The longest day of the year in terms of sunlight had a big following, as seven of ten athletes reached 60 miles and beyond. The humidity was a bit lower, the fitness of each runner was on the rise. Vasu Duzhiy and Kobi Oren continued their assault on lethargy by running 74.08 miles (119.23km) to carry the rest behind them. William Sichel had his second straight 65.3-mile day, which was the third best total overall. He has moved from ninth to seventh. All three women met or slipped past the mileage requirement for the day. Six people reached the 300-mile mark today as well. Tomorrow should be an interesting one, if only for the six-day totals and the discussion that will surely accompany it.

 

Smarana Puntigam-300 miles= 4:07:35:29;  Sopan Tsekov-300 miles= 4+11:18:19

Surasa Mairer-300 miles=4:13:47:54; Ananda-Lahari Zuscin-300 mi= 4+12:48:15

William Sichel-300-miles=4+16:54:17; Kaneenika Janakova-300 miles=4+17:26:16

With picture postcard summer weather in the area, but few clouds, the stalwart ten runners continued their journey. Kobi Oren sliced two laps off the four–lap lead of Vasu Duzhiy with a fine 72.99 mile day. This was Kobi’s first Day leader appearance. Vasu was not too shabby himself, reaching 71.89 miles. This little competitive jousting at the top of the leaderboard has helped the other runners. Smarana Puntigam ran 64.21 miles to remain in third place, Surasa Mairer widened her lead in the women’s list with 62.56 miles, and Ananda-Lahari Zuscin ran another solid outing with 65.85 miles. After three days, eight of the ten runners are still on pace to finish. Of course, this extremely small sample size forgets that seven full weeks remain in the race. But hope springs eternal for the multi-day runner. ‘You Gotta Believe’.

The Twenty-Second Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race began precisely at 6:00 am sunday morning on the famous .5488 of a mile (883.2079 meters) course that has been used for the last 23 summers by the SCMT, designated as the longest certified footrace in the world. Ten runners from seven countries stood for the call to run up to 18 hours a day, for a maximum of 52 days, in hopes of reaching a new level of awareness, and aceing the test of ability, staying power, fortitude, and perhaps a helping of luck to reach such a ponderous goal. Temperatures were moderate in the morning, modulating up to the high 80's by afternoon (28ºC). Ananda-Lahari Zuscin of Slovakia was the early leader, hoping to increase his total of finishes to half a dozen. Kobe Oren and Vasu Duzhiy revved up to overtake Mr Zuscin , as both men pushed during the late hours, right up to midnight, only seconds apart, as their 152nd lap denoted 83.42 miles completed(134.25km). Smarana Puntigam from Vienna Austria was pulled along, willingly, to a solid 75.73 mile day. Scotsman William Sichel posted a fine 70.8 miles as he returned after a four-year absense. Surasa Mairer from Vienna Austria and Kaneenika Janakova from Brastislava, Slovakia were within a lap of each other just before the end of day curfew.  The warm temps will stay for two more days before relief arrives, just in time for the start of summer. Good Luck runners, we will be watching you.

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...

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!

 

Harita Davies finished fourth in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race, conquering the 5649 lap course in 51 days+12:48:14. It was her first finish and first attempt. She averaged 60.158 miles per day(96.815 km). She was a model of consistency throughout the seven and a half-week race. About four hours later, the pedestrienne Yolanda Holder became a legend, walking the entire 3100 miles and finishing fifth overall in 51 days+17:00:13. She became the oldest woman to finish the 3100 mile race, and only the second American woman to complete this difficult race. She is the first pure walker to attempt the distance. She has now set many age-group women's best marks for daily totals, as well as miles and kms. 

Nidhruvi Zimmerman-2700 miles- 51+12:43:51

Sergey Kuzmin- 2700 miles- 51+17:39:52

Harita Davies finished fourth in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race, conquering the 5649 lap course in 51 days+12:48:14. It was her first finish and first attempt. She averaged 60.158 miles per day(96.815 km). She was a model of consistency throughout the seven and a half-week race. About four hours later, the pedestrienne Yolanda Holder became a legend, walking the entire 3100 miles and finishing fifth overall in 51 days+17:00:13. She became the oldest woman to finish the 3100 mile race, and only the second American woman to complete this difficult race. She is the first pure walker to attempt the distance. She has now set many age-group women's best marks for daily totals, miles and kms. 

Nidhruvi Zimmerman-2700 miles- 51+12:43:51

Sergey Kuzmin- 2700 miles- 51+17:39:52

Harita Davies all but settled the competiton for fourth place overall with another solid day of 62.01 miles. She has but 197 laps to go to finish comfortably tuesday evening. Yolanda Holder reached 60.36 miles to stay close to her plan for finishing. She has 221 laps remaining, to be divided by two days. These two ladies deserve plaudits for their fine talent and performance under pressure. They were not expected to be on the scoreboard as finishers, but finishers appears to be their happy fate. The Day leader honor, however, went to another first-time runner- big Andrey Andreev- who rocked 70.24 miles out of his lighter, athletic body. He has supposedly lost nearly 13 kg from constantly moving for 16 to 17 hours a day the last 50 days. He also looks about 7 or 8 years younger, after a summer of running and running.

Nirbhasa Magee- 5000 km- 49+02:08:41

Sergey Kuzmin- 2600 miles- 49+12:01:10

Nidhruvi Zimmerman- 2600 miles-49+15:56:27

Kaneenika Janakova is on the cusp of greatness in the 3100 Mile Race. She starts Saturday with 96 laps to go (52.64 miles) in order to reach a personal best, a women's all-time best, and the performance of the race. She leads the mark of the great Surasa Mairer of Austria by 77 laps (42.26 miles), and will have tied the highest placing in 3100 Mile history by a woman (second), set by another immortal- Suprabha Beckjord of the US in the first 3100 Mile Race in 1997. She leads Nirbhasa Magee of Ireland by ten laps. He was 2 days 11 hours ahead of his split at 3000 miles from 2015. Both Kaneenika and Nirbhasa should finish the race by nine-thirty, and ten-thirty in the evening,respectively, if form holds. Harita Davies and Yolanda Holder continue the pursuit of laps in earnest. They are facing four more days of holding the difficult pace needed to finish. Stay tuned, folks.

Kaneenika Janakova-3000 miles-47 days+04:19:20- women's all-time best; old record-Surasa Mairer-47+16:33:18 (2015)

Nirbhasa Magee-3000 miles-47+06:0-9:27

Yolanda Holder-2800 miles- 47+02:15:07

Sergey Kuzmin-2500 miles- 47+08:56:40

Nidhruvi Zimmerman-2500 miles- 47+17:36:08

Ananda-Lahari Zuscin- 2400 miles- 47+14:08:45