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 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 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.

John Ray Onifa and Kanako Edamoto won the 50/50 stage race in 2025

The 2026 edition of The 9 Dragons in Hong Kong has been scheduled for 28 February and 1 March. A bit later than usual due to Chinese New Year taking place mid-february. The traditional menu remains, however. The 50/50 stage race is the flagship race category, 50 miles on Saturday and 50km on Sunday. Runners can score ATM Championship points for the 50/50, and also for the 50km single race - as has been the case for some years already. If you are on the Grandmaster Quest, you can also consider doing the single 50 Miles. Less ambitious runner can also choose a shorter distance (25km) in 2026.

One of the more unique events on our calendar, the 9 Dragons has indeed become cult. Running another 50km after a gruelling 50 miles (approx 84km) the day before is a challenge for even the greatest trail athletes. Many have cracked on Sunday, while others seem to thrive. A stage race is not the same as a single day race. Yet, while one of the toughest races on the ATM calendar, it’s also one with a superb vibe among the participants.

The 50 miles and 50km race courses will be confirmed in due course, but are unlikely to change much. Registration is already open and you might also wish to take a look at the accommodation offer at the Regal Riverside Hotel in Sha Tin, not too far from Saturday’s finish line (yes, keep in mind the 9 Dragons runs from A to B and then to C). It all happens in the New Territories of Hong Kong.

This season, 2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa left his comfort zone to win the 50/50 stage race, proving once more what a great all-rounder he has become. In the women’s competion it was Japan’s Kanako Edamoto who was strongest ahead of Hong Kog’s own long ultra trail star Man Yee Cheung. The 50km points race was won by the exciting HK newcomer Wai Hei Ng, with Singapore-based Aurore Dacier from France taking top honours in the women’s 50km.

Kanako Edamato was the strongest female runner last year on the 50/50

John Ray Onifa proved that he can also dominate a stage race

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.

The 11th edition of Lantau 70 in Hong Kong goes into the history books as one of the most competitive and certainly the fastest edition ever. Although a lot can be said as to why one should not compare times in trail running from one year to the next, when five runners beat the course record time of John Ray Onifa set last year, and the female winner also took a few minutes off Aurore Dacier’s record time - something took place! Moreover, reigning ATM Champion Jeff Campbell took a rare defeat on home soil and not just by one but by two other local athletes: Alex Neyrinck confirmed his 2nd place in VUM three weeks ago was no coincidence and won Lantau 70 by just three minutes over another season revelation Wai Hei Ng - the recent winner of the 9 Dragons 50km! Neyrinck finished the course in a blistering time of 6h35, 18 minutes quicker than Onifa a year ago! Thanks to a superb final section, Campbell managed to still overtake Chun Kit Tsang and Jason Chan for a top three spot in 6h43 (note that Campbell won the race - on a slightly longer course in 2023 in 7h34..). In the women’s race, local Lantau hero Katrina Hamlin was unchallenged to take her second win in three years in 8h07 (versus 8h38 as 3rd last year). The cool and often even chilly temperatures on race day certainly played a role in the faster times, but the competitors were also just really switched on!

Alex Neyrinck, British but residing in Hong Kong and part of the T8 squad, put the pressure on at CP 3 when he caught and overtook early leader Jason Chan, who had taken the bull by the horns in the first and tough hilly sections. Wai Hei Ng always remained close to the lead and sometimes even appeared to have the highest running pace, but arguably spent too much time at checkpoints to bridge that final gap. Probably due to inexperience racing at this high level. ATM Champion Jeff Campbell took a conservative approach early on, and by halfway somewhat looked resigned as far down as fifth place. But he obviously had kept something in the tank for ‘money time’ and ran the fastest split in the last 10km to grab third place and actually only 7 minutes behind the winner. Campbell expressed satisfaction with his own performance and took off his virtual hat in admiration for Alex Neyrinck and Wai Hei Ng, which says a lot. Just 4’30” after Campbell we had the finish of Chun Kit Tsang, also known locally as Ying Ying. Few people had expected him to stay so close with the top three beforehand. This ATM season, Chun Kit Tsang was also third in The 9 Dragons 50/50, so the highly experienced Hong Konger already has a foot into the team for the Championship Final in Vietnam on. October. Next was Jason Chan, also a Hong Kong regular. His quick start was ambitious, but he nevertheless hung on very well and with a finish time of 6h52, he too stayed under Onifa’s time of last year! Number six was Kristian Joergensen, for whom colder conditions are not ideal for him despite being of Danish nationality. Joergensen was in the mix for the podium until the final 20km. Still, again, 7h08 in Lantau 70 is an achievement. That also goes for trail newbie from the Philippines, Randolf Gonzales, who scored seventh place in 7h15. Gonzales had learnt from his 9 Dragons experience, where he blew himself up in the beginning to finish outside the top ten. France’s Jeremy Pelletant was 8th another nine minutes later.

The women’s race had a clear favourite from the get-go, and that was local resident Katrina Hamlin, already race winner in 2023. Already at the first checkpoint at km 13, she had taken control of affairs albeit by just a few minutes over several other women, including Filipino Angelie Cabalo, Zhu Xiaoqian, Kimmy Leung, Chin Nam Ng, Dilu Limbu and Boney Tsz Kwan Lee. As expected, Cabalo got a bit stuck in a lower gear following her 80km race the previous weekend. Zhu Xiaoqian dropped down the leaderboard as the race progressed, and Naomi Fung - winner of last year’s 9 Dragons 50km - was unable to make a big move forward. Fung would finish sixth in the end. While Hamlin ran comfortably to victory in record time, Tsz Kwan Lee turned out to be best-of-the-rest, but later was penalised for a mandatory gear infringement. She dropped from second to seventh in the race result as a consequence of her 1 hour time penalty. As such, Susuki Ng claimed second place ahead of Kimmy Leung and Angelie Cabalo after a nice battle between the three. Nepal’s Dilu Limbu grabbed fifth and important ATM points. Qualifiying for the women’s team in Nepal is not easy, indeed.

The men’s top five with Alex Neyrinck in the middle

After winning the 9 Dragons 50km last month, Wai Hei Ng impressed once more with 2nd in Lantau

Chun Kit Tsang, aka Ying Ying, ran a second strong ATM race this season, finishing 4th just behind Campbell

ATM Champion Jeff Campbell was satisfied with third place

Saturday’s 11th edition of Lantau 70 has attracted one of the highest participation numbers of the trail season in Hong Kong, including many competitive athletes aiming for a top race result and the accompanying points for the ATM Championship ranking. After the 9 Dragons in February, this is the second and final Hong Kong points race on our ATM calendar, so almost a must-run for anyone keen to qualify for the Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October. Lantau 70 is one of the ‘old classics’ in the territory and it’s great to see runners remain enthusiastic for it!

On paper, Lantau 70 is not the toughest race but the past two years the high humidity levels surprised many participants. Top Asian competitors such as Rashila Tamang and Alessandro Sherpa all suffered their way to the finish in Mui Wo. Saturday, however, the forecast says cooler than usual temperatures with a high of just 16 degrees. Trails may be more slippery, though, given rain is forecast for Friday.

2023 race winner and now reigning ATM Champion Jeff Campbell is on the start list and therefore the logical race favourite. Coming off two impressive victories on our circuit this season in Vietnam and Laos, Campbell has proven to again be in great shape. There’s challengers for him, though. Alex Neyrinck was an amazing second behind Onifa at VUM three weeks ago. Neyrinck pushed the Filipino all the way to the finish line in his ATM debut. The British runner is also part of the T8 Team and may develop further into one of this season’s championship protagonists. The same applies to another T8 runner in Hong Kong, Wai Hei Ng. Impressive winner of the 50km race at the 9 Dragons six weeks ago. Kristian Joergensen is another one and perhaps one of those who would like to prove himself this weekend. Joergensen has been solid over the past months, but seems to be missing that spark that gave him his amazing victory at the 9 Dragons 50/50 last year. For all three, Lantau 70 will in any case be an important race to finish with a view to qualification for the ATM Final on 4 October. Other podium contenders this weekend are expected to be Japan’s Masashi Shirotake, Philippines’ Randolf Gonzales - another one who will be keen to show himself after fading badly in the 9 Dragons 50km -, 2019 ATM Champion John Ellis - who can collect his wild card for this season’s Final if he finishes -, Chun Kit Tsang - third in 9 Dragons 50/50 -, and maybe even Clement Dumont.

In the women’s race we have former winner Katrina Hamlin, Lantau resident and part of T8’s Hong Kong squad. She is arguably the woman-to-beat with also her teammates Tsz Kwan Lee and Chin Nam Ng in the mix. Still, one Filipino ace may give Hamlin a run for her money this weekend: Angelie Cabalo. In great form the past year, also on runable courses, and no stranger to Hong Kong. She finished second in last year’s 9 Dragons 50km. Cabalo did race last weekend in her home country as well, so it remains to be see how fresh she will be. Filipino runners are known to be able to absorb a lot of race mileage, though. Two more Filipino runners who have been performing well in our ATM series are Julieann Morales and Julie Mae Marquez. Morales was tenth in the ATM Championship Final last season, with three race wins during 2024 to boot. Marquez was a surprising second at Mount Kalatungan Ultra just a month ago. Hong Kong’s Naomi Fung and Kimmy Leung, France’s Helene Boursier (ATM Finalist in 2024) and Nepal’s Dilu Limbu are others to watch out for in the top placings of the leaderboard.

ATM will be broadcasting live from Lantau 70 on our usual channels, with consistent updates primarily on ATM Facebook. The race starts at 8:30 am local time.

Angelie Cabalo: can she beat local star Katrina Hamlin ?

Knocking on the big door: Wai Hei Ng, winner of 9 Dragons 50km

Alex Neyrinck: made John Ray Onifa nervous three weeks ago, can he also unsettle Jeff Campbell?

It’s been 3 seasons since John Ellis was in an ATM Final, but this weekend he can collect his 2025 wild card

At Lantau 70 last year, female winner Aurore Dacier confirmed her rising status as a competitive trail runner

Mui Wo

The 5th edition of The 9 Dragons event in Hong Kong’s New Territories saw 2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa and Japan’s Kanako Edamoto emerge victorious after winning both stages on Saturday and Sunday. Both runners proved superior to their competitors, but nevertheless had to work as Oleksii Melnyk and Man Yee Cheung kept them honest all weekend. The 50km single day race saw fantastic runs by Hong Kong’s ever-improving Wai Hei Ng and France’s Aurore Dacier.

It was a warm edition of the 9 Dragons, which caused many participants to cramp up with dehydration at some stage during the two days. During the 50 Miles (or 82km) on Saturday, John Ray Onifa appeared to be using cruise control rather than going flat out from the start, as he usually tends to do. He nevertheless opened up a gap to HK-based Ukranian Oleksii Melnyk, second in the 50/50 category already last year behind Kristian Joergensen and determined to try and win this time around. Initally, also the young Japanese runner Shoma Maruyama accompanied the duo during the first six hours at nighttime. Maruyama would blow up later, while Melnyk managed to bridge the gap towards Onifa with some 22km left to run. It was arguably a wake-up moment for Onifa, who was - tellingly - wearing earpods. The Filipino shifted to a higher gear on the next hilly section and again took the advantage by a few minutes. However, while Onifa ran home comfortably to grab the stage win, his interview could not be completed because the resilient Melnyk finished just a single minute later. Just one minute difference between the two protagonists, there was no better way to raise excitement for Day 2 on Sunday. Hong Kong duo Tsang Kit Chuan and KC Chan still managed to get ahead of Murayma for third and fourth on the day.

In the women’s 50/50 group, Japan’s Kanako Edamoto was in command from the beginning. Hong Kong’s Man Yee Cheung and Austria’s Cornelia Oswald were keeping up, although the gap would increase ever more. Edamoto took 26 minutes on Cheung to go into day 2’s 50km. It was also her first ever ATM race victory.

There was also a 50 Miles single day race category, only valid for the ATM Grandmaster Quest and not the ATM Championship ranking, which saw former 50/50 winner Kazufumi Ose and Hong Kong’s Lai Shan Pak take the win in the male and female category, respectively.

Onto day 2 with a 7:30 am race start. Tradition says making it to the start line is the hardest part of the day for the 50/50 runners. Oleksii Melnyk had clearly recovered well as he started quick and even put some minutes on John Ray Onifa by CP 1 after 10 kilometres. Was an upset in the making? That thought did not last long, however, as Onifa was again clearly pacing himself. Flying up the subway stairs and the concrete uphill path aroundd CP1 (at Fan Ling), Onifa was saving his ammunition for later on in the day. He knew what was coming as he won the 50km single day race last year. The 50km course at the 9 Dragons is one of the toughest around. Meanwhile, the battle for the 3rd podium spot on the 50/50 was decisively going into Tsang Kit Chuan’s favour. Murayama was holding his own, but KC Chan seemed least recovered of the trio and would never look in contention on Sunday. Between CP 3 and C4 at Shing Mun, Onifa caught Melnyk and immediately pressed ahead as temperatures kept rising, which was an addtional difficulty for the Ukranian. It was the moment the race was won for John Ray Onifa. He would even still finish second overall on the 50km, behind one surprisingly quick local newcomer on the ATM scene. Melnyk did great in finishing just eight minutes later, showing again his mental strength as well. Tsang Kit Chuan impressed with third place, just 20 minutes behind Onifa. Murayama salvaged fourth place, ahead of Fo Lok Liu, who still managed to overtake KC Chan for fifth. Overall, this was one of Onifa’s most mature race weekends and hopefully illustrative of many more beautiful performances to come!

The one runner who managed to win the 50km outright was Hong Kong’s Wai Hei Ng. Part of T8’s Hong Kong team, Wai Hei Ng is not exactly a newbie, but someone who was out of the racing scene for two years before coming back and is seemingly faster than ever. The 9 Dragons was his first appearance on the ATM scene. He took control of his 50k race halfway when Filipino Randolf Gonzales disintegrated entirely, apparently the result of back pain. Gonzales was also new on the ATM scene, coming from obstacle racing. He set a blistering pace initially that nobody could follow. Besides back pain, also lack of experience may have done him in to ultimately finish down in 12th. Gonzales vowed afterwards to come back stronger next time. Kose Rodarte also was among the fast starters who suffered later on, but he still managed to get a third place on the podium of the 50k single race category. Even Wai Hei Ng appeared to be slowing down in the last section, but he nevertheless took a convincing victory in 6h20. That’s 14 minutes slower than Onifa did a year ago. A name to remember, Wai Hei Ng is also scheduled to run Lantau 70 next month. Behind him, Matthew Gay came second on the podium. Gay ran an excellent race, moving up the leaderboard in the second part, showing that his strategy worked. He even still overtook the first female runner, highly touted Aurore Dacier, winner in ATM already three times at MMTF 50, Lantau 70 and Bali Ultra 50. Dacier was unchallenged in the women’s 50km, but arguably gave herself a hard time by trying to follow the leading men. At checkpoints, Dacier would repeatedly say she is not feeling well , but she was also sixteen minutes ahead of the time schedule her coach had laid out before the race. Finishing in just under 6h59, Dacier gave evidence of the progress she has made as a competitive trail runners since last year. Unfortunately, the announced ‘dual’ with Eszter Csillag did not materialise as the latter was a DNS on Sunday. Quite a long way behind Dacier, there was nevertheless a nice battle for the remaining podium spots of the women’s 50km. Eventually, Nicole Lau had the upper hand, ahead of Philippines’ Trisha Reyes and Kimmy Leung.

The next ATM points race event in Hong Kong is Lantau 70 at the end of March.

Wai Hei Ng: winner of the 50km category

ATM Race win number 4 for Aurore Dacier de Biaisi on the women’s 50km

The 50k men’s podium

The women’s 50/50 podium

One year after the fantastic return of The 9 Dragons it’s time for the fifth anniversary of the Hong Kong event. The renowned 2-day stage race, with 50 Miles on Saturday and 50km on Sunday, is a challenge for even the toughest elite runners and it won’t be any different this weekend as temperatures are expected to rise to the mid-twenties despite still being so early in the year. 2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa is giving the 50/50 a go, having already won the 50k single day race last year. His main challengers for the victory will be Ukranian Oleksii Melnyk, KC Chan, Chun Kit Tsang and Shoma Maruyama. Of those, Melnyk can count on his experience from last year: he finished second behind the brilliant Kristian Joergensen.

The women’s 50/50 appears wide open with several runners who can realistically dream of victory and podium. Japan’s Kanako Edamoto, Hong Kong’s Man Yee Cheung and Cornelia Oswald, but also proven tough cookies such as Tara Savage, Rachel Chan, Chamelia Suhra and Cecille Wael. Resilience and coping with the weather conditions will be key.

As always, people could also choose to register for just the 50 Miles on Saturday or just the 50km on Sunday. The former is over 70km so there’s a Grandmaster point to be scored, but for Championship point seekers it’s the 50km that matters. On Sunday, many eyes will be fixed on 2019 ATM Champion John Ellis. Winner of the 9 Dragons 50/50 in 2018, the now 46-year-old is returning to racing these months after a long break while recovering from injuries including surgery. Ellis has always been more competitive on the longer ultras, but it will be a good indication of where he stands in terms of pure running pace. He’s up against other victory contenders such as Randolf Gonzales, Wai Hei Ng and Kieren Dsouza.

The women’s 50km promises to be a highlight in this year’s edition of The 9 Dragons with world level star Eszter Csillag beginning her 2025 campaign. The Hong Kong-based Hungarian won’t get the race win presented on a silver platter, however, as France’s Aurore Dacier will be keen to show her progress as an up-and-coming trail athlete. Dacier, based in Singapore, was the surprise winner of Lantau 70 last year and also took the win in Bali Ultra 50 in August. Since then she has been training a lot in Hong Kong and has familiarised herself with its specific trails and its many ‘stairs’. This could be an exciting race to follow on Sunday. Last year’s 50k winner Naomi Fung is also in it, and so is Kimmy Leung, Trisha Reyes and Meg Sterling.

ATM will be reporting live from Hong Kong on both days and on the usual channels (facebook, youtube, instagram), with the start of the 50 Miles scheduled at midnight on Friday night.

2023 ATM Champion John Ray Onifa tackles the 50/50 stage race this weekend

Also Ezster Csillag will make another appearance on the ATM circuit: 50km on Sunday

Victories in Lantau 70 and Bali Ultra for Aurore Dacier last year in ATM. Can she add the 50k 9 Dragons?

Also Cecille Wael returns to the scene this weekend after a prolonged absence

One of Hong Kong’s classic events will take place on Saturday, 29 March in 2025. Lantau 70 by The Trail Hub takes runners across the island and back to Mui Wo. It’s a race with a significant history and one that all the competitive elites - especially the local ones - like to add to their record at least once. Jeff Campbell and John Ray Onifa were the last two male winners, Katryn Hamlin and Aurore Dacier the fastest females since the end of the corona crisis.

The 2025 course will be slightly amended but start and finish remain the same. It’s a daytime race with flag-off at 8:30 am, which means you can enjoy the great Lantau scenery during your run. Most elevation gain comes in the first half of the race, and the 13km long first section to Ngong Ping is arguably the toughest. It can get warm and treacherously humid already in Hong Kong at the end of March, so make sure you keep your hydration in check. Plenty have been surprised by that already in this race, even past ATM Champions Rashila Tamang and Alessandro Sherpa discovered that to their detriment.

The classic 70km solo race is of course the one that offers ATM Championship points and a Grandmaster point. Less ambitious runners can also opt for the relay race, for which you need a team of four.

While Mui Wo has accommodation options as well, it is perfectly possible to stay in the bigger city centres of Hong Kong and take the ferry to Mui Wo on Saturday early morning in time for the start of the race. If you stay in Tung Chung on Lantau island already, taxis can also get you to Mui Wo without hassle.

Registration is open already, and if you decide quickly you can score some great limited edition T8 goodies as well.

Undoubtedly one of the most challenging and most popular events on our ATM Championship calendar made a brilliant return this season after five long years. The 9 Dragons in Hong Kong now looks confidently ahead to its 5th edition, which has been set for Valentine Day’s weekend 14-16 February 2025. The trademark 50/50 category and the 50km category will again be the points races for the ATM Championship ranking, while the 50/50 and the 50 Miles (87km) category can also give finishers a point for their Grandmaster Quest. Registration is open via the official event website, linked below, and interested runners are encouraged not to wait until the last moment as the 50/50, in particular, has a fixed quota and is expected to sell out in advance.

Taking place in Hong Kong’s New Territories, the 9 Dragons is one of those relatively few events in Southeast Asia that places a big emphasis on competitive performance, while at the same time showing heaps of respect towards every single finisher on Sunday afternoon. The marquee event, the 50/50, is essentially a stage race and merely turning up on Sunday morning at the start of the 50km long second stage is arguably tougher than the elevation gain to be conquered during the runs. Some runners disintegrate during the 50km, others just seem to come alive. It makes for unpredictable situations and surprising changes of fortune at the front of the race, ultimately what sports fans enjoy to see.

Kristian Joergensen in the men’s and Angie Yan in the women’s came out on top this season, after fierce battles with a.o. Lodewijk Vriens, Oleksii Melnyk, Solomon Wettstein and Arnie Macaneras, and Xie Wenfei and Wong Ki Chun. Both came from behind to secure victory on Sunday.

While the 50/50 captures the limelight at The 9 Dragons, the single 50km race also has a reputation as being one of the most competitive and toughest-to-win of the season. ATM Champion John Ray Onifa was outstanding this year, and local talent Naomi Fung managed to just keep Philippines’ Angelie Cabalo behind.

Thinking back on the 2024 edition, we can hardly wait for next February!

In a highly competitive edition of Lantau 70 in Hong Kong, reigning ATM Champion John Ray Onifa showed once more he is in a league on his own with a dominant win in 6h53’11” - an astonishing forty minutes ahead of Malaysia’s Milton Amat! The women’s ATM Champion Rashila Tamang on the other hand found Hong Kong’s humid conditions in combination with the famous stairs still a difficult challenge. It was Singapore-based French woman Aurore Dacier who caught the limelight with a very composed and impressive run to win the female race in 8h13’12”. The 2024 edition was 6km shorter due to a landslide so times can hardly be compared, but the original Lantau 70 course record is 8h48’45” set in 2018 by Lucinda Bartholomew. In any case, Dacier’s finish time proves we have a new racing protagonist in town!

Cloudy and temperatures hovering around 22 degrees: it looked wonderful for the 300 solo runners at the start line in Mui Wo at 8:30 am in the morning. However, humidity was high and many would pay a price for an over-ambitious early running pace. Rashila Tamang had arrived from Kathmandu with determination to win for the first time as reigning ATM Champion and put a strong women’s field under pressure immediately on Lantau Peak. She arrived first at the km 13 checkpoint and looked solid running up the stairs, and especially going down. But Aurore Dacier was not far behind. Dacier won MMTF 50 last year and also the 30km V Trail in Laos last month, so we knew she had experience in racing in South East Asia’s conditions. Angie Yan, the exciting winner of the 9 Dragons last month, and last year’s Lantau 70 winner Katrina Hamlin took a more conservative approach but kept the two leaders still within reach. In this race the aid stations are a bit further apart than in most races, so AS 2 only came at km 28 and it was Dacier who arrived first. Tamang had lost of a few minutes, and the others even more. Can the Nepalese runner return in the technical descent towards the water reservoir at AS3 (km 38)? The answer was negative but she did still keep the gap manageable at around 12 minutes. Aurore Dacier looked ever more in control, though, and did not seem to suffer at all from either her own running pace or the conditions. She cruised to victory in the slightly easier final 25km and picked up quite a few male runners on the way. Quite a statement from this sympathetic newcomer in Asia’s trail scene, of whom we are likely to see much more of.

There is another relative newbie of whom we have not yet seen the last of. Hong Kong’s Angie Yan had already shown her incredible grit in the 9 Dragons, turning defeat into victory over none other than Xie Wenfei, and she did the same in Lantau 70. Not Rashila Tamang, but Angie Yan stormed to second place and - what’s more - just 11 minutes behind Dacier! That could only have meant she ran faster than anyone else in the final sections and Strava proved that: she broke the local KOM of Veronika Vadovicova no less! Angie Yan seemed surprised at her own performance afterwards, she clearly has not yet discovered her own limits. With Dacier and Yan, the ATM womens’ championship definitely has two new contenders. And we can add local Lantau runner Katrina Hamlin in the mix, too. Hamlin outsprinted the cramping Rashila Tamang for third place. Tsz Kwan Lee finished in fifth.

As mentioned above, the men’s race developed into another one-man-show of John Ray Onifa. After a relaxed start, Onifa led the pack at the first checkpoint, but Milton Amat - running in HK for the first time since 9 Dragons in 2019 - and Alessandro Sherpa, second last year, followed him within three minutes. Then it was the surprising Matthew Gay, Richard Kimber, Wilsen Singgin, Marc Decamps and many others. The returning John Ellis was just inside the top 20 - making his characteristic slower start. Onifa then switched on his engine for real and quickly increased the gap towards his two main rivals for the victory. Sherpa saw Milton Amat catching him by CP2, and then dropped back - suffering from gastritis and severe dehydration - just like a fortnight ago at BUTM 50. This time, Sherpa could not salvage a podium finish, but he did walk the race out to finish in 33rd place and secure his wild card for the ATM Finals as a former - 2018 - ATM champion. Milton Amat also saw the writing on the wall and focused on keeping second place. Onifa was just out of reach. The other Sabahan ace, the in-form Wilsen Singgin, was looking good to score third place, but the more runable last sections suited Hong Kong-based Richard Kimber better. He overtook Singgin in the last kilometre. Hong Kong-based Belgium’s Marc Decamps once more ended up in the top five of Lantau 70 with a spirited and well-balanced effort. He passed David Longo in the final sector. Australians Michael Ormiston and John Ellis ran themselves into the top 8, for both a great result after all the troubles they have gone through in the last few years.

Two happy faces: Aurore Dacier for winning a great women’s race and RD Jeremy Ritcey for a superb edition