The Course: Downhill From Paltuding, Then a Long Climb Back
All three races started and finished at Paltuding on Mount Ijen [1]. The organiser calls it a mixed-terrain run: the routes are mostly paved, with some trail sections on the 10K and 21K, where it warns that the surface changes and runners should watch their footing and adjust their pace [2][3]. The series founder said most of the route is road, but that it also takes runners into the geopark itself [4]. The route crosses from Banyuwangi into Bondowoso regency [4], and the 21K heads toward Kawah Wurung [5].
On the elevation data for the organiser's 21K route file, the start sits at about 1,870 m. The route loses about 440 m in the first 8.4 km, to about 1,430 m, rises and falls again between 10 km and 13 km, then climbs about 430 m over the last 8 km, 370 m of it in the final 5 km. The file measures 21.5 km, with 691 m of climbing in all [6].
The 10K is simpler: about 340 m down in the first 5 km and back up in the second, 384 m of climbing in all [7]. The 5K is an out-and-back that drops about 150 m and returns [8]. Whatever the distance, the finish is uphill, so hold back on the way down.
The Weather: Cold at 1,870 m
There is no weather station at Paltuding. Banyuwangi airport, on the coast about 30 km south-east, recorded 22°C and 100% humidity at 5.30am on race day [9], but the start is about 1,870 m up [6] and much colder than the coast. The organiser, citing the national weather agency BMKG, told runners to expect about 5°C to 12°C at 5am and 10°C to 18°C at 7am, and said morning temperatures at Ijen can fall below 10°C [2].
Runners felt it. A 26-year-old 10K runner from Probolinggo said the mountain cold got right into their bones [1]. The organiser advised a windbreaker or jacket and a buff for waiting at the start and after the finish [2]. You will be standing in that air before dawn.
Start Times, Cut-offs and Aid
Reports say the Banyuwangi regent flagged the runners off from Paltuding at 5am [1][10]. The timing data records later gun times: 5.30am for the 21K, 5.40am for the 10K and 5.50am for the 5K [11].
The race page gave the 5K 1.5 hours, the 10K 2.5 hours and the 21K 4.5 hours [12]; the FAQ gave the 21K four hours [3]. The published results list ten 21K finishers slower than 4:30, the slowest in 4:54:35 [11], which points to the half-marathon limit not being enforced at the finish in 2026. Check which limit applies before you enter.
Water stations were planned about every 2.5 km [3]. Every entrant got a race-pack bag, a jersey and a bib; finishers got a medal, refreshments and an e-certificate, and 21K finishers also got a finisher jersey [3][13].
How Fast the Field Was
The 21K was won by Umar Ali Sofyan in 1:37:59, from Wildan Yusuf Furqoni in 1:39:23 and Martinus Ngongo in 1:40:50. Erica Balqis Zahra won the women's 21K in 2:25:21, from Aura Nazwa Rizkyka M in 2:36:26 and Dina Purwati in 3:07:00. Ivon Sholihin (46:57) and Fathiah Zahra Pramudya (52:39) won the 10K, and Azriel Wahyu (22:39) and Nadhifatul Ayda (28:01) the 5K [14].
Behind the winners the times are slow, as the climbing would suggest. Tenth man in the 21K ran 2:24:58. Only 7 of the 149 half-marathon finishers broke two hours, and the median was 3 hours 22 minutes; the 10K median was 1 hour 36 [11]. In 2026 a run under 2 hours 30 would have won the women's 21K.
Prize money went to the top three men and women in each race: Rp8 million to the 21K winners, Rp6 million in the 10K and Rp4 million in the 5K [15]. The published results list 620 finishers, 250 in the 5K, 221 in the 10K and 149 in the 21K [11], against 839 runners reported on the day [1]; the organiser's own results page gives 739 finishers [14].
Race Weekend Logistics
Race packs were collected at the Ijen Geopark geology information centre (PIGGI) in Banyuwangi on Friday 21 August, 2pm to 8pm, and Saturday 22 August, 9am to 7pm. Runners who confirmed by WhatsApp by Wednesday 19 August could collect in Bondowoso instead, on the Saturday from noon to 5pm [12]. There is no race-day collection and no delivery [3].
The official shuttle cost Rp90,000 return and left at 3am from PIGGI in Banyuwangi and from the Bondowoso tourism, culture and sports office (Disparbudpora) [16]. Parking at the venue is limited, and a bag drop is provided [3].
Regular entry cost Rp300,000 for the 5K, Rp350,000 for the 10K and Rp400,000 for the 21K, with half-price super-early-bird places for the first 100 entrants; entries ran from 22 May to 19 July 2026 [3]. Fees are not refunded, you cannot switch distance, and the minimum age is 15 [3]. The race is run by Gamatera with Beyond Run as race management [3].
Around the race there were 35 local-business stalls and dance performances from Banyuwangi and Bondowoso [5]. The 2026 race was the first official edition, after an exhibition run at Ijen in 2021 [17].
Should You Enter the Next Ijen Geopark Run?
Yes, if you want a small, scenic highland race and a reason to visit Ijen. The 5K suits families: a 24-year-old 5K runner from Banjarmasin brought their extended family on holiday and said a running route this beautiful is hard to find [1].
Think twice if you want a fast or flat half marathon. Every route finishes uphill, the 21K ends with about 430 m of climbing, and the start is cold and high. If you have not raced at altitude or on long climbs, the 10K is the safer choice.
No date for a second Ijen edition had been announced by late September 2026. The series moves on to Minang on 1 November 2026, Ciletuh on 17 January 2027 and Belitong on 18 April 2027 [5].
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's race information and route files, the published timing results, airport weather records, and Indonesian news reports, including runners' comments to reporters.