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Stutisheel Lebedyev completed the 3100 Mile Self-Transcendence Race for the ninth time today to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd. His wife and daughter, who have been helping him the whole time, were delighted and relieved as he crossed the finish line once again. He battled some difficult times with a few health complications which he bravely faced and patiently fought through to come out victorious in the end. Although it was not his fastest time in this race, crossing the finish line in any time is a great personal achievement for anyone. Tomorrow, the last day of the race, we should see Nirbhasa cross the line in the early evening. The other remaining runnners: Kaneenika, Baladev and Ananda-Lahari, will not cover the full 3100 miles, but nevertheless will stay the course until the end and celebrate their own personal victories as well.  The ultimate goal of 3100 miles is not always reached by everyone in the race. Yet self-transcendence is still experienced on many levels. All of the runners, regardless of the distance covered, have demonstrated this powerful concept each and every day.

Surasa Mairer, from Vienna, Austria, set a new women's record, breaking the old record that was set in 1998 by Suprabha Beckjord. Surasa finished in a stellar time of 49 days, 7 hours, 52 minutes and 1 second. She was crowned with the victory wreath by Suprabha herself in a joyous ceremony at the exciting finish. Stutisheel passed the 3000 mile mark earlier in the day and is poised to finish tomorrow afternoon.  Just before midnight Nirbhasa reached the 3000 mile mark as well with a small crowd of enthusiastic supporters to cheer him on.

Click on the arrows above to see some photos from this eventful day. Below are a few short videos to give you a taste of the day's excitement.

Surasa's finish

Nirbhasa's 3000 Mile mark

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Atmavir Peter Spacil completed the 3100 mile race for his 8th finish. He place 5th overall this year in 48 days, 7 hours and 13 minutes. a huge crowd was on hand as this very strong Czech runner overcame some health hurdles during the race to finish strongly in the final days. With six runners left in the race which ends at midnight on Tuesday, August 4, there is still lots of action and excitement to come.

Author Martin Fritz Huber presents a detailed examination of the 2015 Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100-Mile Race in his Augsut 12, 2015 Outside Magazine online article, "The Path To Self-Transcendence Begins with 3,100 Miles". The article centers on runner Nirbhasa Magee and his answer to several of the author's quesitons. (Photo: start of the 2015 race. Nirbhasa Magee, second from left in white t-shirt).

From the article:

"On Tuesday, August 4, at 6:12 p.m., a former IT professional named Nirbhasa Magee completed a half-mile lap around a nondescript block in Queens, New York. That may sound like an unspectacular feat of endurance, but what distinguishes Magee from most other joggers plodding around Joseph Austin Playground, is that, over the course of the last 52 days, the 35-year-old Irishman has done the .5488 mile loop 5,649 times, an astounding total of 3,100-miles."

For the complete article...

The Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100-Mile Race home page...

Every day is a special day in the 3100 mile race. So many people come to help, sing, support, and cheer on the runners. Today, Jim and Annette Magee, the parents of Nirbhasa, came all the way from Ireland to cheer on their son in his last few days of reaching the ultimate goal of 3100 miles. They showed up on the course as he was making a turn toward our 'camp' in the evening before sunset. It was a joyous occasion for the whole family, including Sadanand, Nirbhasa's brother and helper. Later in the night Surasa, our woman leader, passed the 3000 mile mark, well on her way to a great 3100 mile finish soon. We also witnessed a big and bright 'blue moon' which is when a full moon ocurrs for the second time in the same month. This only happens about every 3 years or so. To add to the excitement of the day, Atmavir will finish tomorrow afternoon after reaching 3000 miles early this morning as the excitement in this epic journey continues towards the end. 

Yuri had completed the 3100 miles last night with no time to complete his 5000 Km, an option which the runners usually do to get an official time for 5000 kilometres. It means running about 7 miles more, or 13 laps. He completed these laps early in the morning today to a small crowd on hand to cheer him on with bells and applause. In return he stayed to cheer on the runners who are still completing their miles as the race will go on through day 52, next Tuesday. The weather is getting hotter and humid but in the middle of the day today we had a hard rain which brought in cooler temperatures. The remaining 7 runners keep running no matter what the weather as friends and helpers maintain their support for these incredible athletes.

Alison Mann from RedBull.com interviewed new 3100 Mile Race world record holder Asprihanal Aalto:

"Imagine running 3,100 miles — that’s New York to San Francisco with a few miles to spare. It’s a long way, but perhaps it's made bearable by the varied scenery captured along the way, right? But what if you ran that distance by completing 5,649 laps of the same 0.55-mile route in Queens, New York, running for 18 hours a day? That’s what Ashprihanal Aalto just did, and he managed it in a record-breaking 40 days, 9 hours, 6 minutes and 21 seconds. Oh, and did we mention that this is the eighth time he’s won the event, known as the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race? That’s a lot of running around the block! We spoke to him to find out what drives a man to go to such lengths."...

Read complete article on redbull.com >> 

It was a very hot and humid day today. But most of the runners fared well as they are getting closer to the goal. They also get inspiration when they see their fellow pilgrims finally reach the goal. Late at night, Yuri finished this great race for the fourth time, with a personal best in 45 days, 16 hours and 45 minutes. There was a large, enthusiastic crowd on hand to cheer him on, congratulate him and sing for him.

Each runner in this race has their own victory no matter where they place in the rankings. Today Vasu finished third with a fantastic time of 44 days, 6 hours, 10 minutes, averaging just over 70 miles per day. This is by far his best finish in the four races he has run. As each runner finishes in their own time, the other runners feel the energy and inspiration to keep going on their own journey's. With only one week left, everyone is starting to feel the finish line getting closer and closer.

A group of women singers named 'Enthusiasm-Awakeners' sing for about 30 minutes each morning for the runners. This tradition was inspired by Sri Chinmoy, Founder of the 3100 mile race and the 'Enthusiasm-Awakeners' as well. Today they celebrated their name Anniversary-(8 years), with lots of food and gifts for runners, helpers and singers.

At the same time, Galya, who completed the 3100 mile race late last night for second place and third best time in the history of this race, completed 5000 Kilometres which is not officially part of the race. In the following video we see Galya completing these extra 13 laps or 7 miles and being greeted enthusiastically by Ashprihanal, the winner of this race, as well as a host of others present at the time.

Galya finished just before midnight, but still there was a big crowd on hand. He had a stellar performance finishing second overall in 42 days:17 hours:39 min.:59 secs. This ranks him as third best time overall for the 3100 mile race. He was the only runner to reach at least 70 miles or more in every single day of the race. Click on the arrows above to see some photos before, during and after this amazing finish of Galya along with his 'teammates' who are keeping the amazing tradition of the 3100 mile race alive, exciting and inspiring.

The video below shows Galya's exciting late night second place finish.

"Ashprihanal Aalto,44, from Helsinki Finland won the 19th Annual Self-Transcendence Race in 40 days+09:06:21, taking 23 hours,10 minutes off the record held by German legend Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk. Mr. Aalto averaged 76.776 miles per day (123.559 km).

After he crossed the line he was serenaded with songs, showered with flowers and gifts, congratulated by his fellow runners, and whisked around the course on a specially decorated float proclaiming his ascedency to the top of super-long distance running. The modest, but confident runner used two summers of mountain climbing and altitude training, combined with excellent running races and years of experience to achieve the summit of his running career. He remarked his joy and gratitude to all present, and dedicated his run to his late teacher, Sri Chinmoy, who encouraged him to always set new goals, believe in himself, and have faith in God.

Mr Aalto plans to climb more mountains next year. Indeed, he has reached the summit of running long distance running"

Sahishnu Szczesiul, 3100 Mile Race home page

The former record holder Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk sent this message to Ashprihanal

"I am tremendously happy for you - you deserve the world record! Your constancy and focus is spectacular. I have always admired you for your ease. You run like a feather. This is self-transcendence par excellence. You are the greatest! I am happy for you with all my heart."

- Read more  at Perfection Journey

3100 Mile Race home page

Incredible! Not only is it Ashprihanal's 8th first place finish in this great race, but it is a world-record by almost a full day off of a record time which has held up for 10 years until today. What seems to start out as a normal day on the 'loop' as all the runners advance from early morning, by 3 o'clock in the afternoon a huge crowd had gathered to witness an event unparalled in the history of multiday running.   Click on the arrows above to see what the day and the amazing Finn's finish were like.

The 3100 mile race is so long that, just as in life, you never know what lies ahead. As this journey to the unknown unfolds we learn from our experiences and the unknown slowly becomes the known. With this new knowledge of life and of ourselves we make progress and hopefully become better people for it. The runners in this epic journey are having this experience every day in their own unique ways as well. On my birthday today I wish to express this experience of the 3100 mile race with a poem I wrote 13 years ago, which I dedicated to Sri Chinmoy, the Founder of this amazing, on the occasion of my 50th birthday.  He had the vision of this race for years as he saw the increasing capacity for self-transcendence that multiday runners were developing. In this spirit Sri Chinmoy offered an opportunity for these uniquely talented runners to experience their own form of self-transcendence while inspiring others to do the same in other aspects of life.

Journey to the Unknown

A 3,100 mile orbit of concrete, automobiles and local humanity, 

Lightly spiced with a hint of nature 

And fed by the Grace of God, 

Supported with the efforts of friends

Who sympathize with the pain, 

The Joys 

And the challenges 

Facing at every moment

These handful of Hero-Warriors.

Running, walking, struggling 

To the beat of their own undying aspirations

In this perpetually moving Epic adventure,

These Ultimate Survivors 

Of obstacles unimaginable 

Are proving to humanity 

With their unparalleled perseverance, 

Adamantine wills

And unswerving Faith, 

That the impossible can be done, 

And the Universal Energy can be unleashed, 

To raise our standards and lift our minds 

Beyond the limits of our broken bodies 

And faithless thoughts, 

To reveal the Beauty and the Power 

Of life’s long and arduous 

Journey to the Unknown.

        Arpan DeAngelo

The race goes on for 18 hours a day as it has been for almost 6 weeks so far. Many things happen during those 18 hours every day including ocassional live music for the runners. Here is a short video of some live music to serenade the runners this morning. 

The 3100 mile race is a 'BIG' race. As a matter of fact it is the longest certified footrace in the world. To some people that does not mean much as they may not be able to grasp the scope of such an event nor value it. But even if one does not understand the nature or significance of this epic journey, sometimes there are people and media who want to understand and share it with others. Today one of the largest news stations, Fox 5, came out to understand and cover the race with a very nice piece which was immediately broadcast at a prime time spot on nationwide TV. Here is the link: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/29612087/running-3100-miles-nyc

In the next short video we see Surasa trying to answer some questions while moving with the TV crew.

Galya, the second place runner, quickly celebrates his birthday on the run as Ashprihanal, the first place runner so far, passes the 2900 mile mark. As a world record finish by the Finnish runner is imminent, many celebrations are soon approaching for all the runners who have been striving hard to reach their own goals in this amazing race, which is more like a journey to the unknown.

In the following videos we witness the amazing support of friends as Galya receives a very nice present while still moving. Then we witness part of a very quick birthday celebration for Galya as he quickly has to move on to keep his streak of 70plus mile days alive which he has done since day one.

Today was a bit hotter than yesterday and the ice and fluids were out in full force. The 3100 mile race is so long (52 days) that the weather varies quite a bit from beginning to end. Also many birthdays are celebrated here, expecially in July. Today was Atmavir's birthday and he has celebrated his birthday on the run many times. This time we got it on video  as we see a group of people sing two special birthday songs as Atmavir holds his special customized ice cream fresh fruit cake created by our great chefs in the kitchen. It was also Namrata's birthday, one of our regular and reliable counters. Without their dedicated service we could not keep track of the thousands of laps run by all the runners.

The 'real' summer has now arrived with higher temperatures and humdity. The runners are trying to beat the heat with ice in the hats, lots of cool fruit, water, slower running and other important precautions . The helpers and handlers are doing their best to keep their runners healthy and moving well. Mario, one of our Certified Nurses, comes regularly to make sure the runners do not suffer from dehydration and other helath problems.

In this short video Mario explains some of the responibilities involved in taking care of the runners.

On another day of good weather which was interupted by a strong but quickly passing thunderstorm, all the runners made some good progress towards their own goals. After passing the 2500 mile mark in second place Galya talks about trying to stay focused in the moment, just as in life and just as all the runners have been practicing since day one. No matter how close you seem to get to the goal, until you actually reach it, you have to stay focused on the present moment to make the future happen in the way that you expect. It's best if the mind remains quiet and peaceful, so there are many methods of achieving that goal throughout the day. One method that some of the runners use from time to time is bouncing a ball while they are running. Atmavir is the 'master' at using that method. Galya also has been doing this from time to time as you will see in this video. 

Great weather once again on this exciting day which started with a crowd of over 8000 devout Muslim locals celebrating their Eid Mubarak across the street from the race camp. Despite the huge crowds gathered for over two hours it was a very peaceful and friendly atmosphere with some people inquiring about our 3100 mile race. During the day three runners crossed the 2000 mile mark: Kaneenika, Nirbhasa and Stutisheel. Ashprihanal passed the 2600 mile point which leaves him less than 500 miles to go to finish the race. At his current pace, if all goes well, not only will he break the current world record of 41 days and 8 hours but he would also go under 41 days, which has been unimaginable in the history of this race so far. 

In the photos above and video below we see some of the runners making their way through the crowds of peaceful worshippers of Eid.