Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team is proud to offer the Seventh Annual Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race. In this grand test of endurance and survival, a small group of athletes attempt to negotiate 5648.688 laps of a .5488 of a mile course (883 meters) in the timespan of 51 days- an amazing challenge. This is the longest certified footrace in the world; runners must average 60.7 miles per day to finish within the 51-day limit. The serious athlete must have tremendous courage, physical stamina, concentration and the capacity to endure fatigue, boredom and minor injuries. The predecessor of this very race was the 2700 Mile Race (held in 1996), in which five intrepid runners finished the distance well within the 47-day time limit. In 1997,Sri Chinmoy, race founder, upped the distance to 3100 miles. Two runners finished the inaugural 3100 Mile race in less than 51 days, showing that athletes indeed believed in self-transcendence.

Roots

The SCMT has been sponsoring multiday races in the New York area for the last sixteen years. In 1985 we offered our first 1000 mile race in Flushing Meadow Park, the first of its kind in this hemishere in this century. The 1000 has been run every year since 1985. Three runners actually completed the distance in the allowed timeframe. In 1987 Sri Chinmoy increased his vision of the running world. He felt that a longer race of 1,300 miles would inspire a challenge for the ultramarathon runners. The Ultra Trio was born- a set of three ultra races of 700, 1,000 and 1,300 miles. World class distance specialists began to attempt the increasingly difficult mileages.

The Marathon Team held national and world championship events in 1988 and 1989 at Flushing Meadow Park. The 1988 1,000 mile event was the I.A.U. (International Association of Ultrarunners) World Championship. Yiannis Kouros of Greece ran 1,000 miles in 10 days,10 hours, breaking the previous record by 1 1/2 days. Suprabha Beckjord of Washington D.C. won the women's 700 mile race in American Record time. Sandra Barwick of New Zealand set a new world standard for women at 1000 miles in 14 days,20 hours. One year later Al Howie of Scotland became the first person to complete the 1,300 mile distance in a certified race (17 days 9 hours).

1990 saw the women's world best for 1000 miles claimed by Suprabha Beckjord as she broke Sandra Barwick's time by a mere 27 minutes. The 1991 Ultra Trio had a field of over 60 runners for all three races- unheard of considering the great distances being attempted. Al Howie came back to break his own record for 1,300 miles by 13 hours and Sandy Barwick became the first woman to run 1,300 miles in a certified race; as well she smashed the 1,000 standard by two days! At the end of the race Sri Chinmoy first suggested having a race of 2700 miles.

In 1992 Suprabha Beckjord returned to join the super elite group who have run 1,300 miles in a certified race, which totals eight men and five women. In the 1993 1,300 miler, Istvan Sipos of Hungary broke Al Howie"s record by nearly two hours. In 1994 Antana Locs of Canada won the 1300 miler overall, and was the first person to ever complete the 1300 three times. In 1995 Georgs Jermolajevs of Latvia broke the world mark for 1300 miles in 16 days 14 hours.