Anggriawan Sugianto

The silence at 10 PM in Selo, Boyolali is not like other silences. It's not the quiet of sleep. It's thick, wet, and heavy—the kind of quiet that happens when a sleeping volcano is watching you from inside the clouds.

I stood at the start line of Merapi 360°, looked at my watch, then looked down the dark road ahead. Seventy-seven kilometers of asphalt stretched into nothing. No trails. No rocks to trip over. Just me, my shoes, and a giant mountain that hadn't moved in a very long time.

I told myself this would be easy. I told myself wrong.

Running to Finish Line @ Merapi 360º

What I Planned vs. What Happened

I usually run on dirt. I love the rocky climbs of trails, the switchbacks, the way your body has to think about every step. BDG Ultra and Siksorogo Lawu Ultra—those are my home. So I looked at Merapi 360° and thought: This will be simple. Just a road race. A chance to build fitness before my bigger race, BTS Ultra 170K, in a few months.

I thought of it as a training run. Something controlled. Something safe.

The mountain laughed.

The Map That Didn't Match the Road

Before the race, I tried to load the GPS file onto my watch. Amazfit, Coros, Garmin—nothing worked. So I did what I call "GPS laundering": uploaded it to Strava, downloaded it again, and finally got it onto my watch. It worked, but something was wrong with the map.

The GPS showed straight lines between points. The actual road was never straight.

This became a problem at 2 AM, when I was running through Boyolali/Klaten/Sleman in the dark. At every corner, I had to stop and look for a red painted arrow on the road. In the darkness, those arrows were nearly invisible. I would slow down, squint, wonder if I was lost, then see it: a faded red line pointing me forward.

Later, I thought about this. In my business, I see the same thing happen. You have a plan that looks perfect on paper. Clean lines. Clear directions. But when people actually try to use it—when they're tired, scared, and it's 2 AM—the plan falls apart. The arrows that seemed so clear in the office are invisible in real life.

The difference is that when a business plan is broken, people lose money. When a GPS is broken and you're running at night, you lose time. Both hurt, but one is more honest about it.

Di tengah keriuhan transportasi publik kita, entah itu di gerbong KRL yang padat atau di sela antrean ojek daring, ada sebuah pemandangan baru yang seragam: layar gawai yang digenggam vertikal dengan volume suara yang tipis namun dramatis. Masyarakat kita sedang dijangkiti demam mikro-drama atau "dracin pendek". Hanya dalam durasi satu hingga tiga menit per episode, drama ini mampu menyihir jutaan orang, mulai dari pekerja sektor informal hingga eksekutif yang mencari pelarian sejenak dari keletihan mental (decision fatigue).

Sebagai praktisi Customer Experience (CX), saya melihat keberhasilan mikro-drama bukan terletak pada kemegahan sinematografinya, melainkan pada ketangkasannya membedah anatomi psikologi dan perilaku manusia modern di era seluler.

Ilustrasi: Menonton Mikro-Drama di dalam MRT

Matinya “Format Menengah”

Secara historis, kita terbiasa dengan durasi standar 22 menit untuk sitkom atau satu jam untuk drama televisi. Namun, hari ini kita menyaksikan apa yang saya sebut sebagai The Death of the Middle-Form. Konsumsi konten kini bergerak ke dua titik ekstrem: format sangat panjang seperti podcast berjam-jam, atau format ultra-pendek.

Mikro-drama mengeksploitasi interstitial time, celah waktu sempit di sela fragmentasi kesibukan kita. Ia menawarkan frictionless consumption. Tanpa perlu komitmen waktu besar, ia hadir mengubah waktu tunggu yang "mati" menjadi jendela hiburan yang intens. Di sinilah letak kemenangannya: ia tidak meminta waktu kita, ia mencurinya di sela-sela kesibukan.

Pembajakan Vertikal dan Efek Zeigarnik

Platform mikro-drama melakukan vertical hijack. Dengan format vertikal yang memanjakan ergonomi satu tangan manusia, teknologi ini menyesuaikan diri dengan ritme fisik kita, bukan sebaliknya. Ini bukan sekadar soal rasio aspek layar, melainkan desain yang sadar konteks (context-aware design).

Daya pikatnya kian adiktif berkat penerapan gamified cliffhangers. Setiap episode dirancang menggunakan Zeigarnik Effect, tendensi psikologis di mana otak manusia cenderung merasa terganggu dan terus teringat pada hal yang belum selesai. Rasa penasaran ini dikomodifikasi sedemikian rupa, sehingga pengguna secara bawah sadar akan sulit melepaskan layar sebelum cerita tuntas, meski harus membayar per episode.

Secara kultural, mikro-drama di Indonesia sukses karena menyentuh "DNA" lokal. Tema seperti balas dendam menantu yang terzalimi atau CEO yang menyamar adalah topik universal yang menawarkan gratifikasi instan melalui narasi “justice porn”, kepuasan melihat keangkuhan ditundukkan oleh kebenaran. Strategi ini lalu diperkuat dengan algorithmic funneling yang presisi di Facebook, Instagram, atau TikTok, menjerat audiens masuk ke dalam corong konversi (funnel) menuju aplikasi utama.

There is a specific kind of silence that only exists at 3:00 AM on a muddy trail in the middle of a race. Your headlamp is failing, your quads feel like they've been tenderized by a mallet, and your brain is screaming—rationally, logically—that you should stop.

Over the years, I've realized that the "algorithms" I learned in ITB and the "frameworks" I mastered in KAIST MBA are exactly what keep me moving on the trail. And conversely, the "grit" of the trail is what allows me to lead Suitmedia through the volatility of the Indonesian tech landscape.

Success is isomorphic. The same principles that scale a company win a mountain race. These are the mental models I live by, grouped into the pillars that define my world.

BTS Ultra 2025

I. How I Think

These are the foundational models for clarity. If my internal "Map" is wrong, no amount of speed will get me to the right destination.

1. The Logic of Truth

Before you can solve a problem, you have to see it clearly.

• First Principles Thinking: Strip a problem to the core truths. Don't reason by analogy; build your own logic from the ground up.
• Occam's Razor: When faced with two competing theories, the simplest one is usually the truth. Avoid over-engineering your life.
• Map vs. Territory: Your mental models, plans, and spreadsheets are just "maps." Never confuse the abstraction with the messy reality of the "territory."
• Circle of Competence: Be brutally honest about what you know and where your expertise ends. Play only in games where you have an edge.

2. Strategic Decision Making

Choosing the path when the fog of war (or mountain mist) is thick.

• Inversion: Instead of asking how to succeed, ask "How could I spectacularly fail?" Then, build systems to avoid those specific pitfalls.
• Probabilistic Thinking: Life is a game of odds, not certainties. Focus on making high-probability bets rather than chasing sure things.
• Regret Minimization: When at a crossroads, choose the path that your 80-year-old self would be most proud of.
• Sunk Cost Fallacy: Having the courage to walk away from a bad project or relationship, regardless of how much time or money you've already invested.

3. The Physics of Growth

How to ensure effort results in exponential progress.

• The Pareto Principle: Identify the 20% of inputs—habits, clients, or training—that produce 80% of your results. Ruthlessly cut the rest.
• Compounding: The most powerful force in the universe. Tiny, 1% gains repeated over a decade create exponential wealth, wisdom, and fitness.
• Velocity vs. Speed: Speed is how fast you move; Velocity is speed plus direction. It's better to crawl toward the right goal than sprint toward the wrong one.
• Theory of Constraints: Every system has one primary bottleneck. Improving anything else is an exercise in futility. Find the bottleneck; widen it.

4. Human & Social Dynamics

Navigating the "Human API" in leadership and life.

• Incentives: Show me the incentive, and I will show you the outcome. If you want to change behavior, change the reward structure.
• Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by neglect or a simple mistake. It saves a lot of unnecessary anger.
• Social Proof: We are biologically wired to mimic others. Use this awareness to choose mentors wisely and avoid groupthink traps.
• Pygmalion Effect: People generally live up to or down to the expectations we set for them. Lead with high belief in your team.

5. Systemic Resilience

Building a person in me that gets stronger under pressure.

• Antifragility: Designing your life so that you don't just survive the storm—you actually get stronger because of them.
• Feedback Loops: The shorter the gap between an action and its feedback, the faster you can iterate and improve.
• Margin of Safety: Always leave a buffer—in your schedule, your bank account, and your heart rate—for the unknown unknowns.
• The Power of Narrative: The stories we tell ourselves about our failures determine whether they become traumas or fuel for growth.

This post is about a 5-year journey that changed everything—and what it taught me about resilience, strategy, and becoming who you thought you couldn't.

Trans Jeju 100K Finisher Totem

The Impossible Beginning

In 2020, I was that guy: an ITB alumnus running a creative digital agency, completely sedentary, leaning hard into unhealthy habits. I wasn't sick, wasn't in crisis (yet), but I was fractured. The pandemic hit, and something in me broke open—not dramatically, but quietly. I hit Obese level 1. My cognitive function tanked. I remember calling it "slow thinking"—like my brain was running at half speed. I'd sit in strategic meetings and feel... foggy. Unreliable. Not myself.

In August 2020, something shifted. I decided to run 5 kilometers.

I remember telling people: "I'm going to run a marathon one day." They laughed. Not unkindly, but the kind of laugh that says sure, buddy. And honestly? I didn't believe it either. A marathon felt like claiming I'd climb Everest. A 100K? Laughable. Impossible.

But here's what I didn't understand then: impossibility is just a lack of systems.

By July 2023, I was running marathons with the ASICS Marathon Team. By 2024, I was a Pocari Sweat Marathon Pacer. And in 2025—just 5 years after that first terrifying 5K—I ran not one, but three 100K ultra-trail races in eight weeks.

When I delivered this presentation on October 30, 2025, I had already completed two of them: BDG Ultra and Trans Jeju by UTMB. I was mid-mission, riding the momentum toward the third race (BTS Ultra), still processing what was happening.

Now, writing this in January 2026, with all three finishes behind me, I can see the full arc of what happened.

100+ km. Done.

The journey wasn't about getting faster or stronger (though both happened). It was about discovering that the person I thought I was—sedentary, undisciplined, limited—was a fiction. And once you see through that fiction, you can't unsee it.

Along the way, I learned seven fundamental truths. Not secrets, exactly. More like operating principles—frameworks that work because they're rooted in how humans actually function, not how we wish we functioned.

These aren't just running principles. I've watched them reshape how I lead Suitmedia, how I make decisions under uncertainty, how I handle the scaling challenges of a growing business. They're transferable. And I think they might work for whatever your "100K" is.

Secret #1: The Power of Showing Up (Consistency Beats Intensity Every Time)

The Real Problem with Motivation

Let me tell you about motivation: it's a liar.

Everyone approaches running (or fitness, or any ambitious goal) the same way: they wait for motivation. They imagine themselves as the kind of person who loves running. They picture early mornings, sunrises, that runner's high. They motivate themselves into a frenzy and commit to running 5 days a week, 10km per session.

Then Tuesday comes, and they're tired. Wednesday, it rains. Thursday, work runs late. By Saturday, they've missed three sessions, feel like failures, and quit.

This is the motivation trap. And I fell into it hard in those first months.

What changed everything was understanding BJ Fogg's Behavior Model: Behavior = Motivation + Ability + Prompt. You can't rely on motivation because motivation is volatile. It spikes and crashes. But you can control ability and prompts.

Here's what I did differently:

I started absurdly small.

My first running routine wasn't 10km, 5 days a week. It was 15 minutes of walk-jog, 3 times a week. That's it. Not impressive. Not Instagram-worthy. But doable. Even on bad days, even when I was tired or stressed, 15 minutes felt achievable.

The magic wasn't in the 15 minutes themselves. It was in building the habit first, the pace later.

I treated running like a professional appointment—non-negotiable, scheduled, the same time each week. Not because I loved it, but because it was on the calendar, and I show up to calendar items. This sounds obvious, but most people don't do this. They think discipline comes from feeling like it. Discipline actually comes from removing the decision.

By month three, running 15 minutes 3x a week felt as normal as brushing my teeth. My brain stopped negotiating it. Then I extended to 20 minutes. Then to 5 days a week. Then the distances grew. But the foundation was the habit—showing up, even when it sucked.

The "Good Enough" Run

Here's something they don't tell you: not every run needs to be great.

In October 2025, I had completed a 266-week running streak—5+ years without missing a single week. Some of those runs were transcendent. Most were forgettable. Some were genuinely ugly. I remember a 6am run in Jakarta heat where I barely made it 5km and felt like I'd been hit by a bicycle. But I showed up. That run counted the same as the perfect long run on a cool morning.

The breakthrough moment came when I stopped chasing the perfect run and started celebrating the completion of effort. Some weeks, "showing up" meant a slow 8km jog in humidity. Some weeks it meant a brutal 30km weekend run. Both counted. Both built the streak.

This is counterintuitive but critical: Discipline is built by showing up on the bad days, not the good ones. The good days take care of themselves.

The mountains don’t care about your profit and loss statement.

I learned this the hard way in 2025. This year was a study in extreme contrast—a chaotic, beautiful, and sometimes heartbreaking symphony of high performance and hard landing. Physically, I reached a peak I once thought was reserved for the elite. Community-wise, I tried to pour into others even when my own cup felt dangerously low. Professionally, I navigated a trough that tested every bit of my resolve.

It was a year of three 100K races, three cities of volunteering, and three years of financial losses. It was a year of learning that while you can out-run a mountain, you have to out-think a crisis.

Siksorogo Lawu Ultra 2025

January, I started the year in the mud of Bandung. Tahura Trail was a ten-hour reminder of what my legs could do, climbing sixteen hundred meters while the world was still waking up to 2025.

February took me to Yogyakarta for Kelas Inspirasi. Standing in SDN Baciro, I tried to explain the life of an "IT Consultant" to children whose eyes sparkled with a curiosity that had nothing to do with billable hours, a brief and grounding moment before I turned back to the trails for the eighty-one kilometers of CTC Ultra.

March was a month of silence on the trails but loud alarms in the boardroom.

I spent April balancing a quick ten-kilometer sprint at LebaRUN with the punishing verticality of the Semarang Mountain Race. Between those climbs, I went "Back to School" with Kelas Inspirasi Jakarta at SDN Menteng Atas 14, teaching kids that dreams, much like mountains, are conquered one step at a time.

In May, the training was quiet, disciplined, and solitary.

I went back to the asphalt in June for the Jakarta International Marathon. It was four hours of fighting the city’s thick heat and suffocating humidity, a different kind of endurance that demands road speed even when the air feels like soup.

It was supposed to be the grand finale. The last battle in my 2025 ultra trail saga—a year packed with challenge and grit. Three 100K ultras in eight weeks. One race each month. I was tired, yes, but more than that, I was determined. This was the moment to seal the deal. Siksorogo Lawu Ultra 80K. The last dance of the year.

Campground Sekipan, Tawangmangu

I’m no stranger to this race. Not at all. My story with SLU began in 2023, a modest 30K that introduced me gently to the wild trails. It didn’t end there. I came back stronger, wilder, wetter in 2024. The rain never let up; it poured like the sky was determined to wash away every ounce of my hope. I slipped, I tripped, I fought. Yet I finished. Barely.

The 2024 race stats tell a brutal story. From 44 starters in the 120K only 6 finished, a gut-wrenching 14%. The 80K field saw just 51 of 145 make it through, about 35%. And the 50K? Even that, with nearly half dropping out. The median finish times crept close to cut-off, inching like shadows waiting to claim the weak.

Flag-off times laid out a rhythm, a precarious dance with darkness and daylight. Midnight for the longest, early mornings for the rest. These are not casual starts. They are invitations to suffer under the indifferent stars.

Then came 2025.

This year, something had shifted. The numbers were better. 23 finishers of 57 in the 120K, that’s 40%. The 80K grew to 65% finishers, and the 50K even higher. More runners standing tall, more stories of grit written into mountain dust.

Even the median finish times edged slower than 2024, but still comfortably under the cut-offs. That small difference means everything. Because every second counts when the body screams for mercy.

And, yes, the flag-off times in 2025 changed too. The 120K started on Friday night, earlier than before, the 80K at midnight, chasing night’s last breath, and the 50K at 5 a.m. No more leisurely dawn departures. This was battle mode.

Okay, let's be honest. After running two 100-kilometer ultra-trail races in just five weeks, my body should have been officially on strike. Most people would be horizontal, maybe with a nice warm compress and a long, philosophical stare at their ceiling.

BTS Ultra: The most beautiful ultra-race I ever run

Yet, here I was, standing at the BTS Ultra start line. This was the third, and final, monster in my slightly mad, self-imposed trilogy. The mountain air was sharp and cold, but also buzzing with a strange, electric energy. I expected a full choir of aches and doubts to greet me, a symphony of 'what ifs' and 'why did I dos' louder than a rock concert.

But instead? Silence. A surprising calm hummed beneath my skin. There was no overwhelming tiredness from BDG Ultra or Trans Jeju, those two beasts I'd already wrestled. Three full weeks I’d poured into recovery, focused entirely on healing, on preparing for Bromo’s unique challenge. My Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro had quietly tracked every training session, every recovery nap (almost!), giving me solid, data-backed confidence. It paid off. My internal optimists, usually a quiet bunch, were actually winning the argument for once.

Even with a third 100K looming, a crazy big task for most, and frankly, a bit bonkers for anyone, stress felt like a distant rumor. This wasn't just another race dot on my calendar. It was the legend. This famous 100K race, winding through ancient volcanic areas and tough peaks, felt less like a course and more like a sacred landscape where volcanoes stand guard. Where the earth breathes old fire and wisdom.

Third ultra trail 100K in 8 weeks

This race, I truly believe, is the most beautiful ultra-trail race I have ever run. Its natural beauty just pulls you in. Huge peaks touching the sky, the fresh, cold mountain air that wakes you up, the deep quiet before dawn that feels like the world is holding its breath. 

The race started at midnight. It was like a silent river of lights flowing from Artotel Cabin Bromo into the huge, dark night. My usual easy pace settled into a steady, calm rhythm. A quiet chat with the trail itself. We reached B29, a part that's known for being narrow. It’s a slow, careful shuffle up a steep hill, a forced lesson in working together. After that, the path went towards Ranu Pane. This part was sometimes "annoying" with its sunken tracks from motorbikes. Each careful step was a dance to avoid twisting an ankle, but my ASICS Gel-Trabuco 13 shoes, bless their grippy soles, held firm.

B29 Climb at Night

Then, the reward: Ranu Kumbolo (km 25). Even if its famous beauty was hidden in morning fog, its full glory veiled, just being near that calm lake was amazing. It felt like walking into a painting, a quick, dreamy moment of peace before the trail turned, going back to Ranu Pane. It was a short, beautiful break, a quiet promise of what was beyond the clouds.

Sebagai seorang pegiat ultra-endurance sport, yang telah menyelesaikan 9x marathon sejak 2023 dan baru saja menyelesaikan 100K ultra trail di BDG Ultra dan Trans Jeju by UTMB, saya menyadari betul krusialnya peran teknologi pendukung. Selama empat tahun terakhir, smartwatch lama saya telah menjadi instrumen esensial. Namun, di tengah tuntutan ultra trail race yang makin intens, saya mulai mengidentifikasi beberapa pain points:

1. Daya Tahan Baterai: Kebutuhan untuk mengisi daya di setiap checkpoint menjadi sebuah additional burden yang tidak ideal.
2. Navigasi: Fungsionalitas breadcrumb yang terbatas seringkali kurang memadai untuk jalur ultra trail yang kompleks, berpotensi menyebabkan nyasar di tengah hutan.
3. Visibilitas Layar: Layar yang relatif redup saat lari siang di bawah terik matahari mempersulit pembacaan data.

Tiga pain points tersebut membawa saya untuk mengeksplorasi solusi yang lebih optimal, hingga akhirnya menemukan Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro. Smartwatch ini menarik perhatian saya karena menawarkan berbagai fitur flagship yang umumnya ditemukan pada segmen harga lebih tinggi. Artikel ini akan menganalisis secara objektif, apakah Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro benar-benar memberikan nilai lebih dibandingkan pesaing selevelnya, seperti Fenix 8 atau Apex 2 Pro, khususnya dari perspektif seorang ultra trail runner.

Baterai T-Rex 3 Pro masih 18% setelah dipakai ultra trail 100K, lanjut tidur dan recovery walk.

⚠️ DISCLOSURE: Unit Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro yang saya gunakan ini adalah dukungan dari Amazfit Indonesia untuk persiapan dan pengujian di ultra trail race 100K di TransJeju by UTMB 2025. Penting untuk ditekankan bahwa analisis ini bersifat 100% objektif, tidak berbayar, dan murni berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi saya di lapangan.

Spesifikasi Teknis Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro

Sebelum membahas user experience, mari kita telaah data spesifikasi Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro. Angka-angka ini menunjukkan bagaimana smartwatch ini serius menantang smartwatch flagship lain yang harganya bisa dua hingga tiga kali lipat:

• Harga: Rp 6.599.000 (Cek promonya di Shopee atau Tokopedia)
• Navigasi: Peta Offline
• GPS: Dual-Band GNSS (6 Satelit)
• Baterai (Mode GPS Akurat): Hingga 47 jam
• Layar: AMOLED 1.5 inchi (Sapphire)
• Flashlight: LED Bawaan
• Material Bezel: Titanium Grade 5

There's a funny thing about pushing your limits: the moment you cross a finish line, part of you vows "never again." But then, a stubborn whisper begins, a quiet pull towards the next impossible dream.

TransJeju by UTMB 2025

After BDG Ultra 100K, my body definitely screamed for a proper break. Five weeks went by, letting my muscles heal and my mind catch up to the wild idea of doing it all again. The sharp pain from that first race slowly softened into a familiar ache, almost like an old friend I hadn't truly said goodbye to. My brain was perfectly content dreaming of endless naps, and my legs, after their strong protests, were finally considering working again. I was a 100K finisher, a title I felt both proud of and a little confused by. Honestly, I thought more rest was next, not another super long run.

But then, Trans Jeju by UTMB started calling. This wasn't just "another" race to tick off my crazy list. This was personal. Korea. Ah, Korea. It's a country I deeply love, full of memories from my KAIST days in Seoul. Running here, after so long, felt like coming home, even if I'd never been to Jeju Island before.

Beyond my feelings for Korea, there was the dream. This would be my very first UTMB World Series event. If you know anything about trail running, you've probably heard of Chamonix and Mont Blanc. Running 100 miles there is my biggest dream, my ultimate goal. Trans Jeju was the important first step, exciting and a little scary, towards that dream. My tired legs, bless them, were already complaining about my big plans. But my heart was set.

Hello, Jeju!

The lessons from BDG Ultra were my best guide: how to pace myself, how important nutrition and hydration are, and how to keep my mind strong. These quiet truths I carried with me into this new adventure.

I arrived at Jeju Island on Thursday, giving me a crucial night of proper sleep. This was a true blessing, as Friday night (D-1) for a big race like this usually brings me a symphony of nerves and very little actual sleep. My friends, Ramsky and Fathan, joined me on Friday, their arrival adding an extra layer of excitement to the calm before the storm. They signed up for the 20K, their very first trail race! Seeing their excitement for their "first time" was a great boost for me, even though my "first time" was just five weeks ago, and this was way longer.

TransJeju with Ramsky & Fathan

Knowing my body was still recovering, I knew I needed the best gears. My trusty Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro was ready to track every step and important number. My ASICS Gel Trabuco 13 gave my tired feet the grip and soft landing they needed. I knew it would be a long night, so my reliable Nitecore UT27 Headlamp and power bank were packed – getting lost in the dark is never fun. And feeling good in my LICA custom jersey always helps, even if I was secretly still wondering what I'd gotten myself into.

Team Amazfit Indonesia

Arriving in Jeju, an island I'd always dreamed of seeing, felt like stepping into a beautiful picture. The air was fresh, the scenery amazing, and the UTMB event had a special energy.

A Wild Leap of Faith – For a while now, running has been my happy place. It’s where my thoughts get sorted, my legs get a good workout, and sometimes, I find a deep truth hiding in the dust of a trail. I’ve run full marathons. I even managed to finish some ultra trail races. Last year, my BDG Ultra 64K felt like my own personal Mount Everest. It was my longest run ever, with the most climbing. I felt pretty proud of it, honestly. That was my "normal world" of running – comfortable, familiar, something I knew I could do. Little did I know, I was just looking at the base camp for something much bigger... and definitely crazier.

BDG Ultra 100K

Then, something just clicked. Or maybe a wire short-circuited in my brain! The idea started as a whisper, then shouted like a crazy person on a megaphone: three 100K ultras in eight weeks. Yes, you read that right. My brain, bless its hopeful, over-ambitious heart, thought this was a perfectly normal next step. Was it a brilliant idea? A mid-life moment of madness, but in cool running shoes? Probably a bit of both, seasoned with "why the heck not?"

BDG Ultra 100K became the first step in this wonderfully insane plan. It wasn't just an "upgrade" from my 64K. It was like going from a bicycle to a rocket ship with no instruction manual! Over 6000 meters of elevation gain? This wasn't just a race. This was THE race. My first 100K. My longest run ever. My highest climb. It was a leap into the completely unknown.

Leopards, Doubts, and Training Wisdom

The first rush of excitement quickly changed. It became a mix of "what have I done?" and "am I completely insane?" My inner critic, a rather loud and persuasive friend, started listing all the reasons this was a terrible idea. My feet, still aching from training, were staging their own silent protest.

And as if my self-doubt wasn't enough, just weeks before race day, news broke. A leopard had gone missing from Lembang Zoo. Right near Tangkuban Parahu – part of our race route! Suddenly, every rustle in the bushes wasn't just a friendly squirrel. It was a potentially stressed, hungry, 100K-curious leopard. Who wants to be a personal best for a leopard?

Despite my dramatic inner thoughts and leopard worries, I wasn't totally unprepared. My training wasn't just running; it was my teacher. Semarang Mountain Race 50K, Dieng Trail Run 60K, Maybank Bali Marathon – these weren't just races. They were wise old friends, teaching me patience, strength, and the art of putting one foot in front of the other. They built my foundation. Even if my sanity felt like it was resting on shaky stilts. This steady, sometimes very tough, effort became my guiding light. It prepared me for the beautifully terrifying unknown.

Hello there, fellow traveler on this wild journey called life! Or, in my case, on this wild journey called… a very, very busy running calendar. You know those moments when life throws you a delightful curveball, and suddenly your perfectly laid plans take an unexpected, exhilarating detour? Well, grab a cup of kopi, because that's pretty much the story of how I found myself toeing the starting line of the Maybank Bali Marathon 2025.

Maybank Marathon 2025

Truth be told, the Maybank Bali Marathon wasn't initially in my grand scheme of things. My 2025 calendar was already looking a tad ambitious, some might say borderline certifiably insane. We're talking: UI Trail Race (42K marathon trail, EG 2500m, on August 3rd – more dirt, more fun!), Dieng Trail Run (60K ultra trail, EG 4000m, on August 10th – just a week after UI? Why not!), then BDG Ultra (100K ultra trail, EG 6125m, on September 13th – the big one, my debut 100K.)

Yes, a glance at that list confirms I might have a slight problem. But hey, it's a good problem, right? Then, like a refreshing breeze on a particularly sweaty training run, an Instagram campaign from Pelita Air, a medium-service airline which is always on time, swooped into my feed on July 18th. "Yuk, ikutan Maybank Marathon 2025 #KeBaliLariBarengPelita," it cheerfully announced, offering free flights and running slots.

Now, Bali, you see, holds a special place in my runner's heart. It's truly my second home for running. There's always a new story unfolding there, a new personal best waiting to be shattered. Every step on that magical island feels infused with an extra surge of energy. So, when the possibility of another run there, with the added magic carpet ride courtesy of Pelita Air, presented itself, how could I resist? Especially when I knew this particular marathon could serve as a crucial piece of my preparation.

My motivation was crystal clear, and I shared it in my campaign entry on July 24th: "Ini peak training saya buat debut lari ultra trail 100K, tiga minggu setelahnya! Momen krusial buat uji fisik dan mental. Semoga saya bisa dapat slot Marathon!" Because clearly, my schedule wasn't already ambitious enough, so adding a full marathon three weeks before my first 100K ultra felt like a perfectly logical, albeit slightly mad, decision.

And then, the Instagram Stories arrived. On August 6th, the news dropped: I got the marathon ticket and flight ticket from Pelita Air! Suddenly, the unexpected became gloriously real. My dream got wings, as I put it, to fly high.

Pernahkah Anda merenung, seberapa besar dampak satu hari dari hidup Anda dapat mengubah masa depan seseorang? Di tengah hiruk pikuk Jakarta, Kelas Inspirasi hadir sebagai gerakan nyata yang percaya pada kekuatan berbagi profesi dan inspirasi. Pada hari Selasa, 19 Agustus 2025, kami menorehkan jejak harapan di SDN Rawa Badak Utara 11, di mana puluhan relawan dari berbagai profesi meluangkan satu hari untuk menjadi inspirator bagi anak-anak. Blog post ini adalah sebuah antologi, kumpulan suara hati dan refleksi otentik dari para relawan tersebut, yang akan membawa Anda menyelami pengalaman, tantangan, pembelajaran, dan ajakan tulus mereka untuk peduli terhadap pendidikan Indonesia.

Kelas Inspirasi Jakarta 2025

Sigit Rais

Penulis

Momen Apa yang Tak Terlupakan?

Melihat binar mata anak-anak ketika kita hadir di hadapan mereka, membuat saya bertanya, 'Apa makna kehadiran kita sebagai relawan di hadapan anak-anak ini?' Lalu, mereka dengan antusias bertanya tentang siapa saya dan apa profesi saya. Mereka bersedia menerima kita, menerima cerita yang kita sampaikan, serta menerima setiap kegiatan yang kita instruksikan.

Ketika saya bertanya, 'Apa cita-cita kalian?', semua menjawab tanpa terkecuali. Ada yang ingin menjadi guru, dosen, dokter, polisi, TNI, petugas Damkar, pemain bola, YouTuber, dokter hewan, penjaga kebun binatang, peternak, bahkan Ultraman, dan sederet cita-cita lain yang tak kalah beragam. Gambaran sekelumit ini membuat saya kagum, mengingatkan saya kembali ke masa kecil, dan merasa terharu ketika mereka menatap kita dengan tatapan hormat nan rendah hati. Beberapa tampak mahir membaca cerita dengan gaya bercerita yang memukau, ada yang kreatif membuat gambar sesuai imajinasi, dan ada juga yang awalnya ragu dan malu, namun berani untuk mencoba.

Sesungguhnya, anak-anak itu adalah cerminan dari diri kita: kita yang selalu berusaha, mencoba, dan menjalani hari dengan sebaik-baiknya. Semula saya kira, kita datang dan mengajar untuk mereka, memberi inspirasi kepada mereka. Rupanya yang terjadi adalah kita, yang memang seharusnya tidak boleh berhenti belajar, yang justru mendapatkan inspirasi dari ketulusan anak-anak itu.

Bagaimana Kelas Inspirasi Mengubah Cara Pandangmu?

Dalam Kelas Inspirasi Jakarta, saya ikut serta sebagai inspirator yang memperkenalkan profesi sebagai seorang penulis. Saya kisahkan kepada anak-anak bahwa apa yang selama ini saya kerjakan berkaitan juga dengan kehidupan sehari-hari mereka, seperti saat saya menulis buku pelajaran sekolah—yang mereka baca setiap hari di sekolah—buku cerita, dan tulisan lainnya.

Saya yakin bahwa selain pengetahuan akademis, anak-anak juga membutuhkan contoh nyata dan inspirasi dari berbagai profesi. Saya belajar bahwa kehadiran saya, meskipun hanya sebentar, semoga dapat memberi dorongan bagi mereka untuk terus bermimpi dan semangat mengejar cita-cita. Dari pengalaman ini, saya semakin menyadari bahwa peran saya di masyarakat tidak berhenti pada pekerjaan sehari-hari, melainkan juga bagaimana saya bisa membagikan cerita dan motivasi untuk masa depan generasi berikutnya. Sebab, anak-anak membutuhkan role model yang nyata terkait profesi, yang mungkin tidak dekat dengan keseharian mereka di sekolah ataupun di rumah.

Apa Pesanmu untuk Calon Relawan?

Pendidikan anak Indonesia itu tanggung jawab bersama, termasuk kita, orang-orang yang sudah bekerja dan menggeluti bidang profesional masing-masing. Hal yang ingin saya sampaikan untuk para calon relawan adalah: 'Datanglah, bagikan sepenggal kisah perjalananmu, dan lihat bagaimana binar mata anak-anak yang menemukan mimpi baru.'

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My rational brain often questions my decisions at 2 AM. Especially when I'm voluntarily running up a mountain in 11°C weather, having just put my legs through the wringer a mere seven days prior. But then, there's the call of the trails, a whisper that promises profound conversations with myself, a kind of madness that makes perfect sense to a runner's soul. And that, my friends, is the story of my Dieng Trail Run 2025.

Dieng Trail Run 2025

From Scorching Heat to Misty Heights

Just a week before Dieng, I found myself battling a completely different beast: the UI Trail Race. Forty-two kilometers, 2500m+ of elevation gain, under an intensely scorching sun. My body screamed, my mind argued, and every single step was an exercise in pure mental toughness and patience. 

I learned something crucial that day, a truth that would echo just a week later: resilience isn't pure adaptability. Sometimes it's shivering cold in the dark, sometimes sheer determination to keep moving under a scorching sun. My legs, still humming (or perhaps groaning quietly) from Sentul, were barely recalibrating for what Dieng had in store. The contrast was already a character in this unfolding drama.

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.

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.

You know, there’s something about mountains. They just stand there, silently calling our names, promising adventure, breathtaking views, and… well, a whole lot of sweat and pain. As a runner, especially one who keeps finding himself tackling ultra trails, I’ve often asked myself, "Why do I do these things? Ngapain siiih… mending tidur!! 😴" Honestly, who needs to stumble through a forest at 2 AM, seeing only a tiny circle of light from a headlamp, when a warm bed is calling?

Semarang Mountain Race 2025

But then I remember. That feeling when you push past what you thought was your limit. The incredible quiet of the pre-dawn trails. The wild, untamed beauty. And the simple truth that 100K training (or any serious training, for that matter) doesn’t happen on the couch. So, we embrace the "suck," we chase those distant peaks, and we sign up for races like the Semarang Mountain Race.

For me, the Semarang Mountain Race 50K wasn't just another dot on the calendar. It was my 5th ultra trail race and my second venture into the enigmatic, rock-and-root-filled world of night ultras, right after the epic CTC 80K. It’s an adventure that promises stunning natural trails, enchanting forests, and those gloriously "sadistic" inclines that make you question all your life choices – but in a good way, I promise!

Even Lunacy Needs a Plan

Now, some folks just run. They go with the flow, feel the vibe, and conquer the mountain with pure heart. And I admire that! But for me, with a tech background and a brain that loves a good puzzle, I can’t help but get a little… strategic. Especially with the experience of those previous ultras under my belt. So, for my SMR 50K, I decided to try something different, something a bit Anggriawan-style: I used AI to craft my race strategy.

Di tengah gemuruh Jakarta, saat mentari mulai mengintip dari balik gedung-gedung pencakar langit, ada momen magis setiap pagi ketika aroma kopi pagi dari warung-warung kecil berpadu dengan lantunan adzan subuh dari masjid yang melintasi udara. Ini adalah gambaran nyata keberagaman agama yang harmoni: sebuah simfoni kehidupan yang menjadi bagian dari sehari-hari di negeri ini. Seolah tanpa kita sadari, setiap hari kita adalah saksi dari sebuah perjalanan spiritual dan sosial yang rumit namun penuh warna.

Sebagai seseorang yang rutin bergabung dalam perayaan ini, saya sering teringat akan percakapan dengan teman-teman Muslim tentang identitas keagamaan dan tradisi. Dari perbincangan ringan tentang puasa hingga refleksi mendalam saat menghadiri perayaan Idulfitri bersama kerabat, semua pengalaman ini membentuk pemahaman saya tentang spektrum keberagamaan di Indonesia. Saya juga terlibat dalam pengembangan aplikasi mobile yang ditujukan untuk umat Muslim, sebuah pengalaman yang semakin memperdalam rasa saling menghargai dan memperkuat kolaborasi antaragama.

Namun, kita harus bertanya, bagaimana kita dapat memahami dan memelihara keberagaman yang kita alami ini? Dengan berpegang teguh pada kasih, seperti yang diajarkan oleh Tuhan, saya mengajak kita semua untuk menjelajahi spektrum keberagamaan dari fundamentalis hingga universalisme. Sebuah spektrum yang menuntut kita tidak hanya mendengarkan, tetapi juga belajar. Lebih penting lagi, kita harus mencoba melampaui batasan sempit menuju kesatuan yang lebih besar. Perlu diingat, dunia ini kompleks.

Bhinneka Tunggal Ika

Coast to Coast Ultra Night Trail. The name alone sends chills down my spine. I analyzed the data and pored over past races to understand this beast. It wasn't perfect. It was a wild, chaotic symphony of iron will, searing pain, and choices that flirt with deep regret, all set against the backdrop of Yogyakarta’s hidden beauty where every mile becomes a story told for years to come—a haunting song of survival.

CTC Ultra 80K

My race prep was not good. Other runners feasted on carbs and chased dreams of glory while I fought a losing battle against a common cold. I choked down ginger tea and braced myself for my first vitamin shot. Running an ultra while ill is a dangerous gamble, yet I stood at the line with no excuses and a body at war, knowing that if I could master the internal storm of my mind, the miles beneath my feet would eventually yield to the sheer force of my determination.

Section 1: Start To Queen South (0-6.8Km)

Four o’clock arrived. Traditional dancers moved with a haunting, rhythmic grace. We surged forward onto the Parangtritis sand like a pack of hopeful madmen. The sun blazed overhead while I chewed Degirol to keep my lungs open. I reached the first checkpoint, battling through a haze of grit and heat.

Section 2: Queen South To Alas Curukboto (6.8Km - 13.3Km)

I left Queen South with a flicker of hope. The next six kilometers were a trial of slippery roots and sudden drops. It took over an hour of relentless grinding. Eleven runners quit here. 

Section 3: Alas Curukboto To Palgading (13.3Km - 18.8Km)

The jungle finally released me. Palgading offered open fields and rolling hills. I climbed into 50th place. Two more runners surrendered to the night. I found a temporary rhythm in the clearing, feeling the breeze on my skin and watching the horizon expand, realizing that despite the bugs and the fatigue, there was a strange, haunting beauty in the way the landscape shifted beneath the darkening sky.

Section 4: Palgading To Omah Pojok (18.8Km - 26Km)

Shadows stretched across the fields. The path to Omah Pojok became a blur of fading light and gentle inclines. I hit the first major cutoff with time to spare. Eight runners walked away. I sat in the dirt and stared at a meager serving of a quarter egg, fueling my body not with calories, but with the cold, sharp desperation of a man who has traveled too far to turn back now.

Ever feel like your life is a never-ending to-do list? Buckle up, because 2024 was a wild ride for me, a chaotic blend of ultra-marathons and business challenges. From pacing marathon runners in Bandung to conquering mountains in Bali, I'm still trying to figure out how I survived (and maybe even thrived!). Here's the story of my year, month by insane month:

January: New Beginnings and Feeling Thankful

January was the start of a crazy year. I'm so grateful I got the chance to interview for Pocari Sweat Pacer. I tried to show them that I'm a long-distance runner and really want to help other runners as a pacer. At Suitmedia, we were also very excited about our new talent development program. One of the best things was our new e-learning platform, Rocketversity. It's a place where our team can learn and grow.

2024 : Year of Ultra

February: Building Momentum, Inside and Out

February was about making new friends and growing sense of purpose. Meeting the other new pacers for the first time was awesome. We all shared the same excitement and a little bit of nervousness for what was coming. I'm also grateful that Suitmedia kept pushing our wellness program, SuitRun and SuitSports. We even worked with a wellness startup to make sure everyone was healthy, both physically and mentally. Plus, we got a new client, a global fitness brand! I'm so thankful they trusted us.

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Siksorogo. Namanya saja sudah bikin bulu kuduk merinding! Gunung Lawu bukan trek biasa, lho. Tempat ini punya reputasi tersendiri—mistis dan menantang, siap menguji mental kita. Saya mendaftar untuk kategori 50K, jalur yang membawa kami melewati keindahan alam dari Sekipan hingga Kebun Teh Kemuning.

Satu hari sebelum race, saya mengambil race pack di Sekipan sore-sore. Saat itu, gerimis sudah mulai turun. Hmm, apakah itu pertanda? Mungkin saja. Dalam keraguan, saya hanya bisa berdoa supaya cuaca tidak semakin buruk. Eh, malam itu hujan semakin deras!

Pagi hari saat flag off, langit masih meneteskan gerimis tipis, seperti tamu tak diundang yang nekat hadir di pesta. Saya menarik napas dalam-dalam dan bersiap. Atau setidaknya, saya berpikir sudah siap.

Siksorogo Lawu Ultra 50K - 2024

Sekipan jadi titik start yang penuh harapan. Tempat ini dikenal sejuk dan nyaman sebagai area perkemahan. Dari sinilah kami mulai berjuang, menyusuri jalur yang dipenuhi pepohonan rindang.

Memasuki Cemoro Wayang, jalurnya berkelok-kelok di antara pepohon. Banyak yang bilang tempat ini penuh aura mistis, walaupun saya merasa biasa-biasa saja. Lalu, ketika melewati Mongkrang, pemandangan perkebunan teh yang spektakuler menyapa kami. Aroma segar daun teh menambah semangat para pelari.

BDG100. Mendengar namanya saja lutut sudah terasa mau copot. Race ini terkenal dengan elevasi yang menantang, tanjakan yang membuat meringis, dan pemandangan yang menyegarkan jiwa. Tahun ini saya memutuskan untuk ikut gila. Mengapa? Karena di balik setiap tantangan fisik yang berat selalu tersembunyi pelajaran mental yang berharga. 🙈

Buat saya, BDG Ultra ini adalah pendakian yang panjang dan melelahkan. Jaraknya merupakan yang paling jauh yang pernah saya tempuh. Bayangkan saja tantangan menaklukkan 64K dengan elevasi 3600m+. Angka ini sedikit di bawah BTR Ultra 55K yang memiliki 3700m+. Namun tetap saja, statistik itu cukup untuk membuat dengkul gemetar.

BDG Ultra 64K

Persiapan yang Absurd

Kunci menaklukkan BDG Ultra adalah persiapan matang. Idealnya memang begitu. Namun persiapan saya kali ini terasa agak absurd. Semua gara-gara marathon. Latihan saya sebelumnya fokus ke Pocari Sweat Run sebagai pacer dan Maybank Bali Marathon sebagai peserta. Masalahnya adalah jarak kedua event tersebut sangat dekat dengan BDG Ultra.

Saya hanya sempat sekali latihan trail run dalam acara hash di Karangasem, Bali. Lucunya, sesi itu malah membuat performa saya di Bali Marathon ambyar. Ternyata kegagalan itu justru membantu saya di Bandung. Setelah Bali Marathon, saya hanya fokus pada pemulihan. Saya percaya pada konsep supercompensation. Saya berharap bisa secara ajaib tampil prima di kedua race tersebut. Namanya juga usaha.