The 6th edition of Ultra Fish N Sheep in the New Territories of Hong Kong was held in sunny and hot conditions last Saturday and saw great racing for the male and female victories and podium places. While Hong Kong-based Nepali Dilu Limbu was in front by herself the whole day - albeit by never more than 20 minutes -, the men’s contenders put up a great show with ever changing positions as the race progressed.

Eventually, local favourite Ferdinand Tsang, also known as Monster, won it in 9h44! Tsang kept the charging Daniel Crisp behind after a great dual between the two in the last 30 km of the race, after early leader Carlos Sanchez Villamil slowed down and former double ATM Champion John Ray Onifa DNFd (headache, see video CP 7). Onifa had initially looked relaxed and in control, but after CP 3 he felt gradually worse with a throbbing headache. The surprising Spaniard Sanchez Villamil, who has been residing and working in Hong Kong for two years, suddenly found himself alone in the lead. But the aforementioned Ferdinand Tsang and Daniel Crisp closed the gap by CP 5. KC Chan lost contact with the front as he also began to suffer from headaches and the heat. Cheng Kasin on the other hand was the fastest man on the course during these few hours and picked up runners one after the other. For a while he looked like he was still going to challenge for victory,. but in the end he got stuck at about 15 minutes from the two leaders. Tsang and Crisp were battling it out. The Britain nibbled away at the gap and briefly came within two minutes. Tsang still had something left in the tank, though, and secured his victory in the last 8 km to the finish. First ever race victory for home runner Ferdinand Tsang. Great and smart performance! Daniel Crisp was a very happy second, a performance he had not expected himself. Cheng Kasing was a great third on the podium.

Patrick Jaeger from Germany still sneaked past Carlos Sanchez Villamil in the last kilometre for fourth place! Limbu Yamanath was sixth and first of the Grand Slam finishers at the event. Tommy Yeung was next followed by KC Chan and Ng Wai Fung. Taiwan’s Ricky Sung, winner of Vietnam Trail Marathon last January, struggled with the hot temperaturs and finished 14th.

Dilu Limbu won the women’s race in 11h52. It was a rather dominant performance today by the HK based Nepali runner, who hopes to be back on Team Nepal in next year’s Season 12 Championship Final. Dilu led from start to finish, keeping a trio of runners always some 20 minutes behind. It’s her second race victory in ATM after Trail Des Gombak 100 in Malaysia last year. Interesingly, her advantage over the others came down significantly in the last 8km of the race to 13 minutes, indicating that the race had been long enough for her, too.

Taiwan’s Hsiu Fangtai scored second, just ahead of Kimmy Leung. Honna Hung couldn’t follow the pace of the two others she spent the whole day with and settled for fourth place. In fifth, Zhang Hualan. Amanda Min Ting Chen was next in sixth place and then it was Colby Chan in seventh. She was 9th in the ATM Championship Final in Vietnam. Natalie Webster scored 8th place, just a couple of minutes behind Colby Chan.

The next ATM Championship Qualifier in Hong Kong will be The 9 Dragons at the end of February, followed by Lantau 70 at the end of March.

Season XII had a very nice kick-off in Laos last weekend with Luang Prabang Trail and the good vibes will certainly continue this weekend in Hong Kong with the 6th edition of Ultra Fish’n Sheep - widely seen as one of the best newcomers on the ATM circuit last year. 75km through the New Territories on a tough course, also for Hong Kong standards, from Fanling in the north to Tseung Kwan O and in particular Lion’s - YMCA Junk Bay Youth Camp. The race is both a Championship Qualifier and valid for runners’ Grandmaster Quest records. Elevation gain is estimated at nearly 4000 hm and the cut-off time at the finish line is 18 hours.

Last year, Hong Kong-based Dutchman Lodewijk Vriens very much dominated the race against strong opposition, such as Wai Hei Ng and Jeff Campbell. None of those are on the start list for tomorrow, but instead we have some other big names. Two weeks after losing his ATM Championship title, John Ray Onifa will already be back in action in his beloved city. Still not 100% recovered from a painful hip, which bothered him in Vietnam as well, Onifa aims first and foremost to finish the race with a comfortable feeling. Always a logical victory favourite nonetheless, he should see Wai Hung Wong around him on Saturday. A runner with name in Hong Kong, but whom we haven’t seen yet in an ATM race. Other victory and podium contenders are expected to be Limbu Yamanath and Dina Bagale from Nepal (based in HK, though), Aditya Kothari from Belgium, Alexander Lithgow, Tommy Yeung, Richard Kimber, Daniel Crisp and Andrew Graham. There’s also a group of Grandmaster Quest runners in Hong Kong, including Malaysia’s Munin Sundram, the Golden Grandmaster who last week also ran Luang Prabang Trail 75km. Fish ‘n Sheep will be his second race on the Trail to Immortality.

In the women’s 75km, another HK-based Nepali could be the woman-to-beat. Dilu Limbu was an ATM Finalist in Season 10 and that season also won Trail des Gombak in Malaysia. She will be up against Colby Chan, 9th two weeks ago for Hong Kong in the ATM Championship Final in Vietnam, 2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia, Kimmy Leung and Natalie Webster.

ATM will be reporting live from start to finish tomorrow. The 75km starts at 8 am local time.

Lodewijk Vriens was unstoppable last year

John Ray Onifa: not wasting any time to secure another wild card for next year’s ATM Final

Colby Chan ran a great ATM Final to finish 9th

Last year she scored her 4th Grandmaster star here: Ruth Theresia is back in Fish’n Sheep

The 2026 edition of Garmin Ultra Fish’n Sheep in Hong Kong has been scheduled for the weekend of 17/18 October. The event again features a 75km race as ATM Championship Qualifier (for Season XII) and the Grandmaster Quest. Last year’s new entry in our series proved to be a popular and applauded one, the third in Hong Kong besides The 9 Dragons and Lantau 70 earlier in the year. 

Ultra Fish’n Sheep takes places in the New Territories of Hong Kong and is perceived as one of the tougher races. It’s an A to B race from Fanling to Lion’s YMCA Junk Bay Youth Camp with an estimated elevation gain of nearly 4000hm. Combine that with potential hot and humid weather and you know this is one to prepare for physically and mentally. The start is at 8am on Saturday morning and runners have 18 hours to complete the 75km course. 

Accommodation-wise, the event has an arrangement with the well-known Regal Riverside Hotel in Sha Tin, which also featured as the event hotel at the latest 9 Dragons. The website linked below has details on your options. To get back from the finish line, there are bus and MTR connections.

Last year, Lodewijk Vriens proved outstanding and left others such as Jeff Campbell and Wai Hei Ng no chance in the battle for victory. The women’s 75km race was won by Wong Tze Kei ahead of Nicole Lau and Kimmy Leung. 

Registration for the event opens this week on Thursday at 12 pm (noon).

Ultra Fish N Sheep will be the second qualifier of the new season 12, one week after opener Luang Prabang Trail in Laos.

The 5th edition of Ultra Fish N Sheep between Fanling and Po Lam in Hong Kong did not miss its debut in our ATM Championship series. Tougher than expected, the 75km left a mark on the many participants, who nevertheless returned home satisfied thanks to a commendable race organisation. Dominator of the day was Lodewijk Vriens, who scored his second ATM race win of the year after BTR Bali 60k last May. From the Netherlands but based in Hong Kong, Vriens absolutely smashed it from the gun and did not leave co-favourites Jeff Campbell and Wai Hei Ng any chance for victory. Throughout the day, and in ever rising temperatures, the gaps between the top runners just increased ever more. Vriens came into the finish arena in a superb 8h33, half an hour quicker than Jeff Campbell, still our reigning men’s champion after the cancellation of Mu Cang Chai three weeks ago. Wai Hei Ng, one of the revelations of Season 10, was another half hour further back in third. With the new Season 10 Final now scheduled in Hong Kong at the 9 Dragons event, with many of the same trails as Fish N Sheep, Lodewijk Vriens has suddenly propelled himself into a top favourite role.

Behind the top trio, we saw a very solid performance by Nepal’s Santosh Tamang, who continues his comeback in Hong Kong with again clear signs of competitive progress. Tamang was a known race winner a decade ago, and has recently returned to trail running after a long break. Fourth place in Fish N Sheep, that’s a big points haul also with a view to next Season’s Championship Final. In fifth came another HKNTRA athlete, Limbu Yamanath, who was running together with Tamang until cramps hit him badly. In sixth place at the finish was Chin Ching Cheuk.

The women’s race actually had a bit more excitement than the men’s race. Nicole Lau was the fastest starter until and across Tai Mo Shan and the km 20 mark, but then saw Wong Tze Kei edging closer and closer to her. Tze Kei managed to overtake Nicole Lau about halfway into the race and ran towards her first ever ATM race victory in 11h25. Nicole Lau held onto second place over an hour behind, but only narrowly so. Kimmy Leung and Yuen Tze Kwan finished right behind her in three and four. Valerie Chan completed the top 5 a bit later, and Indonesia’s Ruth Theresia took sixth after a solid second half of the race. Cherry on the pie was her Golden Grandmaster title, for finishing 20 ATM ultras.

The next Hong Kong qualifying races for the ATM Championship ranking of Season 11 are The 9 Dragons (50-50 and 50km) and Lantau 70 .

Season 11 continues this weekend with a new entry on our ATM Championship calendar: Ultra Fish N Sheep is the third qualifier or points race event in Hong Kong. Taking place in the New Territories with start in Fanling on Saturday morning 8 a.m., the 5th edition of the popular event introduces a 75km category for both Championship and Grandmaster Quest points.

It’s a pretty serious race with an estimated elevation gain of 4400 hm for the 75km distance. Moreover, after a week of cool weather, the heat is expected to return to Hong Kong this weekend with temperatures reaching 30 degrees celsius. Normal conditions for the average South-East Asian trail runner, but in Hong Kong it remains a topic that circles around in runners’ heads. We could be seeing some surprises on the race leaderboard in other words.

The men’s start list shows some big names including the still reiging ATM Champion Jeff Campbell. It’s been three weeks since the cancellation of the Season 10 Final at Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail , a race for which Campbell undoubtedly had prepared very well for. If he has preserved that form, he should be the logical one to beat on Saturday. However, this year in Hong Kong has also proven that he can be beaten at times. His T8 teammate Wai Hei Ng finished ahead of him at Lantau 70, for instance. One of the most exciting newcomers on the ATM scene in Season 10, Wai Hei Ng also won the 50km at The 9 Dragons in February and may be Campbell’s greatest challenger in the Fish N Sheep race together with Lodewijk Vriens, also Team T8. Vriens was the 50km race winner at this event last year, and also looked impressive in winning Bali’s BTR 60 last May. There’s 275 participants for the 75km race, let’s find out if anyone else can get between these three top runners.

On the women’s side, we will be paying attention to Indonesia’s Ruth Theresia, now based in Hong Kong. Our 2018 ATM Champion has had a decent training block over the past few months and looks ready to finally get that 20th ATM ultra race finish, which would mean her 4th Grandmaster star! If she completes Fish N Sheep 75, she will be the first Indonesian Golden Grandmaster and only the second female in general after Philippines’ Rhea Batac in July 2024. Of course, a strong Ruth Theresia also implies she won’t be far away from the podium and the women’s race win either. Other contenders are expected to be Nicole Lau, third on the 50km last year, Kai Hei Chan, Kimmy Leung and Nikki Han.

ATM will be reporting live from Ultra Fish N Sheep from start to finish. The race starts at 8 am local time.

Top favourite for the men’s race and still reigning ATM Champion: Jeff Campbell

Wai Hei Ng: finished ahead of Jeff Campbell at Lantau 70 and won the 50km at 9 Dragons this year

2018 ATM Champion Ruth Theresia aims for her 20th ATM Ultra finish: the Golden Grandmaster title

BTR 60 race winner Lodewijk Vriens will aim to give Campbell a run for his money

We are happy to announce a new entry in Hong Kong for Season 11 of the Asia Trail Master Championship series : Ultra Fish’n Sheep joins the ATM Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar with its event scheduled for Saturday, 25 October 2025. It will be the 5th edition of the popular Ultra Fish’n Sheep, but the first time it will feature a 75km long course, which will be run during daytime from Fan Lin in the north of the New Territories to the finish at the YMCA Junk Bay Youth Camp. It’s a typical Hong Kong trail course, which means a decent amount of elevation gain as well. The 75km is estimated to have over 4300 metres of elevation gain. The start is at 8am and the cut off time at the finish is 2 am on Sunday morning, i.e. maximum 18 hours.

Joining The 9 Dragons and Lantau 70 in the early part of each year, Ultra Fish n Sheep will thus be the third Hong Kong points race in Season 11 of the ATM Championship, which begins the week before in Laos with Luang Prabang Ultra Trail on 18/19 October. Hong Kong continues to have a vibrant trail running scene, in which this event has managed to secure a solid footing over the past four years. Ultra Fish n Sheep is organised by Sky Sportage.

Registration is open and it is recommended to sign up early. Apart from the 75km there are other distance categories, but note that only the 75km provides ATM points. On the official website linked below you can also download the GPX file of the race course. Remember, just like 9 Dragons in February, this is a race from A to B. Luggage can be transported by the event crew from the starting point to the finish point at the YMCA Junk Bay Youth Camp.