JAKARTA — Five hundred and fifty runners and walkers took over the streets of Tebet on Sunday morning, September 27, as students of SMAN 26 Jakarta successfully staged the school’s first Tebet Run 2026. The 5-kilometer event, which started and finished at SMAN 26, brought together students, alumni and members of the public in a large-scale community sporting event managed with support from local authorities and public agencies.
The event featured two categories—Run and Fun Walk—and moved through the streets surrounding Tebet before participants returned to the school’s grounds. Despite the scale of the event and the need for traffic management along the route, the program ran smoothly from start to finish.
The successful first edition also highlighted something beyond the race itself: students taking responsibility for planning and delivering a public event involving hundreds of people.
The event was supported by close coordination between the organizing committee and Tebet Police, the Tebet sub-district and urban village administrations, Koramil, and the Jakarta Transportation Agency (Dishub DKI Jakarta). Their involvement covered security, traffic arrangements and coordination along the 5K route.
Tebet Run 2026 was also designed as a broader community gathering. Alongside the run and walk, participants took part in a group exercise session, while the school grounds hosted UMKM booths and a door-prize program.
Jakarta Education Chief Flags Off Participants
Nahdiana, Head of the Jakarta Provincial Education Agency, attended the event and officially flagged off the participants at SMAN 26.
She praised the initiative, particularly as it marked the school’s first event of its kind.
“I really appreciate this event, especially since this is the first time it has been held. I encourage students to continue creating positive initiatives.”
Her remarks placed the event within a broader educational context, where students gain experience through activities that require creativity, teamwork and organizational responsibility.
A 58th Anniversary Celebration with a Different Format
Tebet Run 2026 was held as part of the celebration of SMAN 26 Jakarta’s 58th anniversary, which fell on September 22.
Aji, a counseling teacher at SMAN 26 who helped oversee the activity around the main stage, described the event as a complete student-driven program.
“It is a complete package created by the students: sports, entertainment and friendship. It is also part of the celebration of SMAN 26’s 58th anniversary.”
The combination allowed the anniversary celebration to extend beyond the school community and engage alumni, residents, participants and local businesses.
Alumni See a Bridge Between Generations
For Herawan, Chairman of the SMAN 26 Alumni Association (IKAL), the significance of the event lies partly in its ability to connect current students with alumni.
“Tebet Run is a bridge between alumni and students. The creativity of our younger students at SMAN 26 needs to be continued and developed.”
The alumni involvement provided another layer of support for a project initiated and executed by students.
550 Participants, a Real-World Lesson for Students
Reza, an active SMAN 26 student and Chairman of the Tebet Run organizing committee, said the event was conceived as more than a sporting competition.
“We wanted to create an activity that was not focused only on sports, but could also involve the wider community. Through Tebet Run, we wanted to provide a space for people to exercise, gather and interact with communities, residents and UMKM businesses in Tebet.”
Turning that concept into an event attended by 550 people required the students to work through planning, coordination, participant management and on-site operations.
The result gave the organizing team direct experience in handling the demands of a public event—experience that cannot be fully gained inside a classroom.
IKAL Advisor Calls for Continuation
Prasta Wahyu Hidayat, Advisor to IKAL SMAN 26, praised the students’ performance.
“I appreciate the students’ excellence in implementing the event, organizational work and sports activities. This is something that should be maintained.”
He also hopes the inaugural event can develop into a recurring program.
“I hope Tebet Run 2026 can become an annual program in the future.”
According to Prasta, activities of this kind can also add value to SMAN 26’s presence within the Tebet community.
More Than a 5K
The first Tebet Run ended with 550 participants returning to the SMAN 26 grounds, but the event’s significance extended beyond the 5-kilometer route.
It brought together students, alumni, the school, local businesses, residents and government institutions in one coordinated public activity.
For SMAN 26, Tebet Run 2026 provided a real-world test of student leadership and event management. For the surrounding community, it turned a school anniversary celebration into a broader gathering centered on sport, creativity and collaboration.
The race may have ended at SMAN 26—but for the students who organized it, the experience marks the beginning of a much larger lesson in leadership and community engagement.
