Running By History in Heart of Northern Java

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

School children and residents greet runners participating in the Semarang 10K, a sports, entertainment and tourist event held in Semarang, Central Java, Sunday (16/12/2018). The annual race is part of the city’s efforts to boost tourism.

The Semarang 10K has concluded. Thousands of runners brought home the exotic, harmonic atmosphere between modernity and history to Semarang’s rich, historic Kota Lama, or “old town”, right in the heart of Java’s northern coast.

Tamrin, 32, was all smiles whenever he passed a cheering point along the route of the Semarang 10K, vibrant with colorful performances. Several times, Tamrin stretched his arms out wide in front of cameras.

“I really enjoyed the Semarang 10K. The race was good and enjoyable, and the cultural performances were great. This should be an annual event,” he said on Sunday (12/16/2018).

Tamrin, who has lived in Semarang since 2005, finished the race in 1 hour and 5 minutes. “I had no target. I just wanted to enjoy the atmosphere. There were so many local people [watching], including elementary school children. They all pumped up my spirit,” he said.

The Semarang 10K, held in collaboration between the Semarang municipal administration, Kompas daily and Gets Hotel, also involved a variety of cultural performances. Apart from the thek-thek performance by nine men in Javanese constume, there was also Rembang’s turonggo seno from, Eling Deling’s angklung funk and the barongsai (lion dance) that perfectly captured the region\'s cultural mix.

Eleven cheering points dotted the route, all leaving indelible memories for the 2,000 or so runners. Many of the runners stopped briefly to take selfies at these points. The morning’s joyous atmosphere was enhanced by the cheers from the local residents who had gathered along Jl. MT Haryono, as well as the dozens of elementary school students asking for high-fives at several points.

Apart from the city’s friendliness and cultural wealth, the runners – a majority of who came from outside Semarang – were also amazed at the architectural beauty of Semarang’s historical buildings. Some of these buildings stood at the race’s starting line in front of Semarang City Hall.

Several hundred meters from City Hall, the runners passed by Lawang Sewu and Tugu Muda (Youth Monument), the latter of which was built to commemorate the Indonesian independence fighters’ five-day war against Japanese forces on Oct. 15-19, 1945.

Mia Heranty, 40, from Surabaya said that Semarang had a wealth of historical buildings. Apart from Lawang Sewu, the route took the runners past the Old Post Office, Gedung Papak and other buildings in Kota Lama.

Mia said that she was so enraptured by these old buildings that she set no personal target for completing the run. “I just wanted to have fun. I ran relaxed and tried not to go over the cut-off time,” she said.

Maria Kristiyanti, 64, from Salatiga, who placed fifth in the women’s master category, also voiced her appreciation for the city. She said that the spectators often asked to take pictures with her during the run, amazed that she was still running at her age. “A man asked to take my picture to show to his wife and children to get them to start exercising,” she said.

Secure route

Run marshals, Semarang Police, transportation agency officers and Semarang public order officers worked together to secure the Semarang 10K’s route. The roads were temporarily closed at several points, while the local motorists willingly gave way to the runners.

Wiwit Subekti, 28, from Jepara, said that he was happy with how the run was organized. “The run was great, as the route is totally sterilized. This is good for the runners’ comfort. The presence of so many people cheering for us boosted our spirits. I thoroughly enjoyed this,” he said.

The Semarang residents were also duly appreciated. Hari Kurniawan, 39, from Bogor, said that in similar runs in other regions, the local motorists were sometimes unfriendly toward runners. “Drivers often honk their horns and yell at the runners, as they feel like we have taken over their roads. Here in Semarang, the locals were more understanding and were even cheering for us,” he said.

Semarang Mayor Hendrar Prihadi said that he appreciated the local residents for treating the runners as if they were royal guests. Kompas deputy general manager Budiman Tanuredjo said that the local people’s enthusiasm was a huge social capital for holding international events.

This year, two major runs have been held in Central Java, the Borobudur Marathon 2018 and the Semarang 10K. See you next year! (GREGORIUS M. FINESSO/ADITYA PUTRA PERDANA)