Andrea Marcato reached his third best total of laps today- 141-which is a ‘full sheet’ of 77.3808 miles/ 124.5323 km, in the vernacular of 3100 Mile runners. Laps are the real separation from imaginary to real. Each lap is precious to them, as it should be. Like baby steps, the runner makes progress, while recounting his or her steps from previous days. Mr Marcato is making larger increments in his totals, and the streak continues at 23 straight days over 70 miles.

The top six runners all moved past 60 miles. It rained off and on for two hours, but then cooled down the last three hours of the day. Ananda-Lahari Zuscin went past the 2000 Mile mark for the 17th time in his 3100 Mile Race career journey. At midnight began the 24-hour observation of Sri Chinmoy’s passing into Mahasamadhi. The runners will offer their gratitude for being in this remarkable event.

Cheers to ultrarunners everywhere, and feel Peace within and without you.

 

Ananda-Lahari- 2000 miles- 35:12:54:13

The morning weather became warm and sunny, with the temps up to 77ºF and the humidity rising. The afternoon turned a little cloudy, and the air shifted, bringing some relief from the post-summer warmth.  However, the heat could not delay the runners flowing running skills. Six of the seven reached 60- plus miles, with the Race leader Andrea Marcato flipping another 75.185 miles/120.99 km onto his scorecard. Mr Marcato has passed his best times in the super long schedule of the race, including 2400 miles and Day 34 totals. Japanese hero-warrior Takasumi Senoo reached 2000 miles in a faster time than his Athens warm-up race in 2020, just before the pandemic stopped New York City in its tracks. We are grateful to all concerned for the impetus to create new 3100 Mile memories on the same course as always. Carpe Diem!! Oh runners of the 3100 Mile Race.

Andrea Marcato- 2400 miles- 33:11:14:23

Takasumi Senoo- 2000 miles-33:09:54:39

An overcast but non-threatening weather summary for the runners of the Infinite road was squashed by slight breezes, which pushed any showers out of the picture. Andrea Marcato is transending his race into faster and more powerful runs. He ran 76.28 miles/122.76 km enroute to his third-best day of the entire 32 so far. In distant second-place rocks the light sandals of Wei-Ming Lo to his own drumbeat, a quick, almost jovial arm suggests he is in the moment, regardless of the time.

Vasu Duzhiy is pulling out all the stops to remain on the podium. He has had his share of difficult injuries this race, but right now he seems to be firing on all cylinders. He will hit 2000 miles mid-morning. 

Wei-Ming Lo- 2000 miles- 31:03:11:29

Takasumi Senoo- 3000km- 31:04:37:13

With three full weeks to go, the runners are moving well, but the overall wear and tear on their bodies is more and more apparent. However, the stays in medical are short and to the point. There is no time to waste. You have to give it your all. The daylight is getting shorter. There is no time to waste.

Andrea Marcato continues his onslaut with 18 straight days at 70 miles or over 113 km. Wei-Ming is just 5 miles away from 2000 miles, a new milestone in his resume. Vasu Duzhiy went past the 3000 km mark for the 9th time in his super-long career. Harita Davies followed suit seven hours later, reaching 3000km for the third time.Takasumi Senoo, the Japanese runner in the 3100 for the first time, is in the good figures by less than half a lap. 

Vasu Duzhiy- 3000km- 30:01:24:58

Harita Davies- 3000km- 30:08:29:44

The streak is now 16 straight days of 70+ miles (113+km), and Andrea Marcato is living a dream and a reality all at once. His lead over second place is a tick short of 200 miles. He is feeling strong and understands the course and his position on it. He has several new pairs of shoes coming, and enough inspiration to get to Day 44, which appears to be his finishing day.

The other six runners are feeling the joys and sorrows of each new day, each lap giving them confirmation of their place in this race, and their place in the Cosmic Reality that is everyone’s lives on this Earth. Deep you say!- yes it is deep, because they have challenged themselves once again to seek new horizons, and new methods of understanding the Unknown, and the Unknowable. Yet, the mind is not the answer in this play, the heart is the answer, the real answer. The mind is along for the ride. 

Four went over sixty miles today. 

 

Andrea Marcato- 2000miles- 28:02:51:07- PB,NR, improvement of 4 hours 25 minutes from Salzburg 2020. 

The Magnificent Seven have had their dreams fulfilled in the longest race, or not. Today, the remarkable athlete from Japan- Takasumi Senoo- became the first runner from the Land of the Rising Sun to challenge and cross the finish line within the time limit. Takasumi finished in 51:12:50:52. Mr Senoo was very thankful of all the help offered, and of course, praised his wife for her steadfast help and knowledge within. Mr Senoo and the other remaining runners endured a lot, but grabbed the brass ring, just as a bonafide N’oreaster rocked the New York area all day, with heavy rains and wind. The 25th Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race reached its conclusion, but the stories and friendships have created a lifetime of memories.

See you next year folks, when the race around the block moves forward again, one day at a time, one lap at a time.

Final results

1.  Andrea Marcato     3100 miles- 42:17:38:38                     

                                         72.544 miles / 116.748 km              

2.  Wei Ming Lo           3100 miles- 48:11:52:01                                 

                                         63.928 miles / 102.882 km

3.  Vasu Duzhiy           3100 miles- 49:12:45:26                                

                                         62.589 miles / 100.728 km

4.  Harita Davies         3100 miles-50:13:23:14                                

                                         61.319 miles /  98.683 km

5. Takasumi Senoo     3100 miles-51:12:50:52        

                                         59.864 miles /  96.341 km

Ananda-Lahari Zuscin  2871.32 miles /4620.94 km  

                                         55.217 miles /  88.864 km

Stutisheel Lebedev      2741.25 miles/4413.389 km           

                                         53.861 miles /  86.680 km

The cooler, clear sky and north westerlies laid the foundation for runners to get to more approving results. Alas, the rush for more laps increased as the halfway signs came into play, and three more reached halfway, under regulation. Andrea Marcato listed 13 straight days at 70+ miles and over. Wei-Ming Lo went home at 8:15:pm after reaching 64.2 miles, content as a chesire cat who knows some simple secret. Vasu Duzhiy rebounded from a worrisome day to 66.4 miles. Tamasumi Senoo made it before the day’s end with 1550 miles.  And finally, signaling to those following the Race that he was still in the fray, Ananda-Lahari Zuscin from Slovakia ran 78.47 miles (126.29km) before the day ended. 

Vasu Duzhiy- halfway- 1550 miles/2494.483km- 25:02:29:30

Harita Davies-halfway- 1550 miles/2494.483km- 25:03:22:19

Takasumi Senoo halfway-1550 mi/2494.483km-  25:17:37:47

Four six-day races later, the band of seven continue their onslaught in search of laps, a currency unlike any other conceived or imagined. Sri Chinmoy, the founder and primal force behind the Marathon Team worldwide, saw the promise and eventual acceptance of running on loop courses as a viable alternative to the many trail ultra-marathons that inhabit the sports world. 135 multi-day races later, and somehow the SCMT has weathered the onslaught of 36 years of long races, and revealed the mantra of our  3100 Mile flagship race- “Self-Transcendence”, to go beyond one’s previous achievements. As he so succinctly writes: ”The pride of the earthly race and the joy of the heavenly race have the same goal: Self-Transendence”.

Andrea Marcato once again went beyond his previous achievements by running to 1700 miles in 24:03:36:31, nearly nine hours faster than his split at Salzburg, Austria.

Wei Ming Lo ran several laps today, many in the rain, at about 5:00 minutes or even faster, while topping off his day by going home just past 8:30pm. He might need beauty sleep, but the 57-year-old sandal runner is doing very well in his first 3100. He is by far the quickest man on the track.  More later! 

Andrea continues to move along at a remarkable pace, the cooler nights allowing faster paces in the evenings. His last few laps each evening resemble an interval workout on the track, which many an athlete knows is macho death-traps, with intervals between the repeats becoming increasingly smaller, the pain of anaerobic running leads to lactic acid buildup stopping or forcing one to slow down. Only, Andrea instead is fighting that time clock as it heads to midnight, though he knows a lap saved is a lap earned. Ten straight 70’s ring nicely in his multiday lexicon so far. 

Second placer Wai-Ming Lo has run 23 straight days over 62.56 miles (100.68km), so, although it seems overwhelming, the sandals wearer is the world-wide envy of every sandal wearer on earth. 

Harita Davies and Vasu Duzhiy are deadlocked in third place, as an Achilles tendon has had some swelling and pain for the New Zealand running Queen. She still runs along, but without the snap in her gait that terrorized everyone watching. Like Vasu has done, she will weather the storm and emerge again as the tendon heals up. 

Hang in there, runners. You are all amazing, even if you don’t know that.