Sembalun Mountain Marathon draws about 700 runners in second-year festival

Sembalun — Around 700 runners took part in the second Sembalun Mountain Marathon Festival in East Lombok over the weekend of 19–20 September 2026, with participants drawn from more than a dozen countries and a strong showing from foreign athletes, according to local media and organisers.

Online registration data cited by organising committee chair Hamka Abdul Malik ahead of the event showed hundreds of runners from across Indonesia and overseas had signed up, with international runners coming from over 20 countries including Malaysia, Germany, Australia and Kenya, according to coverage by NTBSatu and TribunLombok.

Hamka said the festival is in its second year and is intended to position Sembalun, at the foot of Mount Rinjani, as a destination for mountain running and outdoor sport tourism.

The main race programme offers three core distances: a 42-kilometre marathon, a 21-kilometre half marathon and a 7-kilometre fun run, according to reports from detik.com and TribunLombok.

Trail routes around Sembalun’s hills

According to detik.com, runners in the marathon categories follow routes that cross several hills around Sembalun, including Bukit Pergasingan and Bukit Nanggi, giving participants views of the surrounding valleys and the Rinjani massif.

TribunLombok reports that the festival also includes a Porter Challenge on Bukit Pergasingan, where Rinjani porters take part in a mountain run carrying their work baskets, and a children’s category known as the Kaldera Kids Run.

Local media describe the courses as combining trail sections with village roads, but do not publish detailed start and finish locations, elevation profiles or technical route maps.

Sport tourism and local businesses

Hamka and East Lombok officials quoted in NTBSatu and TribunLombok say the festival is designed as a sport tourism product that integrates running with local culture, small businesses and environmental awareness.

Runners and spectators have opportunities to visit food stalls and coffee stands operated by local producers, including sellers of Sembalun coffee, according to detik.com’s coverage of activities around the race.

Pre-event briefings reported by NTBSatu and RRI Mataram said organisers were targeting up to 1,500 participants across all categories, and that the race weekend would be accompanied by cultural performances, art shows and a small and medium enterprise (SME) showcase to promote local products.

RRI notes that the 2026 edition carries the theme “Miles for Mountains, Steps for Sustainability” and includes a tree-planting programme aimed at reinforcing the area’s image as a sustainable mountain tourism destination.

Event timing and categories

Detik.com’s news report from Sembalun states that the main races were held on Saturday, 19 September 2026, while pre-event information from NTBSatu, TribunLombok and an international trail calendar lists the festival period as 19–20 September 2026, covering race activities and supporting programmes.

According to NTBSatu, five competition categories were offered in 2026: the 7K fun run, 21K half marathon, 42K marathon, the Porter Challenge and the Kaldera Kids Run, alongside non-race activities such as cultural parades and live performances around the village.

Local officials quoted by TribunLombok say they view the Sembalun Mountain Marathon Festival as a new sport tourism icon for West Nusa Tenggara, intended to boost visitor numbers in East Lombok and encourage greater participation in outdoor recreation.

Sources

• detikBali – "700 Pelari dari 18 Negara Ikuti Sembalun Mountain Marathon Festival"
• TribunLombok – various coverage of SMMF 2026, including "Sembalun Mountain Marathon Festival Diikuti 700 Pelari dari 17 Negara" and related articles
• NTBSatu – "Sembalun Mountain Marathon Festival Libatkan Pelari dari 22 Negara, Targetkan 1.500 Peserta"
• RRI Mataram – "SMMF 2026 Perkuat Sembalun sebagai Destinasi Olahraga Alam"
• Running/Trail event calendar – "Mountain Marathon Festival - SMM"