A Battle between Veterans and Newcomers

“Actually, I thought I’d had enough and that this was not for me anymore, but I feel challenged to take another shot and hopefully this time I can conquer the Sumbawa,” said Lily Suryani, 52. This year, she participates in the 320-kilometer-long Lintas Sumbawa cross-country run. The sports event is being held as part of the 2017 Tambora Charms Festival.

This is Lily’s third time participating in the race, the one with the longest distance in Southeast Asia. Since it was first held in 2015, the runner from Denpasar, Bali, had always participated, but had never reached the finish line.

In 2015, Lily could only complete 270 kilometers, after which she experienced so much fatigue that she suffered from temporary memory loss. In the 2016 event, the harsh conditions caused Lily to hallucinate and to stop after 280 kilometers. “I was hallucinating, perhaps because the heat was just too much for me,” she said.