About the author:
Tejvan organises short-distance running and cycling races for the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in his home city of Oxford. He is also a very good cyclist, having won the National hill climb championships in 2013 and finished 3rd in the National 100 Mile Time Trials in 2014.
Day 11 was a windy day with lots of sun, not getting past 74 degrees. Nine out of the ten runners managed to pass the magic 59.6 miles, which is the daily average needed to finish the race within 52 days. But, like other ultra-distance races the 3100 Mile Race is not just about the runners. Behind each runner there are teams of helpers, volunteers and organisers who help make the race happen.
Volunteers make races happen. For a race to happen, you need two sets of complementary people. Any race will not happen without runners, and it also would not work without volunteers giving up their time selflessly to help the runners have a good experience and assistance in achieving their chosen goals.
In your local 10 Km, or half-marathon, as a volunteer, you can turn up early in the morning, and if all goes well, you will be home by early afternoon. At an ultra race of 24 hours or more ,the hours can be much longer, and you pencil in the weekend with no thought of anything else. At a race like the 3,100 miles, it is a little different.
Like all events, there are teams within teams looking after the lap scoring and statistics; the cooking of endless refreshments at the race kitchen, half a mile away, and then serving them to runners at the trackside. There are small teams who every morning at 5 am come and do the daily setup to get ready for the 6am start, and a complimentary crew at the end of the day who tidy and clear up after midnight to leave everything in an orderly fashion, ready for the morning crew arriving a few hours later to repeat the operation.
Then there are the runner's personal helpers. Most runners have a personal helper helping them for all or part of the day. Sometimes a runner is lucky enough to have a few helpers who can rotate shifts to make the workload easier. Many of the team of helpers are part of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from the local area, all with years of experience in organising or volunteering at the numerous events the team puts on each year.
They fit in a shift at the race, around their other daily commitments. Some though have come from further afield, and their commitment is going way beyond the average weekend shift at an event. The desire to be part of this phenomenal event for a week or two weeks, or even longer, are key factors in supporting individual runners and helping with essential tasks to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the event over a sustained period of time.
The 3,100 is indeed an event like no other. Indeed, a race needs runners, but it could also not work without the volunteers.
Tarit
Other landmarks
- Andrea Marcato- 1200 km- 10d 03:11:30 / 800 miles- 10d 17:02:43
- Vasu Duzniy- 1100 km-10d 01:14:27/ 700 miles- 10d 05:34:24
- Adrian Papuc- 1100 km-10d 07:29:46/ 700 miles- 10d 11:37:07
- Geng Lu-Cong- 1100 km- 10d 08:24:35/700 miles 10d 12:51:00
- Daniela Bojila-674.5 miles overall-1085.59 km
- Mahasatya Janczak- 1000km- 10d 02:56:26
- Alex Ramsey- 1000 km 10d 03:08:46
- Milan Javornicky- 1000 km- 10d 04:57:32
- Harita Davies- 600 miles- 10d 02:10:52.// 1000km- 10d 08:23:35
- Ananda-Lahari Zuscin--900 km-10d 10:49:11
Photos
Videos
- Stutisheel 3100 Mile Playlist Youtube Channel
- Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team 3100 Mile Race Youtube Channel
- Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team Vimeo Channel
Andrea Marcato went past 1200km in 10d 03:11:30/ 800miles in 10d 17:02:43.
Vasu Duzniy- 1100 km- 10d 01:14:27/ 700 miles 10d 05:34:24
Adrian Papuc- 1100 km- 10d 07:29;46./ 700 miles- 10d 11:37:07.
Geng Lu-Cong- 1100km- 10d 08:24:36/ 700 miles- 10d 12:51:00
Daniela Bojila- 674.5 miles-/ 1085.50 km
Mahasatya Janczak- 1000km- 10d 02:56:26
More about: