Top 10 male and female, as well as the best performing team will be invited for the (mandatory) podium ceremony on Sunday morning after breakfast.

Background on Asia Trail Master Championship

List of ATM Champions

Men:

2025: Postponed
2024: Jeff Campbell (CAN/HKG)
2023: John Ray Onifa (PHI)
2022: Arnie Macaneras (PHI)
2020-2021: No champion (covid)
2019: John Ellis (AUS/HKG)
2018: Alessandro Sherpa (ITA/SGP)
2017: Steven Soonseng Ong (MAS)
2016: Manolito Divina (PHI)
2015: Arief Wismoyono (INA)

Women:

2025: Postponed
2024: Priya Rai (NEP)
2023: Rashila Tamang (NEP)
2022: Hau Ha (VIE)
2020-2021: No champion (covid)
2019: Veronika Vadovicova (SVK/HKG)
2018: Ruth Theresia (INA)
2017: Kim Matthews (AUS/VIE)
2016: Tahira Najmunisaa (MAS)
2015: Ma Yanxing (CHN)

Reigning ATM Champions