Come Sunday the 9th of September, the inaugural International Bintan Marathon will be taking place with three categories, the Full Marathon (42.195km), Half Marathon (21.1km) and 10km Charity Run.

The latter category is targeted at individuals who wish to run for fundraising purposes and proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to assist a local and deserving charity in Bintan.

Bearing the tagline ‘Run and Discover,’ the Bintan Marathon race is also a collaboration between two nations, via Indonesia’s PT. Bintan Resorts Cakrawala, PT. Medianusa Permana and Singapore’s Orange Room Pte Ltd.

With Orange Room Pte Ltd taking charge of the event, runners can rest assured that the race is in good hands – Orange Room was formed by athletes with more than 30 years of experience in the competitive sporting field and they have successfully organised numerous events throughout Singapore and Asia that include the 2015 South East Asian Games, the Singapore International Triathlon, One North Run and the TRI-Factor Series.

The upcoming Bintan Marathon race is set to be a welcome addition to Bintan’s annual suite of world class sporting events, such as the Tour De Bintan, Bintan Triathlon and the Ironman Bintan.

Said Abdul Wahab, General Manager at PT Bintan Resorts Cakrawala Group, “We are proud to bring a Marathon to Bintan and we see it as our mission to contribute to a healthier and more active sporting community, as well as to the tourism and sport development of Bintan.”

For the inaugural event, the organisers are hoping to attract about 2,000 runners. 

Explained Prakash Nair, the General Manager of Operations at PT Bintan Resort Cakrawala, “We are targeting 2,000 runners, mainly from Singapore, Batam and Tanjong Pinang and other parts of Indonesia. Jakarta is also big on running so there may be some runners coming in from there too for the marathon.”

To launch the Bintan Marathon, members of the media had been invited to Bintan for the event press conference, which had also included a tour of part of the race route as well as transport via ferry to and from Singapore.

Why choose Bintan to host a marathon running event, anyway?

Said Prakash, at the press conference, “We are trying to build the sports tourism industry in Bintan. We already have a lot of cycling events and triathlons but we don’t have a marathon.” 

He continued, “So we thought that having a run would sit well with a lot of people who may want to take part in such an event and have fun exercising, as more people around the region are becoming more invested in their health and fitness.”

For runners who may be considering coming in from Singapore, Orange Room’s Managing Director, Elvin Ting, had pointed out that the Bintan Marathon and its ease of accessibility from Singapore would be a great opportunity to experience a run-cation but without the high costs of airfare and accommodation that are typically associated with running abroad.

Said Elvin, “Running has been growing in the region and destination running is becoming more popular so having this iconic marathon event in Bintan is fundamentally giving runners an affordable option for destination running; so we hope that taking part will be a no-brainer for Singaporeans.”

He added, “The reputation of Bintan has also been growing amongst Singaporeans and more people are aware of it. With the increase in interest in running too amongst Singaporeans, marrying the two is thus a no-brainer.”

This is especially so for first-time destination runners, who may want to try an overseas marathon but may have been previously put off by the high airfare and accommodation costs.

Said Elvin, “We hope to be able to appeal to families and first-time destination runners as well as serious runners, because coming to Bintan does not cost much and at the same time, you will get to experience what a destination run is all about.”

As a marathoner who has done a few destination runs, I would say that it is completely worth the time and effort, to head outside of Singapore for a run-cation.

As the Full Marathon event will start at 5.00am and the Half Marathon begins at 6.00am, runners taking part in both of these categories would also be able to enjoy the amazing sunrise as well as the sights and sounds of Bintan Island. 

And the event route for all categories also promises to be a treat to all runners too, helping them to discover parts of Bintan that are not normally seen by tourists. 

At the same time, it will also take runners through popular tourist sites on the island, giving them a scenic and holistic view of the island over the course of their run.

Explained Abdul Wahab, “The race will be an exciting invitation for both local and international runners to explore the island and experience one of the most beautiful marathon courses in South East Asia.”

This is because runners would follow a picturesque route by the lake, amazing scenery of the beach and also explore the panoramic landscape of luxurious hotels and other attraction spots within Bintan Resorts.

When the media bus had taken us around a segment of the race route, my first impression was that the route was definitely scenic and that it would be really amazing to run here. In fact, the lovely sights and sounds of Bintan, took my breath away.

My only gripe though, was that it was really hot and that there had been no shade at all, along some of the stretches of the race route that I had seen.

So this means that with the hot tropical weather in Bintan, the run could be rather punishing for slower runners, or those who might not be acclimatised to the weather.

Thus, to counter this, I would recommend that runners may want to do some heat training, under say the 10.00am Singapore sun, in order to prepare themselves for the possibly hot weather conditions. And if it does rain on race day, it would be a bonus.

As well, it was also interesting to find out that the start line of the 10km race will flag off at 9.00am, at the Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal, itself. 

According to the event organisers, this arrangement caters nicely to runners who just want to come to Bintan for a day-trip and be able to do some running at the same time. With Bintan only 45-50 minutes away by ferry, this is quite easily achievable.

And coming in on a day trip will save on possibly expensive accommodation costs for the 10km runners at the same time too – another unique selling point that the International Bintan Marathon will hold over other marathon running festivals in the region.

Said Prakash, “It would be easy for 10km runners to come in on a day ferry and simply walk to the start line where they would then dump their bags and be able to run immediately without having any transportation problems.”

The start and end point of the Half and Full Marathon categories, as well as the site of the race village carnival, however, will be located in the vicinity of the Plaza Lagoi in Lagoi Bay, a popular tourist spot at Bintan Resorts.

And back at the Plaza Lagoi, runners will be able to learn more about the Malay culture as well as to tuck into deliciously authentic Indonesian foods, which will be on sale at the race precinct.

Said Prakash, “At Plaza Lagoi, there will be a congregation of runners from all categories. So it will become a party like atmosphere with lots of music and food for runners to enjoy after the run.”

In fact, media guests at the launch event had a taste of what runners can expect – we were treated to authentic Indonesian Nasi Padang for lunch and this was really delicious. 

As well, we also tried some Indonesian style Pisang Goreng that had been topped with cheese and chocolate for morning tea, and this was not only warm and tasty, but had also proved to be rather popular.

My only gripe about this? I didn’t run for long enough this morning in order to burn off everything that I had eaten!

But runners taking part in the International Bintan Marathon won’t have to worry about this at all though – as tucking into such delicacies, would be a well-deserved reward after their morning running exertions.

And on top of that, to add a uniquely Indonesian touch to the race, all runners will be rewarded with a fresh coconut as part of their post-race entitlements. This is in addition to the finisher tee available for both the 21.1km and the 42.195km categories and a uniquely designed finisher’s medal.

Said Elvin, “Most importantly though, we want to give runners the unique experience of running amidst the tranquility and greenery here at Bintan, versus the urban jungle in Singapore which many Singaporean runners will be so used to. It is very different to say running at Singapore’s Marina Bay or East Coast Park.”

And for those runners who wish to continue to stay on in Bintan to enjoy a post-race vacation after completing the run, the organisers pointed out that there is, in fact, plenty to see and do in Bintan.

Said Prakash, “We will be providing buses for runners who wish to head back to the ferry terminal after their run. But if you wish to stay on Bintan longer, we have attractions like the Safari park where you can see Komodo dragons, or else you can enjoy one of the well known Indonesian spas or massages to relax.”

He added, “As well, we also have nice beaches and a water theme park for families who love the outdoors. So Bintan is a great place for a weekend getaway or a day trip but without any traffic to contend with.”

Indeed, apart from the occasional tour buses on the island, I had quickly realised that there really was not much traffic on Bintan. So this means that runners do not need to worry about inhaling harmful exhaust fumes or worry about accidents caused by reckless drivers, or anything else of that sort.

The early bird registration rates are priced at SGD 45 for the 10km charity run, SGD 55 for the Half Marathon and SGD 65 for the Full Marathon category. Early bird rates will last till 30th June.

Register for the inaugural International Bintan Marathon at http://www.bintanmarathon.com and be a part of Bintan’s running history.