Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team articles

For people who happen to be fans of both the New York Times daily crossword puzzle and the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race (we know you're out there!) the January 17, 2018 puzzle was a double treat.

The Times ran a short article going through some of the clues of that puzzle. The clue for 27 across was 'Marathon leader'. As co-puzzle author (and NYT crossword debutante) Alan Southworth relates, he was wondering if people unfamiliar with ultramarathoning would get the answer (Ultra). Looking into the matter, he came across the the 3,100 Mile Race which has been the subject of much discussion ever since. The photo in the article shows Yolanda Holder en route to completing the race in her inaugural effort in 2017, the first person to do it solely by walking. The Times ran a lengthy profile of Yolanda in July, which you can read here...

For more on the 3100 Mile Race, you can always visit the homepage...

Most ultra-runners have to balance training for many hours a day with the demands of their regular life, and Jayasalini Abramovskikh is no exception, working at least 9 hours a day at her job as an economist. Jayasalini has run our 6 and 10 day race many times, and in 2014 became the first Russian woman to complete the 3100 Mile Race. She talks how she keep her really long runs for weekends and public holidays, how she varies her training, and (interestingly) how she prefers to undertrain rather than overtrain.

In her interview, she also talked about how she got into ultrarunning in the first place:

Related

• Running in rhythm with the heart: Jayasalini's book about her 3100 Mile experience
• Video: Jayasalini talks about her 3100 Mile Race experience

Sri Chinmoy spoke many times about how people could get the most inner joy from doing ultra distance events. The excerpts here come from a talk given at the closing of the 2005 3100 Mile Race, as well as answers to questions asked by Suprabha Beckjord, a 13-time finisher of the 3100 Mile Race.

Special places

Dear runners, when you go around the course, try to discover two or three special places where you feel that you are getting joy. Even on a 400-metre track when you do long distance, there will be a few special places. You do not know why, but when you reach those places you get automatically a new burst of energy. Try to remember where you get energy or joy. At that spot, Mother Nature is helping you.

Keep the mind cheerful

Always try to keep your mind happy and cheerful, cheerful! Cherish all your sweet memories….every day, the way seekers recite from the Upanishads and the Vedas and slokas from the scriptures, you can also do the same by recalling your divine experiences. And if you are a singer, then inwardly sing and outwardly sing. In as many ways as possible, keep yourself happy, happy, happy, happy! Just see in how many ways you can make yourself happy. 

This happiness is of utmost importance. When you are unhappy, no matter how sincere you are, no matter how hard you try to improve your time, you cannot do it. But when you are happy, your timing automatically improves. Happiness is strength, a new supply of energy.

Fool the mind

Every morning, when you are starting to run, you have to feel that this is the only day that you are running. Then, when tomorrow comes, again think that this is the only day. Otherwise, you may lose patience when you have to run more than a month. To try to always maintain dynamism is out of the question. If you try to have dynamism, you will fall down so many times! The best thing for you to do is to fool the mind by saying, "Oh, this race is only for one day." Then you will take rest. When tomorrow comes, again you will think, "This race is only for one day." Always divide it. Every day when you start, if you can convince yourself that it is only for one day, then you will think, "Oh, I can easily do it. Only last year I ran 3,100 miles. Today I cannot run 60 miles? Easily I can do it!" Since quite often the mind is fooling us, we have to use our wisdom to fool the mind.

Enthusiasm and eagerness

Now the question is, what qualities do you need to bring forward from your inner life while you are running? The first one is enthusiasm. Who embodies enthusiasm? A little child. Who can be more enthusiastic than a child? He enters into a garden and runs here and there, here and there, appreciating everything that he sees. Then, in addition to enthusiasm, you need eagerness. Again, who has more eagerness than a little child? If he plays with a toy, he is so eager, his whole world is the toy.

If you can feel that you are a five-year-old or six-year-old child, tiredness will not come into your mind. A child does not know what tiredness is. He knows only enthusiasm and eagerness. Never think of sixty miles or 3,100 miles. Never take the distance in that way — never! Only run for the joy of it.

Enter into the heart

Now, while running 3,100 miles, you have to deal with fatigue — when you are tired, exhausted, dead. As long as you are in the mind, you will always have fatigue, tiredness, weariness and everything. But the moment you enter into the heart, there is no fatigue. What you will find is constant energy.

If you are in the heart, there is a constant supply of energy and sweetness. We all have to develop sweetness. Sweetness is not masculine or feminine. People say that only girls can have sweetness and not men, but sweetness is not something masculine or feminine. Sweetness is a reality which is constantly supplying us with newness and freshness.

Early in the morning when you get up, if you have a sweet feeling inside you, then everything is beautiful. If inside you there is sweetness, the whole world is beautiful.

Running inside your heart garden

While you are running this long distance, you are seeing hundreds of cars passing by and so many people are making noise. But you should feel that you are not running around that big block; you are only running inside your own heart-garden where there are beautiful flowers, plants and trees. If you can not only see but feel that each time you are going around you are only running inside your beautiful heart-garden, then you can bring sweetness into each and every step that you take.

The surface that you run on is solid concrete. I cannot even walk on it. When you are running around, after an hour or two hours or a few days, this solid thing that you feel you are striking against starts striking your mind. You start thinking, "This is so bad. Every day I have to do sixty miles," this and that. But who counts the mileage? It is the mind. The mind is saying, "Oh my God, today I have to do sixty miles, and I have not yet done twenty miles!" Then you are finished! The mind, your worst enemy, is coming to torture you.

But the heart is not counting the mileage. The heart is only running, running, running. Then at the end of that session, the heart says, "Now let me see how many miles I have done." By that time, perhaps you have done forty miles already. The heart does not calculate. The mind calculates from one to two, two to three, three to four and so on. The mind tries to go to the destination by cutting, cutting, cutting. But the heart tries to see and feel the starting point and the end at the same time. For the heart the destination is not somewhere else. Only for the mind is the destination somewhere else. The heart will simply say, "Please take me to my destination."

Do not run with the mind. Even if today you fool the mind, tomorrow the mind will come back with redoubled trickeries to make your life miserable. You should say to the mind, "You stay with your trickeries. I want to play with my heart-toy, not with you. You consider your toys as beautiful, but I don't agree. In those days I was a fool; I enjoyed you. But now I am wise. I want to enjoy my heart-toy. The heart-toy always brings me happiness and newness, newness and happiness."

These excerpts are taken from Sri Chinmoy's books My Golden Children and Run and Smile, Smile and Run

The video channel Mad Lab features some epic records from around the world.

In this video, of 10 impressive records, they feature a short clip on the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race - which is the world's longest certified footrace in the world. Video also features other distance records including most miles covered in 24 hours.

• For full video
• Just 3100 Mile segments starting at 1.50

Photo: Pranjal Milovnik enroute to completing the 3,100 Mile Race in 2014.

Pradeep Hoogakker, a member of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team and a 2011 Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race finisher, was interview on KBS Kyoto Radio, Japan on October 22. The 10 minute program has been aired for 15 years, and is the first of this kind in Japan, specifically dedicated to lay runners. The runner-radio host Ms. Wakabayashi, a well-known figure in the running world, dedicated the whole 10 minute program for this interiew. The blog is in Japanese with an English translation to follow. (Photo; Pradeep completes 1,000 miles enroute to his 2011 finish)

KBS Radio Interview (in Japanese)

The following is a translation of the KBS Radio interview by Ms. Harashita Sunaoshi:

Teach Us! Fun Run

Let’s Run aired October 22

“The World’s Longest Certified Race 3100 Race”

I (the runner-host Ms. Junko Wakabayashi, aka Waka) interviewed Mr. Pradeep Hoogakker from the Netherlands, who completed this race in 53 days and 9 hours in 2011!! (with the translator Ms. Harashita Sunaoshi)

“3100 Mile Race”

• Started by Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in New York in 1997, continuing for 20 years.
• 3100 miles = 4989km (approximately 5000km)
• Race Track: 5649 laps of a 880m-long loop
• Cut-off: 52 days (To complete, the runner has to run at the pace of 95.9km per day.)
• Note: In the year Mr. Pradeep did the race, the cut-off was extended to 54 days due to the extreme heat.
• 39 runners completed in the 20 years
• The race track was open every day from 7am to 12 midnight.
• 7000 to 10000kcal must be consumed each day, equivalent of one week’s food intake for a person with normal activities.
• The kitchen crew cooks customized food for each runner.
• The runners use up 10 to 12 pairs of shoes.
• Average temperature: 30C, Humidity: 80-95%

Waka: What brought you to the race?

Pradeep: One day, while I was meditating after having a good run, the idea of running the 3100 mile race spontaneously came to my heart and I felt inner thrill. I had been to the race a few times as a helper before. I got advice from the runners then, and trained myself for 6 years. I trained to run long distances, starting from 10km a day, 40km once a week, and up to 100km once a month. I also practised how to eat while running, as well as trying different running outfits and shoes.

Waka: And the actual race came. Didn’t you get bored running 5649 laps?

Pradeep: Everybody asks that question! Actually, many ultra races have loops instead of a straight route. It actually makes a lot of sense since you can have your own table where you can put your belongings such as shoes and supplements. Also, you feel everybody is running together—from the fastest to the slowest ones in the race. We can inspire each other, and we feel oneness, which is really good.

Waka: Still, it’s sooo long. How did you keep your motivation?

Pradeep: We told different jokes to each other!

Waka: What was most difficult?

Pradeep: The first 10 days were really difficult. My feet were not used to running on concrete; at night, my whole body ached and could not sleep. My mind started thinking, “How can I run tomorrow being like this?,” which made me sleepless. But as weeks went by, I learned that I could run even if I had not been able to sleep the night before. Something within myself recovered with renewed energy.

Waka: What was most moving?

Pradeep: There were many things. I felt oneness, and one morning, as I watched the sun rise, I felt as if the sun was rising inside my own heart. And I felt: This is life…!

Waka: You experienced Life…yet, your feet must have been…?

Pradeep: All blisters! Can I say something gross?

Waka: No thank you! Did you discover something new about yourself?

Pradeep: I realized I had a tendency to feel sorry for myself. So I had to conquer that. I could not complete the race unless I could truly feel I could do it. The process of overcoming my weaknesses became a valuable experience.

Waka: Has your life perspective changed after the race?

Pradeep: Yes. The wonderful experiences during the race stay inside myself even after the race finished. I feel that happiness means progress; going forward. In ordinary life, many times we think we are going forward but are actually going round and round in the same place. But in this race, though we were running round and round, I felt I was going forward. Those are what I learned through the race. My weaknesses unavoidably came forward so I had no choice but to conquer them, which led to joy and happiness.

Waka: What is your goal now?

Pradeep: There are many. Everybody needs a new goal. My first aim is to improve my marathon time, from 3 hours 4 minutes to under 3 hours. I also want to write a book about my 3100 race experiences. Most importantly, I feel Sri Chinmoy’s philosophy “Self-Transcendence” is wonderful. No matter what field you are in, the important thing is to transcend yourself.

Waka: You have said so much today that resonate with our souls: ‘Continuous self-transcendence,’ ‘Importance of feeling inner thrill in your heart’, and ‘Happiness means progress’.

Dear listeners, are you doing something that thrills your heart? Are you trying to transcend yourself now? Yes, you can start today! I was so moved to meet Mr. Pradeep. Thank you so much!

On August 8, Harita Davies became the first New Zealand woman to finish the 3100 Mile Race, breaking the overall NZ record in the process. Her fellow New Zealanders seem to be pretty inspired by it, as evidenced by the amount of media coverage she has received! Here are links to some of the interviews:

• TVNZ's News One programme, as well as appearances on the Breakfast Show
• TV3's Newshub: meet the woman running two marathons every day
• Radio New Zealand's Nine to Noon and Sunday Morning programmes
• Newstalk ZB radio: Kiwi runs 96km a day in ultramarathon
• In print: New Zealand Herald and Central Leader

In one of the interviews, when asked about different problems during the race, Harita replied:

"I've had shin spints and ankle problems, probably every part of by body has had problems, but the amazing thing is that the human body has this incredible capacity to go on and to heal itself…Sri Chinmoy really promoted these races as a way to tap into the unlimited potential that we all have within ourselves and to go far beyond the problems of the mind, because the mind will always say that its impossible."

This is the second in a series of articles from Smarana Puntigam, a 20-year veteran of multidays, on dealing with the many challenges that a multi-day race can throw up...

Rainy weather is a real challenge for a multiday runner. The rain can soak through and make you cold and miserable, and also lead to chafing and blisters. Keep an eye on the weather reports and try and anticipate what the rain is going to be like, and plan accordingly.

1. Keeping dry

There are multiple options that one can choose from, depending on the type of rain and your physical strength at the time.

• A cheap plastic raincoat is very efficient and keeps the rain out. However, if used for a long time, it may lead to overheating. After a while, you also get wet from inside because it is not breathable.
• Even with breathable jackets, overheating and sweating is an issue, particularly with heavy Gore-tex jackets and trousers. There are paper thin rain coats and trousers on the market, for example those from H2, that are breathable and also quite inexpensive. Some runners cut the legs of their trousers short to allow more breathing.
• Running with an umbrella has the advantage of not sweating as much, and also keeping the rain off your feet for a while. But in the course of time it needs extra energy to carry. Smaller umbrellas are better for running; for walking and shorter periods of time bigger umbrellas keep the feet dry for longer. 
• Ponchos keep the rain off and allow the air to circulate inside, however they can be troublesome in windy conditions.
• For short spells of rain, you can also try and time your breaks to coincide with the rain. Some areas (such as NY) are more difficult to predict the exact arrival of weather than others due to competing weather systems, however usually the forecasting models 'converge' an hour or two before the rain starts and you should be able to plan with plus or minus 15 minutes accuracy.

2. Chafing

As soon as there is moisture and friction, the danger of chafing is very high.

• It might be possible to tape areas that are likely to chafe.
• Before you get a problem you can also apply petroleum or other creams that help to reduce the friction - in the long run, however, it is better to keep these areas dry. Corn starch is a very efficient solution, as is talcum powder with zinc, or powder with essential oils.
• Compression shirts and compression tights can be a big help in rainy weather to prevent chafing.

3. Blisters

The most important thing for a runner is to keep his/her feet dry. If your feet are wet, the likelihood of blisters multiply exponentially. 

• If the rain is scheduled only as short and heavy rain, try to run with a large umbrella to keep the rain off your feet.
• Some runners apply coconut oil or olive oil to their feet, before it rains, so that the feet do not absorb water and crumple up the skin.
• Change shoes and socks as soon as the rain is over, and apply powder to your feet for faster drying.
• During longer spells of rain, you should not run for too long without changing your shoes and socks - a good rule of thumb is 90 minutes, although you may have to change sooner if your feet are more sensitive. A prepared runner will pack enough socks to last a long spell of rain. It is obviously more difficult to have as many shoes, but you should have at least 2 pairs on standby in addition to the pair you are running in. If it looks like the rain will last longer than a few hours, you can dry your shoes by stuffing them with tightly-rolled newspaper, which will absorb the water. A good helper saves you a lot of time here, especially because you may have to replace the newspaper after 90 minutes or so if the shoe got completely soaked. However if the rain persists and you need to use the shoe again after 3 hours, it should be dry or almost dry.
• When the sun is back out, remove the insoles and leave shoes and insoles to dry in the sun.

Smarana Puntigam has been running multiday races for over 20 years, including the 3100 mile race eight times. This is the first of a series of articles on dealing with common issues that crop up during multiday races...

How to avoid blisters? - that is a big one for a multiday runner. If you do shorter races, blisters are inconvenient, but easy to deal with because you do not have to run on them the next day. However, once you have blisters in a multiday event they can really influence your performance a great deal. Depending on the area the blisters appear in, and whether they get inflamed, the range of pain goes from hardly-felt to “I think I have to stop, I just can not take the pain.“ So, the best thing is always to prevent blisters in the first place.

Here are the main issues to deal with:

1. Wet feet

One of the most important things is to keep your feet dry - if there is a lot of moisture, the skin gets very sensitive and prone to blisters.

• Powdering your feet several times a day with foot powder or baby powder can help you to reduce the friction in the shoes and to keep your feet dry. There are also excellent crèmes that keep the feet soft, elastic and reduce also the friction. Vaseline is not so good, because it does not allow the feet to breathe and I always feel that my feet are sliding around too much inside the shoes. However from my experience if the race is longer than a day, powder is the way to go.
• There are runners whose feet simply sweat more than others, and who will always have wet feet. Many runners cut open their shoes to let the steam and heat out of their shoes.
• Rain makes the skin on your feet 'crumple' and become much more blister-prone. Our article on rainy weather has a whole section on this... 

2. Choose your socks wisely

• The big variety of socks is sometimes confusing - there is such a big selection of socks, each promising their own special feature.
• Don't use cotton socks - they get soaked with sweat and moisture, which does not go away. This was one of my main problems when I started ultra-running and that is why I got a lot of blisters. Dipali Cunningham, one of the leading female multi-day runners, was shocked when she saw me showing up for my first 700 miles race with cotton socks, and gave me valuable information in this regard.
• Use socks that are not too thick and are made of a fabric that does not store water (i.e. coolmax). For example Nirbhasa Magee, who ran the 3100 Mile race in 2015 and 2017, is very fond of WrightSocks, a thin sock with a double layer - this means the layers of the scok rub against each other rather than the skin. 

3. Ill-fitting and narrow shoes

• 

  Don't take new shoes for marathons or long distances; it takes some time for the shoes to get the right shape for your feet. They have to get used to one another. The shoe size should be at least one number bigger than the size of your foot, with plenty of room in the toebox so your toes don't rub against the front.
• When you are running ultra distances your feet keep swelling, and you may need extra wide shoes. The first day you can still run in your usual running shoe, but as the race progresses, your feet keep changing. A shoe that perfectly fits on the morning of the third day of a multi-day rice, might not fit any more in the evening.
• Also you may need a different insole, or to cut the one you have. The insoles that come with the shoes are not flat in the heel area, but have edges that bend upwards. As your foot swells, the heel doesn't fit any more into the area of the insole and the edges of the insole can cut into the heel and sides of the foot, creating blisters.
• Blisters or potential blisters on the toes or sides of the feet might be alleviated by cutting away the part of the shoe that is rubbing against it, as long as it does not affect the shoe's stability. You will probably need to cut down all the way to where the top of the shoe joins the sole to remove the friction.

4. Hot feet

Where there is friction, there is heat.

• Some use creams to reduce the friction, but on the long run from my experience powder is the way to go, since it keeps the feet dry and reduces the friction.
• Again, cutting your shoes reduces heat as well as friction.
• There are creams that help to cool down your feet. The skin absorbs the cream, so that you can take powder after some time.
• During breaks, you can put your feet into a plastic bag and put them into ice water to cool them down and reduce the swelling.
• Changing your socks and shoes frequently will help to air the feet and get rid of moisture and heat. 

5. Taping 'hot spots' and callouses

• As a runner you most probably know your 'hot spots' - areas of the feet that very easily turn hot or red during a run. If you don't know them yet, check your feet after a longer run and try to locate them. Once you do know them tape them before ultra runs. You can use paper tape or very thin tape, but do not use kinesiology tape - it creates a lot of heat and you will get blisters right there.
• If there is a callous - very often in the heel section - take it away with simple sand paper or special tools from the drug store. When the feet start to swell during multi-day runs, the normal skin is elastic and can expand, while the callous cannot. Spots like that are predestined for blisters.

Running in rhythm with the heart, Jayasalini Olga Abramovskikh's account of her epic finish of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race, is now available in a new English translation.

In 2014, Jayasalini became the first Russian woman to complete the race when she crossed the line in 51 days, 12 hours and 31 minutes - less than 6 hours before the cut-off. Before she attempted this race, Jayasalini was also a regular participant in the Sri Chinmoy 6 and 10 day races held every April in Flushing Meadows, Queens, invariably finishing in the top three runners.

In the book - subtitled 'A book on the love of running, and the dream to cross the finish line of the longest race in the world' - Jayasalini talks about what inspired her to contemplate such a long race, her training and preparation, and her experiences during and after the race. Originally published in Russian, the English translation came out this month.

• Purchase the book on Amazon
• Video: Jayasalini talks about her race experiences

Vanity Fair (italian edition) highlights the American racewalker and fashion diva, Yolanda Holder, as she tackles the longest certified road race in the world, the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race.

"La signora Holder, conosciuta come Walking Diva, è stata invitata alla più lunga gara del mondo dai discepoli del religioso Sri Chinmoy: «L’importanza di superare i propri limiti»

«La corsa mattutina è la bellezza della purezza, la corsa serale è la luminosità della spiritualità». Parola di Sri Chinmoy, un religioso indiano scomparso nel 2007 secondo cui la pratica sportiva anche estrema è una tra le vie praticabili per aspirare alla personale illuminazione. La signora Yolanda Holder, una cinquantanovenne afro-americana madre di due figli, in realtà non è una sua discepola, ma date le sue incredibili capacità fisiche è stata invitata a partecipare alla Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race, la più lunga corsa del mondo, organizzata in onore del maestro spirituale."

for complete article with photos...

"The new women’s record for the world’s hardest run was rewritten by a Slovak, 47-year-old Kaneenika Janáková from Bratislava. After 48 days, 14 hours, 24 minutes and 10 seconds she reached the finish of the longest and the hardest run in the world – 3,100 miles (4,988 kilometres) in New York. She beat the world record by more than 17 hours. In the final ranking, she ended up in second place behind runner Vasu Duzhiy from Russia. He won the 21st Annual Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race, finishing the run in 47 days +05:39:00."

for complete article in the Slovak Spectator...

We spotted this article in Indian online magazine, the Quint:

"Call him Forrest Gump if you like, but you cannot help but be awed at Samir Singh’s passion for running. The 44-year-old has been running 100 kilometres every day through the busy streets of Mumbai since 29 April.

"But why, you ask?

"It feels amazing to see the goal is about to be achieved," says Singh, who has been running for as long as he can remember. He set about on his mission after drawing inspiration from the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race, the longest certified footrace in world that is held in New York."

for complete article with video »

For more on the "Faith Runner"

(photo: all 10 runners at completion of the 2017 Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile race)

This year, Yolanda Holder aimed to be the first person to complete the 3100 Mile Race race by walking the entire distance. The New York Times' Corey Kilgannon came to visit the course and wrote a profile beginning as follows...

"On a recent weekday, a woman in hot pink exercise wear and a matching fedore strode briskly but effortlessly down a sidewalk alongside the Grand Central Parkway in Jamaica, Queens. The woman, Yolanda Holdler, 59, an endurance racewalker known as the Walking Diva for her fashionable race outfits, has drawn attention as a first-time entrant to an unusual race held every summer in which runners circle a single block for more than seven weeks straight, 18 hours a day, breaking only between midnight and 6 a.m. to sleep."

• for the complete  2017 New York Times article »

Excerpt from Norwegian Airlines in-flight magazine N By Norwegin, QnA, June 2017:

"Very few people have ever finished New York's 5,000km, eight-week-long Self-Transcendence Race, which really pushes runners to the limit.

"If a jog around the block sounds like sufficient exercise to you, spare a thought for a group of runners in New York who, this June, will lap the same block in Queens more than 100 times a day for eight weeks, in an attempt to clock up 3,100 miles (4,989km).

"The Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race - founded in 1997 by spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy, who believed sport could enhance spirituality - is the world's longest foot race and undoubtably one of the most gruelling. Taking place entirely along concrete pavement and with limited views (a high school, a playground and baseball field), the race takes place from 6am till midnight every day, and runners cover at least 96km a day for 52 days.

"The have a mindset where they don't think about the distance. They just think, 'How many laps do I have to do today?' and break it down that way,' says associate race director Sahishnu Szczesiul. 'The runners don't think of it as a mental challenge, rather as an oportunity to  do something for their spiritual lives."

for more on the 2017 Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race

"If you take your jogging seiously, you should try the world's longest race. Participants in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race, named after an Indian meditation teacher, run from 6am until midnight for 52 days. The route takes them repeatedly around the same block in Queens, New York, and averages two marathons plus 10km per day. After a total of 3100 miles (5000km), runners are sure to have transcended the limits of consciousness." From the May issue.

Visit Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile website...

Visit Airberlin In-Flight Magazine website..

Update: As of last weekend, the goal has been reached!!!

As well as the next edition of the 3100 Mile Race which starts on June 18, we are also eagerly looking forward to a new documentary - 3100: Run and Become - which promises to be the definitive exploration of why ultra-runners do what they do.

For thousands of years, cultures all over the world have used running as part of their cultural and spiritual expression. The documentary's director, Sanjay Rawal, and crew spent time with the Navajo Nation in Arizona, the famed running monks of Japan and the Kalahari Bushmen in Botswana, as well as spending many days filming at last year's 3100 Mile Race. Editing of the film has already started, and a Kickstarter project attracted a lot of enthusiasm, reaching its $75,000 goal to enable the filmakers to complete the film by late summer.

On the Kickstarter page, you can find a 3 minute preview of the film, as well as updates on how the funding has been going. 

'This race is all about how things that seem impossible actually can be very possible...'. So begins our interview with Jayasalini Abramovskikh, who in 2014 became the first female Russian finisher of the 3100 Mile Race. She describes how she found the prospect of asking for two months off her job as an economist in Moscow to participate in the race quite daunting, but how if you are meant to do something then it will all work out.

She also talks a little bit about her goals after the race: "For me the answer is to have that deep inner connection with my soul, with my inner being, at every moment of my life, as strong I had during the race. There, the conditions are so extreme, that every momnt is a sincere prayer, evey moment is a sincere cry, and every moment I felt my soul expressing itself in through me. Now i feel the real objective, the real goal for me now is to to be able to feel this during any moment during the whole life."  

Photo: Ashprihanal Aalto of Finland completes the 3,100-Mile race in 2015 in a record-breaking time of 40 days 9 hours 6 minutes and 21 seconds.

The Joy of Six is a regular series of articles from the Guardian which focus on unearthing sport's hidden treasures. This week, the focus was on the worlds most unusual and bizarre races, including the world's longest certified race organised by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team - the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race.

The article notes: "The race was founded by noted spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy, who opened the first meditation center in Queens after moving to the US in 1964. Finishers needn’t complete the full 3,100 miles, but that’s hardly the point. The goal is right there in the name: self-transcendence, achieved by pushing yourself beyond your physical limits." 

Other races mentioned included the  Iron Man ice competition in Arizona, the Man v Horse marathon in Wales and The Big Five marathon in South Africa, where participants have to dodge the big five game animals: lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhino.

Read the article »

Sandhani Fitch has been marking and certifying courses for Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team races ever since the very first race in 1977; here he shares a few interesting details about how the now-famous course for the 3100 Mile Race - a half-mile loop around a high school, sports field and playground - came to be chosen. 

I have worked on Sri Chinmoy’s running races since the very first Sri Chinmoy 10.6 mile race in Greenwich, Connecticut. Sahishnu (Sczeziul, associate race director) and I plotted a scenic course in northern Greenwich that was a hilly single loop. Sri Chinmoy had just begun his own personal distance running career and by the following year, with one more similar Sri Chinmoy race in New Canaan, Connecticut, we got some feedback from him. The first directive was to select flat courses! Secondly, Sri Chinmoy wanted aid stations at one-mile intervals for the runners. A year or two later he recommended using a one-mile loop for most of our races, no matter the overall distance.

These outer conditions that he proposed laid the foundation for the multi-day ultras he asked us to stage in the following years. The race directors in short time evolved into the team we have now. Sri Chinmoy always had faith that we had the willingness to do what he asked. We never questioned his requests, and with the amazing help provided by so many Marathon Team members in so many ways, his vision became a reality.

In the early 1990’s Sri Chinmoy asked if his students could stage a 2700-mile race! It took about 4 years of searching for staging areas for the race until we finally saw that no park was going to let us occupy an area around the clock for 47 days. He then said to stage it within 5 minutes of our neighborhood. We, in turn, asked about running for 18 hours and closing the course for 6 hours, and he said fine. We were then left with the choice between our current 2-mile race course around Jamaica High School, or what is now our 3100-mile course which I measured and submitted for certification. Our concerns were that it was only a little over a half mile and that it was a concrete sidewalk and not a softer “blacktop” surface. You know the course Sri Chinmoy chose.

Two general but profound things I have always felt about Sri Chinmoy’s races: First, he created them according to his vision, and was never bound by the conventions of the racing community. The distance or the time was always somewhat different, the previously mentioned conditions were applied to all the races, and the services and human contact with the participants provided by all the team members volunteering was very significant.

Second, and most meaningful to me, is what Sri Chinmoy brought to the earth consciousness in and through these events. God alone knows what he does, but I have always been able to feel it. The reason he could do this is because the races are totally his creation, and are made possible by the self-giving of all his students and volunteers and, most importantly, the willingness and determination of the runners to conquer these enormous distances. The Marathon Team makes the commitment to put on these huge races, because the runners themselves are so committed to complete the task put before them.

Cara Giaimo, October 03, 2016 on website Atlas Obscura.

"Over her 23-year career, Suprabha Beckjord raced enough miles to circle the globe twice. Sure, she looks patient enough, smiling over the cash register. Maybe she's got an extra bounce in her step as she helps someone pick out a greeting card. But customers at the Transcendence-Perfection-Bliss of the Beyond gift shop in Washington, D.C. likely don't realize that Suprabha Beckjord, the 60-year-old woman standing behind the counter, isn't just the store's helpful proprietor—she's one of the greatest endurance athletes the world has ever seen." For complete article.

Photo: Suprabha with helpers after she completed the 2004 Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race.