Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

Just before the race started, Rupanar said that our bathrooms will have locks on. Because the race happens to be in a public place, we have many people around, especially on weekends, that play soccer, rest etc. So it was decided to lock up the bathrooms. Rupantar came to each runner and told the combination – ‘777 – very easy, you just have to turn 1 digit’. I said – okay, if there will be any problems, we’ll call you. Right after that Asprihanal comes and says – ‘it just feels like we have something very precious in those bathrooms! that’s why the locks are on.’

Archived – click Post Title to view all. Here we are, the start. I am on my 24th lap, and it’s the 3rd hour of running. We had a wonderful start, very much home-like. Sahishnu introduced the 13 runners. 2 newbies this year – Vladimir and Purna-Samarpan.   A moment of silence before the start, dedicated to the founder of the race, Sri Chinmoy, and the race has begun. Exactly at  6 am. Now this will be happening the next 50+ days, we will start all together at 6 am.   I had a bandana on my head, as well as some of the others. Bandanas are presents from Sri Chinmoy from couple of years ago. When he came back from his trip to Japan, he brought each of us a little present. Hieroglyphs are printed on the bandanas, everyone has a different one. I got the ‘God Speed’ – inspiring!   Our ‘working hours’ are 6 am till midnight. The lap is 883 metrs (.5488 miles) on the sidewalk in Queens. there’s a highway right beside it, I’m running through here right now. Quite intense, even though it’s Sunday morning. but you do not feel any gas.   As soon as we started, after 100 meters it started raining. All the runners said as one – ‘that’s a blessing from above!’ The weather is very pleasant – 20C. As I have already said, cloudy and raining are the best running conditions. We’ve got a new tree on the track – here it is. In some time it will be taking care of us, give a…

Archived – click Post Title to view all. This time together with family I arrived in New York 4 days before start. Actually, complete acclimatization will take place during the race itself… I ran about 560 km in the last month of training, which is not so much. But in my experience physical training can affect say first 10 day of the race. Then… experience of whole previous life is needed :) Faith in yourself, your life ideals and inner cry for the Supreme help tremendously. 3100 mile race is so long, that you can never predict what kind of problem will come to strengthen you. My feeling is that I’m more prepared this time. I even set few personal training records while running 7 and 7,5 hours (60 and 65 km). On the asphalt. I was trying to combine soft and hard surfaces, because our 3100 loop is all concrete. …In Goloseevsky forest where I’m training in Kiev, I have my favorite clearing with age old oaks. And I caught myself that while running in the forest I’m thinking about 3100 race, and while on the race in New York – I’m dreaming about my forest. Paradox!  

On the verge of 3100 I was lucky to get tremendous joy from parachute jump from 3 000 m near Moscow. And yesterday I visited Dr. Kumar, whom Sri Chinmoy valued a lot. This doctor defines very accurately your problems via pulse and prescribes ayurvedic medicine. He gave one Himalayan’s pills to Pranab and others with the words, that they…

Welcome to the blog of the longest certified 3100 mile footrace! I hope, it will be of great inspiration for you beside official race news and results to experience race’s ups and dawns, new discoveries and self-transcendence flow with me, as I will progress in my 6-th 3100 mile race this year. Stutisheel the 3100 runner.