Rinjani 100 Ultramarathon Grows in Popularity
Lombok. This year's instalment of Rinjani 100, an international trekking event that will take place in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Friday (05/05), is expected to see greater participation than last year.
Muhammad Faozal, head of the West Nusa Tenggara Tourism Agency, said there will be an additional 97 participants this year, which includes a 100-percent increase in international participants.
"This event has attracted 497 runners in total, consisting of 302 domestic runners and 195 international runners from Australia, Austria, China, France, Japan, Slovakia, Russia and Ireland," Faozal said on Tuesday.
He emphasized that the routes are very challenging. In the 100-kilomter category, runners will start at Senaru village in Bayan, North Lombok district, then go through dense forest leading to the rim of Plawangan Senaru crater, before continuing down the steep cliffs to Segara Anak Lake.
From the lake, which is situated 2,000 meters above sea level, the participants will continue trekking towards the Sembalun plane and climb the summit of Mount Rinjani.
From the peak of Mount Rinjani at an altitude of 3,726 meters above sea level, participants will trek down towards Sembalun village in East Lombok district, passing high hills and unspoiled savanna.
"In total, there are 13 checkpoints and two stops participants must pass to finish in 36 hours," Faozal said.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said the race may be hard, but adrenaline junkies will find it fun and exciting.
"We have organized this sports tourism event for those who dare to face any weather conditions and unexpected technical difficulties," Arief said.
Faozal added that despite the challenging arena, the picturesque scenery of the mountain, meadows and valleys, along with the cool breeze, will encourage trekkers to press on.
He said Rinjani 100 is staged in cooperation with the Mount Rinjani National Park, the West Nusa Tenggara chapter of the National Sports Committee (KONI NTB), local police and several climbing communities in the area.
The annual event, which has been held since 2012, also aims to boost sports tourism.
"Mount Rinjani is unique and attractive for sports tourism, which is the reason we need to keep nature well-managed," Faozal said.
Mount Rinjani also offers the Sembalun Hill Track, a region that was recently recognized as the world's best halal honeymoon site at the World Halal Tourism Awards (WHTA) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Tourism Minister Arief said the trekking event would also boost tourism in Mandalika, which is also situated in Lombok.
Mandalika has been listed among the top-10 priority tourism destinations, alongside Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Tanjung Kelayang in Bangka Belitung, Tanjung Lesung in Banten, the Thousand Islands in Jakarta, Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru in East Java, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, Wakatobi in North Sulawesi and Morotai in North Maluku.
To provide easier access, Arief said national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia will open a new route between Lombok and Guangzhou, China, with two weekly flights.
"As for domestic flights, Garuda will increase the flight frequency between Lombok and Yogyakarta and Lombok and Ujung Pandang from once to twice daily," the minister said.
Tags: Keywords: