Jakarta Running Festival (Gold label HM): Behind the scenes with Race Director - Donny

Jakarta Running Festival: Building Indonesia's Biggest Running Event | Race Director Donny

From 16,500 participants in 2024 to 37,000 in 2026, the Jakarta Running Festival has quickly established itself as one of Southeast Asia's premier running events, becoming Indonesia's first World Athletics Gold Label race in the process.

With Dean heading over to compete in the elite half marathon and Raf Baugh taking on commentary duties for the international broadcast, Ryan and Dean sit down with Race Director Donny to learn more about the event's remarkable rise.

We get a fascinating insight into what goes on behind the scenes of organising a major international running event, from shutting down the streets of one of the world's busiest cities to attracting world-class athletes and managing the challenges of racing in Jakarta's notorious heat and humidity.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How the Jakarta Running Festival has grown to 37,000 participants in just three years.

• The journey to becoming Indonesia's first World Athletics Gold Label event.

• Building a world-class elite field, including multiple sub-60-minute half marathoners.

• Prize money, athlete recruitment and the commercial realities of organising major running events.

• The challenges of racing in 24–26°C temperatures with high humidity.

• Course design, road closures and the logistics of delivering a two-day running festival.

• The explosion of running participation across Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

• Jakarta's ambitions for the future and what Australian events, particularly Perth, could learn from its success.

Plus, we find out what Dean can expect on race day, how Raf landed the commentary gig, and whether Donny could one day bring his race-directing expertise to Perth!

A great conversation for anyone interested in the growth of running, the business behind major events, and what it takes to create a world-class race experience.

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