Satellite cities Singapore and Jakarta launch first overseas Sydney Marathon Run Club activations with less than five months to go to the 2024 Sydney Marathon
6 May 2024, Jakarta, Indonesia - Indonesia's running community are gearing up for the 2024 Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS, with less than five months to go to what is widely regarded as the running event of the year in the Southern hemisphere.
Announcing last week that the full-marathon category has sold out with over 24,000 runners in the marathon field, organisers will be happy to learn that the event's presence in Southeast Asia is fast growing with Indonesia joining Singapore in launching its first run club activation over the weekend in Jakarta.
Led by Indonesia's Friend of Sydney Marathon and triathlete Tono Raharja, founder of YukTravel, Sydney Marathon Run Club: Indonesia Chapter witnessed over 180 participants turn up for the run and sharing session at ZonaBlu - GBK, with the 10km car free day run followed by coffee and pastries and an in-depth Sydney Marathon sharing session.
The marathon sharing was further enhanced with sharings from Destination New South Wales' Tan Siew Hoon, who showcased many of Sydney and New South Wales' attractions for runners who are looking to extend their stay after this year's Sydney Marathon.
Speaking with SportPlus.sg, Pak Tono shared that he is excited to be heading back to Sydney Marathon again for a fourth time this year, this time joined by more runners from the Indonesian running community.
"Indonesian runners like myself are incredibly excited to participate in the Sydney Marathon 2024! We're also strongly behind Sydney's bid to become the next World Marathon Major," he said.
Tono's company Yuktravel will be leading a fantastic group of over 120 runners from Indonesia to take on this year's Sydney Marathon, a huge contingent who will also be experiencing a 5km shake-out run the day before the marathon and more.
Said Tono: "We've secured convenient accommodation for everyone across four centrally-located hotels in the city center, making it easy to explore the city, attend the race expo, and enjoy pre and post-race shopping."
"The day before the marathon, we'll be hosting a fun and social 5K+ shakeout run. We'll also share insights on the new Sydney Marathon 2024 course, capture a memorable group photo, and top it all off with a breakfast complete with exciting giveaways!"
"We don't need to look beyond the Sydney Marathon – the Marathon here offers stunning scenery and the cheers of enthusiastic spectators to keep us going. Since I first joined back in 2017, I've witnessed the continuous improvements, and I'm incredibly excited to bring my fellow Indonesian marathon enthusiasts this year to support Sydney's bid to become the next World Major Marathon for 2025!"
"This year promises to be the best yet, with a tenfold size increase in the starting area and exciting course adjustments. These include running through the Kensington area at the 20-kilometer mark, resulting in a flatter course with fewer U-turns. Most importantly, we'll only run one loop around Centennial Park," he chuckled.
The Sydney Marathon Run Club is a series of activations involving run communities both within Sydney, Australia and abroad aimed at rallying run clubs from around the region to come together and get behind Sydney Marathon's bid in becoming the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major.
Runners in Singapore can expect more details to come this week on the second activation in Singapore for Sydney Marathon Run Club: Singapore Chapter. Find out more about this year's Sydney Marathon course in our special feature here.
To enjoy special discounts as a Sydney Marathon participant, visit our partners' page here.