he death of a runner during a marathon event in Jakarta last week has raised concerns about participant preparedness and emergency medical response, as long-distance running continues to gain popularity in the capital.
The BTN Jakarta International Marathon (Jakim), which featured 5K and 10K races on June 13 and half and full marathons on June 14, attracted around 45,500 participants. All races started and finished at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta.
The deceased runner, identified as Agus Putranadi from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, reportedly collapsed at the 14-kilometer mark of the half marathon on Sunday. He was rushed to Siloam Hospital in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, but later died.
His death prompted public scrutiny over the adequacy of medical support at large-scale running events. In response, Jakim medical director Andhika Raspati said organizers had expanded medical coverage by 35 percent compared with last year’s event, deploying 257 personnel across 10 medical tents, 21 ambulances and 40 mobile medical units along the 42-kilometer route.
“We increased the number of medical personnel even though the daily number of participants [24,000] was lower than last year’s [33,000],” Andhika said in a statement, adding that all personnel had undergone training, briefings and operational preparations to ensure optimal medical services throughout the event.
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Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.
The incident also sparked debate over the physical readiness of participants taking part in endurance events.
