MANGUPURA, balitourismnow.com – The streets of Kuta are getting ready to move again. Mamaka Hotels & Resorts is bringing back the Mamaka Fun Run for its third edition, on Sunday, November 18, 2026. Event that has grown from a simple 5K run into a community-driven celebration of movement, wellness, connection and giving back. This year, Mamaka is taking that purpose further.
Following two editions supporting education initiatives through the Bali Children Foundation (BCF), Mamaka Fun Run Vol. 3 will partner with Shuffle & Strides to support the expansion of Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT), a free two-day programmed designed to give people practical knowledge and confidence to better understand mental-health challenges and support the people around them.
For Mamaka, the message is simple: A healthier community isn’t only about moving your body. It’s also about knowing how to look after your mind and each other.
From 5K To a Community Movement
Mamaka Fun Run was created to bring people together through something simple: running. The first edition in 2024 brought the community together for a 5K charity run along Kuta and Legian, with proceeds supporting Bali Children Foundation’s education initiatives.
In 2025, the event returned bigger. More than 700 runners took part in Mamaka Fun Run Vol. 2, with the event expanding from 5K to include a 10K category. The beachfront route, entertainment, Zumba, family activities and running communities turned Kuta into a vibrant morning of movement and connection. All registration proceeds were donated to BCF to support education initiatives.
The event also brought together a broad running community, including Shuffle & Strides, Indorunners Bali, CCRC, HOTR, Gianyar Runners and other local running groups. What started as a charity run has therefore become something bigger: a Mamaka community platform where people come together to move, connect and create positive impact. And in Vol. 3, Mamaka is taking that community energy into a new area of wellbeing.
Why Mental Health?
Mental health is part of overall wellbeing, but conversations around it can still be difficult. According to Indonesia’s 2023 Health Survey (SKI), the national prevalence of depression was 1.4%, with the highest prevalence among people aged 15–24 at 2%. (Repositori BKPK)
A national adolescent mental-health survey also found that 5.5% of Indonesian adolescents aged 10–17 experienced a mental disorder, including anxiety, depression, PTSD and ADHD. (Repositori BKPK)
The World Health Organization has highlighted another concerning trend: among Indonesian students aged 13–17, the percentage who reported having seriously considered suicide increased from 5.4% in 2015 to 8.5% in 2023. WHO says the figures reinforce the need to improve access to quality mental-health and psychosocial support. (World Health Organization)
These numbers point to a challenge that cannot be addressed only when someone reaches crisis point. Awareness and education matter too. People need to know how to recognise when something may be wrong, how to start a conversation, how to respond appropriately and where professional help can be found. That is where Mamaka sees an opportunity to make a difference.
From Physical Wellbeing To Mental Wellbeing
For Mamaka Hotels & Resorts, supporting mental-health education is a natural extension of what the Fun Run represents. Mamaka is built around experiences that bring people together, from movement and wellness to food, entertainment and community.
“For us, choosing mental health for Mamaka Fun Run Vol. 3 was a very natural decision,” said Joel Bartlett, General Manager of Mamaka Hotels & Resorts.
“Mamaka is about movement, connection and wellbeing, and we believe wellbeing should include both the body and the mind. We also know that mental health can be difficult to talk about, so we wanted to support something practical, education that gives people the confidence to recognize when someone may be struggling and know how to respond.”
“The Fun Run gives us a powerful platform to bring our community together while helping that knowledge reach further.”
What is MHAT?
Through its partnership with Shuffle & Strides, Mamaka will support the expansion of Mental Health Awareness Training, or MHAT. Shuffle & Strides is a non-profit organization focused on increasing mental-health awareness through community-based education, movement and open conversations. Its programmed aim to reduce stigma and make mental-health knowledge more accessible.
MHAT provides practical education around; Recognizing signs and symptoms of common mental-health challenges, Understanding how to communicate with someone who may be struggling, Learning practical tools for providing appropriate support, Understanding available mental-health resources and treatment options, and Knowing when and where to seek professional support.
The training is delivered over two days and is offered free to members of the public through Shuffle & Strides. The objective is not to turn participants into mental-health professionals. It is to give ordinary people better knowledge, greater awareness and more confidence to support the people around them.
Mamaka’s Support Goes Beyond The Run
Mamaka’s commitment to MHAT is not limited to the Fun Run. Mamaka Hotels & Resorts already supports MHAT initiatives through event and production support as part of its ongoing relationship with Shuffle & Strides. Through Mamaka Fun Run Vol. 3, the intention is to take that support further.
Funds raised through the Fun Run will help enable additional MHAT training opportunities, allowing Shuffle & Strides to reach more participants and extend the programme’s impact across Bali and Indonesia. This distinction is important: the Fun Run is not simply funding a single MHAT event. It is helping create the opportunity for more training to take place and more people to be reached.
One Trained Person Can Reach Many More
The impact of mental-health education doesn’t stop when a training session ends. A participant returns to their workplace, family, friendship group or community with knowledge that can influence the way they understand and respond to mental health.
Shuffle & Strides describes its approach as creating large-scale awareness through accessible community education around the signs, symptoms and treatment of mental-health conditions. Its wider programmed also include a running community and subsidized counselling for people who require professional support.
This creates a ripple effect: One training session → more informed people → more conversations → more awareness → more people knowing where to seek help. For Mamaka, that is the kind of impact worth running for.
A Partnership That Makes Sense
The partnership between Mamaka and Shuffle & Strides is also a natural continuation of an existing relationship. Shuffle & Strides was already among the running communities that supported Mamaka Fun Run Vol. 2 in 2025, alongside other Bali running communities. (Bali Children Foundation) Both organizations believe in using movement and community as a way to encourage healthier lifestyles and stronger connections.
The difference this year is that the conversation goes beyond physical fitness. “We have always believed that community is at the heart of the Mamaka Fun Run,” said Joel Bartlett. “Last year, we saw more than 700 people come together in Kuta. That showed us what is possible when a community gets behind an idea. This year, we want to use that same energy to help mental-health education reach further.”
From Education To Mental-Health Education
Mamaka’s previous partnership with Bali Children Foundation was built around access to education. Across the first two editions, the Fun Run raised support for education programmed and school improvements for children in Bali. In 2025, participants were also introduced to the story of Giri, a BCF-supported student who had progressed through education with support from the partnership and subsequently began working at Mamaka.
For Vol. 3, Mamaka is continuing that broader belief in the power of education to create opportunity, this time applying it to mental health. The cause has changed, but the principle has not: Give people knowledge. Give people opportunity. Create a stronger community.
Not Just a Charity Run
Mamaka Fun Run has always been designed to be more than a race. It is a Kuta community experience bringing together runners, families, friends, tourists, local residents, running clubs, partners and sponsors. The event combines the energy of a beachfront run with entertainment, wellness activities and the unmistakable social atmosphere of Mamaka. And that is exactly why
Mamaka believes it can create impact beyond the race itself.
“We don’t want the impact of Mamaka Fun Run to stop when people cross the finish line,” said Joel Bartlett.
“We want people to leave with something more, whether that’s a great memory, a new connection, a healthier habit or simply a better understanding of how to look out for someone who may not be okay.”
This Year, Run For Something You Can’t Always See
Mental health isn’t always visible. You may not know who is struggling. You may not know who needs support. And sometimes, the most important thing you can give someone is not an answer, but the understanding to start a conversation. That is the purpose behind Mamaka Fun Run Vol. 3: To move together, to connect, to learn, and to make the impact travel further than the finish line. [*/buda]