The second Jakarta Ultra 100, a long-distance running race is slated for Nov. 12-13.
Jakarta Ultra 100 race director Sitor Situmorang told a press conference that the event was fairly extreme as not only was the distance long, but participants must also prepare to deal with every situation including heat and rain.
“Compared to neighboring countries such as Singapore, the Philippines or Thailand, Indonesia is quite behind in staging events like this,” said Sitor on Wednesday, adding that the race also aimed to promote Jakarta as a tourism destination for sports enthusiasts.
(Read also: Kenyans dominate at Jakarta marathon)
Open to only 750 runners, the race offers five categories including 100-, 50- and 25-kilometer relays for men, women and mixed-gender participants. Runners will start at the fX Sudirman shopping mall in South Jakarta at 6:30 p.m. and then run across the city's five municipalities.
Regarding the safety of running at night, Eni Rosita, who holds the female record for finishing the race in 15 hours, said that more security guards should be added along the route especially in quiet places.
"As a woman, running in the middle of the night, by myself, in the quiet parts of Jakarta, scared me more than being alone in the woods at night,” she said.
(Read also: British astronaut all set to run London Marathon from space)
Since the duration is 18 hours, the race will last until morning.
Last year, the fastest runner to complete the race was Jumardi, a member of the Presidential Security Guard, who participated in the single male category. He finished the 100-kilometer distance in approximately 12 hours. (kes)
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