Arif Wismoyono Triumphs at Kerinci100, Conquers Nature in 18 Hours as First Finisher

Indonesian trail runner Indonesia, Arif Wismoyono, delivered an impressive performance by becoming the Champion of the Kerinci100 event held in Kerinci Regency, Jambi Province, on March 4-5, 2026. He managed to outperform a total of 28 participants from Indonesia and abroad in the 100-kilometer category.

Arif crossed the finish line on Saturday at 21:59 WIB after battling the extreme course for approximately 18 hours. The terrain traversed was challenging both physically and mentally, ranging from steep mountain paths to muddy swamp areas.

This event was centered around the Mount Kerinci area, Sumatra's highest peak, which served as one of the most challenging routes in the race. From the total participants, Arif successfully outpaced 12 national runners and 16 international runners.

"I thought I was done for, that forest (Mount Tujuh), goodness that wilderness forest was merciless, thorns everywhere but exciting, then the flat swamps you couldn't run through," he said upon reaching the victory line on Saturday night, March 4, 2026.

According to committee data, Arif began his challenge towards the summit at 05:54 WIB. After climbing for over two hours, he successfully reached the peak of Mount Kerinci (3,805 masl) at 08:26 WIB, simultaneously becoming the first Marathon runner to reach that point in this event.

After the first checkpoint, Arif immediately continued his journey by descending the mountain towards the next jungle trail. He then reached the second checkpoint at Telun Berasap Waterfall at 11:56 WIB, leading his closest competitor, Werfan Sinaga, by about 20 minutes.

The journey continued towards the Mount Tujuh Lake area, known as one of Indonesia's highest lakes. Arif entered this trail at 12:43 WIB and completed it in 1 hour and 21 minutes.

The challenge wasn't over yet. He still had to traverse the Rawa Bento area, infamous for its muddy and difficult terrain. Though draining his energy, Arif maintained his consistency until finally finishing the 100-kilometer race as the fastest runner.

The Race Operations Director, Dian Ersukmara, stated that Kerinci100 has a unique course character compared to similar races in Indonesia. The combination of mountain, forest, and swamp routes presented its own distinct challenge for participants.

"The course and obstacles weren't widely known, the landscape requires different approaches – How to handle encountering a swamp, for instance. Our target for the 100-kilometer category was approximately 33 hours," Dian said before the race began.