For M’sian runners, Jakarta is as much about friendship as the finish line
Members of the Haze Runners Club recently travelled to the Indonesian capital for a weekend filled with big crowds and a very different running atmosphere.
Jakarta Running Festival (JRF) 2026 offered Malaysian runners a unique opportunity to experience more than just the finish line. For members of the Haze Runners Club, the event provided a chance to bond with fellow enthusiasts from across the region and beyond, with over 37,000 participants taking part. While the long runs and early starts were expected, the camaraderie and unexpected energy surrounding the course turned out to be the biggest surprises for many.
Nur Farhana Marzuki, a newcomer to the festival, noted the enthusiastic spectators and the way local communities supported the runners, describing JRF as having a distinct atmosphere compared to races in Malaysia. The four-day event, held from October 22-25, featured various race categories and an expo, all aimed at fostering connections among runners and offering an opportunity to explore a city through the shared experience of a race weekend.
The Haze Runners Club itself has a Malaysian origin story, beginning in 2015 when severe haze affected the country. Club member Rosnita Hamzah, who serves as the head of chancery at the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta, explained that running brought the group together, leading to their adoption of the name Haze Runners Club. Regularly participating in races at home and abroad, the club's members have become part of a regional running community that spans Indonesia and Malaysia.
The Jakarta festival's two-way movement has helped create a sense of connection among runners, with friendships evolving beyond a single race. This year, runners from 48 countries joined the event, with more than 1,000 international participants and representatives from over 500 running communities, including a significant increase in participation from Malaysia and Singapore.
For Rosnita, the appeal of such events lies in the way sport creates connections between people, offering a natural common ground for sharing experiences, swapping stories, and forging new friendships.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- For M’sian runners, Jakarta is as much about friendship as the finish line freemalaysiatoday.com
