Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

Archived – click Post Title to view all. “The first day I was happy and the 2nd day was really tough.  It was one of the hardest days I have ever had out here.” Grahak ran 51 miles that day Grahak Cunningham first ran the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile race 8 years ago in 2007. Remarkably he returned the following 2 years and improved his performance each time.  Putting a clear and visible face on the sometimes subtle experience of self transcendence. For all the usual kind of reasons that life often throws at us, he missed the race the folowing 2 years.  In 2012 however he came back and had an amazing performance.  He not only won the race but in the process also set the 4th fastest time in the history of the race.  Grahak completed the race in 43 days, 10 hours. That all took place 3 years ago.  A long time when considering that race conditioning does not have an unlimited shelf life. Of his 2nd day on the course he says, “I ran from 6 until 10:30am. Then that was it.  I had to walk for the rest of the day.  I had no energy.  It was really tough.  It took so long to do a lap.  I was struggling.” “Then yesterday I didn’t do that many miles but I had energy and I was really happy.” (63 miles) Grahak is not certain why he had the difficulties that he had.  His day 2 experience reminded him of the struggle he went through in his first year at the…

  more photos here.

  more photos here.

Archived – click Post Title to view all. Ashprihanal said, “I have taken a year off and now I have more enthusiasm.” Many significant moments during a race this long and hard can sometimes be obscured by the shear immensity of it all.  It is convenient to find therefore from time to time little sign posts along the way.   To be able to better take stalk and attempt to comprehend even fragments of this grand miracle taking place in full public view. If you do not pause and observe from time to time and grasp for a clearer perspective than it becomes impossible to appreciate what is truly happening overall. The race record set by Madhupran in 2006, was 41 days and 8 hours.  It has long been the pinnacle that the best runners have sought after but none have been able to really get that close to.  In that year he averaged 74 miles a day an incredible achievement.  The only one to get close was Madhupran’s previous record of 72 miles a day in 2002.  After that comes Ashprihanal’s performance in 2007, which was an average of 71.8 miles. Yesterday a new record was set by Ashprihanal that, if it does not speak of great things to come, than at least demonstrates that this 44 year old runner from Helsinki may run his best race ever.  All this considering that he is running it this summer for the 13th time…….which ties the record held by Suprabha for most times running the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile race. “My previous best was…

Archived – click Post Title to view all. This is the 19th summer that a group of runners has gathered on this sidewalk here in Queens NY to embark upon a monumental challenge.  Each has been summoned by some deep inner call within themselves to come and run for 18 hours a day, and do what is nearly impossible for most of us to even comprehend, complete 3100 miles within 52 days. There is a tangible and profound sense of peace that spreads out well beyond the limited dimensions of the concrete as they, and all those gathered around and about them, meditate in a brief silence before the start.  There is no shouting, no awkward demonstration of bravado, no trivial display of strength and cunning.  This is not that kind of race where this kind of mind set or behavior could possibly help. Each runner has to pull from within themselves enduring qualities that are well above and beyond just strength of mind and talent of the human body. Time and again it has been shown by all who run here, that this race has more to do with the unbounded power of spirit within than the limited capacity of mind and muscle. But it also must be noted that this impossible Self Transcendence task of running 3100 miles has been completed 131 times over the past 18 years.  37 different athletes have come and found within themselves the strength, courage, and inner resourcefulness to complete the distance.  But of course just to stand at the line and strive…

more photos here.