We are nearly one week into 2021 and what everyone hopes to be a more pleasant year with - some months down the line - the resumption of (international) mass participation events. While we wait, we can get in shape. It is typical to gain a few kilos or pounds during the end-of-year festivities so here is your chance to motivate yourselves to get those running shoes back on and get out there on the trails or just on the roads. The 7 Missions team running challenge begins next week on Monday, and - in the spirit of ATM 500 - is going to be another pan-asian running community happening lasting for one week and with manageable requirements for all. Teams of four runners will be running a predetermined distance each day, with the goal of “completing the mission”. That requires three of the four team members to run the required distance (or 1 hour time on Wednesday). To add a bit of a competitive aspect, for those who like, the team that completes all 7 missions in the fastest time will be declared winner. The fastest runners and best climbers in each team will also be awarded via the Cheetah Cup and the Mountain Goat Trophy.

The 7 Missions is happy and grateful to be supported by T8, Uglow, OTSO and High Trail 9 Peaks Ulju. All sponsors will be handing out prizes to the best performing teams and to lucky draw winners as well.

We keep the registration open until Sunday night at midnight, so if you haven’t registered your team yet, you can still look for your team partners and do so in the next days via the link below on the Sportlicious Malaysia website.

Stay tuned for more news , and please also join our instagram and facebook pages to get the latest news and team presentations.

We are excited to announce that the new South Korean mountain trail event High Trail 9 Peaks Ulju is supporting the Mountain Goat Trophy of the 7 Missions virtual team running challenge from 11 to 18 January 2021. The male and female runner who score most elevation gain during the whole week of the 7 Missions will be crowned “Mountain Goat” and win a free tour package and race entry to the High Trail 9 Peaks Ulju event in late 2021. In addition, HT9PU will also claim the fifth Mission of Friday. The second 10 km Mission of the week therefore becomes the Mission to the High Trail 9 Peaks Ulju!

Best performing teams on that Mission will be receiving prizes as well:

• 1st Team: free registration of 2021 9 Peaks and tour package (this is including local transportation and accommodation but excluding flight)

• 2nd Team: 50% discount of registration fee with tour package

• 3rd Team: 30% discount of registration fee with tour package

On top of that, HT9PU will also hand out race souvenirs to lucky draw winners among all the participants in Friday’s Mission.

High Trail 9 Peaks Ulju was a successful Candidate Race before, and is hoping to confirm its 2021 spot on the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar soon. The event has been held in early November so far, but the local authorities and event organisation are hoping to move forward to mid-October for milder climatological conditions. The organisation, by the way, is spearheaded by the team behind Korea 50K.

This is a pure mountain trail race, even when the highest elevation is approx 1200 m above sea level. Obviously, the main race totals 9 different hilltops to reach and a total elevation gain of 8800 hm over 105 km distance. Less ambitious runners have three shorter options as well, of which the second longest is 44 km and 3500 hm. (2020 race data)

The OTSO Hour is the new name of the third of The 7 Missions team running challenge that will take place from 11 to 17 January 2021. Runners will be required to run as far as possible in exactly one hour time. The mission will be supported by OTSO, our customisation partner with base in Andorra, in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain.

As in each of the 7 Missions, participants can choose where they run and it is not necessary to run together with the other members of your team. What matters is that three of the four team members complete the mission and run for 1 hour. For the team competition as such, the accumulated distance will be converted into minutes and subtracted from a team’s total time as bonus. Of course, the fastest 15 individual runners will also score points for the Cheetah Cup, and those who aim for the Mountain Goat Trophy can try to gain as much elevation as possible within one hour.

The young and expanding brand OTSO represents leadership, strength, courage, power, struggle, cunning, trust, freedom, loyalty, resistance, generosity, humility, family and individuality, values ​​that represent very well all those who like to live sports as a lifestyle and passion. OTSO has specialized in integrating the best design and the best technologies to make specific products of custom, limited editions, unique and exclusive collections for mythical races and sporting events in different places around the world.

OTSO will be handing prizes to the best performing teams of the OTSO Hour, as well as to some lucky runners who get picked out of the lucky draw hat.

The OTSO Hour is the only mission where the focus is on time instead of a given distance. Have you ever wondered how far you can run in 1 hour’s time? Here is your chance to find out!

The final weekend of The 7 Missions virtual team running challenge will be a thrilling experience. On Sunday there’s the full marathon on the programme, and a day earlier is the half marathon. The 21 km virtual race will be highly supported by UGLOW, the leading sports & lifestyle apparel brand famous for its stich-free items creating the highest comfort during your exercise. We are delighted that UGLOW will be providing prizes for the best performing teams of the 21 km competiton, but less ambitious runners will also have a chance to score prizes via the lucky draw among all the participants of the UGLOW 21 Mission.

As announced last week, on every day of the 7 Missions everyone can run wherever he or she likes. As long as the day’s Mission requirements are met. In the case of the UGLOW 21 Mission, this implies minimum three of your four team members need to run 21.1 kilometres, or in other words a half marathon distance. Team members do not need to run together. This is the second longest distance during the 7 Missions week from 11 to 17 January 2021, and for teams who want to compete rather than just complete it is a day that matters!

Individual achievers in each team can also try and set the fastest time for the Cheetah Cup ranking, or if you need elevation, you have 21 km to score pretty high elevation levels for the Mountain Goat Trophy ranking!

To get ready for the UGLOW 21 Mission, you might wish to check out the new 2020 C3 Collection, which has a few splendid items for colder temperatures in winter as well.

The online registrations for The 7 Missions team running challenge from 11-17 January 2021 are open. Each of the 7 days has its own distance, time and/or elevation objective, but Sunday’s final Mission, the full marathon of 42.2km, of course demands respect. We are happy to announce that T8 will be motivating all of you to complete that 7th Mission in style!

T8 offers prizes to the best three performing teams in the three categories (male, female, mixed), but will also reward random others with prizes coming out of a lucky draw among all participating runners in the T8 Marathon on Sunday, 17 January 2021.

As announced last week, on every day of the 7 Missions everyone can run wherever he or she likes. As long as the day’s Mission requirements are met. In the case of the T8 Marathon that means minimum three of your four team members need to run 42.2 kilometres. In fact, given it is the longest distance of the whole week, those looking to do well in the Mountain Goat Trophy by-competition can score a lot of elevation gain on this seventh and last mission.

As you prepare for the T8 Marathon, why not take a look at all the T8 gear that will aid you on your longest run, such as the Commando underwear, the Sherpa Shorts and the BOCO Truckers. Everything with specific designs for men and for women. In fact, if you need an appropriate face mask to run outdoors in your area, T8 also has a highly recommended facemask in store. Check it all out! Don’t forget, T8 was co-founded by the reigning Asia Trail Master Champion John Ellis. Can a young brand offer better credentials?

Reigning ATM Champion John Ellis is co-founder of the T8 brand

The 7 Missions virtual team running challenge is opening for registration today. The latest collaboration between Asia Trail Master and Sportlicious Malaysia is set for 11 to 17 January 2021 as a prelude to what should become a year of optimism and international reunification after the dark months of covid-plagued 2020. The one-week virtual event follows the highly successful ATM 500 from last June, but is conceptually different and arguably more diverse. Both fun runners and elites have something to strive for. The essence remains the same, though: to take part in the 7 Missions you need to build a team of four runners.

Teams will be all-male, all-female or mixed (2+2) and feature a captain who collects the daily data and GPS files of his people. Teams will be invited to complete the daily Mission, i.e. a certain distance or timeframe to run, with minimum three of its members. It is not necessary to run together, and runners can skip three days as only four Missions are required per runner. Distances range from only 5km on Tuesday and Thursday to a 42.2km full marathon on Sunday.

After each day, the running time of the fastest three team members will be added up to produce the team time. Bonus time can be won every day, for instance when a team completes a Mission with all its four members, or when it reaches an accumulated elevation gain of 500 hm. At the end of the week, after Mission 7 - the marathon - the team who has completed all 7 Missions with the fastest time will be declared winner of the competition. While elite athletes therefore can focus on some nice sheer racing that they may have been missing out on for almost a year, the event emphasis will still lie on participation and the joy of running together as a team with a clear goal: complete the mission!

The event also offers two side-competitions designed for individual achievers. The Cheetah Cup is a point-based ranking for the fastest 15 runners, and the Mountain Goat Trophy will celebrate the runners who accumulate most elevation gain during the whole week.

Each of the 7 Missions will be thematised around a sponsor’s brand and a set of prizes will be offered to best performing teams and to lucky draw winners.

All teams will receive their minute of fame (or longer!) and will be celebrated throughout the entire week as they were during the ATM 500. The 7 Missions will launch an exciting new year of running in Asia, so… get your quartet ready and sign up to complete the 7 Missions come January!

In a nutshell, the 7 Missions: What is it ?

A new virtual team running challenge with a game-like concept that focuses on the fun of running together as a team, but also on pure athletic performances

• When is it ?

  11-17 January 2021.

  From Monday to Sunday. Every day from midnight to 10 p.m. local time, except on the last day when all activity must end by 10 pm Singapore time (GMT+8).

• Where is it ?

  Anywhere you like. You choose the place where you aim to complete the day’s Mission. Can be treadmill or your living room, too.

• For who is it ?

  Anybody, anywhere in the world.

• How can I take part in it ?

  You need to get a team together of four runners. Choose a team name and a team captain/coordinator, and have him sign up the team via our online registration form. Mandatory gear: a GPS tracker and a big smile! Oh, and please do read the conditions of entry so there are no misunderstandings.

• How do I win?

  By taking part! … But joking aside, you can win The 7 Missions Challenge by completing all 7 missions in the fastest team time. Each day three of your four members need to finish. Score bonus time if you finish a Mission with all four members. Three categories: male, female and mixed. Oh, and by the way, the elite runners in your team can aim to win a separate points-based individual competition, too: the Cheetah Cup! And if you have a mountain goat, he could go for the High Trail 9 Peaks Trophy!

Schedule of The 7 Missions

• Monday - Mission 1: 10 km

• Tuesday - Mission 2: 5 km

• Wednesday - Mission 3: 1 Hour Run For Bonus

• Thursday - Mission 4: 5 km

• Friday - Mission 5: 10 km

• Saturday - Mission 6: 21.1 km (half marathon)

• Sunday - Mission 7: 42.2 km (marathon)

For all details, regulations and conditions of entry, please link trough to our official 7 Missions landing webpage.