PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - Bandung City is considered to be the main driver for organizing The Ultimate 10K Series, a series of running events held in four cities, namely Bandung, Surabaya, Tangerang, and Semarang.

Kompas Daily representative, Budhi Sarwiadi, said that the enthusiasm of participants and support from the community in Bandung City were important factors in developing the event into a national series.

"Bandung is the main driver of this series. In terms of participant numbers, Bandung recorded the highest number. Last year, the number of participants reached 3,000 people, and this year it has increased to 4,000," said Budhi at the Ultimate 10K Series press conference at the Bandung City Hall on Wednesday (June 3, 2026).

According to him, Bandung has unique characteristics compared to other host cities. Besides having a strong running community, Bandung is also able to create a broad economic impact through the involvement of local businesses, MSMEs, and the tourism and culinary sectors.

Budhi said that the concept of local economic empowerment implemented in Bank BJB Bandoeng 10K is one of the things that he wants to replicate in other host cities.

"Bandung isn't just about running, but also about how this event can stimulate the local economy and leverage the city's various potentials," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Bandung City Youth and Sports Agency (Dispora), Sigit Iskandar, said that the Bandung City Government also gave appreciation to non-athlete runners who managed to record the best performance at the Bank BJB Bandoeng 10K.

As a token of appreciation, the Bandung City Government will send five of the best male and five female runners to participate in the next series which will be held in Surabaya.

"These runners are the result of a selection process from the Bank BJB Bandung 10K. They were chosen based on their best times and will represent Bandung in the next series in Surabaya," said Sigit.

According to him, the program is a form of the Mayor of Bandung's commitment to providing appreciation to people who actively exercise while also encouraging a healthy lifestyle culture in the city of Bandung.

In addition to supporting the runners, participants' travel is also supported by various local products partnered with the organizers. This aligns with the Bandung City Government's desire to highlight the potential of local products alongside the community's sporting achievements.

Sigit added that efforts to encourage community participation in sports are ongoing because sports activities have a significant impact on the quality of life and productivity of citizens.

Through the Ultimate 10K Series, Bandung not only demonstrates its strength as a hub for the running community in Indonesia, but also as a city capable of integrating sports, regional promotion, and strengthening the local economy in one single event. (Bandung City Communications and Information Office/rka)