Ira Wibowo Perdana Participates in the Marathon in Berlin, Happy to Finish in Her Birth City

Ira Wibowo has achieved another milestone. At the age of 57, Ira successfully finished the Berlin Marathon, which became her first marathon event in her lifetime.

"Never in my wildest dreams…I never even imagined in my dreams that one day I would run a marathon..In the past, when I saw people running marathons, I only thought one thing: “great”I admired them.. but yes, ‘great,’" wrote Ira on her Instagram page on Monday, (22/9).

When she finally became interested in running a marathon, Ira mentioned that even a half marathon was already quite challenging for her. So, she never imagined she could do a full marathon.

"I have never liked jogging (that's what they used to call it)But when COVID hit, brisk walking or running became the best option for me to stay active and get fresh air and sunlight..At first, it really was just brisk walking with occasional short runs.. to keep me more motivated, sometimes I joined virtual 5K races which already felt quite challenging, and I tip my hat to those who can run 10K…," wrote Ira.

Ira then began to want to run a marathon and she targeted the event in Berlin, which is a special city for her. "Slowly but surely, I started to feel inspired watching some friends who began to train diligently for running and even participated in a marathon... I started to think, it would be fun to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience: running a marathon... and I want it to be in Berlin, my birthplace," Ira continued.

It is not easy to get a slot in the Berlin Marathon, but finally, Ira was able to secure one and she was accompanied by her mother during the event. "I started to register for the Berlin marathon lottery... the first time in 2022 I was unlucky... in 2023 I was late, missing the registration by a few days... in 2024 (registration for the 2025 Marathon) I also initially wasn't lucky... but that time, when I received the email announcement/rejection in December 2024, there was a question, are you interested if there are additional slots...? and I answered YES... and suddenly in May 2025 I received an email from the Berlin Marathon organizers: I got a slot!!," she wrote enthusiastically.

After training intensively for 4 months, Ira finally managed to run in the Berlin Marathon. She also brought back a souvenir from the event, which she took home to her mother's house in Germany.