Mission in the Land of Borobudur

Name: Mission in the Land of Borobudur
Uploaded: 2020-11-16T03:47:23Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: For 28-year-old Betmen Manurung, the Borobudur Marathon is a mission that he must complete. In the 2019 marathon, the soldier of the Indonesian Army (TNI AD) finished ninth.

For 28-year-old Betmen Manurung, the Borobudur Marathon is a mission that he must complete. In the 2019 marathon, the soldier of the Indonesian Army (TNI AD) finished ninth.

Aditya Putra Perdana

· 5 minutes read

For 28-year-old Betmen Manurung, the Borobudur Marathon is a mission that he must complete. In the 2019 marathon, the soldier of the Indonesian Army (TNI AD) finished ninth. This year, he completed his mission by grabbing the top medal of the Borobudur Marathon 2020’s “Elite Race Powered by Bank Jateng”.

Betmen almost failed in his mission to conquer the race through the lands of Borobudur. The Covid-19 pandemic that has engulfed the world, including Indonesia, has caused the cancellation or postponement of many running championships. This diminished his motivation to train, because he felt that he no longer had a target. In addition, Betmen must continue to carry out his duties as chief private in Armed Battalion 10/2/1 of the Army strategic command (Kostrad) in Bogor, West Java.

His hope returned after he was selected to participate in the Borobudur Marathon 2020 Elite Race. Even so, at first he doubted he would be able to perform at his best because of his minimal preparation. Finally, it was his curiosity that gave him the confidence to move forward. Amid his busy schedule, he got ready for the race in just three weeks.

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"I lacked physical preparation, I boosted my mentality. I kept motivating myself. Prayers and the full support from my family to my commander-in-chief made me more confident," he said.

As one of 26 participants, Betmen followed all the stages to meet the conditions for the race, from taking the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab test to quarantine, and to the super-strict health protocols. This was part of the adoption of the new normal, considering that the competition was held in the middle of the Covid-19 health crisis.

I lacked physical preparation, I boosted my mentality. I kept motivating myself.

The challenge for Betmen and the other runners was not just the little time they had to prepare. They also had to fight tedium, because they ran the 3.5-kilometer route at the Borobudur Temple complex in 12 rounds. There was no festivity from the community to support them, which has been the hallmark of the Borobudur Marathon.

The moment of truth arrived on Sunday (15/11/2020). Betmen was already among the group of leading runners at the starting line. When he started to feel physically drained, he tried to be patient and keep his faith that he would reach the finish line. When he reached second position, he was not provoked into pushing himself harder.

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Hidden potential

Betmen\'s journey as a runner started in 2016, when he was included among the soldiers who had been selected to participate in the 2016 TNI AD Ton Tangkas (Peleton Tangkas, or swift platoon). Although he knew nothing about running, he unexpectedly won the 3,200-meter cross terrain race.

"After winning, I was included at the training camp in Cipatat for a month. I was able to follow the program well, and it was then that I eventually became more interested in the world of running," he said.

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In 2017, he passed the test to become part of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Beirut. Most of the activities only involved patrols, so Betmen trained more frequently. In fact, he participated in a marathon in Beirut. His interest in running intensified, and he even read books about running.

It was only in 2018 after returning to Indonesia that he started taking part in a variety of running competitions of different types. He then grew increasingly determined to run a marathon. The first marathon he attempted was in 2018, the Barelang Marathon in Batam.

Betmen said that no one else in his family was active in sports. "My parents, my younger siblings, [they] do not understand sports. I am a football fan myself,” he said.