Jakarta to stage 10K run at month end

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

National runners being groomed for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA Games) are expected to participate in the JKT 10K, a 10- kilometer run, which will be held on June 29, an official said on Monday.

"We have coordinated with the Indonesian Amateur Athletics Association (PASI) and they will assist us by encouraging the national athletes to compete," Yudi Suyoto, chairman of the organizing committee, told reporters during a media conference at City Hall here.

The JKT 10K, which will be held as part of the Jakarta's 476th anniversary, offers a total of Rp 191 million (US$21,460) in prize money.

The organizers expect around 15,000 participants to join, who will fall into four categories: national athletes, students, invitees and the general public. The elite runners category (national athletes) will take the biggest portion of the prize money of Rp 89 million.

Yudi, who is also an official with the Jakarta administration, was enthusiastic about the event.

"We want to help promote athletics, particularly the discipline of running. We also want to improve Jakarta's image that the capital city is safe, at least for sports activities." he said.

The competition will start and finish at City Hall, the route incorporating major thoroughfares of Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman.

"The competition starts at 6:30 a.m. We will close Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan for three hours from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.," Yudi said, while adding that President Megawati Soekarnoputri was scheduled to officially wave off the runners.