VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 Some 16.000 runners took part in the 10th Milo Jakarta International 10K Marathon in Jakarta on Sunday morning.

The annual event organized by leading milk producer Milo was divided into 10K, 5K, and regular classes.

"We hope this event will help improve the quality of our life and future through a healthier way," Nestle Indonesia President Director Dharnesh Gordhon said.

The event received support from the Jakarta provincial administration which expected it would motivate the younger generations to take active part in sports activity and serve as a means to select talented marathon runners in the capital.

"This recreational sport is one of the ways to find seedling athletes. In fact, the governor also plans to issue a policy to allow residents to use sport facilities free of charge. These all are expected to make all residents happy," Head of the Jakarta Youths and Sports Office Achmad Firdaus said.

Due to the higher number of participants from different age groups, the event's organizing committee prepared a number of technical steps to prevent participants from sustaining injuries or facing obstacles in the field.

The steps included preparing different start points for each age group and expanding finish area to avoid a crowd of runners.

In addition, the event's organizing committee also called on participants to see their respective stamina in order to avoid serious injuries. (ant)