Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

“Sometimes when people see us running maybe it looks to them that it is just easy running.  We are going slowly, no problem.  But it is not like this.  Every lap is a fight.  And when you complete each lap it is a very small victory and each day when you finish it is also a victory.”  When 37 year old Baladev Saraz started his 7th day of running here he had so far accumulated 688 of these small victories or laps of the course.  Not very many perhaps when you consider he will still have to complete another 5,000 of them in the 45 days he still has left here. Read all

Archived – click Post Title to view all. Hi Everyone – this is the end of day 8. This was first day greatly affected by the weather. Since morning it was really humid, close to 90%. We all were sweating a lot  and running like in sauna. Everybody has to go through it in their own way.  Somebody could run in this kind of weather better, for somebody it much harder. Ashprihanal had a pretty tough day. In the morning he was running, but he said that he didn’t feel really well.  I met him again after 6 hours – he was running but very very slowly. Most of the evening he was walking and suffering. Sarvagata did his usual rythm: fast in the morning, slow in the day and fast in the evening. For Atmavir this kind of weather is always very hard: in the morning he was fast and slowing and slowing dawn and at the evening looked half-dead. Anyway he did 124 laps – nothing to complain. But he gave a lot of energy for this. For me it was hard – I’m always suffering that kind of weather. We are not used to humid weather in Europe. From 9 pm I was really tired as usual, but the result was better then last two days – I did something like 118 laps. Ananda-Lahari had a pretty good day, but at the evening he ran out of the energy and was mostly walking. Then at one point he started to sprint again for couple of laps. Sopan is still determined and…

The day heated up a little and brought humidity into the area,too. But our group of talented runners continued their onslaught of mileage along the course. Sarvagata Ukrainskyi, the 2011 champ of 3100 miles,led the way with 69.7 miles. Eleven of 12 reached at least 60 miles again and all runners are still on pace to finish, although only 15 percent of the race has been run. Atmavir Spacil is still the overall leader with 565.8 miles completed. More later.

June 21 “I was the youngest to attempt and complete the race in 2005.”  That year when Sopan first came here to run the 3100 mile race he was only 24 years old.  I ask him what he remembers about himself at that time, so many years and miles ago. He laughs at just the thought of this absurd question.  “No really.  After my first race I changed so much.  I cannot remember.  My first race was such a huge transformation for me.” So I ask, over these past 8 years what then has he become.  His simple answer, “I hope better.” Read more