About the author:

Rupantar has been the race director of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team since 1985, having been asked by Sri Chinmoy to serve in that capacity. As well as working on the big races the US Marathon Team organise each year - the 3100 Mile Race and the Six and 10 Day Race - he also spends a considerable amount of time archiving the Marathon Team's 40 year history on this website.

The Runners for 2010                                                                                                

(1) Asprihanal Aalto, 39, Helsinki, Finland. One of the best endurance runners in the world, Asprihanal is ranked second alltime for 3100 miles (43 days 4 hours), which is an average of 71.78 miles per day (115.53km).  Last year he won the 3100 miler for the sixth time in nine total finishes. He has now run four straight years averaging 70+ miles per day. In 2006  he ran an amazing streak of 23 straight days at over 70 miles each day.  His victories and number of finishes are both 3100 mile records for men. For three straight years he ran all three yearly Self-Transcendence multidays in New York (six days, 3100 miles, 700 miles)- a feat unprecedented in multiday annals. Asprihanal has even emerged victorious in the Six Day Race three times, (2003 -457 miles and 2004-433 miles,2007-505 miles) winning each race with supreme efforts on the last day.  He has also hiked the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail in the US in solo fashion, covering 60 km per day for up to twelve weeks. Asprihanal works as a courier and delivery man when not running a long race somewhere!

(2) Atmavir Petr Spacil, 32, Brno, Czech Republic.  Last year Petr made another quantum leap in his performance in the 3100, finishing third in 45 days,three hours, an improvement by three days .In 2007 Petr finished his first 3100 mile race in 52 days,12 hours, only a few weeks after winning the Ten Day race in May with a total of 670 miles. In 2008 he ran 48 days 11 hours to improve his performance by four days. Petr has run 17 ultras  and eight multidays with good success at the longer distances, including his three 3100 mile finishes.

 (3) Galya Vladimir Balatskyy, 39, Donetsk, Ukraine (Graz,Austria). In 2009 Vladimir impressed with a sparkling debut at 3100 miles in 48 days,two hours, averaging 64.45 miles per day(103.72 km). He became  tenth-ranked alltime for 3100 miles. He has completed 12 ultras and eight multidays with a best of 660 miles for10 days and 427 miles for six days.

 (4) Pranjal Milovnik, 37, Bratislava, Slovakia. In 2009 Pranjal transcended himself again,finishing the 3100 miler in 48 days,six hours , averaging 64.24 miles per day(103.39 km).In 2008 he completed the 3100 miler in 49 days,ten hours. In 2006 he reached 3100 miles in 51 days,16 hours in his second attempt, which was an improvement of 7 days,21 hours. He has completed the world's longest footrace five times. He has run 1000 miles in 16 days,3 hours, including splits of 622 miles for 10 days and 392 for six days. Pranjal has been running for19 years and has completed 29 ultras, including 10 multidays and two Ironman Triathlons.

 (5) Stutisheel Lebedyev, 40, Kiev, Ukraine. Last year Stutisheel ran his personal best of 48 days,12 hours for 3100 miles, averaging 63.88 miles(102.80 km). He has now completed six 3100 milers. In his first attempt in 2004, he completed 3100 miles in 53 days, 3 hours.  Stutisheel has been running for over 26 years, and has run over 40 ultras and numerous marathons, with a best of 2:46. He has won the Sri Chinmoy Invitational 47 miler(2002), as well as run long relay runs throughout Europe and Russia. A  ski racer in his youth, Stutisheel attained a candidate bid for master of his sport. He lives with his wife Atandra and daughter Alakananda in Kiev.

 (6) Pushkar Christopher Mullauer, 36, Zurich, Switzerland. Last year Pushkar ran 3100 miles in 49 days, two hours to become the first Swiss person to complete the world�s longest race. He has run 22 ultras including seven multidays. His best previous performance was the 2003 700 miler, when he finished first for the men in 10 days,17 hours. He has personal bests of 409 miles for six days, and 669 miles for 10 days. He has been running for eleven years.

 (7) Ananda Lahari Zuscin, 35, Kysak, Slovakia. Another five-time finisher of 3100 miles, Ananda Lahari finished in fifth place in 49 days,16 hours in 2007, his personal best.. In 2006 he set his previous best of 49 days,14 hours, reaching his goal eight days, 21 hours faster than his previous finish. Ananda Lahari has run 21 ultras in 22 years of running. His bests include  374 miles for six days, 622 miles for10 days, and 16 days, 3 hours for 1000 miles.                     

 (8) Baladev Pavol Saraz, 34, Zlin, Czech Republic. Pavol reached 3100 miles last year for the first time in his second attempt, in 54 days,14 hours. In 2008 he made to 2700 miles before stopping. He has been running for eleven years and has run 27 ultras and five multidays. His previous best race was the 2007 Ten Day race, where he finished in third place with 636 miles.

 (9) Purna-Samarpan Querhammer, 33, Hamburg, Germany. This will be the second attempt at 3100 miles for Purna-Samarpan. In 2009 he made it to 1884 miles before stopping with an injury. He has been running for 13 years and has completed over 23 ultras, four multidays and numerous marathons.

 (10) Dharbasana Lynn, 31, Auckland, New Zealand. This will be the first attempt at 3100 miles for Dharbasana. He has run 14 ultras and three multidays in 12 years of running. Bests include 347 miles for six days and 442 for 10 days. He is looking forward to this race with enthusiasm.

 

(11) Surasa Mairer, 51, Vienna, Austria. We welcome one of the world's best ultrarunners for her first crack at 3100 miles. In 2002 Surasa  broke two long-standing records for women,setting new world bests at 1000 km (7days+16:08:37) and 700 miles (8days+15:34:13). In 2001 she broke the women's world record for 1300 miles by completing the distance in 17 days 21 hours, nearly an hour and a half under the record. Her split for 1000 miles (13 days 17 hours) ranks second alltime. Surasa won the 1000 miler overall in 2000 in 14 days 12 hours, the only finisher of that race. In 2007 she finished first for the ladies with 595 miles in the Ten Day Race after a gap of five years without doing a multiday. She has won nearly every multiday race she has entered in an illustrious career.