Running Indonesia: The Bali Marathon

Long distance running enthusiasts from this fourth most populous country in the world and from all corners of the globe had waited 20 long years for this marathon medal to be minted. Finally, in 2012, with the battle cry 'Push Your Limit', it came to be. And so I became part of Bali Marathon history!

My road to Bali went through Jakarta, where practically all of Indonesia's carriers have frequent flights to Denpasar, the capital city of Bali province- one of Indonesia's 33 provinces. Although a small island with 3.8 million people just south of Java, Bali is world-famous due to, among others, its magnificent beaches.

Sponsored by the Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII) Maybank, the Bali Marathon attracted over 2,080 runners from Asia, Australia, Europe and Africa who ran the scenic countryside of Gianyar Regency. In return, marathon organizers donated  sports equipment and educational materials to 17 schools in the area.

I arrived in Bali two days before the race and had the opportunity to sample some of Indonesia's and Bali's native dishes- all in the name of carbo-loading! Some dishes tourists don't often see in restaurants- such as the national dish Nasi campur or 'mixed rice' that consists of a cup of steamed rice mixed with meats, vegetables, tofu, temeh and hot sambal.

On my second day in Bali, I visited the race packet claim and expo site-  the beachfront and classy Sanur Beach Hotel. In the afternoon of Saturday, the day before the race, an eat-all-you-can pasta party was held right on the beachfront- with both Indonesian and western delicacies on the menu list. All for a cool 25 bucks!

Red-shirted race volunteers greeted the registrants, many of whom were obviously tourists like me, at the race packet claim area. The organizers had enlisted some 700 of these young volunteers three months earlier and indeed they showed their enthusiasm, efficiency, and preparedness!

There was a big-screen video course briefing as well as personal briefings on maps of Bali and on where the chartered buses will be picking up the runners on race day. They were to be ferried to the race site in Gianyar Regency- some 20 plus kilometers away from the major population centers of Bali.

Having claimed the race packet and obtained enough race information, it was time to wander to the beachfront to take a closer look at the contents of the race bag- a race singlet, a booklet, a timing chip, a bracelet, and a few freebies. We were told there was to be another finisher shirt to be given post-race.

I was lucky to have my hotel- the All Seasons Denpasar- to be one of only five transport pick-up points for the marathon runners and the only one in Denpasar city. I had earlier booked my room online, availing of one of the promotional offers for Accor hotel account holders. Other pick-up points were in Nusa Dua, Kuta, Ubod, and Sanur.

Our bus departed my hotel at 3:30 AM and arrived at the race and finish venue- near the Bali Safari and Marine Park in Gianyar less than an hour later. The same bus would later take us back to the same pick up point after the race. I booked for a 12:30 PM return, hoping to finish by then.

First thing to do was to deposit my race bag at the baggage drop area inside the Bali Safari and Marine Park compound. There and on the start area I would begin to meet many of the full marathon runners, some for the first time, others I met before, who came from all over to be a part of this historic marathon revival.

Runners like husband and wife Yen Nguyen and Peter, fellow members of the world's craziest running club The Marathon Maniacs, who came all the way from Houston, Texas for the weekend just to run Bali- their country #52 marathon! How wrong I was to even think that my country #19 was already special!

Or Asian/Asia-based Marathon Maniacs like Mike from Hong Kong, and Jennifer, Tammy, and Mohan from Singapore, who I have ran with in several other Asian marathons, among them Macau, Kota Kinabalu, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. Mohan himself was already on his 158th marathon and counting!

And what international marathon will have no elite African runner(s)? In fact, Kenyans were to score a sweep in the men's 42K event with Lilan Kennedy Kiproo checking in at 2:16:54 to win US$20,000 in prize money. In the women's side, Winfridah Kwamboka, also of Kenya, clocked 2:42:48 to win the same prize.

At 5 AM sharp, the official starting pistol was fired by the regent of Gianyar. And what a start it was! As a belaganjur orchestra struck up a chorus of drums and gongs, the first few hundred meters was ran in complete darkness- the roads lighted only by intermittent torches held firmly by smiling Balinese children!

There were to be other starts in the ensuing hours for the other race categories- the half-marathon, a 10-km run, and a special division for wheelchair-bound athletes. For us marathon runners, we had ran about 10 km on a flat and paved highway, lined up by cheering early risers before dawn began to break

The 42-km route would take the marathon runners to various districts of Gianyar and would cover not only major highways but also village roads with an abundance of rice paddy fields, kampongs, gamelans, and Balinese temples, ensuring that Balinese culture would be in full display!

As we hit the winding and rolling roads of the villages, we would be greeted by tens to hundreds of villagers, sitting and lining up the roads, as well as uniformed, excited and cheering schoolchildren, with colorful balloons and banners to match, ever-ready to give us a high-five or just to shout 'Bali, go Bali'!

And in this island where truly Rice is Life, we ran through rice fields- lots of them. Bali is sometimes known as Rice Island and Balinese culture is intertwined with the cycle of growing, nurturing, and harvesting the rice crop. While rice is in the field, ceremonies are held and offerings made to Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice.

We would also see Balinese temples along the route- lots of them as well. Home to most of Indonesia's small Hindu minority, Bali is also famous for its highly refined and intricate art forms- from painting, sculpture, woodcarving, and handcrafts- all very much evident in the adornments of temples dotting the route.

And so is Bali well known for its sophisticated levels of performing arts- from dance to music that usually are based on Hindu epics! We were to bear witness to dance and musical performances along the route, some by beautiful children, that it was so easy to forget we were supposed to run and not watch!

For Bali boasts of having some of the most famous dances in Asia, if not the entire world, including the kecak or monkey dance. Runners from outside of Indonesia, myself included, could only gasp in awe as one such monkey along the route danced around us animatedly. Most of us had to stop to click that camera!

As if to remind us to go easy on the tourist business and begin minding the time elapsed also, there would be time mats laid out and timekeepers positioned at a few designated points along the course. To guide the advance of runners, distance markers were also set up at each and every kilometer.

While the first 25 km of the race route would be mostly flat albeit rolling terrain, there would be two portions of the course with arduous climbs- particularly at the 34th and 36th km mark when the elevation would reach up to 120 m above sea level. It would be all downhill from this point onward.

With only about 400 running the full marathon, in due time we were well dispersed along the route. Five medic stations were set up to provide relief to the weary and injured, while water stations at every 2.5 km provided water and an electrolyte drink to the thirsty. At least one of these served bananas and Gu.

By the time I reached the 40 km mark, the sun was already bearing down on us unbearably. Not to mention the humidity! I was to learn that by this time, the temperature had reached a searingly hot 37 plus degrees Celsius or 99 degrees Fahrenheit. The tan I would get that morning for remain with me for more than a month!

I finally reached the finish line burnt and tired but fulfilled and happy. This would be my 6th marathon for the year, but more importantly, this race allowed me to add Indonesia to the list of 19 countries/US states/Canadian or Australian provinces where I have ran an ultra or 42K. Statistics that matter only to Marathon Maniacs like me :)

There would be many inspiring stories that day in Bali. Shariff Abdullah, better known as the Singapore Blade Runner, for example, finished the marathon at 6:02 declaring to the amazed crowd afterwards that 'If I can do it on one leg, I don't see why those with two legs cannot!'. Just a week earlier, he ran and finished the Boston Marathon!

Or The Marathon Man himself- Trent Morrow from Sydney, Australia who I had shared the road with last January during the Hobart Marathon in Tasmania. Always resplendent in blue garb and red cape, he completed marathon #55 while raising money for South African children suffering from noma, a gangrenous disease of the face.

Or this unnamed but no-doubt happy young couple- after seven years of going steady, the man, after running 42 km of Bali, still wanting to run the rest of his life- uphill climbs, downhill slides plus twists and turns and all- with the apparently surprised and shy but obviously happy and acquiescing bride-to-be!

So as I rested my marathon weary, sand-dipped feet on the expansive Sanur beachfront and glanced at the horizon, I could only marvel at how, in this 'Island of the Gods'- Bali, Indonesia, happy endings are always possible, and beauty, in its purest form, is almost reachable!

Matu suksama!