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Wander Lust: An unforgettable Run at the Maybank Bali Marathon
Words Riyadi Suparno Photos Zul Trio AnggonoIt was an unusual Sunday morning
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Words Riyadi Suparno Photos Zul Trio Anggono
It was an unusual Sunday morning.
I woke up at 2 a.m. in my hotel in Kuta, got ready and headed to the Bali Safari & Marine Park to join the Maybank Bali Marathon 2016.
I thought golfing was the earliest morning sport. I was wrong. It is running, especially if you run at major events like the Maybank Bali Marathon 2016, which attracted thousands of participants.
The moment the race started, the early morning wake-up paid off. We ran to the freshness of the morning air, the beautiful scenery of Bali’s rice terraces, the cheering by lines of schoolchildren, the dances of beautiful Balinese dancers and the sound of Balinese gamelan along the route.
It was a special kind of running.
Running together with thousands of runners from all over the world is even more ecstatic. A feeling of togetherness is there. You don’t judge people by their color, sex or age. You would be amazed by the four oldest participants, all from Japan, ranging from 89 to 91, still running a 10K, which I also did. Three of the seniors even reached the finish line in less than two hours.
Besides togetherness, there is an element of competition. For serious runners, they compete neck to neck to reach the finish line. Kenyan runners ruled the Maybank Bali Marathon 2016 in almost every category, except the 10K male category, which went to a Briton.
For pleasure runners like me, the competition is elsewhere. We compete for attention from other runners.
Once I got confirmation about my participation at the Maybank Bali Marathon, I decided that I did not want to be unprepared. I shopped for the right shoes. So far, I had been running using a pair of trainers. I also bought running socks, running shorts, a running T-shirt–all gear in the running category.
When you are in the sports store, you will be amazed how advanced this running sporting industry is. You have the choice of buying running pants or shorts with leggings (some men do wear leggings in the hot dry season), of running T-shirts or tank tops, with running outerwear or hoodies, or of running short-sleeve or long-sleeve shirts.
Consider also buying running gloves or calf sleeves, or even a running backpack, where you can put your wallet and handphone–you will need it to take photos and selfies while you are running to share with friends.
You saw all those kinds of running outfits displayed at the Maybank Bali Marathon. Some people used sports earphones, listening to music while running, or a pulse activity tracker or sports armband, where they put their latest iPhone or Samsung with the MBM 2016 app running.
The Maybank Bali Marathon is the first marathon in Indonesia that used a GPS-based smartphone app, where runners’ location could be tracked real time and our relatives and friends could follow our run from their homes in real time.
Despite the many outfits and accessories, running is still inexpensive, compared to the cycling, diving and golfing that I also do occasionally.
What makes running pricey is travelling to running events, especially if you fancy the world’s major marathon races: Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York and Tokyo.
Running at the Maybank Bali Marathon is developing a similar prestige to those global marathons. It is even qualified in the official race directory of the Boston marathon. Moreover, it is listed as one of “The 52 Best Races on Earth 2016” by Runner’s World magazine, a leading running magazine in the US.
The increasing number of participants at the marathon proves its popularity. In the beginning, there were only 2,000 runners.
Now, entering its fifth year, the Maybank Bali Marathon 2016 attracted more than 7,500 participants from 43 countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, the US, Australia, European countries and various countries in Asia as well as enthusiasts from all over Indonesia, who accounted for 90 percent of participants.
Like any major event, the Maybank Bali Marathon 2016 also attracted celebrities and public figures, including artist Dian Sastrowardoyo and her friend Adinia Wirasti, beauty queen Melanie Putri, broadcaster Iwet Ramadhan and Bogor mayor Bima Arya.
Runners are everywhere and growing in number. Moreover, runners are willing to pay. All major running events, including the Maybank Bali Marathon, charge runners for to participate. Yet, the number of participants keeps increasing every year.
Holding a major running event is a good recipe to attract a large number of people.
Running, for many, is now more lifestyle than sports. It is a healthy lifestyle. We runners will go to any running events that promise not only sporting benefits, but also a unique experience like the Maybank Bali Marathon 2016.
