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Human Race to be last tryout for Jauhari before SEA Games
National runner Jauhari Johan will make the Human Race 10K in Singapore his last tryout in his preparations for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Laos in December
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N
ational runner Jauhari Johan will make the Human Race 10K in Singapore his last tryout in his preparations for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Laos in December.
Jauhari is hopeful he can retain the title he won last year, although remains cautious about his prospects.
"With my peak performance expected in Laos, I'm not sure I can do it again," the 25-year-old, who will run in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in Laos, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
"Obviously I'll try to win it."
The Human Race 10K, scheduled for Oct. 24 as part of sports apparel maker Nike's worldwide running program, claims to be the world's largest virtual event.
Nike is encouraging people to put on their running shoes and be part of a global online movement, with runners logging their own ultimate 10K wherever they are in the world.
The races will take place in 25 cities, with organizers expecting around 1 million people to join as they did last year.
"Although we won't have the event in Jakarta, people in Indonesia can join the race by using a sportband," Dyah Oetari, marketing manager for PT Nike Indonesia, said at a media gathering.
The growth of online communities from Facebook to Twitter, Dyah went on, had enabled Nike to introduce a new way of running, from a physical race to an individual running event, which sits within the virtual world.
Connected with a censor chip attached to the shoes, the sportband, which is strapped on the runner's wrist, will record distance, pace and time.
The participants will have to upload the running data at nikepluss.com.
Nike Indonesia is now using celebrities Paul Palele, known as P Double, and Sigi Wimala as its running ambassadors, with the task of encouraging young Indonesians to take up running.
Paul will accompany Jauhari to Singapore along with two other runners, selected from the 5K competition on Oct. 18 in Senayan, South Jakarta.
"We'll pick the winners in the men's and women's category," Dyah said.
Jauhari said he hopes the Singaporean trip would put him in good form for the Laos mission, which will mark his third showing in the biennial multi-event sporting showcase of 11 nations.
He made his SEA Games debut in Vietnam in 2003, where he finished fourth, although his mark of 30.22 minutes remains his personal best.
His second attempt, in which he switched to the marathon, also fell short at the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand.
Jauhari is hopeful the next challenge will see him reap the rewards from the training he has undertaken.
The lead-up to the event has so far given him confidence, he says, with strong performances in the Jakarta 10K, National Championships, Bali 10K and Malaysian Open 10K.
"In Singapore, I'll be able to gauge further my medal chances, because top runners from the region will be at the race," he said.
