Anggriawan Sugianto

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.