Borobudur Marathon Was A Success, Ganjar: We'll Prepare For It Again Next Year

JAKARTA - The 2021 Borobudur Marathon event has been completed. 42 national athletes who competed in the elite race category and 128 general runners who participated in the Tilik Candi category, have completed the race on Saturday and Sunday (27-28/11).

Even though it is still in a pandemic condition, the Borobudur Marathon event can still be held offline. The participants who managed to win the ballot could run directly in the Borobudur Temple area.

However, they must implement very strict health protocols.

The participants are quarantined first and all are required to undergo a PCR test. They must also wear masks when competing and can only be removed one minute before the start flag is raised.

The participants also did not run around the villages around Borobudur Temple as before the pandemic. They just ran around the Borobudur Temple.

For the elite race category with a distance of 42.5 km, the participants circled the Borobudur Temple 12 times. Meanwhile, for the Candi Tilik category with a route of 21 km, it only rotates 6 times.

The Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, who also participated in the Tilik Candi category running, appreciated all parties who had held the event very well. He also appreciated the runners from a number of regions in Indonesia who were so enthusiastic about participating in the event.

"I'm glad the event was a success, it's good. The organization is good and very professional. Many participated and from many places. I saw they were very happy," he said.

Of course, there are many interesting things from the participants who took part in this competition. Because they are a few lucky people considering that not all participants of the 2021 Borobudur Marathon can run offline. More than 8.000 participants of this year's Borobudur Marathon took part in the virtual competition in their respective places.

"Later we will prepare the Borobudur Marathon in 2022. I hope that more runners will get space to act at that location. So there is still room for runners, one year they can practice and great athletes will emerge from this event," he explained.

Ganjar said this year's event was different from before the pandemic. The runners just raced around the temple. However, Ganjar said they were all still happy.

"I chatted with the participants earlier, it seemed that they were all happy. To this day I have not received a complaint. But if there is, we will definitely evaluate it," he concluded.

Meanwhile, the participants who took part in the Borobudur Marathon said they were quite satisfied with the event being held. They said they had missed holding offline running events in the midst of a pandemic.

"During this pandemic, it's rare for anyone to hold an offline running competition. I really salute this Borobudur Marathon. It's extraordinary because it can hold an offline running competition well," said Irman, one of the participants in the Borobudur Marathon in the Temple View category.

The 31-year-old runner from West Kalimantan said that the Borobudur Marathon made runners feel homesick in Indonesia. Many runners are looking forward to this annual event.

"Moreover, the euphoria of runners in Indonesia is extraordinary. We hope that there will be many more events that will be held like this," he said.

The same thing was conveyed by Candra Dewi, another participant from Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra. He said that he had been preparing for the Borobudur Marathon since a month ago.

"It's been a month since I took part in the running competition, so it's been prepared," he said.

Candra also advised the virtual Borobudur Marathon runners to consistently complete the set targets. He asked everyone to run honestly and not to cheat.

"We must be consistent to get good results. Do not cheat, because that is also for ourselves," he concluded.