R

unners from the East African country of Kenya took center stage at the inaugural Makassar Half Marathon on Sunday by bringing home more than half of the Rp 500 million prize money on offer.

The categories dominated by Kenyan runners were the 21-kilometer, 10-km and 5-km in an event held by the Makassar city administration.

The event attracted some 3,800 runners, including 54 runners from 11 countries such as Australia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore and the US.

Domestic runners came not only from the provincial capital of Makassar and other regions in South Sulawesi but also from other cities such as Bandung, Jakarta and Surabaya.

The marathon started at 5 a.m. local time (4 a.m. Jakarta) at Anjungan Losari Beach

Held to commemorate Makassar'€™s 406th anniversary, the event was also used to promote Makassar as a tourism destination for both foreign and domestic visitors.

Makassar Mayor Ilham Arief Sirajuddin said the public '€” especially from international quarters '€” was very enthusiastic about the marathon.

Communities of marathon runners are very enthusiastic to take part in events in various countries,'€ he said.

'€œThat'€™s why we also used the event to promote Makassar as a tourism destination in Indonesia.'€

Ilham said in other countries there were many participants in a marathon, pointing to Singapore, which had just organized a half marathon with some 10,000 runners, including Indonesians.

'€œWe can only imagine how much foreign exchange we might receive. Participants from outside Makassar need lodgings and they will also visit tourism spots and do some shopping,'€ Ilham said.

'€œSuch an event gives a positive image to the future development of Makassar. That'€™s why we will make it an annual event.'€