About the author:
Tejvan organises short-distance running and cycling races for the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in his home city of Oxford. He is also a very good cyclist, having won the National hill climb championships in 2013 and finished 3rd in the National 100 Mile Time Trials in 2014.
Lo Wei Ming - finishes 2nd overall in new PB
Lo Wei Ming
Lo Wei Ming
Tsai Wen-Ya
Tsai Wen-Ya with Kaneenika Janakova (former WR holder)
Wei-Ming Lo, 59, from New Taipai City Taiwan (ROC). finished his third Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race in his fastest time of 45 days +08:41:27. His previous best was 46 days +15:01:43, so he was one full day better this year.
To get to such a lofty finish, Wei-Ming covered 17 of the last 19 days in 71+ miles, including 14 days over 72.4 and 74.3 miles, with two days wrangling 79.4 miles. He averaged 68.343 miles/ 109.986 km per day. He then completed the 13 extra laps needed to reach 5000km in a sparkling time of 45 days+ 11:16:51. These top personal results are National records and Asian records. His age 59 result was also a new world fastest performance in such an age group long distance (55-59).
New Women's World Record for 3100 Miles
Another staggering performance was a new women's world record by Tsai Wen-Ya, 54, Taichung City, Taiwan (ROC). During the race, she set several new bests for various distances. Today Wen-Ya reached a new record for the 3100 Mile Race, in a time of 45 days +12:28:44. The previous best was set in 2017 by Kaneenika Janakova from Slovakia - 48:14:24:10 (June 18-05 August).
The runner was so grateful to her daughter and son-in-law – who provided excellent support over the past few weeks. After a celebration amidst a continuous rain shower, Wen-Ya continued her final journey, adding 13 more laps to reach 5000 km. The official time was 45 days +14:56:42. Previous best was 48 days+14:56:42, again a performance in 2017 by Kaneenika Janakova (18-June-05 August).
You don’t just wake up one morning and decide to go out and run 3100 Miles. Like any long journey, it can take years of preparation. Our two Taiwanese heroes have years of experience running 24 and 48-hour races, before pushing their boundaries further with six and ten-day races. For Wei Ming, a third finish in the 3100-mile race at age 59, his fastest time to date, illustrates so well that age is no barrier to achievement if we set our heart on a goal. His joyful enthusiasm and never-ending childlike energy have enthralled us all these last few weeks.
Wen-Ya, in her first venture beyond ten days, has gone about the task with a quiet yet determined attitude. Every day, day after day, she has pushed out the boundaries of what women can achieve in multi-day races. The multiple records set over the last few weeks have reached new pioneering standards. One hopes many others, will be inspired to follow in future years. For now, she can relax in the knowledge, that she dared to dream, and the dream has become a reality.
[Report by Sahishnu and Tarit)
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