A Masterclass in Beautiful Chaos
There's a certain kind of madness that pulls us back to the starting line, isn't there? For me, it's an enduring, slightly masochistic love affair with running, a relentless pursuit of new challenges, and perhaps, a quiet curiosity about how much more my body and mind can endure before they send a strongly worded letter of resignation. This year, the BTN Jakarta International Marathon (JAKIM) 2025 became my next great dance partner – a chance to tackle the vibrant, pulsating heart of my own city.
I stood there at the starting line, perhaps a little too confident in my pre-race crowd analysis, thinking I had this whole "city marathon" thing figured out. Oh, the sweet innocence of a runner before the gun goes off. It's a familiar story, really; we plan, we prepare, and then life (or 42.195 kilometers of it) decides to throw a party of its own, usually without consulting our meticulously crafted itineraries.
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| BTN JAKIM 2025 |
Sweat, Strategy, and Smart Recovery
Barely a sigh of relief after the epic Semarang Mountain Race – a beastly 50K ultra trail with a lung-busting 3500m elevation gain back on April 13th – I knew I needed to pivot. Fast. My body, still humming with the echoes of mountain paths, needed a smart transition. So, like any self-respecting tech enthusiast with a penchant for pain, I turned to AI. Yes, my personal 11-week marathon training plan, starting April 14th, was meticulously crafted by an artificial coach, all aimed at a lofty 3:52:00 finish for JAKIM, a crisp 5:30/km average pace.
My weeks quickly found a rhythm, a strategic dance of pavement and gym floor: Tuesday brought 10-12K at an easy pace, a chance for the legs to remember how to move without fighting gravity. Wednesday was the sharp, breathless sting of interval runs, building speed and grit. Thursday, the delightful soreness of strength training, reminding me that a runner needs more than just legs. Friday, a focused tempo run to practice holding that race-day pace, and then, the grand finale, Sunday's long run, always at least 21K, sometimes pushing much further.
The entire 11-week block was a meticulously planned crescendo: Week 1, a much-needed recovery to mourn the mountains. Then, weeks of building base and increasing intensity, followed by a peak mileage phase (hello, 30-32K long run on Week 8!) with a clever supercompensation dip on Week 5 to keep the body guessing and growing. Every stride, every pace, calculated by the venerable Jack Daniel's VDOT method – because apparently, even running has its own sophisticated cocktail of numbers. My weekly mileage consistently topped 50K, a testament to the idea that sometimes, you just have to show up and put in the work, even when your inner voice is bargaining for a nap.
Heart, Hustle, and Humanity
Fast forward to June 29th, 2025. The air at Monas thrummed with nervous energy, the collective buzz of thousands of runners a symphony of shared ambition. There was camaraderie, the scent of embrocation, and that familiar pre-race butterflies-and-lead-in-the-stomach cocktail. I felt ready. My pre-race crowd analysis was spot on, I told myself. What I didn't account for, however, was the sheer, glorious, far-more-extreme reality of the human traffic jam that would engulf us from Km 25 onwards.
My legs, once aiming for a graceful forward motion, suddenly found themselves performing a spontaneous, frantic zigzagging dance. It was less a marathon and more an urban obstacle course of humanity. My internal monologue became a broken record, a polite yet increasingly desperate plea: "Permisi, FM kiri, HM kanan!" The effort, not just physical but mental, to navigate that labyrinth of bodies, drained me in a way I hadn't anticipated. And then there was the Blok M underpass. That tunnel felt less like a segment of a race and more a personal test of sanity, a dark, crowded gauntlet where I practically begged the 4-hour pacer to act as my human snowplow, just to carve a path through the throng.
Finally, though, through the chaos and the zigzagging, the finish line emerged, glowing like a beacon within the majestic Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium. I crossed it in 4:10:40. A personal best, absolutely! But, oh, the bittersweet pang – 11 minutes shy of that coveted sub-4 dream. It felt like hitting a home run, only to realize it was supposed to be a grand slam. Story of my life, sometimes.
The Deeper Dive into Chaos and Resilience
But here's the quiet reflection that settles in after all that beautiful, painful mess: this marathon became a powerful reminder. Even with meticulous planning, even with AI-optimized training and the best intentions, life (and a 42.195km race through a bustling city) will always throw you curveballs. You can't control everything, no matter how hard you try to predict the crowd or pacify your internal monologue.
It's in those chaotic moments, when things unravel, when the path isn't clear and the plan goes sideways, that you truly learn what you're made of. It's not just about pushing through physical discomfort; it's about adapting, finding a different kind of victory. It's about a mental pivot, a subtle shift in perspective, and perhaps even a chuckle at your own expense as you realize you just had to literally ask a stranger to plow a path for you.
A "personal best" isn't always just a number on a clock. It's the resilience found in the struggle, the lessons absorbed in the thick of it, and the honest, deeply satisfying feeling of having survived another glorious, messy adventure. It's about knowing you showed up, gave it your all, and danced with the unexpected chaos, emerging a little wiser, a little tougher, and maybe a lot funnier for it.
The Next Adventure
So, the roads of Jakarta have been conquered, in my own beautifully chaotic way. But for me, the running journey never truly ends; it just changes scenery. My eyes are already set on the next monumental challenges, trading the concrete jungle for the actual, magnificent wilderness.
Next up, the BDG Ultra on September 13th: a brutal 100K ultra trail with a staggering 6125m of elevation gain. And then, just a month later on October 18th, the Trans Jeju UTMB, another epic 107K ultra trail with 4252m of elevation. These aren't just races; they're pilgrimages, tests of endurance, and promises of even more beautiful, messy adventures.
To all fellow marathoners and dream-chasers, whether your path is perfectly clear or wonderfully muddled, may your spirits be unbreakable. May you find your "lovely days" not just on the ideal path, but most profoundly, within the glorious, sometimes hilarious, often painful, and always rewarding journey itself. See you on the trails!
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