"Enthusiasm is our journey's victory" - Sri Chinmoy
Day 31 of the 30th Edition of the Sri Chinmoy 3100 Mile Race!
Daily Stats
Lo Wei-Ming seems to have got a burst of energy from the storms of the last few days. He powered to a 68.5-mile day, the day's best, and although there is still over a third of the race to go, he is certainly riding a wave at the moment. He finished the day on 1980.2 miles.
Radu Budan was a lap shorter with 68 miles but sailed through 2,000 miles early in the morning. He finished on 2,062.5 miles.
Annabel Hepworth kept up her seemingly metronomic routine with another 61.9-mile day to finish with 1967.6 miles. Both Wei-Ming and Annabel should reach 2,000 miles on day 32.
Andrea Marcato remains firmly in control at the front, managing 62.5 miles to finish on 2143.1 miles — the first runner past 2,100 and 80.6 miles clear of Radu in second.
Vasu, with his usual precision, finished his last lap of the day at around two minutes to midnight, clocking 60.8 miles to finish on 1916.1 miles.
Nayaja clocked another 61.9 miles to finish on 1870 miles.
Nina had a daily total of 48.2 miles to finish on 1606.2 miles.
Stutisheel ran 39.4 miles to end the day on 1449.9 miles.
Ananda-Lahari seems to be getting stronger after his recent illness, clocking 42.2 miles for a cumulative 1442.8.
Harita chats to Nayaja Perugini on Day 30 of the Sri Chinmoy 3,100-Mile Race
Harita: Okay, so we've got some questions that have been sent all the way from Tarit, in Scotland.
Before this race, the furthest you had run was 966 kilometres in the Sri Chinmoy 10-Day Race. Now you've done more than three times that distance. How does it feel to be in a totally new zone?
Nayaja: I am quite surprised, because I actually didn't know that.
I never ran more than 10 days before now, so I had no idea how my body and my mind would react. But what I discovered is that I feel my body is becoming stronger and stronger. Even if I feel tired, that comes more from the mind than from the body, because the mind doesn't want to be here now. The mind wants to enjoy its own world and doesn't cooperate. For the body, for the vital, it's not such a difficult task. The obstacle comes from the mind that gets bored.
Nayaja. Photo Ben Cross, Sri Chinmoy Ultra
Nayaja (right) Photo: Ben Cross, Sri Chinmoy Ultras. Interview Harita Davies
Harita: How do you deal with super rainy days like we had the last few days, both in a practical outer way and also inwardly?
Nayaja: It was tough, but at the same time I have been living in Norway for the last 10 years, and the weather — I mean, the winter in Norway can be really, really hard.
There is often wind, rain and snowstorms. So I got used to running in bad weather, which was good training. But anyway, it was challenging, definitely.
Harita: You once said very proudly that you are from Rome, not from Italy.
(Nayaja laughs.)
Can you explain that?
Nayaja: I mean, I think the only people who can understand this are New Yorkers, because New Yorkers are the same. They are not from the USA; they are from New York!
Harita: So what's different about people from Rome compared with the rest of Italy?
Nayaja: Rome is quite unique. In Rome, there is everything. There are people from all over the world, actually — not only people from Rome. Right? It's an international place. But at the same time there is a very special… I don't know, I don't know. It's hard to explain. I was born there, and I feel a deep connection with my hometown. I think the main quality of Rome is power, and I feel this. It is different from Italy.
Harita: This is a good quality for this race, right?
Nayaja: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's not only that. It's power also, for example, in meditation. When I meditate in Oslo, the main quality is peace. When I meditate in Rome, I really feel power.
Harita: Okay, so: no Italian woman has run this far before. How does that make you feel?
Nayaja: That makes me feel that I can do something special for my country. I'm not running this race for myself, of course. This race is something much bigger, so, for sure, it will help my country inwardly. Even if it's much more than this — I really feel that here, we are dealing with humanity's progress.
And also, I don't know, perhaps it can sound weird, but sometimes when I run, especially when there was this huge storm, I felt like a kind of bulldozer sweeping away all the negative forces. I think that's what we are really doing.
Harita: Nice. Okay. Changing subject a little. Do you look forward to the ice cream?
Nayaja: What did you say?
Harita: Do you look forward to when the ice cream comes every day?
Nayaja: (Laughs) I mean, ice cream is one of the best moments of the day. No, it's true. It gives you new energy and joy, and this childlike consciousness. Like when you are a kid, and you get the ice cream, and you feel special.
Harita: Finally, why are you doing this race?
Nayaja: Why? I felt an inner call that it was my duty to do it.
Harita: Good. You're so good at staying focused. How do you do that?
Nayaja: It's the way I do everything. Whatever I do — even when I work, when I was studying, when I'm cleaning the house, or whatever — I like to do everything in a stretch, without interruption. Because I think this is the right way to do things for me, by staying focused. Somehow, when you take too many breaks, you slow down in every sense, not just in time. So it's really important. What I learned in this race, what I'm still learning, is the importance of time. Every minute that you waste is not coming back.
It's wasted, and this is important in a race, but it's much more important in our inner life.
Harita: Okay. And is there anything else you'd like to share that comes to your heart or mind?
Nayaja: At the moment, there is so much to be grateful for. There are so many people to be grateful to. I don't know what else to say.
Harita: Well, you're doing so well, and everybody's so proud of you, so keep going. Keep doing what you're doing. That's all you've got to do.
Nayaja: I just try to do my best.
Harita: Yeah. Okay. Thank you.
Follow the race
Finish the Race by Utpal:
. . . Today he will stand at the starting line just 33 miles from this goal. The expression, heroic effort, fits all those who come to this place and attempt to run 3100 miles. Most, but not all, make this distance, because they have been inexorably drawn here to fulfill an inner hunger and they willingly offer themselves up, to an inner call which has beckoned them on. 