Reaching Finish Line with Friends

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Participants of the Jakarta Kizuna Ekiden 2018 running race cross the start line after Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan waves the flag to start the race together with Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii and Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Eko Sandjojo on the roads around Plaza Senayan, Jakarta on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. Up to 1,680 runners participated in the race, which was organized by Kompas daily and Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun.

Kristiawan, 39, took part in an unusual race on Sunday morning (23/9/2018). He ran 2.7 kilometers wearing a costume resembling a bottle. It was challenging, but he was not alone running to the finish line.

This was what Kristiawan experienced when he participated on Sunday in the Jakarta Kizuna Ekiden 2018 relay on the roads surrounding the Plaza Senayan shopping mall in Jakarta, starting at 6:30 a.m. The race, organized by the Kompas daily and the Mainichi Shimbun Japanese newspaper, has been an annual event since 2014.

Among the 1,600 mostly amateur runners, only Kristiawan’s face, hands and feet were visible because of the bottle costume he wore.

He tried hard to run while wearing the cumbersome costume, moving his feet and pacing his breath.

His challenge was even more difficult because Kristiawan was the final runner of his relay team. His run came as the sunlight was growing hotter, which made his costume hotter. “When I ran on Jl. New Delhi, I was exhausted. Luckily, I was accompanied by teammates and Bando-san until the finish line,” he said, referring to Yoshihiro Bando, 52, the president director of PT Amerta Indah Otsuka and Kristiawan’s boss.

The company produces food and beverages. This was why Kristiawan was wearing a bottle costume resembling a beverage product from the company, to promote it.

Bando was the first runner of the Otsuka team. When it was Kristiawan’s turn to finish the race as the fourth and final runner, Bando accompanied him, giving him support and encouragement. The support from Bando and his colleagues made Kristiawan forget his exhaustion. The spectators also showed their support along the route.

Spirit of teamwork

Ekiden, a relay race that originated in Japan in 1917 to commemorate the relocation of Japan’s capital from Kyoto to Tokyo, is all about camaraderie and teamwork. One unique feature of the race is its use of a tasuki, a white sash, instead of a baton.

In the Jakarta Kizuna Ekiden 2018, thousands of runners participated in 400 teams. Each team comprised four runners and covered 10.8 kilometers. This meant that each team member ran about 2.7 km.

Teamwork was therefore important to make sure that all runners of a team would reach the finish line. Motivation and suggestions from teammates were also useful.

“I recalled what Nakagawa-san said, that we do not have to race to make a record time. The most important thing was for us to finish,” said 29-year-old Anggun Astrini after finishing her turn as the first runner, referring to Akihiko Nakagawa, the second runner and Anggun’s teammate.

Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii underlined the importance of teamwork. Ishii said the race was an occasion to help the younger generation from the two nations meet to develop mutual understanding, particularly in mutual cooperation. Moreover, this year marked the 60th anniversary of Indonesian-Japanese diplomatic relations.

Ishii added that the younger generation could strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in relation to Industry 4.0 of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) driven by a cyber-physical system (CPS).

He believed that half of Japanese corporations would continue present-day practices in the revolutionary era of Industry 4.0, mainly with respect to the infrastructure and export industries in Indonesia.

Ishii said Japan would prioritize three things for Indonesia: investment, export and vocational education. “These are three important priorities, and we are happy to help,” he said.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, who opened the race, said he was optimistic that the union of Indonesia and Japan through the relay teams underlined the two countries’ close relationship.

Anies said the runners had to share their roles in the relay. “I and the Jakarta administration thank the Kompas Group for consistently maintaining the Indonesia-Japan friendship,” he said before the race.

Aside from Anies, Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Eko Putro Sandjojo, Kompas Gramedia CEO Lilik Oetama and Kompas chief editor Budiman Tanuredjo attended the opening of the relay. Eko said he hoped the race would promote the understanding that development was not an instantaneous process, but a continuous process that happened in stages.

Denso Team dominates

This year’s winner was the Denso Team consisting of Feri Adriansyah, Kadrin, Kamarudin and one Japanese runner, Y. Ishimaru. This was the fifth time the Denso team has won the Jakarta Kizuna Ekiden since its inauguration.

This year, the Denso team clocked a time of 35 minutes and 47 seconds.

“I participate every year. I think the [other teams] are getting stronger,” said Kadrin, a participating athlete from Bima, West Nusa Tenggara.

The Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia team took second place with 36 minutes and 8 seconds, and the Panin Daiichi team came in third with 37 minutes and 11 seconds.

The event saw guest participants such as artists Yuki Kato and Haruka Nakagawa., as well as Japanese footballer Shohei Matsunaga, who plays on the PSMS Medan football club, and Ponaryo Astaman, the former captain of the Indonesian national soccer team.

(DEN/INK/E10/E19)