Porter Challenge Puts 30 Rinjani Porters in Sembalun Mountain Festival Spotlight

Sembalun — — At least 30 local porters from Sembalun joined a Porter Challenge at the Sembalun Marathon Mountain Festival on Saturday, 19 September 2026, running with the baskets they normally use to carry supplies up Mount Rinjani.

The race placed workers central to the Rinjani trekking economy inside a public sport-tourism event, highlighting their role in supporting mountain tourism in East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

According to organiser Hamka Abdul Malik, the Porter Challenge was designed as an appreciation event for local porters, whom he described as pioneers in the Rinjani and Sembalun areas and an integral part of the destination’s tourism activities.

The porter participants in this edition were all from Sembalun. Hamka said organisers plan to invite porters from other mountain regions in future editions to broaden participation.

The Porter Challenge added a distinct attraction to a festival that combined trail running with cultural performances, environmental activities and stalls from local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

A race built around porter work

Participants ran while carrying the woven baskets used to transport logistics for hikers on Mount Rinjani.

Hamka explained that the Porter Challenge route headed towards Bukit Pergasingan and continued along the slope of Bukit Abang, which forms part of the same ridge, using a contouring trail that did not reach the summit.

The course was therefore designed around terrain and equipment familiar from porter work, presenting that work to residents and visitors as part of the festival’s entertainment programme and underscoring the physical demands of carrying loads in the Rinjani area.

Hamka said the porter race had become one of the categories anticipated by spectators, both as recognition of local workers and as a unique element of the sport-tourism event.

The wider Sembalun Marathon Mountain Festival programme included a 42-kilometre mountain marathon, a half marathon of around 21 kilometres, a seven-kilometre fun run and a children’s run.

Event details

• Date: Saturday, 19 September 2026
• Location: Sembalun, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara
• Porter participants: At least 30, all from Sembalun
• Porter route: Towards Bukit Pergasingan and Bukit Abang on a non-summit contouring trail
• Other categories: 42K mountain marathon, 21K half marathon trail, 7K fun run and a children’s run

Recognition and local tourism

By incorporating a porter category, the festival connected a tourism-focused running event with workers whose day-to-day activities enable access to one of Indonesia’s best-known mountain destinations.

Organisers presented the Porter Challenge as both entertainment and education for visitors, underlining the contribution of porters to guided trekking and tourism services around Mount Rinjani and Sembalun.

Hamka indicated there is a plan to expand the Porter Challenge in future to involve porter communities from other parts of Indonesia, potentially turning it into a national-scale category.

For now, the 2026 edition shows how a mountain running festival can use local work and identity as part of its programme while promoting Sembalun as an outdoor sport destination.

Context

Mount Rinjani, rising above Sembalun, is one of Indonesia’s highest peaks and a major trekking destination. Porters carry food, camping equipment and other supplies along trails towards the mountain, often using the same types of baskets featured in the Porter Challenge.

In 2026, the Sembalun Marathon Mountain Festival ran over two days, 19–20 September, combining competitive trail running with cultural and environmental activities and specific categories such as the Porter Challenge and children’s events.

Sources

• detikBali - Puluhan Porter Rinjani Ikut Maraton di Sembalun Sambil Pikul Keranjang
• TribunLombok - Puluhan Porter Rinjani Ikuti Lari Marathon Sambil Memikul Keranjang