Anggriawan Sugianto

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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