Hendra Siswanto, 39, was panting profusely when he reached the finish line in Doro Ncanga, Dompu regency, West Nusa Tenggara, on Friday (3/5/2019) at 10:55 p.m. Central Indonesian Time. Nevertheless, he looked happy. Under the starry sky of Sumbawa Islands, the Jakarta-based runner not only won the race but also broke the Lintas Sumbawa 320K record in the men’s category. Hendra finished the race in 55 hours and 56 minutes, much faster than William Beanjay’s 62 hours and 26 minutes from last year.
Hendra’s record awed organizers and other runners. After the race, in Padang Sabana at the foothill of Mt. Tambora, Hendra still looked fit and was cheerily answering reporters’ questions.
“I am tired but happy. I had planned [to finish in] 60 hours. But I’ve trained hard with my friends so we can compete in good health,” Hendra said.
During the race, Hendra continuously ran and kept himself hydrated. “I felt like I was being chased by other runners and this motivated me to keep running. The other runners were good. I am motivated to continue my training for next year,” he said.
From the starting line in Poto Tano Field, West Sumbawa, on Wednesday (1/5), Hendra led the race. He ran quickly and left other runners in the dust, including men’s reigning champion William and 2015 champion Alan Maulana.
At the halfway mark at Kilometer 160, Hendra took his time to bathe, have a meal and undergo a physiotherapy session. He did not sleep. “I do not sleep so I can stay ahead,” he said at the time.
As the winner of the marathon, Hendra will receive a prize of Rp 32 million (US$2,251). He will also receive Rp 10 million for breaking a record.
Men’s relay
Meanwhile, Jumardi, 29, and Oktavianus Quaasalmy, 35, also broke records in the men’s relay category. Before the race, the two had pledged to conquer this year’s Lintas Sumbawa 320K in just 48 hours. Due to their persistence, they were able to achieve the amazing feat.
One kilometer before the finish line in Doro Ncanga on Friday (3/5), Okta, as Oktavianus is called, felt that his gait was getting heavier. The runner, who ran in the second half of the race, felt that his calf harden like a stone.
As Okta got so close to the end of the race, Jumardi, who ran in the first half of the race, refused to wait for his partner at the finish line at Padang Sabana on the foothill of Mt. Tambora. Instead, he came after Okta and ran alongside him to the finish line.
Thanks to encouragement from Jumardi, Okta continued to run until the finish line. The slender runner reached the finish line together, completing the race in just 46 hours and 13 minutes, faster than their pre-race pledge.
“It feels like my legs are about to explode and I cannot run anymore,” said Okta, moments after finishing Southeast Asia’s most extreme run.
Jumardi, a member of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres), praised his partner for having completed the challenging run. “Okta went through the more difficult route, filled with downhill and uphill parts,” he said.
Efforts to conquer their self-limitations were paid off by their victory. The two runners, who first paired in this year’s Lintas Sumbawa 320K, even broke the run’s record. Their recorded time was much faster than the previous record of 50 hours and 27 minutes, booked by Okta and his then-partner Rizky Triadi Dewata in the 2017 edition of the run.
Starting from a pledge, the two friends pushed themselves to conquer the Lintas Sumbawa in an incomprehensible manner. They did not sleep in order to conquer the various obstacles in the 320-kilometer route, including heavy rains and extreme heat.
The extreme run from the starting line in Poto Tano, West Sumbawa regency, to Doro Ncanga not only poses physical torture but also has various other obstacles. Jumardi, for instance, was chased by three wild dogs, forced to go around a snake and saw a motorbike accident. As Okta got close to the finish line, he hallucinated.
“To be honest, as a debutant, I could only stick to my pledge and stay motivated. If not for them, I might have stopped running,” said Jumardi, who said that he would report his victory to his superior at the Paspampres.
The two friends encouraged and complemented each other. Okta is experienced from his participation in Lintas Sumbawa since 2016, while Jumardi provides the “fresh blood”. For winning the relay category, they will receive Rp 28 million.(KEL/ZAK/RUL/BRO)