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.Andrea has less than 300 miles to go
- Andrea Marcato still leads the race. After 41 days you feel he must be sensing that the finish is within reach. He ran 65.4 miles yesterday to finish on 2,821.6 miles, leaving him with less than 280 miles to go.
- Radu Budan recorded the day’s highest mileage, running one lap more than Andrea with 65.8 miles. That leaves him with a cumulative total of 2,726.1 miles, around 95 miles behind Andrea.
- Lo Wei Ming finished the day with 63.7 miles and a cumulative total of 2,613.2 miles.
- Annabel Hepworth closed out the day with 59.8 miles and a cumulative total of 2,585.7 miles.
- Vasu Duzhiy ran a slightly below-par 55.5 miles, but still looks very solid. He joins the four others who have now reached 2,500 miles, finishing the day on 2,522.2 miles.
- Nayaja Perugini is still troubled with a foot issue, which slowed her to 35.8 miles for the day. She has a cumulative total of 2,445.4 miles.
- Nina ran 44.5 miles, leaving her on 2,092.2 miles.
- Stutisheel topped 50 miles again yesterday with 50.5, to finish on 1,900.8 miles.
- Ananda-Lahari ran 44.6 miles to finish on 1,894.7 miles.
- They both had the satisfaction of reaching 3,000 kilometres.
— Tarit Stott
Interview with Andrea Marcato
Can you say something about the philosophy behind the race?
Of course. Sri Chinmoy's philosophy is about Run and Become — accept the outer world and proceed, but in the inner world as well. So as Sri Chinmoy students we try to unite the inner world and the outer running, so that we get more inner strength and can put it into the outside world, into the outside running.
And of course there is also the self-transcendence philosophy, which is part of the name of the race. This is the 3,100 Mile Self-Transcendence Race. Over such a long distance it is not always possible to do better, but somehow that is part of the game.
The most important thing that Sri Chinmoy stressed, I guess, is the never-give-up attitude. Whatever happens, accept and go forward, accept and go forward. Don't complain, don't get depressed. Whatever happens, just accept it and think of the next step, and try to go forward. And eventually, at the end, you will see that you have completed the whole picture. So that is the main thing, the most important thing.
So how has your race been going this year?
Well, it was very intense. We had a few days of rain. So far it is kind of okay — I mean, it is not my own standard, but what can I do? You have to accept whatever comes. And it is still very long. I don't think about the end, I think day by day. So let's see how it evolves. Today is a very nice day, so I'm happy.
And why do you like to do such a difficult race?
Well, you know, I did well in the past few editions, so I just try to keep going somehow. And this is part of my sadhana, part of my spiritual practice, and it is very important for me. I take it as a spiritual endeavour, a spiritual discipline, and I'm really happy. It gives me joy and I feel I am doing something worthwhile.
And what do you get at the end of a race like this? How do you feel? How is it different?
Well, I have to say that every year you get something different. But somehow at the end of the race I always think that things will change — that you have become a better person, and so on. And then after a while, after two weeks, I realise you are just the same fool as before.
So I have to say there are many, many things to learn from the race, but it is hard to preserve the experience. I realise, year after year, that I am very positive and very enthusiastic for the two weeks after I finish, and then slowly life brings you back to the old mode, so you have to strive again.
And how is life during the race different from ordinary life?
Oh well, I'm actually quite happy here. It is much simpler. Life is just run, eat, that's it — that is my only thing. I'm not on devices, I don't check anything online. I mean, very rarely I check something. So in my case it is a very simple life and I really like it.
I really try to enjoy every moment — you know, to feel the air, the energy from the trees, from the grass, from people, even from the cars. I try to be part of the whole environment somehow. And it's really good. It's a really nice feeling.
What is the hardest thing about doing this race, and how do you try to overcome it?
The hardest thing is to accept, for example, a very low mileage day. I got sick in the middle of the race, for a couple of days, and in that particular case you cannot perform — or you can perform maybe fifty per cent of what you usually give. And then mentally it is very hard to accept these kinds of things, or to overcome them, because the mind makes you feel that it will always be like this.
So something goes wrong, and then immediately the mind says: okay, everything is lost, and it is going to be like this until the end. These are the darkest moments of the race. But afterwards you see that actually it is not so bad, and slowly you regain your own capabilities and performances.
And do you have anything to get you through those difficult days? Does anything help make it a bit easier?
Well, I like to think about my family, mother and father, and friends and relatives. I try to think of the nice things that all of us have, more or less, in life. And yes, to stay positive is also part of the challenge, in a way. You have to really remind yourself that everything is going to be okay, and that life goes on whatever happens in the race. Afterwards you have another ten and a half, eleven months in regular life. So yes, I just think to think positively. That's it.
And what has given you the most joy during the past few weeks of this race?
The most joy — you know, you see that you are doing something really extraordinary. So it is a real privilege to be capable of running such a distance. Just to be on the starting line is a very, very big privilege.
Most of us are Sri Chinmoy students, and I guess that through meditation and spiritual practice we have this kind of extra capability to accept more and more distance. So I feel real gratitude about it, and I'm really happy.
And if someone is following this race and getting inspired to run long distances, what advice would you give them?
Oh, I would definitely give the advice to start small, not to think of the big picture, and to be consistent. Consistency over a huge effort. It is better to make small efforts, but with consistency over a span of time.
Let's say you decide: okay, I am going to run each day of the year, for example 365 days, and every day I am going to run a minimum of maybe two miles, and a maximum of whatever you want. That is a good approach. I started more or less like this twenty years ago. I didn't want to run a hundred miles in a chunk, or whatever. I just thought about a small thing, but repeating it each and every day of the year.
Interview: Tejvan
Daily average after Day 41
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As we finish day 35, the nine runners have covered a cumulative total of 33,769 laps or 18,532.4 miles, which to put in context a distance 75% of the earth's equator (24,901 Miles). However, far from running to exotic locations, our great runners have been running continual loops around the famous block in Jamaica, New York. They have really got to know every aspect of the race course. For a half mile course it is surprisingly varied with a school, playing field and busy road all intersecting the race. In fact, Sri Chinmoy the race founder suggested to the runners that they should find a particular part on the course they like and feel gratitude at that particular spot.
But, although we can report mileage, it only captures one part of the race. Firstly, there is a hidden team of helpers and volunteers providing food, counting and support for the runners. If you visit the race, you will see it is a constant hive of activity; something is always happening. It is definitely worth vising the race in person.
Over the last couple of days, many of the runners received something very special — handwritten mail. The letters were written to individual runners by elementary school students at Free Union Country School in Charlottesville, Virginia. The runners and race staff were charmed and deeply touched.
Late in the evening yesterday, Andrea Marcato reached the 2,000-mile point. It is the seventh time he has passed this extraordinary milestone.
For most of the day, this is fine. However, one major disadvantage is that the loop circles Thomas Edison School, and five days a week in term time, several hundred students enter and leave the school twice a day. It offers an interesting little cameo sideshow to the race, but also a considerable short-term obstacle to the runners, who have to weave in and out of the students. Many of the students are indeed respectful of the runners and have their own vague idea of the huge challenge they are undertaking. You sometimes notice them making a conscious effort to give the runners space. However, some, engrossed in their phone screens or the enthusiasm of the moment, walk three or four abreast across the entire sidewalk, chatting away about their own breaking news of the day, totally oblivious that a runner is closing in on 2,000 miles and a possible national record. By weaving in and out of the students, the runners add extra distance to the accurately measured course, which, of course, is measured along the "shortest line."
Summer is slowly turning to autumn, and sweeping up the fallen leaves around the race camp has become a daily task for some. Although not actually cold yet, temperatures are dropping, especially in the early mornings and late evenings. Some of the runners are now wearing an extra layer at these times. In the counting tent, where the volunteers sit static for several hours, hats and warmer jackets are now a necessity for the early morning and evening shifts.
It is not just a physical challenge of running up to an average of 60 miles a day for 52 days, but also a mental challenge. The race founder Sri Chinmoy knew the importance of inspiration for the runners. He gave runners advice such as trying to smile, maintaining cheerfulness, and offering gratitude during the race.
Vasu has been a long-time runner in the 3,100-mile race, with 13 starts and 13 finishes, including 3 wins. He has come to see stretching as vital to his success in completing this race so many times.
