Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

Archived – click Post Title to view all. Sergey has been one of the bright surprises of this years 3100 mile race.  He has not had a lot of experience in multi day running only having competed in 4 multi day races in the past 5 years.  His personal best of 627 miles in the 2016 10 day race hinted at the potential but over the past 15 days his performance here has blossomed.   5 days ago he comfortably ran past that mark of 627 miles and as of this morning, as he starts day 16 he has 911 miles completed.  Every new step taking him further and further into personal self transcendence.  When we met this morning I joked with him.  I asked if he had at last got the hang of the race yet or did he need a few more weeks.   “A lot has happened but it has not become any easier.” “Every day new surprises and new experiences, and new tests.  Because of that the race is becoming more and more interesting to me.  You don’t know what to expect.  Always newness.  It forces you to be in good condition, good spirit, and good form.” “Every day you have to solve new problems, on a physical level, on a mental level, and on a psychic level. But it is good that this race has with it many experienced runners.  Who have already overcome this arduous challenge, and they are giving me lots of support.” “They very gladly and easily share their experience and help me in my hardest…

Archived – click Post Title to view all. So many marvels, both grand and small take place at the Self-Transcendence 3100 mile race that you could never record them all.  Sometimes it is hard enough to just record the important things, like the laps of course.  Throughout each runners day things happen, that will not only lift them up but in many ways touch and inspire many others. Vasu, who is running for his 6th time is so incredibly exceptional in his unfettered devotion to the race that I often feel inadequate when I speak with him.  He is devoid of any artifice or superficiality.  When he says that running here is like being in Paradise I can only aspire to be able to see the race so purely as he does.  For in his unswerving clarity of vision is something I feel lacking and I suspect that the rest of us could all wish we had even just a little more of, such tireless dedication to the divine within. This morning he tells me a little story about seeing a small boy getting his shoelace wrapped up in his bicycle and thus forcing him to fall over.  Without hesitation he checked on the child, released the lace, and got him on his way.  Only latter on the far side of the course was Vasu approached by the boys Father, who promptly thanked him. Who knows how much that brief act of kindness ate into his mileage for the day.  It did not matter to Vasu.  Nor does it matter when…

Archived – click Post Title to view all. I met Harita this morning at the corner of 168th st. as she came up the service road towards me.  I often run along this route during the year and am hardly aware at all that it is anything more than a slight incline.  But to Harita, who has now circled this same corner 1270 times now in the past 13 days it is a hill. When you lay on the sidewalk, as I have done taking pictures, you can see it unmistakably.  It helps me to get a better understanding,  that all the little details of the course get observed by the runners in ways that we can never fully grasp or understand. For the last 2 days now Harita has been running 111 laps each day which is just about 61 miles.  “I kind of realized the first few days of the race that if I want to do the necessary miles each day that I would have to stay really focused.” “I don’t always stay really focused in my regular life.  It is a really good practice for me and a really good opportunity for me.  I can but I often get distracted.  I love people, I love talking to people.  I am interested in a lot of things.” I saw her early speaking on the phone.  “That was actually one of the first times I spoke with people on the phone.  I haven’t really used my phone much.  I felt, especially for the first couple of weeks that it was…

As Smarana heads into his 13th day on the course I ask him if he has had to once again change plans.  I quiz him whether he is moved on from his first plan and started to skip through the various letters of the alphabet.  He has been going through some major blister issues over the past few days. “Well plan A always has to be elastic.  Otherwise it is going to be tough here. If you stick to preconceived concepts” “I would really like to speak about the oneness aspect of the race.  Due to some technical problems we didn’t get any messages via the Marathon Team website.  At least ones from Austria, I don’t know why. We didn’t get any messages so I just surrendered.  I just let it go.” “Then they started using a different web account and messages started to come.  It made such a difference.” “Sometimes you get lost in details.  The lap becomes very small, your world.  Then you have to broaden your perspective again.  It was so helpful to get the messages.  My helper (Horst) even had tears.  It was a touching thing.” Continue reading