Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

Archived – click Post Title to view all. A conversation with Ananda-Lahari as he makes his way around the course is always for me a great wake up call.  A crystal clear reminder of how beautiful and simple life can be when you dedicate yourself, as he has done now for 13 years, to the 3100 mile race.  Doing some pretty basic math, that means by the time August rolls around he will have spent nearly 2 years of his life going around the loop.  Doing one of the simplest things a human body can do, move forward. It is a journey that he seems to never grow tired of, refrains from complaining audibly, though I am pretty sure his love of the course and the event is such that the grumbling words are not there any way.  He seems to have an almost complete absence of negativity of any kind.  He seems to be simply immune to such negative thoughts and feelings.  Thus they can find nothing to cling to, either in his mind or in his heart. I asked him this morning if some days are better than others.  “Yes, just like in life.  Some days are better and some are worse.”  I follow this up with what makes a bad day.  He ponders this for a moment.  “We have to go beyond.  Actually there are no bad days.  So I was wrong. (smiles) There is only a wrong attitude.” As for what makes a good day, “when I can cry sleeplessly for God.” He doesn’t know for sure…

Archived – click Post Title to view all. Nirbhasa starts day 21 with 1300 well run miles and now a clear glimpse of the halfway point which is about 4 days away just now.  Vasu, who is in first place has about a full day of running between them.  Smarana in third is about a day behind.  For Nirbhasa it is now most definitely about enjoying the experience as much as he can.  Soon enough he will be making one last dash up 84 th ave and crossing the finish line. “You know day 21 is the same as day 1.  You just take each day as it comes and stay in the moment.  You know of course if you do 1,000 miles or 1,300 miles it is really nice. It shows that you have made some progress.  That somehow the goal is not such a far cry anymore.” “But really it is not the accumulation of distance it is what you do inwardly here that counts.  When you wake up every day that is what you try and work on.” “I have been making the daily mileage requirement every day.  That is quite  nice.  Obviously it seems my body is adjusted to the race this year.  In a way that it wasn’t 2 years ago.  So it is nice to not to have to think too much about that.  Because if you just go a certain speed.  Then not think too much about laps or miles.  You are happy.  You are on a certain speed.  Then you can just keep…

Just last year Yuri was running the Self Transcendence 3100 mile race for his 4th straight year. In what was perhaps an unexpected turn of events, Yuri won the race in 46 days and 1 hour. In another unexpected turn of events he is once again back here at the race but this time as an early morning set up man. Before the sun peaks its light over the rim of Thomas Edison High school he is pulling chairs and gear out of the trailers and getting the camp ready for a long long day for the 10 runners entered in this years race. Continue reading