Hundreds of runners from 28 countries will compete in the “Rinjani 100” extreme marathon, which will be held on Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) on May 5.
“The Rinjani 100 will involve 497 runners from 28 countries. This is the most extreme marathon in Asia,” said Andy Hadianto, the general manager of the Rinjani 100 and chairman of the West Nusa Tenggara Sports Council (KONI NTB), on Tuesday.
The participants comprise 302 Indonesian runners and 195 runners from various countries such as Australia, China, Singapore and Spain.
Andy explained that the marathon would have four categories: 100 kilometers, 60 km, 36 km and 27 km.
For the 100 km and 60 km categories, the marathon will start from the entry point to Mount Rinjani in Senaru village, North Lombok regency, while the 36 km and 27 km categories will start at another entry point to Rinjani in Sembalun village, North Lombok regency.
“The participants of the 100 km and 60 km are expected to finish the marathon on May 6,” Andy added.
NTB Tourism Agency head Lalu Muhammad Faozal said the Rinjani 100 was first held in 2012.
A Mount Rinjani National Park (TNGR) official, Daniel Alexander Rosang, said the Rinjani 100 would help boost the number of visitors to Mount Rinjani.
Daniel said in 2015, the park recorded 26,171 foreign tourists and 40,885 domestic tourists. In 2016, the numbers rose to 30,847 foreign and 63,356 domestic tourists.
