Defending champion Rashila Tamang will lead Nepal’s charge at this year’s Asia Trail Master Championship Final in Sabah, Malaysia, on September 14 and 15.

Nepal is fielding nine athletes, including four female runners, in the 78K race. The 11-member Nepali team, including eight runners, departed for Malaysia on Thursday.

The team comprises female runners Priya Rai, Chhoki Sherpa, and Padamkumari Sunuwar, along with male athletes Angfurwa Sherpa, Milan Kulung, Lokendra Rai, Arjun Kulung Rai and Phurpa Singh Tamang. Accompanying the athletes are team coach Purna Tamang, and officials Subash Thapa and Rikesh Yonjan.

Rashila Tamang, who is currently training in Spain, is scheduled to join the Nepali team in Malaysia. Rashila Tamang and John Ray Onifa of the Philippines won last year’s championship final held in Indonesia.

Also Read: Nepali trail runner Rashila Tamang’s inspiring path to Chamonix

Runners with a minimum of two ATM race finishes during the season qualify for the ATM Championship Final. Each participating country is allowed up to five male and five female runners with the highest points.

The Borneo TMBT Ultra, which has hosted Malaysia’s oldest trail running event and is one of the longest-standing in Southeast Asia, will be the venue for this year’s grand finale.

In addition to the championship race, the event will feature TMBT’s classic lineup, including the 100km, 50km, 30km, 37km Night Run, 12km, and 7.5km family run, all open to the general public, according to the organisers.

This is the second time Malaysia will host the ATM Championship Final, the first being in 2019 at the Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival (MMTF) in Taiping.

Set against the stunning backdrop of Mount Kinabalu, the Borneo TMBT Ultra will once again showcase Sabah’s spectacular landscapes, the race’s official website says. “The racepack collection will take place in Kota Kinabalu, while the event is expertly organised by Borneo Ultra Trails under the leadership of Claus Pedersen and Aileen Yong.”

The 78km ATM Championship course is designed to highlight the best of TMBT’s 100km and 50km routes, featuring new trail segments and the notorious Pineapple Ridge, the website adds. With an elevation gain of over 4,500 metres, runners will navigate a mix of technical jungle trails and runnable terrain while contending with Sabah’s intense heat and humidity. The race will start in Lingkubang and finish at the Perkasa Hotel in Kundasang.