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On 2 August, Ashprihanal Aalto won the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race for a record ninth time. The modest Finn, has now completed the race a record 15 times. Despite challenging weather conditions through the hot summer, Aalto finished the 3100 miles in a time of 47 days+01:39:34. Since 1999, Ashprihanal has run 30 multi-day events, reaching the podium in all 30, and winning 21 of them. He has a total accumulated 56,138 miles (90,346km) in these 30 events (a distance equivalent to over twice around the earth's circumference!) Aalto is still the course record holder set in 2015 with a time of 40 days and 9 hours. After the race, Aalto spoke about what drove him to keep coming back to take on these challenging races.

“If you want to keep coming back here, you have to have something to motivate you. And if the numbers don’t motivate you, then you have to find something within.” (Westchester News)

After finishing the race, Aalto offered thanks to those who had supported him and the race. He received a message of congratulations from Finnish Consul General. Shortly before he finished Aalto was asked how he dealt with the challenge of running so many miles, Aalto replied he just took each day as it came.

“I’m learning to not even look at the miles. If you’re counting every mile, it can seem impossible,” (Westchester News)

Aalto was asked about the importance of winning the race, he replied that winning is secondary to the experience of taking part in this unique race - the greater importance is the inner challenges and mutual respect for his fellow competitors. Aalto said on the prospect of winning:

"This is like a pilgrimage so we all try and go together. I have not been thinking about that too much. I am just trying to run the race.”

“It has always been clear to me that there is an outer race.  Then there is this inner thing... Now I am trying - and it is not always easy - to feel that the spiritual is more important than the outer part.” (Interview at Perfection Journey)

A day later, Nirbhasa Magee from Nirbhasa finished in second place, with Vasu Duzihy (a previous winner of the event) expected to finish today in 3rd place Harita Davies of New Zealand is on course to finish the 3100 miles and be the first women in the race.

Inspiration

The race has captured the imagination of people around the world. After being featured on the BBC website (and CBBC), the race has seen many first time visitors come to the course to see this unique race in action. The race has also featured in a recently released film - Run and Become. After screenings in New York, many viewers were inspired to come to the course and see the race for themselves.

Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the race, hoped that ultra-distance events like this would be an opportunity for people to learn to transcend their limits and discover the inner power and determination that lay latent in all of us.

“Self-transcendence gives us joy in boundless measure. When we transcend ourselves, we do not compete with others. We do not compete with the rest of the world, but at every moment we compete with ourselves. We compete only with our previous achievements. And each time we surpass our previous achievements, we get joy.”

– Sri Chinmoy

On 16 June 2019, eight intrepid runners took to the start line of the world's longest certified road race - the 23rd edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. Over the next seven weeks, the runners will aim to complete a daily average of 60 miles or more in order to finish the race within the official time limit of 52 days. The runners have to contend with the hot New York summer, a hard concrete course and the many physical and mental challenges of competing in this epic of self-transcendence.

The race was founded by spiritual teacher and ultra-runner pioneer Sri Chinmoy, who saw distance running as a vehicle to enable runners to bring to the fore their physical, mental and spiritual capacities to complete this unique challenge.

“We have to believe in a higher Power.
Only by believing in a higher Power
Can we go beyond and beyond
Our limited, human capacity.”

– Sri Chinmoy [1]

In this year's race, we have Asprihanal Aalto from Finland, an eight-time winner of the race and current course record holder for men in a time of 40 days+09:06:21. Also returning to the race is three-times winner Vasu Duzhiy from Russia, he is the current champion, having won in 2018. Other returning 3100 Mile runners include Smarana Puntigam (Austria), Nirbhasa Magee (Ireland), Ushika Muckenhummer (Austria) and Ananda-Lahari Zuscin (Slovakia). The only women running this year is Harita Davies - who returns after a gap of two years, to see if she can improve on her first time finishing of 51 days+12:48:14. Todor Dimitrov from Sofia, Bulgaria completes the field and he will be making his first attempt at 3100 Mile Race.

As well as the eight runners, there is a crew of dedicated volunteers who put on the race, including counters, medics, cooks and the organising crew.

Video of day one

The race featured at the BBC

To follow the race

• Daily results at 3100 Mile Race
• 3100 Mile home page - with Web Cam and race director's videos.
• Perfection Journey - Daily race blog by Utpal Marshall
• Photos by Jowan

The Sri Chinmoy 3100 Mile Self-Transcendence Race is the world's longest certified footrace. In this - the 22nd edition of the race - ten runners completed a combined total of 28,475 miles around a modest block of concrete paving in Queens, New York, a journey akin to running the entire circumference of the earth, plus an extra 4,000 miles. Yet, behind these impressive statistics is an even more profound inner experience, as the runners seek to discover untapped reserves to overcome the physical and mental challenges of running this 'Everest of ultra-distance racing.'

Outwardly, there is little reward for sacrificing two months out of the year to come to this concrete block in New York, and yet there is an inner pull which attracts runners to keep coming back.

“This race was challenging because of the weather.  In the end, I am so happy and only grateful that I have done it.  You know at the end that it was worth the struggle.  I am just happy that I took the challenge and I could do it.  So at the end, there is always gratitude and gratitude.”

Surasa Mairer, women's winner

The 3100 Mile Race was founded by Sri Chinmoy in 1997, evolving out of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team's pioneering promotion of multi-day distance events. Sri Chinmoy saw the innate human drive for self-transcendence as a process which could give a real sense of satisfaction.

“12 years ago when I completed my 2nd race here in 2006, he (Sri Chinmoy) was giving an interview to a journalist of a local TV station.  It was four hours before my finish and, as I was running by, I heard Sri Chinmoy saying, 'we can be truly happy only when we constantly transcend ourselves, both inwardly and outwardly.'”

Sopan Tsekov, Bulgaria, fifth-place finisher

After finishing the race on his first two attempts, Sopan returned five more times to the race and was unable to reach the 3100 Mile goal. Yet, the pull of the race is so strong, Sopan returned this year and finally managed to finish with little more than an hour to spare before the 52-day cutoff.

Kobi Oren from Israel is an ultra-running legend with an impressive palmeres. A third of the way into the race, he held a narrow lead over eventual winner Vasu Duzihy, from Russia. Yet as Vasu gained the lead and moved further out of reach, Oren began to experience that this unique race was about more than just winning, and he felt the inner necessity to live this unique opportunity to the full. He ended up finishing second, but the outer disappointment was more than compensated by the inner fulfilment.

"If it is just to run 1,000 miles three times more then it is worth nothing.  So I thought to myself, I want to do something else.  So when I decided to change after I had completed my first 1,000 miles.  Which I did in a record time of 13 days I decided I had to live differently.  Then came the change.”

Kobi Oren

Vasu Duzihy, the quiet-spoken man from St Petersburg, retained his title from 2017, winning the overall race for the third time with his seventh consecutive finish. As he crossed the line, he spoke about the inner meaning of the race.

“Everybody who finishes the race is the winner.  I think the race is a game of the Supreme, and we just play our roles.  It makes no difference if you win or you are second or last.  It is just a game that you need to play your own role...If by running here we are able to inspire others to go to to try new things and go to their limits. To do something in their own life.  To be a better citizen of the world.”

Vasu Duzihy

The second women's finisher was Kaneenika Janakova from Slovakia. She is the women's course record holder, breaking the record in 2017 with a time of 48 days+14:24:10. However, in this year's race, physical difficulties mid-race meant that at one stage she was 40 miles behind the daily average needed to finish the race. For any runner to fall behind the daily minimum of 60 miles is challenging both physically and mentally as it means the runner needs to exceed their previous daily average, despite the increased fatigue as the race progresses. However, like the other runners, she approached this philosophically and saw it as a challenge to overcome.

“What I am observing is that my miles are not what they should be to finish the race.  But just the same I feel that the more the race is happening, the more I want to continue.”

Kaneenika Janakova, after 3 days

Her reward was to finish on the last day of the race, with less than an hour to spare.

Like Oren, Ushika Muckenhumer from Salzburg, Austria also joined the illustrious list of finishers on his very first attempt. He finished in a time of 50 days+07:34:46 after a very consistent race.

To run a marathon is a considerable achievement, but to complete a race like the 3100 Mile Race in 52 days, is beyond anyone's comprehension. Even after 22 years of running the list of finishers is very exclusive - just over 40 names.

William Sichel hails from a tiny island in the Orkney Islands, Scotland with weather and conditions almost the complete opposite to a humid New York summer. In 2014, at 60 years of age, he became the oldest person to finish the race. This year, Sichel finished with a total of 2904 miles but still found time to appreciate the opportunity of this unique race - which brings the runner such a range of emotions and feelings, often all within the same day.

“This is all such an unusual experience, in every possible sense.  Both athletically, physically, and mentally.  It is such an unusual thing to do.  There are only a handful of people in the whole world that have ever done this. But those are the experiences that you take with you to the grave.  But you have to do them to get the benefit that they will always give back to you.”

 William Sichel

3100 Mile race 2018 - final results

1. Vasu Duzhiy, 52, St Petersburg Russia                44 days+16:03:53
2. Kobi Oren, 46,  Kiryat Tivon Israel                       46 days+03:24:48
3. Ushika Muckenhumer, 50, Salzburg Austria      50 days+07:34:46
4. Surasa Mairer, 59, Vienna   Austria                    51 days+12:47:37
5. Sopan Tsevtan Tsekov, 37, Sofia Bulgaria         51 days+16:46:38
6. Kaneenika Janakova, 48, Bratislava Slovakia     51 days+17:06:59

• William Sichel, 64, Sanday, Orkney Isles. Scotland   2904.2496  miles
• Smarana Puntigam, 47, Vienna   Austria                   2886.6880  miles
• Ananda-Lahari Zuscin, 43, Kosice   Slovakia             2874.0656  miles
• Yolanda Holder, 60, Corona, CA USA                        1210.6528  miles

At this race, there is no prize money or commercial presence. Occasionally, some outside media do visit the race, but mostly it involves long days of running around a modest and diverse borough of Queens.

Related

• Perfection Journey - Interview with runners, blog by Utpal. All quotes above are taken from Utpal's blog
• 3100 Mile Race photos by Jowan

Even for elite runners, it is by no means guaranteed to finish the 3100 mile race within the 52 day cuttoff on your first attempt. This year  aw two runners do just that - Kobi Oren from Israel crossed the line in 46+ days, becoming the third fastest first-time finisher, and Ushika Muckenhummer from Salzburg, Vienna followed suit on day 51.

Matthias van Baaren has been sending us all kinds of interesting race graphs and statistics for many years now; this year he has compiled a list of first time finishes over the years. As you can see, in the early years the race often went past the official 51-day limit at Sri Chinmoy's discretion, but then in 2010 the limit was strictly enforced at 52 days. In 2011, the race organisers had to shut down the course due to an extended heat wave of over 100 degrees, which extended the deadline to 54 days.

Vasu Dhuzhiy, from St Petersburg in Russia, is a two-time winner of the 3100 Mile Race, including a victory in last year's race despite having to spend many months during the previous year recovering from a serious back injury. 

Recently he was invited on a tour of the Ural region, visiting 4 cities - Prem, Omsk, Ekatirinburg and Chelyabinsk and giving many talks to marathoners and running enthusiasts. The tour started auspiciously right from Vasu’s arrival at Prem airport - a new airport terminal was being dedicated that day, and the Governor of Prem was there handing out free suitcases to the first 5 passengers who were arriving that day. When Vasu came out from the luggage area, he was very surprised to find the Governor waiting for him to shake his hand and present him with his free suitcase!

The talks usually began with a slideshow presentation, and then Vasu started talking about his experiences at the race; the inner aspect of the race, about meditation, concentration, positive thinking and so on. Vasu is well known in the Marathon Team for his gracious and humble manner, and this aspect of his talk, along with his frequent humorous anecdotes, was very endearing to the audience. The talk was followed by question and answer sessions which often lasted from hours. During one talk in Omsk, Evgeniy Nepsha, the winner of 24 hour race in the Russian championship, attended and later stayed behind to share many useful things from his experience - he even helped to organise another informal talk in a yurt-shaped Mongolian tea room.

The talks also attracted quite a lot of TV and newspaper coverage in the different cities.

Related

• TV news from Chelyabinsk (starts right away after short Advertisement)
• TV news from Perm (starts from 1:05 min)
• 3100 Mile Race homepage

Harita Davies of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in New Zealand, was selected as one of the '2017 Inspiring People of the Year' by "Walking 4 Health", which was founded by Guinness World Record holder and 3100 Mile Race finisher Yolanda Holder.

In her first effort at the New York City based race, Harita finished the race just within the 52 day cutoff in a time of 51 days, 12 hours, 48 minutes and 14 seconds.

How was she able to climb this "Mt. Everest of Ultrarunning" (as described by the New York Times)?

As she cites in the article: "As it happened, right from the beginning the whole experience felt like I was flowing in the river of God’s Grace. Each day was a world unto itself, bringing with it new challenges on every level- especially physical and mental. Yet at the same time, the never-ending obstacles and challenges were teaching me so much!" For the complete article...

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...

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. 

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 »

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.

As the contest between Yuri Trostenyuk and Ashprihanal Aalto comes down to the wire, we have a timely graphic from Maathias Van Baaren showing us just how close this race is compared to previous contests.

Using a statistical projection, the two are scheduled to finish just 3 hours apart; however now that the race is in its final hours, the laws of statistics may just go out the window...so stay tuned!

As those of you who have been following the race know, we have occasionally received incredibly beautiful and detailed race statistics from 3100 Mile race enthusiast Matthias Van Baaren from Vienna which were a huge inspiration for our daily charts. We had not recieved any in a few weeks, and were wondering a little what happened...

Matthias checked in with us just recently and explained the delay - on day 21, his son was born! Matthias says that's the reason everything is taking a little longer to finish, but he is still working one to two hours every day the stats (between diaper change).  Matthias says that maybe the above photo of his son (who he assures us is a fan of Surasa Mairer, also from Vienna) is the first picture of the future winner of the 50th 3100 Mile Race, in 2046....

Here are the race stats from the last 4 weeks for your perusal:

• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5
• Week 6

Matthias van Baaren has been giving us these beautiful graphics reports for quite a few years now! He has just sent us a 23-page graphic report detailing the entire first week of the race, you can see a few of the pages in the slideshow above.

The full PDF is available to view here »

On 19th June, 12 intrepid runners lined up for the 20th edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. Over the next  seven and a half weeks, the runners will attempt to complete 3,100 miles - which requires an average of just under 60 miles per day. 

The event was founded by Sri Chinmoy, a spiritual Teacher who saw ultra-distance running as an effective way to encourage physical and spiritual self-transcendence.

Last year, Asprihanal Aalto (Finland - lead runner on right in blue t-shirt) set a new course record finishing in a record time of just 40 days and nine hours to complete the 3,100 miles, averaging an astounding 76.7 miles a day. This year he returns to attempt a different record of completing the event for the fourteenth time - which will be one more than ultra-distance legend Suprabha Beckjord. Surasa Mairer (Austria) also returns a year after setting a female record for the event in a time of 49 days 07:52:24.

As well as the 12 runners, there are also numerous organisers, cooks, counters and volunteers who help to keep this unique race in motion over the summer months in Queens, Jamaica.

Start of 3100 Mile Race

This video, by Utpal Marshall captures a small glimpse of the opening moments of the race - the activity and dynamism of the runners and organisers, combined with an inner serenity as the challenge looms ahead.

How to follow the 3100 Mile race

• 3100 Mile home page
• Perfection Journey - video / photo blog by Utpal Marshall
• Latest Results

The 3100 Mile Race in the media

• Media coverage of 3100 Mile Race

Photos: Jowan

In 2015 Ashprihanal Aalto of Finland completed the 19th Annual Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race in the record breaking time of 40 Days, 9 hours, 6 minutes and 21 seconds for his 8th first place win.

From Ultrajuoksu.fi, the top ultra-running site in Finland:

Pekka Ashprihanal Aalto was elected the best Finnish male ultra-runner for the year 2015. The best Finnish female ultra-runner for the year 2015 is Noora Honkala, who is the youngest female ever who has finished Spartathlon, a race from Athens to Sparta, 246 km. In September 2015 she did it for the second time. The election was organized by ultrajuoksu.fi and only persons who had finished at at least one ultrarun were eligible to vote. After the nomination ceremony, Ashprihanal gave an interview to our reporter.

For the complete interview...

The Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100-Mile Race was highlighted as one of '5 extremely extreme races' in the December 2015 issue of British Airways' 'High Life' inflight magazine.

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

"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

Nirbhasa Magee comes originally from Ireland, but has been living for the past couple of years in Iceland. Here are a couple of interviews he had before the race start:

• 100km a day for 52 days - interview with Morgunblaðið, one of Iceland's 2 main daily papers (that's Nirbhasa's picture on the left below the mast)
• Irish man to attempt world's longest road race - interview with Irish Times

We've just created the biography page for the 2015 runners - you can read it here...