TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Keter to lead Kenyan onslaught at Bosowa run
Frontrunners: Bosowa half-marathon organizing committee chief Melinda Aksa (left) and Indo Runners founder Yomi Wardhana brief media in Jakarta on Thursday
Change Size
F
span class="inline inline-center">Frontrunners: Bosowa half-marathon organizing committee chief Melinda Aksa (left) and Indo Runners founder Yomi Wardhana brief media in Jakarta on Thursday. The US$31,802 race will take place in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on March 1.
The Bosowa half marathon is slated for next month in Makassar, South Sulawesi, with Kenyan runners expected to rule once again, led by last year's men's champion Solomon Kipyego Keter.
'Yes, he has confirmed his participation this year,' Melinda Aksa, head of the organizing committee, said during a media conference on Thursday.
Melinda, who is director of the Bosowa Foundation, said that Keter was among 30 foreign runners who had confirmed their participation in the March 1 race.
It will be only the second time for the event to be held. This year it coincides with Makassar-based Bosowa Group's 42nd anniversary.
During the inaugural event in February 2014, Kenyan runners swept the podium, with Collins Kikorir Kimosop and Alfred Kiprop Sang following Keter in second and third place, respectively.
The top three honors in the women's division also went to Kenyan participants, with Edina Koech emerging the champion ahead of Jackline Nzivo and Carolyne Chepkwony.
The term 'marathon' is generally reserved for races that are 42.2 kilometers ' the distance between Marathon and Athens in Greece. However, in Indonesia, the term is used for any mass long-distance running event.
The 2015 race will be divided into six categories: an open 21-kilometer (half-marathon) race for foreigners and Indonesians; a closed half-marathon race for Indonesians only; the master's half-marathon category for participants aged 40 years and above; a closed 10 km category for Indonesians only; a 10 km category for runners aged 16 years and below; and a 5 km category.
The race will start at Karebosi Square in Makassar city center, before passing through iconic spots in the South Sulawesi provincial capital, namely Fort Rotterdam, the Mandala Monument, Trans Studio and Losari beach.
Participants will vie for a total of Rp 402 million (US$31,802) in prize money.
The organizers have also arranged a culinary festival from Feb. 27 to March 1 at Karebosi Square to introduce the traditional cuisine of four major ethnic groups in South Sulawesi ' Bugis, Makassar, Mandar and Toraja.
'We have registered around 2,000 runners that have signed up through online registration at bosowahalfmarathon.com and offline registration, which have been open since Jan. 10. Both registration methods will be closed on Feb. 22,' organizing committee member Fauziah Zulfitri said.
Offline registration can be done at Bosowa Tower, Bosowa Berlian Motor, Bosowa 45 University and local radio station Gamasi.
A member of the Indo Runners community, Romi Wardhana, said he was hoping that the event would inspire other race organizers, especially in big cities nationwide, to follow suit.
'I hope that the running virus will spread throughout the nation and not only focus on Jakarta,' he said.
Running has recently become one of the most popular sports in Indonesia and identifying oneself as runner is no longer limited to athletes but now extends to people from various backgrounds.
In the last few years, Indonesians have seen an increasing number of race events held by regional administrations, corporations or communities, such as the Jakarta Marathon, Bali Marathon and Bromo Marathon to name a few.
