A cameo set up at the finishing
at the 38km mark
At every village that we run into, we were welcomed by the banner 🙂
Surprisingly the toilet is clean and nice despite many people using it With flowers!!
The race village where the start and the finish line are
Waiting at the start line for the gun to go
At the break of dawn, one volunteer took picture of me while I was taking his
Sunrise in rustic villages of Bali
Cheerful School children at the road side cheering
Give me a high five!
Village scene
More volunteers wanting a HI FIVE
At the 30 KM mark
BII Maybank Bali Marathon (BMBM) is an annual road race event held in Bali. The race runs through the inland of Bali and runs through the villages and nature in Bali. Runners get to experience Balinese natural life and traditional art performances by the locals.
RACE PACK COLLECTION
The race pack collection is in Shang Ri La Resort in the Nusa Dua region. This is a very high class area with a lot of 5 star posh hotels and resort. Do try to accommodate yourself in the south when you go collect the race pack as Nusa Dua is really very far from places like Ubud and Kintamani. The race pack collection area is big so there were no congestion and there was a small expo after the collection selling New Balance items and also many other race memorabilia. You can grab some nice race tees or small items as souvenirs.
THE ROUTE
The course has been certified by IAAF. It can be quite windy and also many up slopes and down slopes. It is not the usual smooth and flat road race. Despite being so, the natural vegetation and tranquil Balinese Village Scenery make up for the “torture” that one has to go through. The race start point is at the Bali Safari Park.
The race course is pretty winding and also quite hilly as compared to most of the road races. Be also careful that the tarmac roads might not be laid up to standard, that is why certain portions of the race, there might be potholes or uneven ground.
Course map for the Full Marahon 2015 ( Bali)
HYDRATION POINTS
The hydration points are really as stipulated, they are really efficient in the clearing. Most of the stations also have bananas for the runners.
HIGHLIGHTS
Nice and efficient start point and baggage drop location:
The start point being at the Bali Safari Park, has its good and bad. Let us look at the bad, sad to say as they do not want to create more congestion, the big buses from all around Bali fetching the participants will stop at very much further down the entrance. But this means that the participants will need to walk quite a distance to reach the race village. The organisers are considerate enough to provide tram rides to assist the participants to get to the start point.
The baggage drops are well organised and there is no problem for the participants to collect their items back after the race. The staff were friendly and rather efficient to assist most runners so that they will not be lost or caught in the midst of collection. There was also a proper system to place all the baggage and therefore the staff did not have problem locating your items for retrieval.
Interesting and well planned Race village :
I must say, the race village really have some standard. As compared to some of the regional races, there were no point in time where the participants were lost or out of direction. There were many booths set up for cameo time. Not to mention all the sample food and nutritional items. It is interesting to just walk around this area and checking out the items available.
Enthusiastic Villagers and Village Scene:
This is definitely not a touristy race. Along the way you get a lot of kids and school children waving and cheering, you can also see them in their traditional costume happily waving the flags and balloons.
Most of the villagers will smile and wave to you and look at you in awe. Which is kind of funny. But when you smile at them, the ice is broken, they will give you a wide grin.
The village scene is also one that can etch to people’s mind. We always see Bali as posh villas beautiful clubs and beach. But this race brings you to the rustic side of Bali and you get to enjoy the natural village scene and also the village people’s daily life.
I always feel that one of the best way to see a place is to join their races and really get down. You will get to experience the real Bali for this one.
FINALE
Before you know it, the gruelling 42.195km is finished. I must say that the race is challenging in terms of the winding and bending roads but other than that, there were more joy than anything else. As a finisher, you will get to enjoy the Finisher’s medal, which was very Balinese in Design, drinks and food. There is also a finisher tee with a finisher towel. As you run your way into the Finishing line, you can feel the force to push forward as the last KM is really all wide and spacious, not squeezing or having to shout ” coming through” . The whole experience was just breezy and enjoyable. As you cross the line, the staff systematically hands out your medal, towel and banana with hydration to you. It is very very thoughtful of them.
I will say as a regional race, this one is really well planned and enjoyable, worth coming back again!