Media Coverage of the 2023 Race
- 3100 Mile Race Featured on NPR, "All Things Considered"
- Multi-Day Runners are Alarmingly Sane - Outside Magazine
- Run Ultra article on the Race
Mongolia
- 3100 Mile Race (Mongolia News)
- 3100 Mile Race Mongolia News
Mongolia
The 3100 Mile Race featured on several European news channels. This is a transcript from a TV clip from Euronews Italiano.
When you look at the start you might not think so, but this is the longest running race in the world: nearly 3,000 miles to be run entirely on a half-mile loop circling Thomas A. Edison High School on 84th Avenue in Jamaica, a picturesque neighbourhood in the New York borough of Queens.
It is called the Sri Chinmoy Self Transcendence 3,100 mile race, named after its creator the Indian poet and mystic Sri Chinmoy, who conceived it precisely as an exercise for physical and spiritual self-transcendence.
A feat not for everyone, so much so that there were just 11 athletes running it this year, from 10 different countries: among them, 40-year-old Italian Andrea Marcato, first to cross the finish line achieving his third victory in the competition
"I feel in tune with a higher power," he said. "I believe in the power of prayer and meditation. I have faith, you know, belief, hope, and these things push you forward. It's not just about being strong and trained well and so on. These things help you only up to a certain point. But then to go that way, to run that long distance, and to do it well you need a strong belief."
Marcato crossed the finish line in 43 days: convinced vegetarian, to avoid digestive problems while still maintaining a good caloric regimen he followed an alkaline diet of avocados, oranges, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat and steamed vegetables, drinking coconut water and filtered water and ending up losing a whopping 13 kilos.
Due to bad weather, he was unable to improve his time from last year, still remaining third in the world rankings of this truly unique competition.
English news coverage 2022
Italian
Andrea Marcato vince per la terza volta la Sri Chinmoy Self Trascendence 3100 Mile Race - Gazetta.it
La vittoria di Marcato nella 3.100 miglia americana: CS - Iutaitalia.it
Taiwanese
In October, Takasumi Senoo became the first Japanese runner to complete the 3100 Mile Race, a feat that attracted considerable media attention in his native Japan. Mainichi Shimbun, the 3rd biggest national newspaper, published a very nice article titled Remarkable Achievement by Former Hakone Dropout: First Japanese to Complete 4989 km Ultramarathon. The title refers to ekiden, which is a relay style long distance run extremely popular in Japan. Hakone is considered the pinnacle race for university ekiden runners; it takes place on January 2 and 3 every year, right after the New Year’s Day, during the nation’s biggest holidays. The whole race is broadcast nationwide. Its prestige and popularity is discussed in detail in Adharanand Finn’s The Way of the Runner: A Journey into the Fabled World of Japanese Running.
This newspaper article came out shortly after this year’s Hakone Ekiden, surely a (nicely) tactful scheduling on Mainichi Shimbun’s part.
The world’s longest-level ultramarathon, which requires runners to complete approximately 4989 km within 52 days, just produced the first Japanese finisher. The distance is more than double the straight line between Sapporo (Hokkaido) and Naha (Okinawa) (2250 km), and is equivalent of running a full marathon (42.195 km) 118 times. The one who cemented his name in history is a former student-runner who once gave up running because he could not make it to Hakone Ekiden.
The race is called The Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race, and took place in New York, USA, during September and October, 2021. At 6:50pm, October 26, Senoo Takasumi (38 years old) of Midori Ward, Yokohama City, smilingly broke through the finishing tape, holding aloft Japan’s national flag and the race flag. His time was 51 days, 12 hours, 50 minutes and 52 seconds. People at the finish gave him a great cheer, celebrating this 51st finisher in the race’s 25-year history.
He had always loved running since childhood. In autumn of his first year in junior high school, he joined the track and field club, and by his third year, he entered Kanagawa Marathon’s 5 km run open to all age groups, and made it to one of the top runners. He came to aspire to enter Kanagawa University, which won Hakone Ekiden twice in those days. He began envisioning himself in the Ekiden. With his satisfactory results in high school, he was successfully admitted upon recommendation, to one of Hakone Ekiden giants Tokai University.
The level of the prestigious team was beyond his imagination, however. He could run longer distances, but lacked speed. He realized that there was no way to compete with his teammates there; he was wanting the necessary talent. Only after 3 months, he left the team and also gave up running. He became an ‘ordinary student’ thereafter.
A year and a half after that, he one day thought: “I have gained some weight. Let me run again.” He put on his shoes that he had been unable to throw away, and began running in the neighborhood. The joy of running started coming back to him. “Yes, I left the team but that does not mean I should quit running.” Later, in his junior year in university in 2004, with the hope to overcome his setback, Senoo joined Run Across America (3080 miles = 4957 km), which turned out to be a big turning point for him. The huge sense of accomplishment after the finish prompted him to get deeply involved in long distance races.
While he participated in numerous races around the world, a new goal emerged: it is a race that started in 1997, named after the India-born philosopher and runner Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007). The race is invitation only, for those who have significant past achievements. Furthermore, out of all the world’s ultrarunners, only about 10 people can take part in it. Senoo actively entered various races, won in more than one of them, and for the first time got their invitation to be in the race.
For the Sri Chinmoy race, the cost amounts to about ¥1 million including the race fee, travel, and accommodation; there will be no prize money even after you complete the race. The race will last close to two months, so he made the decision to leave his work, the hospital he had worked for since he had registered as a nurse in 2013.
The runners of the race run around a high school in a suburb in New York City, about 883 meters of it, again and again. In order to finish, they need to run close to 100 km a day. They have to keep running in the same scenery, on hard concrete with inclines and declines. Because of his swelled feet, he had to cut the toe areas of his shoes, and in the end wore out 19 pairs.
To keep up with the high level of energy consumption, the runners are required to take about 10,000 kcal per day. In Senoo’s case, he managed by (sometimes) forcefully putting food, such as pie, into his mouth as he continued running. Every day from 6 am to midnight he ran, and went to bed at a nearby accommodation. The average hours of sleep was 4.5 hours. Once he was attacked by a severe headache and began vomiting. Finally, only short of 11 hours before the cutoff, he completed the race as the 5th finisher.
What supported him through all this was the presence of his wife, Yang Huang Lan (43 years old). They met as runners in 2019. Throughout this race, she assisted Senoo in handing out food etc.. He admits: “If I had tried on my own, I could not have completed it.” Toward the end of the race, he ran in ‘Mu’ (= Zen’s notion of nothingness).
The feeling of accomplishment this time exceeded that he had felt after the Run Across America. “I always remembered that feeling at age 21. And I kept running in quest of experiencing the same feeling once again. Now, finally, I have transcended it.” Hakone was a lost dream for young Senoo 20 years ago. Now, he has become the person who has run longer than anybody else in Japan.
And what is their new goal now? To run and complete the next Sri Chinmoy Race together.
Translation from Japanese by Harashita Sunaoshi. As well as being an assistant to 3100 runner Harita Davies, she was also the liason for Japanese media; you can read about her experiences here...
The 3100 mile race usually attracts a fair bit of media attention, but this year seems to have sparked some serious worldwide interest, including Ruetir, Kyodo Wire Service (largest in Japan), Agence France Press (with a network of 151 countries), Eurovision (an alliance of public service media in 56 countries with 31 associates) and Asiavision (connecting state TV and radio in 41 countries of the Asia-Pacific region). We'll be adding articles from around the world as we find them, so stay posted!
Our race winner Andrea is from Italy, so naturally there has been a great deal of interest there. See this very nice video from RAI, the national television network...
Second-placed runner Lo Wei Ming hails from Taiwan and is receiving unprecedented media coverage including a live video conversation with his wife and the Premier of Taiwan...
Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) Interview With 3100 Mile Race Winner Andrea Marcato. English subtitles by pressing the "CC" button.
Pehal News • Star News • World is One News • NewsLogic.in
Radio New Zealand 3100 Mile Race Interview With Harita Davies | Bonus! Slideshow + Video Added
Ananda-Lahari Zuscin particpated 17 times in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race with 6 finishes: Sport.sk (Slovakian) • Sport.sk (English translation)
Africa VOA Afrique • Algeria Liberté • Australia news.com.au • Belgium RTBF.be • Nepal nepal24hours.com • Nigeria GuardianTV • Thailand Bangkok Post • Turkey Daily Sabah • United Arab Emirates Gulf News
Nirbhasa Magee, who finished the 2020 edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile race was featured in an article in the Meath Chronicle. Nirbhasa is a native of Summerhill, Co Meath in Ireland and currently lives in Iceland. After the race, he spoke to the paper about the challenges and experiences of this unique race. He also explains how practising meditation with Sri Chinmoy opened up many new possibilities, which led him to seek a sense of self-transcendence in both meditation and ultra-distance running. Speaking of the race, Magee said:
"You actually learn a great deal about yourself, participating in this race, which was probably the hardest of the four I've done. It's almost like your a different person coming out of the race than you are going into it, there's a definite process of personal change and transformation that takes place, a process of personal growth. You really have to expand yourself to get past the problems that you face."
Read more at "We try and still the mind and focus on the heart" at Meath Chronicle
This is a translation of TV segmen broadcast on Austrian TV 5,000km race ORF TV (deutsch)
For English speakers this is translation
A very special sporting event is taking place in Salzburg - the word’s longest certified foot race. The numbers are hard to comprehend even by sports enthusiasts. Altogether, the participants have to complete 118 marathons within 52 days. A total of almost 5000 kilometres, which means that every day they run about 100 kilometres. Because of Covid19 restrictions, only 5 runners are participating. They run from 6 am to midnight every day.
The race is taking place in a small park in Lehn. Usually, this 5000 k race takes place in New York. Because of Covid-19, it was moved to Salzburg. One of the 5 runners was born here, he started running 20 years ago.
Ushika: “Even during my first few races I discovered that the inner motivation is much stronger than the outer motivation. That means that not the outer distance, or completing the distance, but the realization of inner goals becomes the main goal.”
It is day 32 of this race. An Italian is currently leading, he has already completed over 3500 k, but it’s not necessarily about that;
Priyavadin: “It is about self-transcendence, to grow beyond yourself, to go beyond one’s boundaries and expand the mind's capacity.”
Every day the runners are challenged to overcome their inner resistance and grow (go?) beyond themselves.
Nirbhasa: “Today is a very good day because I just finished 2000 miles but the thing in this race it to always stay in the moment. To think of every day and to never think too far into the future and to never think ‘the finish of the race is still two and a half weeks away’. I am still a long way away from finishing so the trick is to be in the moment, be happy and to take every day one by one.”
The runners are treated by an orthopedist (Niko’s father who is the Chief Medical Officer Red Bull Airrace since 2014). To complete 2.5 marathons each day is not only a tremendous physical challenge:
Nikos father: “To wake up every morning at 4am after a very short night, to be at the start at 6am and then with tired muscles and tired legs, start running a marathon, and once the first marathon is completed, to add a second marathon - and when that is completed then to add a half marathon in the evening - the psychological challenge is gigantic…”
And naturally, the feet are challenged as well:
Priyavadin: “I have shoes for Milan and they are always a little too big, he’s slipping out of them in the back, but he likes it when shoes are extra-wide in the front, so I’ve glued a little padding to the back.”
Question: How many shoes are used up on average?
“Depends a little bit on the runner. But I would say about 10-20 pairs of shoes.”
At the aid station, runners receive drinks every lap. They have to consume at least 10,000 calories every day.
Max (in a beautiful, thick Austrian accent): “Most runners have lost between 5 and 8 kilos, but some have only lost one or two. But Andrea, the leading runner, has lost a lot of weight. That’s why we try to feed him a lot.”
And so the Italian receives a family sized pizza every day. This longest race is most likely to end on November 2nd.
Watch - Ultramaratona, ennesima impresa del veneziano Andrea Marcato at Rainews.it (Italian)
English translation
43 days 11 hours 7 minutes 26 seconds. This is how long it took Andrea Marcato, 38 years old from the suburbs of Venice, to win the longest certified road race in the world. “The Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race”, almost 5000km, was completed by the Italian athlete with the 5th best time overall, and the best first attempt performance of all-time in the race history.
The race is taking place on a 1 km loop at Glanspitz Park along the river flowing through Salzburg, Austria. An incredible achievement, that only a few can dare to attempt, if you consider that the participants run more than 2 marathons a day, for a total of 118 consecutive marathons, in order to complete the total distance of 3100 miles, or 4989km. They can run or walk as much as they want between 6 am and midnight, and they have 52 days to complete the race.
“The most important thing,” says Andrea, “is quieting the mind and…. getting up really early!!”
Marcato is the 49th person who was able to complete the race since its inception in 1997. He went through 9 pairs of running shoes and to ease the pain in his feet, he soaked them in ice for 5 minutes every day. As a vegetarian, in order to intake the needed 10,000 calories a day, he consumed for the most part whole wheat bread, avocado and cheese. Despite this, in a month and a half he still lost 10 kg.
Translation of an article by Gerald Lehner that appeared the first time on tuesday, October 27 on Salzburg.ORF.at (with 22 photos)
On the 44th day of the 5,000-kilometer road race in Salzburg, the Italian Andrea Marcato crossed the finish line as the winner on Monday evening. Four runners are still in the race - until November 3rd. The population and the Federal President react positively to this event from the USA, which is completely new for Austria.
Winning time of 38-year-old Marcato for 3,100 miles or 5,000 kilometers: 43 days, twelve hours, 25 minutes and 0.123 seconds. He crossed the finish line shortly after 6 p.m. on Austria’s national holiday.
In the past few days, Austria's local hero Ushika Muckenhumer has fought his way up to second place in the ranking. The man from Salzburg now has almost 4,400 kilometers on the odometer of his many pairs of worn running shoes in this race. (As of Monday evening). Muckenhumer is a dealer for musical instruments on Linzergasse. For him it should be six days to the finish.
Irish graduate physicist Nirbhasa Magee (who lives, works and trains in Iceland) has been quite ill for a while. He continued to run and walk on anyway, dropped to third place and now lies at a good 4,300 kilometers. Before the last days of the race, warehouse worker and logistician Ananda-Lahari Zuscin (Slovakia, 3,850 kilometers) followed in fourth place and social worker Milan Javornicky (Czech Republic, almost 3,700 kilometers).
Andrea Marcato
is now the - only - fifth person worldwide who managed the longest race in the world in less than 44 days. "Normal" are 50 to 52 days for other high-performance athletes. The Italian was born on January 3rd, 1982 in Dolo near Venice. He studied languages at the University of Padua, is a certified swimming instructor, currently lives and works in Zurich (Switzerland ).
Nothing works without long experience
The already established winner from Salzburg comes from the Venice region, was part of the Italian national team of 24-hour runners in 2015 and 2016 and took part in the 2015 World Cup in Turin in this discipline. Marcato has already participated in numerous ultra distance races in Europe and the USA - 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours respectively. That is the basis of this sport.
In addition, there are many 100-kilometer and two 1000-kilometer runs for Marcato. For the first time he was now at the starting line for the five thousand kilometer distance. He is also one of the world's top people in long-distance swimming and has already covered 200 kilometers in a single competition - in a swimming pool.
Race moved from New York to Salzburg
With some of the first names of the athletes in Salzburg, it becomes clear that they feel connected to ancient Indian traditions. In addition to running, it's about yoga and meditation. The tireless quintet also competes here in honor of the yoga master, peace activist and long-distance runner Sri Chinmoy. He lived in India and the USA from 1931 to 2007.
Runs against the war
In the mid-1990s, yoga master and long-distance runner Sri Chinmoy founded this race to unleash a spiritual energy for peace. It was supposed to help end the then raging war in Yugoslavia with its indescribable crimes.
The runners wanted to prove that with the right motivation you can make the impossible possible - namely to run 5,000 kilometers. The traditional loop in New York is located in the borough of Queens - within sight of the borough of Manhattan and the UN headquarters on the East River, where many fates in the world are decided.
Special loop near Glan and Salzach
The Salzburg loop, which has to be completed almost 5,000 times, runs over just 1.1 kilometers through the small Glanspitz Park in the district Lehen. It was renatured and redesigned a few years ago by the Salzburg city administration. There are child-friendly playgrounds, hills, natural streams and watercourses in the area around the Glan, where it flows into the Salzach at the Salzburg-Lehen power plant. Compared to the route in the Queens borough of New York, Salzburg is a paradise, say the participants. Overseas, the races take place not far from a highway intersection.
Praise from residents and park users
The kindergarten teacher Ute Präauer was involved with groups of children in the planning for the redesign. The fact that the New York 5,000-kilometer run is now taking place here is a boon for the entire district, says the Salzburg native:
"Since the beginning of the race there has been a subtle and even more clear change in the living space in our area. The peaceful coexistence becomes visible every day. Total strangers talk to each other, look at each other, are interested. Music (never imposing or disturbing) is played on real Instruments, you see smiling passers-by, the runners who outgrow themselves. “
Sometimes the runners' supervisors have large, bright flowers in their hands. The paths are cleaned of wet and slippery leaves with brooms, and any rubbish is quickly cleared away, according to Präauer:
“There is a new openness for many who enter and use this park: walkers, runners, cyclists, children and again more children, dogs, people of many nationalities and in between the athletes who meditatively and actively dedicate their life to peace. I am happy with everyone who experiences this. And I am happy for the many children who are watching enthusiastically and are given new role models. You also have to thank the Salzburg city administration, especially Christian Siebenhofer. This project was approved and supported there."
Sonja Gatterer-Van der Felde from Salzburg is also surprised at how the race affects the district: “I walk through the park with my black dog every day and I am thrilled to see how the five runners are here for up to 52 days - in all conditions, rain, cold, little sleep and pain, "she wrote the team in an email:" I have great respect for the five runners and the team of supervisors. Without this, this incredible race would not be feasible. It's an enormous upgrade for the whole area. “
However, the police also received a few complaints from residents in Lehen who disliked the singing and music performances during the race. From time to time professional artists played their classical-symphonic music by Haydn and Mozart on a voluntary basis. Then again sitar sounds and chants from the Indian tradition of the yoga master, runner and founder Sri Chinmoy followed.
Letter from the Federal President
The fans of the event are in prominent company with their hymns of praise. Just a few days after the start, the head of state of the Republic of Austria wrote a letter to Salzburg from distant Vienna:
“I can't even imagine what it is like to run constantly through 52 days. Yes, I like to go hiking for a few hours. But running 52 days, 118 marathons - unbelievable! What a breathtaking endurance performance. You are assured of my respect. I wish all participating athletes, especially the Salzburg local hero Hubert Muckenhumer, all the best, lots of success and the necessary perseverance for the next extremely challenging days of running ”, reads the letter from Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.
Watch and cheer until November 3rd
If you still want to experience the atmosphere and ambience, there is still time until November 3rd. Because the main field of the remaining athletes is in the race until Tuesday next week after the victory of the Italian Andrea Marcato.
Gerald Lehner, Salzburg.ORF.at
As the Sri Chinmoy 3100 Mile Self-Transcendence Race enters its fourth week, the five intrepid runners are digging deep into their physical, mental and spiritual reserves as they accumulate seemingly impossible volumes of mileage. The current President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, recently sent a letter to the runners offering his personal encouragement for this uniquely challenging and inspiring event.
Dear participants to the 3100 mile race in Salzburg!
I simply cannot imagine how it is to run 52 days. I enjoy hiking myself. But to run for 52 days, 118 marathons – incredible! What an incredible feat of endurance! You deserve my respect.
I wish all the participants, and especially the local hero Hubert Muckenhumer, all the best, success and the necessary endurance for the rest of the race.
My best greetings,
Alexander Van der Bellen
(President of Austria)
After 21 days of running, first-time entrant, Andrea Marcato (Italy) is heading the field with a very impressive total of 2376.2 miles. Andrea is getting close to passing the halfway mark.
The race has received media coverage from both local and national press.
Other links
Dear runners in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race in Salzburg, my dear brothers,
Than you very much for the gift you give us all by your running. I, too, may - althrough from a great distance - participate in this magnificent festival of meditative sports: My thoughts and heartfelt blessings are with you.
In the spirit of Sri Chinmoy's understanding of sport, I wish each of you, that "sweet spot" where you simply become identical to your running. Then it's no longer about speed, it's no longer about any success; then you're just completely in the Now. But this Now is the fulcrum of a mysterious leverage through which your good intentions can lift the whole world higher towards the light.
Also to all helpers and all those who participate in this event, I would like to thank you an give them many good wishes.
In cordial connection
Your Brother David
---
Brother David Steindl-Rast is a world famous 94-year-old Austrian Benedictine monk who lived for 50 years in USA (Mount Saviour Monastery) and now he is living in Austria again for several years. He is also a well known author and has written many books. Brother David was always helpful and loving to the students of Sri Chinmoy. He calls them his brothers and sisters.
His first meeting with Sri Chinmoy took place, 1975 at the Interfaith Festival "Spiritual Summit Conference", where Mother Teresa also participated.
Nov. 2003: Meeting with Sri Chinmoy at "Aspiration Ground" New York
June 2017: Recieve "Torch Bearer Award", Salzburg, Austria from Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run.
Bruder David Steindl-Rast ist ein weltberühmter 94-jähriger österreichischer Benediktinermönch, der 50 Jahre in den USA (Mount Saviour Monastery) lebte und nun seit einigen Jahren wieder in Österreich ist. Er ist auch ein sehr bekannter Autor und hat viele Bücher geschrieben. Bruder David ist den Schülern von Sri Chinmoy sehr zugetan (er nennt sie „meine Brüder und Schwestern“) und hat sie nach außen immer unterstützt.
Sein erstes Treffen mit Sri Chinmoy fand 1975 beim Interfaith Festival „Spiritual Summit Conference“ statt, an dem auch Mutter Teresa teilnahm. Nov. 2003 Treffen mit Sri Chinmoy am „Aspiration Ground“ Juni 2017 Verleihung des „Torch Bearer Award“, Salzburg, Österreich.
EFE – Spanish Press Agency
1 October 2020
This is the world’s longest race, a 52 day “spiritual” running journey
Salzburg, Austria.- A park in Salzburg, in the Austrian Alps, is the current location for the world’s longest race for long-distance runners: around 3,100 miles in just 52 days, or over two marathons a day.
Since September 13, five athletes have been participating in this special challenge called the “Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race”, the longest certified race to date.
After the 23 previous editions were held in New York, this year the race took place in Glanspitz Park in Salzburg, a city famous as the birthplace of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Every day the runners start early in the morning, stopping only for toilet breaks or a few minutes rest.
SPIRITUAL BACKGROUND
The founder of this race, the Indo-American spiritual guide and master of meditation, Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007), wanted to offer his disciples a challenge for personal improvement which compels them to go beyond what is considered to be humanly possible.
The figures are quite striking: participants must run 3,100 miles, or 4,988 kilometres in less than 52 days, around the same track from 6 in the morning till midnight. Every other day, they can change direction.
Many of the runners, as is the case for this year’s five participants, are also disciples of Chinmoy´s meditation school.
The athletes see the event like “the completion of their personal spiritual journey”, says Smarana Puntigam to EFE, a member of the “Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team” and assistant director to the race.
It is therefore surprising that, once they have completed the race, most of them repeat the attempt. Puntigam himself has already run it ten times, but he makes it clear that he has only finished two of these races.
“It is like living an entire life”, says the athlete. “The number of emotions you experience and the physical effort involved… When you finish, all your problems look smaller, and you feel like just another person”, he adds.
FROM NEW YORK TO SALZBURG
Since the start 17 days ago, the five runners have already overcome 35 marathons, going around the same public park in Salzburg again and again.
If they keep up the same pace, the runners will complete the official 3,100 miles early in November. He who finishes the challenge can continue running for a few more days until reaching 5,000 kilometres (3,106 miles).
Although this race is normally held in the summer in Queens, New York, the borough where Chinmoy lived, the Covid-19 pandemic this year forced its cancellation and the organizers had to look for alternatives. Priyvadin Reisecker, in charge of moving the event to Salzburg, explains that it was the runners themselves who emphasized the need for holding the event.
“They said they would run anyway, so we had to look for a way to make it happen”, says the organizer. Salzburg was chosen as it was the first location where a team of volunteers was ready for managing an event which lasts nearly two months.
VOLUNTEERS ARE THE KEY
In fact, without the volunteers, this special race wouldn´t work at all, or at least it would be much harder for the runners. Volunteers are in charge of preparing the meals, organizing the athletes schedules, counting their distance, healing their injures and offering them moral support.
Sometimes, they even run a few laps with them just to chat. Sadanand Magee is one of the volunteers who supports the runners.
He came from Ireland with his brother, Nirbhasa Magee, who is competing in the race. His admiration for the athletes and the rest of the team is wholehearted. “People compare this event with climbing Everest; but if you make this comparison, Everest is a piece of cake”, the Irish confirms to EFE.
“Thousands of people get to the summit and wait in lines to take a photo. After 24 years of this race, only 50 people have completed it”, he notes.
AN ITALIAN IS THE FRONTRUNNER
Italian Andrea Marcato is leading the group now. Everyone agrees that this runner has an amazing display of strength and competition despite being a first-time participant.
Magee is behind him with three previous finishes, Austrian Ushika Muckenhumer with one, Slovakian Ananda-Lahari Zuscin with six races, and finally Czech Milan Javornicky who is taking on this challenge for the first time. All of them took leave from their jobs –mostly without pay- to compete in Salzburg.
The five participants in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race meditate at night in the Salzburg park before the next step of the race.
Without Ties
In spite of being one of the hardest events in the world, this race has a poor international following and is practically unknown. Bipin Lerken, an American who has been organizing the event since Sri Chinmoy founded it in the 90s, explains that this lack of knowledge is certainly due to the fact that it is not a very spectacular race when watched over the course of days.
Runners keep going slowly and many times they share laps at a faster pace with others. Volunteers prepare small portions of food for them, high-calorie snacks that they can eat without stopping. Some of them make phone calls while walking and, usually, they blend perfectly with the rest of people who walk around the park. In addition, the team has historically stayed far away from big sponsors as they want to maintain “absolute control” over the race organization. According to Lerken, this fits perfectly well with the spirit of the event: “they do not compete against others, but with themselves.
Translated by Suchana
A week later the same agency had another article about the race's winner.
EFE – Spanish News Agency
27 October 2020
Italian Andrea Marcato has won the 24th edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race, the longest certified ultra-marathon in the world, having run 5,000 km in 43 days around a park in the Austrian city of Salzburg.
After 43 days, 12 hours and 7 minutes, the Italian athlete, taking on the Self-Transcendence Race for the first time, set a speed record for new participants.
The all-time fastest finish belongs to Finnish Ashprihanal Aalto who completed the race in 40 days, 9 hours and 6 minutes back in 2015.
Marcato, who destroyed 9 pairs of running shoes during the race, said after crossing the finish line that he was encouraged to compete in this race after experiencing a sense of “deep satisfaction, inner peace and happiness” after completing several 10 day ultra-marathons.
“I feel very happy to have completed all distances available in the world”, the runner stated in a press release from the organizers.
The remaining competitors are still eight days away from completing the 5,000 km (3,100 miles) race distance within 52 days, according to race requirements.
The race was founded in 1996 by the Indo-American master of meditation, Sri Chinmoy, a popular spiritual leader during the second half of the 20th century. The race was planned as a challenge for personal improvement by compelling participants to go beyond their possibilities.
In 24 editions only 45 people have completed it.
The race is usually held in a borough of New York where Chinmoy lived, but this year,
Deutsch
English
Czech
Youtube channel "Thoughty 2" has produced a fun video putting the numbers of Sri Chinmoy 3100 Self-Transcendence Race into perspective. The video explains how the race was set up by spiritual Teacher Sri Chinmoy and how, in its history, only 44 individuals have completed the race.
Original article at Salzburg.orf.at (translated into English here)
5.000 km run in the park: Italian leads
Monday evening, the runner and yoga specialist Andrea Marcato from Venice completed the first thousand kilometers of the 5,000 km "Sri Chinmoy Race" in a small park in Salzburg-Lehen. This year's race, which is taking place for the 24th time, had to be relocated from the New York district of Queens (USA) to Europe due to the CoV crisis.
At the Glanspitz-Park in Salzburg's Lehen district, sports history is being written in these days and weeks. Five ultra-long distance runners and yoga specialists will be dueling here until November over 5,000 kilometers (or 3,100 miles) and over 52 days.
Total distance corresponds to 120 marathons
Do you run regularly? If so, then you know how it feels: when you can run five, ten or even 20 kilometers. Maybe you also know from your own experience how people feel when they manage their first marathon as amateurs. After many weeks, months, sometimes even years with consistent training and iron discipline.
Even for many competitive athletes and long-distance professionals, it is hard to believe what can now be seen in the small park near the Salzach power plant in Salzburg-Lehen: The length of the course is equivalent to almost 120 marathons. Over a period of about 52 days, every day from 6.00 a.m. to midnight, the athletes run, walk and rest in between. The 5,000 kilometers can only be managed if everyone covers an average of about one hundred kilometers per day.
Salzburgers in the race too
A local hero, 52-year-old Ushika Muckenhumer, is also running. He runs a store for musical instruments in Salzburg. In addition there is the Italian Andrea Marcato (38), who lives in Zurich, the Czech Milan Javornicky (46), who lives near Prague, the Irish Nirbhasa Magee (41), who lives in Iceland, and Ananda-Lahari Zuscin (45) from Kosice in Slovakia. They will complete the total distance on 4,780 laps in the small Salzburg park next to a popular children's playground in Lehen. One lap is about one kilometer long.
All runners are employed, spend almost all their free time in meditation or running training and call themselves yogis. They belong to the network of the ultra long distance runner, yoga and meditation master Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007), who is active on all continents. He once lived in India and the USA.
“What is the point of it all? Pure delusion?”
Organizer of the race in Salzburg is Priyavadin Reisecker, a mathematician and native Upper Austrian from Hochburg-Ach. He runs a vegetarian restaurant in the state capital and has himself participated several times in ultra-long distance races that lasted up to 15 days: "That's tough compared to a normal marathon, but no comparison to what we experience here over more than 50 days.
Pure delusion? Endless running in circles, completely in the sense of the former self-knowledge of Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda? Well, you could look at it that way, Reisecker smiles: "In the end, it's not about triumphs over others, not about running down competitors, but about our own ego and the things that lie deep inside our souls. At this distance, a person emotionally goes through almost everything that is conceivable, negative and positive, in addition to physical suffering and joy.
Global crisis: "Trust leads to the goal”
Is this a special kind of these ego trips, for which many types of extreme sports are famous and some are notorious? "The world is currently in a deep crisis, the negative energies seem to dominate massively. Many say that an end is not in sight. But our participants are convinced that they are not only circling around themselves here, but that they can also motivate many people not to let themselves be left hanging. There is always a way. And it continues even from the great lows if you tackle it, trusting yourself and others. And of course the runner's role model of our yoga master Sri Chinmoy plays a role in this," says Priyavadin Reisecker.
Even the doctor in charge is amazed
The Austro-American Tom Drekonja has a practice for orthopedics in Salzburg. He is also an expert and assessor for Austrian state authorities in aviation medicine and an aircraft pilot. Drekonja now examines the athletes as a volunteer at regular intervals when they take breaks: "I am surprised that they all have excellent hemoglobin values, even though they are vegetarians. Normally, a person can only achieve such performances if he or she has enough red meat on the menu as a source of iron. But their vegetable diet is extremely good and carefully selected. The main problem is that they do not lose too much weight over the seven weeks. So eat, eat, eat ..."
Weight loss as a danger
Under these conditions, a runner will consume about 10,000 kilocalories per day. Priyavadin Reisecker's Salzburg organization team includes numerous volunteers from Austria and abroad - men and women who take turns and complement each other over six weeks in the intensive care and nutrition of the five runners. They cook and organize practically the whole day. In addition, there is the work of caring for wounds and muscles. Each athlete "destroys" between 15 and 20 pairs of running shoes on the total distance until November.
Salzburgers can hardly believe it
From day to day more and more passers-by of all ages and social classes are interested in the race. The organizers would like some cyclists to pass by more slowly in the small park so as not to endanger anyone on the circuit.
The lovingly designed refreshment station for the five athletes at the supply tent is particularly striking. During our ORF local inspection, the Salzburg pensioner Willi Hecht, a still good tennis player and athlete, also came by, together with his wife Sieglinde, who is in a wheelchair: "I've been noticing the tent for days, but I thought it was just one of the many charity events. Now I know the data, facts and background. You need time to really understand it. These five men make the impossible possible. We come here every day now."
Translated by DeepL
Original article at Salzburg.orf.at
This week, the Irish Examiner featured an interview with Nirbhasa Magee. Nirbhasa, from Ireland and currently living in Iceland, is a three-time finisher of Sri Chinmoy 3100-Mile Self Transcendence Race. Nirbhasa first completed the race in 2015, and last year (2019) he finished in second place with a personal best of 48 days+09:04:57. The article by Cathal Dennehy examines the inspiration and motivations which help Magee accomplish this Herculean effort.
In the interview, Nirbhasa explains how he copes with the intimidating distance of 3,100 miles.
“It was always very important to never think of the whole thing. Sometimes all you want is to get to the next break, then hopefully once you lay down a bit it’s a different race. You need a very good inner feeling for how far you can push it. It becomes a spiritual exercise. You have to run for the right reasons; if you run for ego or vanity, it’s reflected in the decisions you make and the outcomes of those decisions: injuries, heat exhaustion.”
For nearly two months of the year, Nirbhasa is running around one small half-mile loop in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Whilst this may seem very challenging from an outer perspective, Magee reveals how the complete immersion in the race, and the atmosphere of self-giving that surrounds it, gives him a profoundly different outlook on life when the race is over.
"If I have issues or something that keeps annoying me in normal life, when I finish the race that isn’t even a thing anymore. You do these races and realise there are very few real problems in my life. You get this real perspective that comes from inner peace.”
Harita Davies is one of only eight women to complete the Sri Chinmoy 3100 Mile Self-Transcendence race with two finishes and a best time of 51 days+09:35:20 (in 2019). In a new podcast produced by Nathan Gardner at "We can remake the world" Davies gives an hour-long interview talking about meditation, peace, self-transcendence and the experience of completing the world's longest race. During the interview, Harita gives insights into how meditation can help tap into a deeper part of one's being - an essential aspect in a race as gruelling and challenging as the 3100 Mile Race. She also talks with Nathan about the work of Sri Chinmoy in promoting peace, meditation and running activities. Harita also talks about the support and inspiration she gained from people around the world whilst running the 2019 race as the only woman in the field.
"I feel our state of mind and consciousness can have a direct impact on the world, and through the practise of meditation we can develop a greater awareness of how we can affect the world in a positive way."
- Harita Davies from Podcast.
Nathan Gardner also interviewed another great female 3100 Mile Runner Yolanda Holder.
Listen now
Globo TV, Brazil's largest network, produced a 12 minutes feature about the 2019 race for their popular Fantastico programme, which often attracts between 35 and 40 million viewers. During the course of the summer, a Brazilian TV crew came on many different days and filmed the race from every different perspective: during the heat of the afternoon, the start of the race, even during pouring rain.
(Photo: Ashprihanal at scoreboard after completing the 3,100-Mile Race)
The Flemish newspaper Net Nieuwsblad, details the 23rd Annual Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race.
"16 uur per dag lopen rond hetzelfde blokje, 52 dagen lang: acht atleten lopen 5.649 rondjes in New York".18/07/2019 om 14:08 door Marc Vermeiren
For complete article in Flemish...
Google translation of article:
"Even De Cauwer and Wuyts do not get this completely talked about. Running circles increasingly tend to be longer, heavier and crazier. And the greatest madness is currently taking place in New York, where eight brave people have been working on the 23rd Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race since 16 June. Their trajectory? A total of 5,649 tours of 880 meters around the same block of houses in the Queens district, accounting for almost 5,000 monotonous kilometers."
"With its 4,989 kilometers, the Self-Transcendence is considered the world's longest official running race. That is from Antwerp to Omsk, deep in the Siberian steppe. Or to Kuwait, far on the Arabian Peninsula. Anyone who would undertake such a trip traverses beautiful landscapes and enjoys changing views. Anyone who completes the Queens block almost 6,000 times will always see the same thing: a playground, the busy Grand Central Park-way, the Thomas Edison High School, a baseball field and a series of anonymous homes. And again. And again. And again."
"The runners have time to reach the finish between June 16 and August 6, accounting for an average of 95 kilometers per day. This edition is over halfway. Ashprihanal Aalto leads the way, a Finnish postman with a lot of breath and few friends. He is being followed by Nirbhasa Magee, who is 35 kilometers behind. Aalto has held the course record since 2015, when he needed 40 days and a handful of hours to reach the finish line. The 48-year-old mileage eater reached the finish fourteen times, winning eight times. His motivation? “If you run a marathon, you feel good. You will feel better if you have completed 100 kilometers. And when you have reached the 5,000 kilometers, you feel even better. Along the way you end up in a special zone. "
"And let that be precisely the intention of founder and name giver Sri Chinmoy, the half-sole behind this madness. He wants to give participants the opportunity to break through their physical and mental limits. Hence the name Self-Transcendence. Freely translated: self-transcendence. Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007) was a spiritual leader, athlete, musician, poet and philanthropist. His interest in self transcendence and the power of the human mind permeates the competition. When the physical forces have reached their limit, the good man thought, the spiritual energy must take over. And that is infinite. Sri Chinmoy set a good example herself. After he moved from India to the States in the 1960s, he started ultralooping and weightlifting. Sri Chinmoy claims that he has composed 6,000 songs, written 1,100 books and made a few thousand paintings. For a man with so many high-minded ideals, Sri Chinmoy used a pretty prosaic reason for the location of his race. He simply lived near the trail."
Mount Everest
"Is the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race more difficult than climbing the Everest or swimming across the Channel? The harassment of Queens has so far only been successfully completed by 43 people, while more than 4,000 people have already conquered the Himalayan giant and nearly 1,500 swimmers have crossed the straits. Per lap, an altitude difference of around eight meters must be overcome, which after 5,000 kilometers rises to around six times the Everest. Every day the walking direction changes, so that ankles, knees and hips in the turns are loaded alternately. The whimsical New York summer causes additional problems. Temperatures sometimes rise to forty degrees, the humidity can be stifling and rain showers soak the participants. Because the competition takes place on public roads, the athletes have to navigate through passers-by. The neighborhood has meanwhile undergone an upgrade, but in the early years the runners had to brave beggars, homeless people and drug dealers and were pelted with all kinds of projectiles."
"Race director Rupantar LaRusso labels the first three weeks as the most difficult. "Afterwards, the athletes come to their rhythm." If that is no reassurance. The mental pressure on the runners weighs even more than the physical strain. "The human brain craves variety," said Nirbhasa Magee, the first finisher from Ireland. “But there isn't, of course. So you have to ignore the mind and go deeper into yourself. Those who have a low pain threshold, are easily bored and need more than four hours of sleep per night should stay at home. “
Coldplay
"The Welshman Abichal Watkins is one of the big misfortunes in the history of the spectacle. He once had to stop halfway through his efforts because his visa had expired. Fortunately, he had already reached the finish line twice before. Watkins stayed up spiritually by listening to Fix you from Coldplay. On repeat, two days long. "That song has something special," he said."
"The course is run between 6 a.m. and midnight, whereby the participants can choose their own breaks. The route closes at night. The remaining six hours are for eating, showering and taking care of the body. The longer those activities last, the less sleep there is left. Volunteers take the participants to apartments in the area to spend the night. The race is so long that a hairdresser is available. Some wear twelve pairs of shoes. The trotters consume around 10,000 calories a day, which means they have to eat constantly. The organization offers vegetarian meals, braised together in a converted garage, but it is just as good to grab high-calorie sweets. One participant ate three liters of vanilla ice cream per day."
(Photo: Ashprihanal Aalto receiving victory garland from Sri Chinmoy, circa 2007)
Holidays for the mind
"The STR is a kind of holiday for the mind, a mental detox. For almost two months, life has been reduced to the simplest: walking around a block. The American Yolanda Holder left herself during her participation. She calls it a transcendental experience. “I saw myself ahead. And it happened again at night. It was frightening. I descended deep into my own spirituality. ”At an event where experience is so important, you should not expect young legs. Most participants are in their forties, but the Scottish sixties Williams Sichel also reached the finish in 2014."
"The organization limits the number of participants to a maximum of fifteen. These men and women are chosen, among other things, based on their previous performances in ultra-runs and pay a $ 1,250 registration fee. Sri Chinmoy and his followers like to keep it simple. The scoreboard consists of the number of the participants, which is hung on a chain. The finishers will receive a T-shirt, a DVD and a small trophy. Self transcendence therefore does not really pay."
The Consulate General of Finland in New York congratulated Ashprihanal Aalto upon winning the 23rd Annual Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race.
"The Finnish ultramarathon runner from Vihti, Ashprihanal Aalto, has won the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race for a record ninth time, turning in a solid performance under difficult summer weather conditions. The 3100 Mile Race is the longest certified road race, and the New York Times has dubbed it the “Mount Everest of Ultramarathons”. This year’s race began on the 16th of June and has lasted all through the summer. We congratulate Ashprihanal warmly on his victory! " Link to Facebook comment »
Also the Finnish ultra running web site, ultrajuoksu.fi, covers Ashprihanal's finish at the 23rd Annual Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100-Mile Race. Complete article, located on the home page