As I write this, it is Day 11 of the Sri Chinmoy 3,100-mile race. For ten days, runners have been circling the legendary 0.5488 mile loop in suburban Queens, New York.
Why run around a loop when you could be running a similar distance coast to coast, from California to New York in the USA or from Northern Norway to the Mediterranean in Europe?
One of our previous blog posts explains the 3100 set-up.
30th August 2024 saw 12 runners start on their journey of inner and outer adventure.
Except for the real ultra nerds, it is a race that goes on, away from the public eye. Your average ultra-running enthusiast does not have the time. or inclination, to follow hour-by-hour or day-by-day, let alone the general running community.
So here is an attempt to put into a few words what has been going on for the first ten days of the race.
On day one, there was the customary burst of enthusiasm that happens at any ultra, as finally, after weeks of preparing, the race starts, and some runners appear to have more enthusiasm than common sense.
The Flying Finn, Ashprihanal, a sixteen-time finisher and seven-time winner has returned to the race after an absence of a few years, He logs an impressive 96.5 miles on day one
Andrea Marcato, the Smiling Italian, who has won the race for the past four years, logs an equally impressive 96 miles.
Burdjargal Byambaa the Mongolia Wizard is running his first 3100 but is ready for the challenge after a string of quality six and ten day races. He currently has the best distances for 6 and 10 days gobally in 2024. He ran a more controlled effort of 87.7 miles.
Day 2 saw these three leading protagonists settle down a little and run 85 miles, 82.5 and 76.8 respectively.
Days 3, 4 and 5 would see the Mongolian, now warming up, run consecutive 80-mile days, and with Aalto, the Flying Finn, “consolidating” with daily mileage in the mid-70s, took the lead.
Behind these two, Andrea would have an off day on day 3, possibly paying for the efforts of the first two days, logging only 64 miles. However, days 4 and 5 saw him return to mileage in the mid-seventies and keep him very much in touch.
Burdjargal and Andrea were steady on days 6 and 7, while Ashprihanal took a dip with two days in the mid-60s feeling what he felt was the effects of a head cold.
Days 8 and 9 saw Budjargel develop foot issues, resulting in lower mileage. He was down to 47 miles on day nine.
With Ashprihanal and Andrea throwing down daily mid-seventies, it enabled the Finn to regain the lead, with the Italian claiming a 78-mile day 9 to close the gap on the leader to only 5 miles.
Possibly inspired at closing the lead down, Andrea ran an inspired day 10 of 78.4 miles.
He briefly took the lead at one point, but day ten finished with the Finn rallying and finishing the day a mere lap ahead of the Italian.
Meanwhile, Budjargal seems to have managed his foot issues and ran a solid 69 miles to finish the day, only 12 miles behind the first two.
Although they will all seemingly profess to be racing the distance rather than each other, one cannot help but feel that there is also a friendly rivalry developing as they all strive to bring the best out of each other.
Behind these three, previous 3100 finishers, Swiss runner Pushkar Mullauer, the Russian Vasu Duzhly, the Taiwanese Wei Ming Lo and newcomer Radu Budan from Romania have been steadily racing themselves rather than each other, steadily logging above the daily 60 miles needed to achieve the race cut off.
Australian Annabel Hepworth, running the 3100 for the first time and one of two female runners in the field, after an adrenaline-charged first day of 78 miles, seems to have settled into a steady routine in the low sixties as she feels her way into the race.
Fellow Aussie Grahak Cunningham, a previous winner of the event and a four-time finisher, knows how to handle himself to achieve a finish and has started steadily.
Huang-Lan Yang, or Nina, returning after coming up short in two previous attempts, is also easing into the race, knowing that her steady regular days are the best way to handle this vast journey.
3100 regulars, Stutisheel and Ananda-Lahari, are also making steady progress on their own personal 52-day odyssey.
By: Tarit Stott
Follow Race at 3100 Mile Race
Update Average Mileage after Day 11
Current course record and World Record for 3100 miles.
Ashprihanal Aalto - 40 Days 9 Hours 06 Minutes 21 Seconds from 2015.
Average daily miles 75.9 /123.559 km per day
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