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.
It is Day 22, and we are into the fourth week of the Sri Chinmoy 3,100-mile race. Entering the fourth week, Andrea Marcato today became the first runner to go beyond 1500 miles in 21 days+ 12:50:15 He leads the race by around 80 miles from Vasy Duzhiy.
Mahasatya Janczak, Milan Javonicky, Daniela Bojila, and Alex Ramsay all reached the significant milestone of 1,300 miles today
- Mahasatya Janczak, 21 Days +1:08:18
- Milan Javonicky, 21 Days +7:35:01
- Daniela Bojila, 21 Days. +8:07:03
- Alex Ramsay 21 Days +9:41:43
The first 3,100-mile race was held in 1997. On November 21st, 1989. Eight years before the first 3,100-mile race, Sri Chinmoy was interviewed by Jin Hanc, a well-known New York Journalist. At the time, the 1,300-mile race was the longest the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team had organised.
John Hanc: On the ultra-distance side, you and the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team have been leaders in expanding the limits of what people can run. Do you think there will be any limit to the distance people can run? Ten years from now, will we be talking about a 2,000-mile or a 5,000-mile run?
Sri Chinmoy: “No, there is no limit to the distance because there is no limit to human capacity. Human capacity depends on our inner hunger — how sincerely we need something or are crying for something. In the material world, if someone has tremendous greed and wants to become a multi-millionaire, he works very hard and eventually he fulfils his desire. But by possessing the material world, we can never be happy. We can only find joy by serving as an instrument of God and fulfilling His Will. If God wants us to be a sprinter or an ultramarathon runner and if we follow His Dictates, then naturally we will become very happy. It will not matter if we stand first or last. Success or failure, we shall place at His Feet. What matters is that we are pleasing God in His own Way. How do we know what God wants us to do? By praying and meditating.
But even on the outer plane, our capacity is constantly expanding. Right now, 1,300 miles is our longest race. To run 1,300 miles in 18 days is almost beyond our imagination. We feel that is our ultimate capacity. But previously, we felt that 1,000 miles was the limit. Who thought of a 1,300-mile race five years ago? At that time, people would have thought I was a crazy man if I had suggested that. But now you see that this crazy man was right because people are doing it. Somebody just has to start. We always have to go ahead because life means progress.
The inner runner is always trying to inspire the outer runner. First, the inner runner says, “Go forward, go forward, go ahead, go ahead!” Then the outer runner says, “How can I go ahead if you do not give me the aspiration and inner cry?” Then the inner runner gives the outer runner the inner cry to do something and to become something good. In this way, the inner runner offers inspiration and aspiration to the outer runner. (Source)
Videos
- Stutisheel 3100 Mile Playlist youtube Channel
- Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team 3100 Mile Race Youtube Channel
- Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team Vimeo Channel
Photos
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