Video: Our New York races are getting more popular!
Von Nirbhasa Mageeauthor bio »
Freitag 24. Mai 2019
About the author:
Nirbhasa is originally from Ireland but currently lives in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.
Our Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in the USA is best known for its multi-day ultradistance events; however in recent years we have been expanding our calendar of short-distance races in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx, as well as upstate New York. Our recent 5K, half-marathon and relay races in Flushing Meadow park saw over 400 finishers; people relished the chance to compete in teams, as well as the delicious post-race pancake breakfast!
Our shorter races (by that, we mean below marathon distance) will resume when the weather gets a little cooler in September; in the meantime we do have a fun, informal 2-mile race every Saturday morning at 8.07am in Queens - more info »
Nirbhasa is originally from Ireland but currently lives in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.
A cellist from Vienna, Shamita Achenbach-König has been running ultramarathons for over 25 years. Her latest project is a series of multi-day runs across Europe – first she ran around Lake Constance where she grew up, then she ran across the length of her native Austria, and then she ran from Vienna to Heidelberg in Germany. Her most recent adventure took place earlier this year, lasted 16 days, and took her from Vienna to Paris; a distance of 1200km.
This year's run had its fair share of obstacles, such as minor injuries and bad weather, but Shamita stayed cheerful right through to the finish, helped by her enthusiastic support crew of Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team members from all over Europe. A meditation student of Sri Chinmoy, Shamita views ultra-distance running as part of her spiritual practice, a way to push aside the mind's doubts and limitations. She is one of the main people featured in the recent documentary 3100: Run and Become, an exploration of the spiritual side of long distance running.
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.
Ted Corbitt was known as the father of long distance racing in the USA. A former Olympic marathoner, he helped to reawaken interest in marathon and ultra distance races through his own training and racing, and also through his advocacy of race standards. He was the first president of the New York Road Runners Club and helped to plan the original NYC Marathon course.
The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team also benefited from a tremendous amount of assistance and encouragement from Ted as we started organising our own ultra running events. When we put on our first ultra - a 47-mile invitational race in 1978 - it was Ted we turned to for valuable advice. Over the years, Ted would be a frequent paricipant and guest at our races. In particular, Ted astounded all of us by competing in our 2000 and 2001 Six-Day races – his 2000 effort was the first time anyone over 80 years of age had completed that distance, and in 2001 he set a new over 80 mark of 303 miles.
Running friendship and personal bests at the Rotterdam Marathon
Von Abhinabha Tangerman
Dienstag 16. April 2019
During the race
Abhinabha during the race
Vajin, Abhinabha and Samalya
Samalya finishing the marathon
On April 7th, the three fastest male runners of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team came together the Rotterdam marathon, which is well known for producing fast times. Samalya Schäfer (Germany), Vajin Armstrong (New Zealand) and Abhinabha Tangerman (The Netherlands) have all broken the elusive barrier of two hours and thirty minutes for the marathon distance. The three runners are good friends and regularly head off together for runs and training camps, but this was the first time they had toed the line together in the same marathon.
Of the three, Abhinabha finished first in 2:31:17, followed by Samalya in 2:31:48. Vajin, who has represented New Zealand and won some of trail running's most prestigious races in the past few years, experienced some hamstring problems this time around and finished in 2:34:21. Also running in Rotterdam were two other members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team who both set personal bests - Sadanand Magee from Ireland in 2:50:34 and Himadri Kavai from Hungary with 3:36:35.
Since the late 1970s, members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team have completed numerous marathons following in the footsteps of founder Sri Chinmoy, who ran 22 marathons and encouraged others to test themselves physically, mentally and spiritually at this iconic distance.
“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
Aside from the success of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team members, this edition of the Rotterdam marathon also saw a new course record in 2:04:1, set by Marius Kipserem from Kenya, as well as a new Dutch national record in 2:06:17 set by Abdi Nageeye.
Video: Why putting on ultra events gives us so much satisfaction
Von Nirbhasa Mageeauthor bio »
Montag 1. April 2019
About the author:
Nirbhasa is originally from Ireland but currently lives in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.
Earlier this year, Subarnamala Riedel from the Zurich Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team was interviewed, and she talked about how much joy she gets from organising ultra events for the public. In Switzerland, we have been putting on two big ultra events for over a quarter of a century - the Zurich Lake Swim and the 12- and 24-hour race in Basel. The lake swim, in which competitors swim the entire 26k distance of Lake Zurich from Rapperswil to Zurich city, has become a well known 'warm-up' event for those seeking to cross the English Channel.
Subarnamala has been practising meditation with Sri Chinmoy for almost 30 years, and sees organising these races as 'spiritual life in action'. Organising races like these offer the chance to work harmoniously as part of a large team, and there is tremendous satisfaction to be had in helping the participants achieve their best results. Seeing the determination and enthusiasm of the competitors (some of them in their seventies and eighties!) also gives us tremendous inspiration to go forward with our own goals in life.
40th Anniversary celebration of Sri Chinmoy's first marathon
Von Tejvan Pettingerauthor bio »
Dienstag 5. März 2019
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.
Sri Chinmoy reaches the finish line of his first marathon
Group photo at Chico marathon
Runners start their marathon in Perth
Dhavala Stott of Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team receives award from Chico Marathon
Runners line up for a 13-hour run in Sao Paolo
Runners in Melbourne
Dublin runners smiling despite the freezing temperatures
Aid station at Chico Marathon
On 3rd March 1979, Sri Chinmoy ran his first marathon, in Chico, California, completing the distance in a time of 4:31:34. In the next four years Sri Chinmoy would run 21 more marathons, but perhaps more significantly, he would inspire many runners to follow the philosophy of self-transcendence and take up long-distance running. 40 years after his first marathon, the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team continue to promote marathons and ultra distance races across the globe.
In honour of this significant milestone in the history of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, groups of runners from around the world held running events, including 70 members who travelled to Chico, California. Marathon. Events were also held in many different places around the world, including in Bristol (UK), Melbourne (Australia), Dublin (Ireland), Augsburg (Germany), Sao Paolo (Brazil), New York (US), and Zlin (Czech Republic). The weather varied from 37 degrees heatwave in Australia to a below freezing snow-storm in New York.
Race Reports from around the globe
Vasudha, our Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team co-ordinator in San Diego, writes: "Some 60 members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from the US, Canada, Great Britain, and even Mongolia met in Chico, California to celebrate a significant milestone in the history of our team. On March 3, 1979, Sri Chinmoy ran his first marathon in Chico, California. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of this signal event - which in turn helped to launch the worldwide organisation that today sponsors hundreds of footraces, duathlons, triathlons, swimming events, and more - team members ran along the same course in beautiful Bidwell Park. The race that was then a full marathon - the Bidwell Classic - now features a half marathon and a 5K. In addition to participating in both these distances - and nabbing 13 age-group awards - Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team members hosted an aid station and cheered all the race participants who braved the cold, rainy weather. After finishing the half marathon, seven athletes covered an additional 13.1 miles to complete the marathon distance and to honour Sri Chinmoy's inaugural marathon."
In Australia the weekend co-incided with the arrival of the runners from the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, who were finishing the Australian leg of a 44-country journey that will carry the Peace Torch all nations in the Southern Hemisphere - the first time that the torch has gone all the way around the world as part of one run. As a result there were over 55 Australian and international runners - who fortunately were well-acclimatised for the heat, which hovered in the high 30s towards the end of the race.
In New York, the weather veered to the other extreme - due to the cold and freezing snow on the track, the official race was cancelled. However, some intrepid runners wished to run their own personal marathon. With no official aid station, five runners - four women and one man, completed the distance, with many other runners completing several laps to take part in the spirit of the event, despite the outer challenges. Brazilian members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team marked the event by running a 13 hours race in Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo from 8 am to 9 pm - 6 men and 4 women ran a total of 671km.
In Dublin, runners also faced freezing temperatures with rain, biting wind and temperatures hovering above freezing. Despite these challenging conditions, six members of the Irish Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team remained undaunted by the weather and successfully completed the marathon distance.
Sri Chinmoy felt that running marathons was an excellent complement to the 'inner running' - the spiritual life.
Spiritual people often like running because it reminds them of their inner journey. The outer running reminds them that a higher, deeper, more illumining and more fulfilling goal is ahead of them in the inner world, and for that reason running gives them real joy.
Long-distance running gives us a real feeling of accomplishment. We can run 100 metres forty times during the year and not feel the same sense of accomplishment as when we run one marathon. But speed and endurance are both important, especially in the spiritual life. If one has only speed, then one cannot ultimately succeed; we need endurance because the goal is quite far. Again, if one has only stamina and no speed, then it will take forever to reach the goal. Only if someone has both qualities will he be able to make very good progress in his spiritual life and achieve something really great in life.
Sri Chinmoy's Marathon Runs
March 3, 1979 - Bidwell Classic - Chico, CA - 4:31:34
March 25, 1979 - Heart-Watchers Marathon - Toledo,OH - 3:55:07
May 6, 1979 - Newsday-Long Island Marathon - Long Island, NY - 4:16:23
May 12, 1979 - Champlain Valley Mar. - Plattsburgh, NY - 4:41:16
Our 2019 ultra race calendar for Europe and the USA now released!
Von Nirbhasa Mageeauthor bio »
Donnerstag 15. November 2018
About the author:
Nirbhasa is originally from Ireland but currently lives in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.
For those of you planning to tackle races of longer than marathon distance next year, the German Sri Chinmoy Marathon team has published a helpful race calendar of the ultra races organised by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon this year. In Europe, the races include the national 24 hour championships of Moldova and the Ukraine, and the calendar also features our two flagship events in the USA: the 6 and 10 day races in April, and the 3100 Mile Race in August - the world's longest certified road race.
Abhejali nominated for Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year
Von Vasanti Niemz
Sonntag 4. November 2018
After becoming only the 4th woman to complete the Oceans 7 Challenge - swimming seven of the world's iconic open water swims, including the English Channel and the North Channel - Abhejali Bernardová from our Czech Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team has now been nominated for the 2018 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year. Abhejali completed her seventh and final swim this year on February 24, 2018, by conquering the Cook Strait between the North and South Island of New Zealand in quite challenging conditions. Voting is open to the public until January 1 2019, and can be accessed here.
Her nomination reads:Abhejali Bernardová is a peace ultrarunner (6-day runs + 24-hour runs + 100 km runs) turned swimmer who promotes endurance sports and self-transcendence via media appearances and speeches to the public and at school. The member of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team became the 4th woman to complete the Oceans Seven. After achieving the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, she crossed the English Channel (14 hours 37 minutes), Strait of Gibraltar (4 hours 35 minutes), Catalina Channel (9 hours 46 minutes), Tsugaru Channel (11 hours 7 minutes), Molokai Channel (21 hours 52 minutes), North Channel (10 hours 23 minutes), and Cook Strait (13 hours 9 minutes) between the ages of 34 and 41 to become the first person from the Czech Republic - a landlocked country - to swim across 7 iconic channels, all successful on her first attempt. She organized a record number of swimmers in a new popular 6-hour pool swim in the Czech Republic shortly after her last channel swim. She teaches about the importance of a calm mind for success in the open water and on dryland. For being a Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team ambassador who achieved the Oceans Seven, for continuing to serve as a peace runner, race director and an organizer of extreme sports that gives others an opportunity to experience their own challenges under safe conditions, and for lending a helping hand and friendly smile with a passion for long distance swimming as a mentor for people of all ages and abilities, Abhejali Bernardová of the Czech Republic is a worthy nominee for the 2018 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
Other nominees include such distinguished marathon swimmers as Pat Gallant-Charette (67), cold-water swimmer Jaimie Monahan and multiple world champion Ana Marcela Cunha for the women's award, or United Nations Environment Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh and trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific stage swimmer Ben Lecomte for the men's award.
Question (from interview on Daily News of Open Water Swimming): During your Oceans Seven channel swims, what point did you feel the absolute worse? How did you overcome this situation?
Abhejali: It was during the Molokai Channel crossing. The swim started at around 5 pm, it got dark by 7 pm, and I started to be really seasick. We arrived just 3 days prior to the swim - it was before my swim period, so I was tired and jet lagged on top of being seasick and depleted. After being seasick for quite a few hours, I asked how far we were. I usually don't do it, or much later, but I felt so exhausted physically - we also had to battle some strong current at the beginning of the swim. I was told we are not yet in the middle. I remember thinking that some miracle will have to happen for me to have enough physical strength to continue for another maybe 10 hours - it turned out to be much more. The team on the boat notified our friends around the world and they all ate on my behalf, sent their good wishes and prayers. Once the sun came out after maybe 12 hours of darkness, I was fine and could start eating. When all seemed back to normal I got badly stung by a jellyfish and then there was another strong current that had us moving only 1 mile per hour, but the worst was past. Read full interview »
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.
Sri Chinmoy believed that running is beneficial to physical health but also can give an inner spiritual fulfilment. Running teaches us determination, focus and reminds us of our aspiration to go beyond our previous limitations. Running is both physically challenging but, at the same time, gives an inner joy and satisfaction. Many runners attest to the fact that running can take us out of an ordinary consciousness and give a glimpse into a state of mind beyond our usual thoughts and emotions.
“Running is a symbolic sport in the sense that it reminds us of spiritual seekers continuously running towards the goal; it resembles the seekers running inwardly to achieve the ultimate goal in meditation.”
Sri Chinmoy [1]
Some of the spiritual aspects of running
Self-transcendence
“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 [2]
Self-transcendence is concerned with an attempt to beat our previous achievement and stretch our capacity. This self-transcendence can be measured in a race against the clock, but even if we can't beat our times, we can still strive to make a greater commitment and effort in our training and races. If we are detached from the outer result, we will feel joy from these attempts at self-transcendence. Whilst we may not have the capacity to beat others, we always have the opportunity to pursue our own self-transcendence attempts.
Determination
Running brings forward both our outer and inner determination. Running requires effort, focus and the willingness to challenge our body against the distance and elements. To complete a race requires a fixed mindset and determination to keep going.
Getting to know yourself
“When a runner focuses all his attention on a particular race, he is in a position to free his mind, liberate his mind, from uncomely distractions. Here one-pointed concentration is the pathfinder for a deeper meditative consciousness.”
– Sri Chinmoy [3]
Running takes us out of our comfort zone. It teaches us that we are more capable than we perhaps realise. To a non-runner, completing a marathon may seem an impossible task, but if we train, we realise we are capable of much more than we realise. Whilst running, we get in touch with a different part of ourself, and we learn more about our inner reserves.
Dynamism and inner peace
Question: Can running help get rid of frustration and anger?
Sri Chinmoy: Running is an excellent way to rid oneself of frustration and anger. If you are really angry with someone, go and run. After a mile or so you will see that your anger has gone away, either because you are totally exhausted or because the satisfaction that you gain from physical exertion has replaced your anger. [4]
A great benefit of running is that it shakes away our mental cobwebs. The dynamism of running helps us to get away from the petty concerns and worries of our mind. Dynamism is a powerful tool to bring to the fore more inner peace. When we are static, we become like a stagnant pool, when we move, it is like a clear flowing stream. The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run combines both running long distances with an endeavour to share peace. Sri Chinmoy felt the dynamism of running across countries was an excellent way to share peace in a meaningful way. Running brings many of our good qualities to the fore.
How to bring spirituality into running
Self-transcendence vs competition
Rather than worrying about whether you can beat your competitors, focus instead on your own performance. Can you transcend your previous efforts? - Can you make the best possible effort given your circumstances? If you focus only on your self-transcendence, you will get joy from running - whatever the outer result. You will see fellow competitors - not as rivals, but fellow runners who can inspire your own efforts.
Meditation
If we meditate before running, we will be conscious of our inner stillness and inner reserves which can help us in the outer running. Meditation teaches us to be one-pointed and bring all our awareness of one aspect. When we run, we can see our running as an extension of our meditation. Just bring all your focus on to the running - the rhythm of breathing. Don't get distracted by thoughts, but just try to be the observer of the running. When the body is running, at top speed, feel at the same time an inner focus and inner equanimity.
"Again, the runner's outer speed has a special kind of poise or stillness at its very heart. An airplane travels very fast, yet inside the plane we feel no movement at all. It is all tranquility, all peace; and this inner tranquility we can bring to our outer life. In fact, the outer life, the outer movement, can be successful only when it comes from the inner poise."
- Sri Chinmoy [5]
Conscious Breathing
To make running a more meditative experience, we can concentrate on our breathing. We should feel our breath brings in not just oxygen but a divine energy. If we visualise we are breathing in cosmic energy and exhaling tiredness, we will gain more inner strength.
The inner value of running
"The main reason is that running reminds us of our inner goal. Whether we consciously run toward the goal or not, our very feeling that there is a goal helps us considerably."
- Sri Chinmoy [6]
If we value running as a spiritual exercise, then it can become something much more than just the outer running. When running, we can feel we are making inner progress and striving to reach our inner goal.
Perspectives on the spirituality of running
Running the world’s longest race – Jayasalini
Jayasalini Abramovskikh talks about the experience of running the Sri Chinmoy 3100 Mile Self-Transcendence Race. In 2014, at her first attempt, Jayasalini became the first Russian woman to finish this grueling race which lasts for 52 consecutive days.
Running as a pilgrimage
Sanjay Rawal, the director of the feature film "3100 Mile: Run and Become" talks about how he sees running as a spiritual pilgrimage.
Samunnati on meditation and running
Samunnati Lehonkova is an Olympic marathon runner who took up running at an early age after becoming a disciple of Sri Chinmoy. In this short video, Samunnati talks about how she started meditation and running at the same time, and how she attempts to practise self-transcendence through running.
3100: Run and Become
A film that explores the spiritual significance of running in different cultures across the world. It includes the Gaolo-San bushmen in Botswana, the legendary Japanese gyoman-san running monks, the Navajo runners in the deserts of Arizona, and the runners of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race in Jamaica, Queens, New York.
Adriano becomes the first person to swim ashore from Laje de Santos
Von Nirbhasa Mageeauthor bio »
Donnerstag 27. September 2018
About the author:
Nirbhasa is originally from Ireland but currently lives in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.
Leaving Laje de Santos
Adriano's team prepare to hand him a drink
Crossing the shipping lanes
Approaching the city of Santos
Nearing the goal (Adriano is wearing a flourescent nightlight)
On September 24, 2018, Adriano Passini from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team became the first person to swim from Laje de Santos - an islet known all over Brazil for its marine life - to the coastline, a distance of 25 miles (40 km). Adriano reached his goal at 7pm, after a journey of almost 12 hours.
Located a couple of hours away from São Paolo, Laje de Santos was the first ever marine park created by the state government, and is a favourite haunt of divers as well as people who visit for the local biodiversity. Adriano, who grew up in the nearby city of San Vicente, got the inspiration to do the crossing some years back on a a plane trip from Curitiba to São Paulo, when he saw Laje de Santos from the airplane. The conditions for the crossing are generally quite difficult, and there is only a narrow window to make the crossing before the waves become too rough - in May 2016, Adriano spent 3 weeks waiting for the waves to calm before ultimately having to abandon the attempt. This time, he had to wait until the last possible day before he would have had to return to his day job as an engineer.
Adriano was inspired to start swimming by his meditation teacher, Sri Chinmoy, who loved sports and saw that it was a field in which the practise of meditation could be put to powerful use. In particular, Sri Chinmoy encouraged his students to practise the philosophy of self-transcendence, to experience the liberating feeling of challenging one's percieved limitations. In 2013, Adriano swam the English Channel in a time of 11 hours and 10 minutes. (Members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team have crossed the channel 47 times to date - the second most by any team). He later wrote a book about his experiences.
During the crossing from to Laje de Santos to the city of Santos, Adriano had an experienced team accompanying him in the boat - Ashirvad Zaiantchick, who had previously assisted him in his Channel swim, and Adriano's father, Aurélio Passini Júnior, as well as two local navigators, Cesar Elvin Laso and Marcio Pires Lopes Jacaré from the local ATM diving club, both of whom had much experience in navigating the treacherous waters. The area near Santos lies on one of the busiest shipping lanes in the Americas, and Adriano passed around 50 large ships during his swim. The crew departed from the city of Santos at 5:30 a.m, arriving at Laje de Santos at 7:10 am to begin the swim. During the swim, the conditions were partially cloudy with no wind. The water temperature was around 22ºC, with waves of about 1 metre high throughout the crossing. Upon completion, Adriano remarked "Today a dream has been realised, the impossible has become possible; after a lot of effort, I'm really happy to arrive in the city of Santos and complete my goal."
New World Record and self-transcendence at the Berlin Marathon
Von Tejvan Pettingerauthor bio »
Montag 17. September 2018
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.
In the 2018 Berlin marathon, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge set a new world record of 2:01:39 - slicing an astounding 1 minute 18 seconds from one of athletics' most prestigious records. Two members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team also ran the race, and shared this unique experience with us.
To put Kipchoge's record in perspective, it is the equivalent to running 400m in 68.8 seconds - 100 times consecutively. Kipchoge's average pace for the record was 4:38.4 per mile, or 14:24.9 per 5K!
The two Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team runners - native Berliner Samalya Schäfer and Sadanand Magee from Ireland - both achieved a sub three-hour marathon, with Sadanand reaching this long-cherished goal for the first time.
Elated with setting a new sub-3 hour personal best (2.58.57), Sadanand related how the race felt extra special because of Kipochoge's record: “It was an incredible day. It was so special to run on the same day as Kipchoge and follow in the footsteps of the elite runners. Sri Chinmoy once commented that runners could help their own marathon by trying to tap into the intensity and speed of the top runners. So, as we ran along the blue line of the marathon course, I tried to focus on the speed and intensity of the best runners who were just ahead.”
“For myself, it has been a difficult build-up in the past few weeks, with a few minor injuries and a busy schedule. After km 32, the race became much tougher and I really had to work very hard to keep it together. When I finally came through the finish, we were over the moon to make it in under sub-three hours. But then, walking onwards, we heard a loudspeaker announce that the world record had been broken by Eliud Kipchoge. Everyone was really happy and celebrating; it made the whole occasion very memorable.”
“Berlin is an incredible marathon. The streets are lined with countless people who are really enthusiastic in offering support to all runners from the fastest to the slowest."
Training for a sub-three hour marathon
Sadanand, who owns the Gandharva Loka music store on Dublin's Georges St, has been running marathons for over a decade, with a previous best of 3:03, but this year he made a renewed effort to finally crack the three-hour barrier. Despite the pressure of moving this year to a bigger music store, he made his running a priority, and stuck to a strict training regime designed by fellow team-mate Abhinabha Tangerman from the Netherlands. During the race, Sadanand was also helped in pacing by Samalya, who a few weeks earlier ran 2.33.47 in winning the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Marathon in New York.
Sri Chinmoy was himself a keen runner and took a special interest in the concept of self-transcendence - the goal of man to strive for higher goals and go beyond the previous limits of past generations. In the 1980s and 1990s, Sri Chinmoy predicted that in the near future, someone would realise their capacity to run a sub-two hour marathon. Speaking after the 1988 New York City Marathon, when Steve Jones ran 2:08:05, Sri Chinmoy said “Somebody has to come from Africa and break the record. Under two hours — I envision it. Somebody will run under two hours.” With Kipchoge getting ever closer, this dream of a sub-two hour marathon could now happen in the near future.
'3100: Run and Become' opens in theaters across the United States
Von Nirbhasa Mageeauthor bio »
Sonntag 19. August 2018
About the author:
Nirbhasa is originally from Ireland but currently lives in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.
For almost three years, filmmaker Sanjay Rawal has been exploring the significance of running in different cultures across the world, spending time with the Gaolo-San bushmen in Botswana, the legendary Japanese gyoman-san running monks, and Navajo runners in the deserts of Arizona. A large part of his time was spent following the 52-day journey of the 3100 Mile Race, documenting two runners - our record holder and 14-time finisher Asprihanal Aalto from Finland and first-time entrant Shamita Achenbach-König from Austria - as they bravely embark on this modern day running oddyssey.
The result of all that hard work - the compelling 80-minute long documentary 3100: Run and Become - is now being released in theaters across the USA to an extremely enthusiastic reception.
"This film shows how great anyone can become when they transcend their limits." - Tegla Laroupe, women's marathon record holder
Reflections on the 2018 Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race
Von Tejvan Pettingerauthor bio »
Donnerstag 9. August 2018
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.
The start of the 2018 3100 Mile Race
The first laps of the 52 day race
The race seamlessly mixes in with everyday life in the neighbourhood
The race never stops for wind, rain or heat.
Behind every runner is a team of helpers
The unique sporting environment of the 3100 Mile Racecourse
Vasu, Sahishnu (a race director) and Smarana - all smiles
It is supported by a large team of volunteers, including cooks, counters, organisers, masseurs and those who come just to offer encouragement to the runners.
Kaneenika and Yolanda
Sopan and Ananda-Lahiri
A small crowd to see Vasu's finish
A journey of 3100 Miles
A well deserved cake!
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
Vasu Duzhiy, 52, St Petersburg Russia 44 days+16:03:53
Kobi Oren, 46, Kiryat Tivon Israel 46 days+03:24:48
Ushika Muckenhumer, 50, Salzburg Austria 50 days+07:34:46
Surasa Mairer, 59, Vienna Austria 51 days+12:47:37
Sopan Tsevtan Tsekov, 37, Sofia Bulgaria 51 days+16:46:38
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
Tejvan recalls his journey to becoming a national cycling champion
Von Nirbhasa Mageeauthor bio »
Sonntag 5. August 2018
About the author:
Nirbhasa is originally from Ireland but currently lives in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.
In 2013, after many years of trying and some very near podium misses, Tejvan Pettinger from the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team won the national cycling hill-climb title, one of the top races on the UK national cycling calendar. Tejvan began cycling in earnest in 2005, but despite being a promising rider the prospect of a national title seemed very much like a faraway dream.
In the year before his passing in 2007, Tejvan's Guru (or spiritual teacher), Sri Chinmoy, made quite a few references to Tejvan being 'our cycling champion'. Sri Chinmoy preferred to teach his students through silent meditation, and was not one for frivolous comment; often these seemingly offhand remarks had a way of awakening his students to new possibilities. (For example, also in 2006-7, Sri Chinmoy repeatedly and seemingly offhandely asked another student, Grahak Cunningham, whether he had done our longest race, meaning the 3100 Mile race. Even though up until then he had very little ultrarunning experience, Grahak was inspired to start that race and see what happens - he went on to finish the race on his first attempt, and later won the race in 2012).
As the years went past, Tejvan realised that the goal of a national title was indeed possible and put more and more focus on it, both physically in terms of being in the best shape and having the right equipment and approach, but also inwardly in terms of being receptive to divine Grace - a journey which culminated in everything coming together in 2013 for the ultimate prize.
The fastest first-time finishes of the world's longest race
Von Nirbhasa Mageeauthor bio »
Samstag 4. August 2018
About the author:
Nirbhasa is originally from Ireland but currently lives in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.
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.