Women on Sumbawa’s Ultra Race of Champions
The ultramarathon with distances of over 160 kilometers and 320 km no longer belongs just to men. This year, 10 women will enthusiastically take part in the 320-kilometer Sumbawa Ultra.
The ultramarathon with distances of over 160 kilometers and 320 km no longer belongs just to men. Many women are interested in taking part as well. Women’s interests keep growing.
This year, 10 women will enthusiastically take part in the 320-kilometer Sumbawa Ultra, which is divided into two categories: four women in full ultra (individual) and six in relay. In comparison, in the first championship in 2015, only one woman, Lily Suryani, 54, took part.
They had been waiting a long time to satisfy their curiosity by taking part in Southeast Asia’s longest race, preparing for months to attempt the extreme route in Sumbawa.
Santih Gunawan, 42, was one of them. Attractive, light skinned and 160 centimeters tall, she joined the relay category of the Sumbawa Ultra. Almost every week, she goes to a beauty salon to have her makeup done. She does not care that she could easily get sun burned while participating in the run, with temperatures of around 38 to 40 degrees Celsius.
“I have been waiting for this moment. So far, I only heard stories about the extreme race. That made me curious. In the past two years, I participated in a marathon [42 km], and ultras of 50 km and 100 km,” she said.
As part of the preparations, she exercised every day and improved her stamina by running the 120 km Bintaro Loop on March 16. Previously, she took part in the Mumbai Marathon (42 km) in India, the World Marathon Series in Tokyo, Japan, the Berlin Marathon in Germany and the New York City Marathon in the United States.
Santih’s colleague in the relay category, Christine Gautama, 31, was also enthusiastic to try the Sumbawa Ultra.
To prepare for participating, she also trained herself by doing the 100-km Titi Ultra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March16. Previously, she had participated in the 25-km Jakarta Ultra and 42-km Tahura in Bandung. “It will be OK if my skin gets burned. I would look exotic,” Christine said.
Social media factor
Social media plays a crucial role in nurturing the women\'s interest to take part in marathons. An employee in Jakarta, Santih is active on social media. She posts her photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Now, she said, posting photos of traveling and food has become common. These days, social media users race to post photos of extreme activities such as long-distance running.
She did not want to be left behind and tried a long-distance race with a 50-km run in Penang, Malaysia, in 2015. “It turned out that photos of extreme activities, such as the long-distance run, received many likes on social media. Many of my friends left positive comments,” Santih said, laughing.
Another participant of the Sumbawa Ultra, Siti Maimunah, 34, said the phenomenon of women taking part in ultramarathons was more about personal achievement, not about a healthy lifestyle. “This ultra run brings a risk of injury. Participants must not take part in more than three marathons a year. Among the enthusiasts, however, they do more than four marathons a year,” said the woman, known as Monah, who also likes long-distance cycling.
Although their participation was mostly driven by the attempt to prove themselves, the women runners come seriously prepared. They bring all the necessary items to help them run at their peak.
To anticipate sunburn, they prepare sunscreen and hats. They also bring special clothes that light up at night for safety.
To prevent blisters on their feet, they also bring bandages and more than four pairs of socks. Blisters are often caused by wet socks from sweat or rain. The skin on the foot can get blistered easily when it is moist. “We train with short distances of 5 to 10 km every day, and long distances of over 50 km once every two to three weeks,” said Sinta Wati, 35, Monah’s partner in the relay run.
In spite of the preparation, the women runners have no high target in this year’s run in Sumbawa. For them, being able to reach the finish line within 72 hours for 320 km, or within 32 hours for the relay, is a great achievement. “For me, the important thing is to reach the finish line below the time limit and take selfies,” Santih said.