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Abhejali Bernardova, of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from the Czech Republic has swum seven of the world's toughest stretches of open water, including the English Channel. She has also recently published a book about her swimming exploits in Czech entitled: "Until the Water Runs Out?" For a recent podcast after the book publication, Abhejali shared her thoughts on training, inspiration and meditation.

Could you tell us about yourself?

I am forty-four years old and I am from the Czech Republic, which is a landlocked country. But I love swimming in the ocean. I was the fourth woman to finish the challenge called “Oceans Seven.” And just recently I did an ultra-triathlon that included swimming the English Channel and then biking and running all the way to the Czech Republic. I just love challenges, and I’m so happy to be able to share my adventures with your listeners.

Why is the book titled Until the Water Runs Out?

It is a theme of the book, based on advice from Channel General Freda Streeter, mum of former “Queen of the Channel” Alison Streeter (Sri Chinmoy lifted both of them). Her advice to swimmers is to swim until there is no more water, until you get to the other side. There is no use in stopping and looking around, no point in asking how far to go still—you just have to swim until the water runs out. And we also should live to the fullest until the water of our life runs out.

I would like to know more about what self-transcendence means to you?

It means trying to do more than I did before and have goals that can be maybe a little bit scary and then finding ways to achieve them. One side is the sports side, but also for me, it means being a better person than I was before. I think these sports achievements help me in achieving that because so much that I learn during the swims or the runs is transferable to my day-to-day life. Not only everything goes according to plan and stuff like that. You have to find a way to go around and just keep going until you get there. I remember even for my first English Channel swim: It never happened to me during the training, but after I started swimming—maybe forty-five minutes into the swim—I got seasick. Everything else was going fine, but I just couldn’t eat or drink anything, and I was feeding the fish every twenty minutes or so. But I remember you just have to go and keep going. As long as you give it your all, then you are happy and you are making progress.

Tell me a little more about the meditation? How and why did you get into meditating? You mentioned a name, could you repeat that name?

I started meditating with Sri Chinmoy when I was eighteen. There wasn’t any outside reason for me to start meditating. I had a happy childhood. I was happy, and everything was going well, but somehow maybe—not really consciously—I felt there was something missing in my life. So I saw this poster for a meditation class and I went to see what was going on. I really liked this feeling that I felt in my heart during the meditation exercise that we did that evening. Somehow it made sense for me to continue doing these exercises and trying to find something deeper within me. I guess it’s also why I started doing long-distance swimming and running. Just to know myself better, to get more outside of my comfort zone and kind of dig deeper to see what is there. I think we are just really limiting ourselves with what our mind tells us we can do or we can’t do. With the meditation, I’m calming my mind and opening my heart and then I can see that there is so much to explore and so much more to do. So, it somehow made sense to put all of this together.

What happened after the age of eighteen? Did you go on to University, did you start working and then how did you balance the sport and swimming and your running and your cycling during that time?

I started to go to University and I started to run really slowly. I remember my very first run and I just left my house and I ran around the block, it was like five minutes and I felt okay, I started running. Then I increased the distance. It was like twenty-five years ago so there were no, not that many races like there are now and the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team we started organising races, six hours, twelve hours, 100k. So when we did organise these races I wanted to try them out and see how far I could go. So from those five minutes I went to 3k, 10k then a marathon and then that six-hour. Then I still felt I could do more. So, it was just nice to widen my limits or my so-called limits. In a way, it was growing really slowly and then we organised a twenty-hour hour race and then actually I was helping my friend in New York and she ran a race that was one thousand miles long. It was in a park on a one-mile loop and I remember running a marathon after she finished the race maybe a week later. And I ran a marathon on the same loop and I remember that it was my easiest marathon ever because it was twenty-six laps whereas she had to do one thousand laps. So I could totally see how if you change your perspective, if something feels difficult then just look at it from a different side or different height. So that was my easiest marathon.

For those people who maybe haven’t given swimming a go or they want to start pushing themselves and going for longer distances, what would be your advice about going further with swimming? Increasing your time from one hour to two hours to three hours or six or twelve to fifteen hours?

I think one important thing to have a really good technique, like a stroke. Because then if you have a good stroke, good form, then you can go forever. Then for me, like mentally it’s good to not think about you are going to train for ten hours because then your mind starts revolting and telling you you are crazy, why are you doing this? Different things that the mind does to us to discourage us. I would just think of going for a few hours and then while I swim I would just go from one feeding to the next. I would eat every half an hour so then you have just half an hour to go and then another half an hour. For my long swims I would do trainings, maybe six hours on Saturday, six hours on Sunday and what would help would be when you go for the second six hours on Sunday you are sore and you are tired then you don’t really feel so happy to go in the water, especially if the water is cold, but then I would imagine this is my hour number seven, number eight, until twelve. So I would take it as a whole chunk of twelve hours and then it’s like you have done half of it and then I would go downhill, I always like the second half of the race, of the distance, because then it feels like you are already on your way home. Somehow like mentally divide it, make it shorter, do different things to quiet your mind which in general is discouraging and trying to tell you that you don’t want to do this, you are too tired, you are too cold and different things to really stop you from doing it.

Is that when doing back to back training, six hours on Saturday, six hours on a Sunday, you could wake up feeling so sore and tired, what are you tips for recovery? How do you make sure that you stay injury free when you are doing endurance training of this length?

I try to eat really well. I’m a vegetarian but just to really have proper food even during the training I don’t really like having gels that much, we have soup or porridge or different things so that my body is really, really nourished. And then I try to sleep as much as I can in between the trainings and just stay positive, stay happy even though I am tired, especially when you are starting your training, your body needs to get used to it. Just being in a positive frame of mind. I think that is a big help to prevent injury. When you are happy to be out there in the water and swim and just be grateful that you can do it, you are the one who is in the water, this gratitude helps so much too.

Tell me about Oceans Seven? What is the Oceans Seven challenge?

The Oceans Seven challenge involves seven swims around the globe that are difficult in some way or another. One of them is the English Channel. Then the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland, which is even colder than the English Channel. I never really wanted to swim this one. Then there are some warm-water swims like Hawaii’s Moloka’i Channel, which is really long. It is more than 2k, which is a marathon distance. Then there is Cook Strait in New Zealand, Tsugaru Strait in Japan, Strait of Gibraltar which is from Europe to Africa which I really loved.  And there is Catalina Channel, which is from Catalina Island to Los Angeles. So, those are the seven swims and there are tides, there are waves, there are swells, there are some marine animals that are kind and not so kind. So there are different challenges in the swims.

Do you have a mantra or a motto that you sort of apply to your challenges and events?

I have one that I really like and it’s “I can do it, I have already done it.” It’s actually what Sri Chinmoy advised people when they were swimming the English Channel to really use the imagination even while training, to tell yourself “I can do it.” Imagine that you are swimming to the French shore and I am there. And just visualise it and then make it a reality, that’s my favourite. And I use mantras and singing when things get though. There is a song that Sri Chinmoy composed, “I am swimming in the English Channel today” so I was singing that song quite a lot during the swim.

I’d love for you to share your final words of advice to encourage other women and girls to step outside their comfort zone and to take on a new challenge. Apart from saying “just do it” what advice would you have for our listeners?

Dream big and don’t be afraid to dream. Don’t feel that you are too old to dream and to do different challenges and then just find ways to reach those goals and those challenges and sometimes it takes some years to really be able to do it but just not giving up. And then you get there and don’t allow your mind to tell you that you are too old, you are too weak, you can’t do it. You can do it and if you try then at least you can say that you tried. If you don’t try then you definitely won’t be able to accomplish that. So dream big.

Would you mind sharing a little more about what you main goal is in life?

My main goal I would describe as really knowing myself, what I am, why I am here, what I am supposed to do and just being me. Being the best version of me and getting better every day, becoming a better person.

Here some video-footage of Abhejali's Channel Swim from 2011

Video of event

The 26th edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race saw a stellar field with 12 runners entering this unique challenge. In the first couple of weeks, the runners made excellent starts. Yet this is an ultra race like no other, the event is perhaps unique in straddling two seasons – the end of summer and the beginning of Autumn. In late September, the tail-end of Hurricane Ian hit New York with days and days of persistent rain. Yet, despite the innumerable practical difficulties of such weather, the race continued with the cheerful support of an army of volunteers and the inspiring persistence and determination of the hero-runners.

​

The race included three first time entrants. Stephen Redfern from Australia impressed with his cheerful and positive demeanour. After being forced to retire for a few days with severe blisters, he came back determined to honour the race and family of runners. It is a similar spirit that drew back Nirbhasa Magee. After a Covid relapse, he would have had good reason to retire. But, as perhaps only the runners can testify, there is a magic to being on the course, which makes them push through physical pain for the inner reward. The current women’s world Record Holder Kaneenika Janakova (48 days+14:24:10
) from Slovakia, knows how to fly around the course, but this year experienced a different kind of self-transcendence, being grateful for a new experience.​

​

This was a recurring theme of the 3100 Mile Race, we may come with goals and hopes, but ultimately have to surrender to the experience offered. No one better exemplifies this spirit of cheerful surrender than 18 times participant Ananda-Lahari Zuscin.

Another first time entrant who impressed on her debut was Huang Lan Yang, who fell just short of completing the full 3100 miles at her first attempt. It is worth mentioning that once Sri Chinmoy was asked for advice for 3100 runners, he recommended smiling more. Perhaps no one lived up to Sri Chinmoy’s advice better than Huang Lan Yang who was always ready with a smile.

​

As a first time entrant, Susan Marshall excelled to be the women’s champion in a time of 50 days 16 hours. It is a remarkable achievement and her exploits were reported by the media in Australia and New Zealand. (e.g. ABC News)

Stutisheel Lebedev from the Ukraine finished his rollercoaster race at almost the last hour of the last day, a fitting tribute to his determination, making it ten finishes in total.

In 4th place was Vasu Duzihy, a three times past winner, who finished his tenth race out of ten, with an excellent time of 48 days 10 hours.

​

In 3rd place was Lo Wei Ming - one of the great Asian ultra runners of all time. He exceeded his best from last year, setting a new national record of 46 days 15:01:43.

In 2nd place was Ashprihanal Aalto in a time of 45 days 16:28:47. Asprihanal will always be a legend of this race. The current men’s world record holder (in an incredible time of 40 days+09:06:21), he also holds the record for the most finishes of sixteen.

The winner for the third consecutive year was Andrea Marcato, in a superb time of 43 days and three hours 20:27. Throughout the race Andrea exuded determination, focus and concentration. In a race that is so long, Andrea exemplifies how every second counts. There was a real devotion to seeking every possible lap.

Of all the outer achievements of the race, nothing is more important than the inner oneness the race seeks to bring about. Sri Chinmoy once said that 3100 Mile Runners could serve their countries in a most significant way, through the positive energy and oneness the race brings to the fore. This oneness was picked up by the media who saw a seed of hope manifested in the oneness between the two runners from Russia and Ukraine.

​

Also, the race is much more than the 12 runners. It requires a large team of self-giving servers, who freely give of their time because they value what the race can give. We are particularly indebted to those, away from the limelight, who prepared food throughout the day. We are also grateful to all those who counted runners, took photos, provided supplies and offered medical supervision. But, more than anything we offer our gratitude to Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the race, who created not just the world’s longest certified race, but something more. An opportunity to create a new world in this humble block of New York and the vision that anything is possible.

“There is only one dream
That will always be perfect
In your lifetime,
And that is the dream
Of self-transcendence.”

– Sri Chinmoy

(speech by race director Rupantar LaRusso after race)

Finishing times 2022

1. Andrea Marcato: 43 days 03:20:27
2. Ashprihanal Aalto: 45 days 16:28:47
3. Lo Wei-Ming: 46 days 15:01:43
4. Vasu Duzihy 48 days 10:59:02
5. Susan Marshall: 50 days 16:23:53
6. Stutisheel Lebedev: 51 days 15:37:47
7. Huang Lan Yang - 3,000.2 miles
8. Stephen Redfern - 2728 miles
9. Kaneenika Janakova - 2658.9 miles
10. Ananda-Lahari Zuscin - 2637.5 miles
11. Nirbhasa Magee - 1543.2 miles

Further reading

• Media links 2022
• Race Photos at Sri Chinmoy Ultra
• Race videos at Vimeo | More Race videos   at other Vimeo account.
• Daily reports and daily videos - at 3100.srichinmoyraces.org
• Enthusiasm Singers - a Post by Parvati about the group of female singers, who sing to the runners on the course.
• Photos and Videos at Instagram
• ABC TV News 29 October - Epic Contest featuring Susan Marshall

On 4 September, 12 intrepid runners began the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race around the famous 0.5488 mile loop in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Conceived of as both a physical and spiritual journey, the race allows athletes to test themselves in a format unlike any other ultra-marathon. In order to meet their goal of 3100 miles in 52 days, they must log an average of 59.6 miles per day.

The race attracts a range of visitors and supporters who come to soak up the atmosphere of the gruelling test of self-transcendence. Recently, the race was visited by His Excellency Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão the former Prime Minister and President of East Timor. View daily report of this visit.

After day 17, eight of the runners had passed 1,000 miles - nearly one third of the way to their ultimate goal. The leading two men Andrea Marcato and Ashprihanal Aalto are separated by just 17 miles. Whilst the leading two women Huang Lan Yang and Susan Marshall are separated by just three miles. The race is set for a fascinating conclusion, yet the real essence of the race cannot be measured in mileage and placings, but the inner spirit of self-transcendence felt by the runners, helpers and supporters. If you are in the vicinity of Queens, do feel free to drop by.

For the daily results, photos, and reports visit the

• 3100 Mile Home page.

Other links include

• Photos by Alakananda
• SCMT videos at Vimeo
• SCMT at Instagram

The 25th edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race saw seven inteprid runners take to the start line. In a period of 52 days, the seven runners ran a total of 21,112 miles - all around a 0.5 mile block in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

The race returned to New York after the 2020 edition was held in Salzburg, Austria due to Covid restrictions. It was the first time the race has been held in September rather than the sweltering heat of a New York summer. This year's runners benefitted from cooler conditions, but also, at times had to contend with very busy pavements as students went to and from Edison High School, which is located on the course. After the absence of previous years, the runners and organisers were grateful the race was able to happen for the unprecedented opportunity to take part in the immersive experience of this 'Everest' of ultra-distance running.

Last years winner Andrea Marcato, 39 originally from Italy was able to transcend his 2020's best time, getting into a remarkable groove of running 30 consecutive days of 70+ miles, finishing in a time of 42 days+17:38:38. Even after 42 days of consecutive running, he wowed onlookers with a last three-lap burst to become the third-fastest runner of all times by just over 1 minute.

Second place runner was fifty-seven year-old Lo Wei-Ming, the race's first entrant from Taiwan and the first Asian runner to finish the race. Wei-Ming ran a very consistent race and garnered enthusiastic support from supporters and helpers, especially amongst the local Taiwanese New York community. After finishing the race, he paid tribute to the founder Sri Chinmoy and all the many people who go into putting the race on.

“The support of the Taiwanese community helped me a lot.  I realized that even though the race is called self-transcendence, but it cannot happen without the collaboration of a lot of people helping each other.  Now I feel I know more of the wisdom behind it.  It is only because of team work and people working together.”

In third place was Vasu Nikolai Duzhiy, 55, from Russia, Duzihy, who works as a lumber company supervisor, is admired for his humble and quiet approach, which belies his great determination and capacity. He has now finished all nine editions of the race that he has entered.

Fourth overall and the fastest female runner in the race was Harita Davies of New Zealand and Jamaica, Queens, New York. She finished in a time of 50 days+13:23:14, beating her previous best time by over 20 hours. Harita said her effort was a real team effort with helpers from five continents helping in her day to day efforts. Harita has now finished the race on three occasions and after finishing offered her gratitude to the spiritual aspect of the race and the hope the runners' efforts will inspire others.

"There's a big part of me that doesn't mind going through this suffering if I can do something that is meaningful and will be inspiring for other people."”

In fifth place was Takasumi Senoo, who became the first runner from Japan to enter and successfully finish the race within the time limit. Takasumi finished in a time of 51 day+12:50:52. After finishing the race Mr Senoo, like the other runners was very thankful for all the help offered, and in particular, praised his wife for her steadfast help through the race.

Ananda-Lahari Zuscin from Slovakia finished the 52 days with a total of 2871.32 miles /4620.94 km. Stutisheel Lebedev completed  2741.25 miles/4413.389 km. Both runners have finished the race on multiple times and although this year they were not quite able to make the 3100 miles, they still very much cherished the opportunities of the race.

Final results

1.  Andrea Marcato     3100 miles - 42:17:38:38
2.  Wei Ming Lo        3100 miles - 48:11:52:01
3.  Vasu Duzhiy        3100 miles - 49:12:45:26  
4.  Harita Davies      3100 miles - 50:13:23:14
5. Takasumi Senoo      3100 miles - 51:12:50:52   
Ananda-Lahari Zuscin   2871.32 miles /4620.94 km
Stutisheel Lebedev     2741.25 miles/4413.389 km

Media coverage

The unique nature of the race and its inspiring qualities have been picked up by media outlets around the world A selection of articles can be found at: Media coverage

On 4 September, seven intrepid runners stood on the startline for the 25th edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. First held in 1997, Sri Chinmoy founded the race as the ultimate test of self-transcendence - a race where runners compete not for outer glory, but the challenge of transcending their limits and experience.

In order to meet their goal of 3100 miles (4989km) in 52 days, the runners must log an average of 59.6 miles (95.9 km) per day. The runners begin at 6 a.m. and run for extended periods throughout the day, taking breaks as needed. If they want to, they can continue as late as 12 midnight when the course closes for the night.

To follow the race visit:

• 3100 Mile Home page - with two live webcams - during race hours (6.00 am NYT to 12 pm NYT)
• Photo Gallery
• Perfection Journey 3100 Mile Race coverage

The seven runners include:

• Ananda-Lahari Zuscin (47) Kosics Slovakia (17 times entrant)
• Andrea Marcato (39) Zurich Switzerland (2020 winner)
• Harita Davies (47) Christchurch New Zealand (Women’s winner in 2019)
• Lo Wei Ming (58) Taiwan (first time entrant)
• Stutisheel Lebedev (51) Kiev Ukraine (over 10 finishes)
• Takasumi Senoo (39) Japan (first time entrant)
• Vasu Duzhiy (54) (Russia) three times men’s winner.

This week, the Irish Examiner featured an interview with Nirbhasa Magee. Nirbhasa, from Ireland and currently living in Iceland, is a three-time finisher of Sri Chinmoy 3100-Mile Self Transcendence Race. Nirbhasa first completed the race in 2015, and last year (2019) he finished in second place with a personal best of 48 days+09:04:57. The article by Cathal Dennehy examines the inspiration and motivations which help Magee accomplish this Herculean effort.

Read the full article

In the interview, Nirbhasa explains how he copes with the intimidating distance of 3,100 miles.

“It was always very important to never think of the whole thing. Sometimes all you want is to get to the next break, then hopefully once you lay down a bit it’s a different race. You need a very good inner feeling for how far you can push it. It becomes a spiritual exercise. You have to run for the right reasons; if you run for ego or vanity, it’s reflected in the decisions you make and the outcomes of those decisions: injuries, heat exhaustion.”

For nearly two months of the year, Nirbhasa is running around one small half-mile loop in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Whilst this may seem very challenging from an outer perspective, Magee reveals how the complete immersion in the race, and the atmosphere of self-giving that surrounds it, gives him a profoundly different outlook on life when the race is over.

"If I have issues or something that keeps annoying me in normal life, when I finish the race that isn’t even a thing anymore. You do these races and realise there are very few real problems in my life. You get this real perspective that comes from inner peace.” 

Since its initial release last year in the US, the documentary film 3100: Run and Become has been gradually rolled out across the globe. The film travels the world to celebrate the importance of running to the human soul, with a particular emphasis on our very own Sri Chinmoy Self-Trancendence 3100-Mile Race. Now the film has reached new Zealand and Australia, with premiere screenings in February and March.

New Zealand schedule

• 11 February Rialto Cinemas, Auckland • tickets »
• 13-14 February Lumiere Cinemas, Christchurch • tickets »
• 17 February Penthouse Cinemas, Wellington • tickets »

While previewing the film, Stuff (New Zealand's biggest news website) interviewed Harita Davies (pictured above) from Christchurch, who completed the race in 2017 and 2019:

"What am I doing? It's crazy! That was the thought of New Zealander Harita Davies as she stepped up to the start line of the world's longest running race....The New-York based Cantabrian was the first New Zealand female to run the 3100. She's now done it twice." For the complete article...

For those of you looking to tackle an ultra race and see a bit of the world at the same time, here's our 2020 calendar of ultradistance races, featuring races from places as far and wide as Kazakhstan, Mongolia and New Zealand. Of course, our perennial favourites are still there, including the Ten and Six Day race and the 3100 Mile Race (both in New York) but maybe this year some people might be up for something new - for example, how about ringing in the New Year in 2021 by running the 24 hour race in Smolensk, Russia which starts on 31 December and ends on 1 January?

On 12 October, our annual two-mile 'Sri Chinmoy Heart-Garden Run' took place at the site of the Sri Chinmoy Heart-Garden in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York. The aim of the race is to celebrate Sri Chinmoy's belief that sport can be a vehicle for personal transformation and can make a small contribution to a better world. Also, the run is in memory of Sri Chinmoy, who loved the park very much.

The race is very much run in a spirit of appreciating the joy of running. After the two-mile race, there was a short peace walk with the Peace Torch - a torch carried by Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run to over 160 countries around the world. This short walk and ceremony gave everybody the opportunity to share in the Peace Run's message of oneness. 

During this year's event, participants from all other the world were joined by several special guests and friends who shared their thoughts and wishes for creating a better world. We were joined by Ida Keeling, a 104 year old sprinter and former Bronx Borough President. Ida recently broke the world record for women aged 100-104 for the 100m sprint, completing the distance in 1 minute and 17.33 seconds (WR link). Still vibrant with life-energy, Ida is an inspiring example of Sri Chinmoy's philosophy of self-transcendence and never quitting because of age. After the race, she shared her secrets of old age, which involve eating well, staying positive and doing daily exercise. Ida was accompanied by her daughter Shelley Keeling, who is an accomplished masters athlete and who is the one who introduced her mother to sprinting. Shelley recently 2 Gold medals and 1 Bronze at the recent European masters games at the age of 68.

Also speaking at the event were Nadirah and Askia Muhammad from the Jamaica area of Queens, New York.  Dr. Askia Muhammad is an imam who ministers to the Muslim community in Jamaica and is President of the Ummah Group, an organization dedicated to interfaith dialogue and spiritual development. He shared a very powerful opening prayer during the event. The Muhammads are parents of current 400m hurdles Olympic and world champion Dalilah Muhammad - asked about the success of his daughter, Dr. Askia modestly replied his greatest success was not to interfere with her God-given gifts - but only to gently encourage and support her daughter's decisions. Dalilah won the gold medal at the recent 2019 World Championships in Tokyo, setting the current world record with a time of 52.16 seconds.

We also were delighted to welcome our long-time friend Coach Jim Hurt, Head Track and Field Coach of nearby St. John’s University. Coach Hurt has spent 36 years with the St John's track and field and crosscountry teams (the Red Storm); 29 of those years were as head coach, and he has had a tremendous amount of success in those years. Our final guest was Ms. Najibe Burger, who has served the Queens community in so many capacities - she is currently on the boards of the Queens Council of the Arts and the Queens Family Court, as well as being the President of Latin American Cultural Center of Queens.

Flushing Meadows Park has a very special connection with the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, having played host to our running events since the late 1970s and our multi-day ultra-races since the 1980s. On October 11, 2006, exactly one year before Sri Chinmoy's physical passing, this iconic section of Flushing Meadows Park was dedicated by the New York Parks department as the Sri Chinmoy Heart-Garden to celebrate the legacy and vision for world peace that Sri Chinmoy had encouraged.

Sri Chinmoy felt that sport and running gave us the outer dynamism and the inner aspiration to transcend our previous achievements. He also saw sport as an opportunity to promote happiness and goodwill amongst competitors.

"In competitive sports, our primary aim should be not to surpass others but constantly to surpass ourselves. In the outer life, when we run with our friends, we are seeing who is actually the best. And we cannot properly evaluate our own capacity unless we have some standard of comparison. But we compete not for the sake of defeating others, but in order to bring forward our own capacity."

- Sri Chinmoy

Related

• Photos from the race
• Heart-Garden Race homepage
• Sri Chinmoy's quote is taken from his book The body, humanity’s fortress

On 3rd March 1979, Sri Chinmoy ran his first marathon, in Chico, California, completing the distance in a time of 4:31:34. In the next four years Sri Chinmoy would run 21 more marathons, but perhaps more significantly, he would inspire many runners to follow the philosophy of self-transcendence and take up long-distance running. 40 years after his first marathon, the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team continue to promote marathons and ultra distance races across the globe.

In honour of this significant milestone in the history of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, groups of runners from around the world held running events, including 70 members who travelled to Chico, California. Marathon. Events were also held in many different places around the world, including in Bristol (UK), Melbourne (Australia), Dublin (Ireland), Augsburg (Germany), Sao Paolo (Brazil), New York (US), and Zlin (Czech Republic). The weather varied from 37 degrees heatwave in Australia to a below freezing snow-storm in New York.

Race Reports from around the globe

Vasudha, our Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team co-ordinator in San Diego, writes: "Some 60 members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from the US, Canada, Great Britain, and even Mongolia met in Chico, California to celebrate a significant milestone in the history of our team. On March 3, 1979, Sri Chinmoy ran his first marathon in Chico, California. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of this signal event - which in turn helped to launch the worldwide organisation that today sponsors hundreds of footraces, duathlons, triathlons, swimming events, and more - team members ran along the same course in beautiful Bidwell Park. The race that was then a full marathon - the Bidwell Classic - now features a half marathon and a 5K. In addition to participating in both these distances - and nabbing 13 age-group awards - Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team members hosted an aid station and cheered all the race participants who braved the cold, rainy weather. After finishing the half marathon, seven athletes covered an additional 13.1 miles to complete the marathon distance and to honour Sri Chinmoy's inaugural marathon."

In Australia the weekend co-incided with the arrival of the runners from the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, who were finishing the Australian leg of a 44-country journey that will carry the Peace Torch all nations in the Southern Hemisphere - the first time that the torch has gone all the way around the world as part of one run. As a result there were over 55 Australian and international runners - who fortunately were well-acclimatised for the heat, which hovered in the high 30s towards the end of the race.   

In New York, the weather veered to the other extreme - due to the cold and freezing snow on the track, the official race was cancelled. However, some intrepid runners wished to run their own personal marathon. With no official aid station, five runners - four women and one man, completed the distance, with many other runners completing several laps to take part in the spirit of the event, despite the outer challenges. Brazilian members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team marked the event by running a 13 hours race in Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo from 8 am to 9 pm - 6 men and 4 women ran a total of 671km.

In Dublin, runners also faced freezing temperatures with rain, biting wind and temperatures hovering above freezing. Despite these challenging conditions, six members of the Irish Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team remained undaunted by the weather and successfully completed the marathon distance.

Sri Chinmoy felt that running marathons was an excellent complement to the 'inner running' - the spiritual life.

Spiritual people often like running because it reminds them of their inner journey. The outer running reminds them that a higher, deeper, more illumining and more fulfilling goal is ahead of them in the inner world, and for that reason running gives them real joy.

Long-distance running gives us a real feeling of accomplishment. We can run 100 metres forty times during the year and not feel the same sense of accomplishment as when we run one marathon. But speed and endurance are both important, especially in the spiritual life. If one has only speed, then one cannot ultimately succeed; we need endurance because the goal is quite far. Again, if one has only stamina and no speed, then it will take forever to reach the goal. Only if someone has both qualities will he be able to make very good progress in his spiritual life and achieve something really great in life.

Sri Chinmoy's Marathon Runs

1. March 3, 1979 - Bidwell Classic - Chico, CA - 4:31:34
2. March 25, 1979 - Heart-Watchers Marathon - Toledo,OH - 3:55:07
3. May 6, 1979 - Newsday-Long Island Marathon - Long Island, NY - 4:16:23
4. May 12, 1979 - Champlain Valley Mar. - Plattsburgh, NY - 4:41:16
5. Oct. 6, 1979 - Phidippides Marathon - Athens, Greece - 5:39:41
6. Oct. 21, 1979 - New York City Marathon - New York, NY - 4:48:53
7. Dec. 2, 1979 - Jersey Shore Marathon - Asbury Park, NJ - 4:33:44
8. May 24, 1980 - Solo Run - Munich, Germany - 4:30:00
9. June 1, 1980 - Sri Chinmoy Marathon - San Mateo, CA - 5:18:31
10. Feb. 1, 1981 - Inspiration Marathon - Hampton, NH - 5:22:11
11. March 7, 1981 - Bidwell Classic - Chico, CA - 4:30:21
12. Oct. 25, 1981 - New York City Marathon - New York, NY - 4:36:22
13. May 2, 1982 - Newsday-Long Island Marathon - L.I., NY - 4:26:56
14. Oct. 24, 1982 - New York City Marathon - New York, NY - 4:44:41
15. Nov. 7, 1982 - Sri Chinmoy Marathon - Zurich, Switz. - 4:36:00
16. Nov. 14, 1982 - Jersey Shore Marathon - Asbury Park, NJ - 4:22:57
17. Dec. 5, 1982 - Sri Chinmoy Marathon - San Juan, PR - 5:12:00
18. Dec. 31, 1982 - Sri Chinmoy Marathon - Okinawa, Japan - 4:33:43
19. Jan. 22, 1983 - Orange Bowl Marathon - Miami, FL - 5:33:33
20. Jan. 30, 1983 - Solo Run - Flushing Meadow, NY - 5:20:03
21. Feb. 6, 1983 - Inspiration Marathon - Hampton, NH - 5:56:59
22. Feb. 20, 1983 - Solo Run - Hempstead, NY - 5:25:20

• Sri Chinmoy's philosophy on running https://www.srichinmoyraces.org/sri-chinmoy-running. Race Reports by Arpan, Grahak, Vasudha and Patanga. Quotes by Sri Chinmoy are taken from his book The outer running and the inner running.

For those of you planning to tackle races of longer than marathon distance next year, the German Sri Chinmoy Marathon team has published a helpful race calendar of the ultra races organised by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon this year. In Europe, the races include the national 24 hour championships of Moldova and the Ukraine, and the calendar also features our two flagship events in the USA: the 6 and 10 day races in April, and the 3100 Mile Race in August - the world's longest certified road race.

Download calendar (pdf):  English  German

(Picture: Our 24, 12 and 6 hour race that takes place in Belgrade, Serbia in September)

On 17 June 2018, ten intrepid runners took to the start line of the world's longest certified road race - the 22nd edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. Over the next seven weeks, the runners will aim to complete a daily average of 60 miles or more in order to finish the race within the official time limit of 52 days. The runners have to contend with the hot New York summer, a hard concrete course and the many physical and mental challenges of competing in this epic of self-transcendence.

The race was founded by spiritual teacher and ultra-runner pioneer Sri Chinmoy, who saw distance running as a vehicle to enable runners to bring to the fore their physical, mental and spiritual capacities to complete this unique challenge.

“We have to believe in a higher Power.
Only by believing in a higher Power
Can we go beyond and beyond
Our limited, human capacity.”

– Sri Chinmoy [1]

In this year's race, we have the 2017 winner, Vasu Duzhiy from Russia. Also returning to the race is Kaneenika Janakova, from Slovakia who last year broke the women's world record, setting a time of 48 days+14:24:10. Proving that age is no barrier to ultra distance, the race also welcomes William Sichel (64) from Orkney, Scotland, UK. Sichel holds a host of Scottish and UK distance records and completed the race in 2014. Yolanda Holder, 60 years old and the only person to have racewalked the distance, also returns to the race after completing last year at her first attempt in a time of 51days+17:00:13. Surasa Mairer, former 3100 Mile women's record holder and current female world record holder for 1000 km, 700 miles, and 1300 miles is also starting.

View all runner's biographies.

First day's race

How to follow the race

This unique race has developed a following from all around the world. You can follow the race by viewing two race cams, daily results, daily blogs and photos.

• Daily results at 3100 Mile Race
• 3100 Mile home page - with Web Cam and race director's videos.
• Perfection Journey - Daily race blog by Utpal Marshall
• Photos by Jowan

Petra Kasperova from the Czech Republic, the winner of our Sri Chinmoy Six Day Race which took place this year in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York, was recently featured in a new inspirational book called Superhuman, by Rowan Hooper. The book looks at people who have achieved notable features of self-transcendence, and tries to answer what motivates them to reach for these goals. Petra finished this year's race with a total of 370 miles, at only her second attempt at running a multi-day event.

During the 6 day race, the runners can be out on the course for many hours at a time, and have to deal with numerous physical issues. Petra credits meditation with giving her the inner strength to overcome these obstacles.

I am certain I would never do so well in running if it wasn't for meditation and spiritual techniques that I have learned and applied during training and racing. The techniques can change from race to race and even during a race. I like to repeat mantras, qualities and prayers - that seems to help keeping my mind calm and focused. I try not to think at all, just to be focused. Repeating qualities like gratitude seem to keep my mind clear and make me more aware of what is going on inside of me and also outside of me.

Running is an integral part of Petra's life - she works in the specialist running shop Run and Become in London, where she advises runners on all manner of running issues. She often trains by running to work and back.

"I find that running has made me stronger, not just physically but on many different levels. It is always when we go outside our comfort zones, outside what we think is possible, when we transcend ourselves in any field of life (not just running), that's the time where we need to dig deep, and when we do, we get glimpses of who we truly are and who we really want to be – for a happy self and a happy world."

Related

• Petra's Victory in the Six-Day Race 2018 at Run and Become
• Six-Day Race at Sri Chinmoy Races
• Superhuman by Rowan Hooper at Amazon

Photos: Utpal Marshall. Perfection Journey

The Sri Chinmoy Multisport Classic, held in Jindabyne, is a unique multi-sport event held in the beautiful surroundings of Australia's Snowy Mountains. The annual event has been held for several years and combines water and land-based sports over 12 different legs.

The event attracts a diverse range of athletes who can compete either individually or part of a relay. This video, produced by Sarankhuu Jargal, shows highlights from the different sections including running, swimming, mountain biking and paddling. Steve Hanley a former winner also gives his brief thoughts on why he enjoys the race.

The course is varied, with 3 mountain bike legs ranging from easy to highly technical; 3 running courses from flat to very not-flat; 3 swims of between 1.2 and 2.5 kms; and 3 paddles of 5.5 to 9.5 kms. The swims and paddles criss-cross most of Lake Jindabyne, while the mountain bikers and runners thoroughly explore the rugged Eastern Escarpment, rolling farmland of the Western Shore, and bushland of the adjoining Kosciuszko National Park.

The event is organised by the Canberra/Australia Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team.

Related

• The Sri Chinmoy Multisport Classic
• Race reports from participants

Nataliya Samunnati Lehonkova, a member of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team who competed for her native Ukraine in last year's Olympics in Rio, won the woman's elite field in the Dublin SSE Airtricity Marathon. On a rainy windy day, she finished in a personal best time of 2:28:57.

Picture below: Samunnati with friends from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in Dublin after the awards ceremony. Samunnati has won the Dublin Marathon before, as well as winning the Edinburgh, Tolouse and Los Angeles Marathon

Nataliya Samunnati Lehonkova at Awards Ceremony

Related

• News item on Ukrainian TV (in Ukrainian)

Photo top: Nataliya Lehonkova in 2015 Dublin Marathon. Photo William Murphy CC SA

48 days and 14 hours after starting the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race, Kaneenika Janakova,47, of Bratislava, Slovakia set a new women’s world record for the distance. Her final time was 48 days+14:24:10, averaging over 63 miles for nearly two months of daily racing.

Kaneenika broke the previous women’s record set by Surasa Mairer by over 17 hours. Her performance was also sufficient to finish 2nd overall.

After a difficult opening few days, Kaneenika was a model of consistency averaging well over the required minimum daily distance of 60 miles. She remarked how over the course of the race she felt stronger - despite the accumulation of miles and physical fatigue.

“At the beginning of the race I actually didn’t feel so strong, the first week and maybe even 10 days.  But then all of a sudden it felt as though I was gaining the strength.  It just all started happening.   It was all coming from inside.” - Kaneenika

Vasu Duzihy overall winner

The overall winner of the race was Vasu Duzhiy 51, of St Petersburg, Russia, who won the 21st Annual Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race for the second time in 46 days+17:38:22. It was Vasu’s sixth consecutive finish and his second consecutive first place. His performance was all the more remarkable for a serious back accident eight months ago, which left him unable to train and barely able to stand. Speaking after the race, Vasu expressed his joy of competing in the contest.

“I love this race.  I don’t know why I love it.  I just love it and do it.  I am happy here and I am able to do self transcendence. I hope that I can inspire some people to be better citizens of the world.  They inspire me and I inspire them.” - Vasu

Over 100 spectators came to see the finish of the runners who had braved extremes of temperature, sickness, and the unremitting nature of the concrete block which had been their home and sporting pilgrimage for the past several weeks.

3rd place for Nirbhasa Magee

On Saturday night, Nirbhasa Magee, a native of Dublin, Ireland finished second man, third overall in a personal best time of 48 days+16:47:01. It was Nirbhasa’s second attempt at the distance, managing to improve his finish time by two days plus 19 hours faster than his previous effort in 2015. For Magee, the spirit of self-transcendence is the essence of the race, remarking:

“It is nice to transcend yourself…  I am not leaving anything on the table.  It is not like I am taking it easy.  What you see from me every day is my absolute best that I can put out." - Nirbhasa

The race continues for a few days with Harita Davies (NZ) and Yolanda Holder (US) within striking distance of finishing the race within the allotted time of 52 days.

Follow the race at:

• 3100 Mile race at Sri Chinmoy Races
• Perfection Journey by Utpal
• Photos of race by Jowan

This year sees the 21st edition of the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. 10 runners took to the start line on June 18th to embark on the epic quest to complete 3,100 miles over the course of 52 days. Each runner will need to tap into deep reserves of - stamina, fitness, and inner strength - to meet the 60 mile a day average needed to complete the race. The race was founded by Sri Chinmoy, a spiritual teacher keen to promote physical self-transcendence as a way to the inner and outer enlightenment.

The race attracts international media attention for the unique personal challenge it presents. The race promoted by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team has an international flavour with runners drawn from Europe, US and New Zealand. In addition to the ten runners a team of volunteers look after the runners through cooking, medical team and lap counters.

    “Go beyond, farther beyond!
    Do not limit yourself
    By comparing yourself with others
    Or even with your own self.”

– Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy, Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, Part 99, Agni Press, 1984

Photos

Jowan and Utpal.

• Daily updates at 3100 Mile Race

Daily blog by Utpal at Perfection Journey

The runners this year include:

Vasu Duzhiy Age 51, St. Petersburg, Russia (5 finishes, 1 win)
Smarana Puntigam 46, Vienna Austria. Seven straight finishes.
Nidhruvi Zimmermann, 51, Vienna, Austria
Nirbhasa Magee, 37, Dublin Ireland
Andrey Andreev, 51, St Petersburg Russia
Sergey Kuzmin, 44, Nizhniy Novgorod Russia
Kaneenika Janakova, Age 47, Bratislava, Slovakia
Ananda-Lahari Zuskin, Age 42, Kosice, Slovakia
Yolanda Holder, 59, Corona,CA USA
Harita Davies, 42, Christchurch New Zealand

Full bios of runners

Despite injury and cold, Tejvan Pettinger entered the National hill climb championship held on Bank Road, Matlock this Sunday. The former national champion (2013) finished in 41st place in a time of 2.40 - 22 seconds behind the winner Adam Kenway. Speaking after the event, Tejvan explained his decision to ride despite being off form.

"With persistent injury, lack of training and then chesty cough, it was tempting to miss the event and stay at home, but the National Championship always has a good atmosphere and I wanted to be able to take part - even if I knew I wouldn't do particularly well. All things considered, I was happy with time of 2.40. It was a hard effort. But, the main thing this year was just taking part and being part of the event. Also, I've done every event since 2005, and I didn't want to miss this year. The hill climb championship is a very high standard this year."

Previous national championships - T.Pettinger

• 2005 - 11th (The Rake)
• 2006 - 7th (Peak Hill)
• 2007 - 7th (Cheddar Gorge)
• 2008 - 12th (Bank Road)
• 2009 - 14th (Pea Royd Lane)
• 2010 - 4th (Dover's Hill)
• 2011 - 5th (Long Hill)
• 2012 - 12th (The Rake)
• 2013 - 1st (The Stang)
• 2014 - 4th Pea Royd Lane
• 2015 - 6th Jackson Bridge
• 2016 - 41st (Bank Road)

Related

• Results at Cycling Time Trials
• Matlock hills - blog post by Tejvan

Yuri Trostenyuk, a plumber from Vinnitsa Ukraine, won the 2016 edition of the 3100 Mile Race after a closely fought contest with current record holder Asprihanal Aalto (Finland).

In an epic race, Yuri finished in a time of 46 days +01:10:25 - averaging 67 miles / 108.346 km per day. It was the closest ever finish to the 3100 Mile Race, with Yuri holding off a late surge from last years winner Ashprihanal. In 2015, Mr Aalto set the current all-time record for 3100 miles in a blistering speed of 40 days +09 hours. However, perhaps suffering from the effects of last years effort, Asprihanal struggled in the early parts of this years race, but the flying Finn finished in a flurry, covering an average of 78.61 miles over the final four days to push Yuri all the way to the finish. It marked a fitting end to the race, where runners battled through injuries, a heatwave, and the gruelling nature of the course.

On the last full day, Yuri ran 79 miles and Ashprihanal 86 miles - as Yuri crossed the finish line, only eight miles separated the two runners.

Yuri has now finished the 3100 Mile Race four times. He is also a four-time winner of the 10 Day Race.

Asprihanal's completion today took 46 days + 02:54:22, which is an average of 67.218 miles per day (108.177 km). Asprihanal holds the record for - course record, the most victories, and most completions while averaging 70 plus miles per day.

Other runners Atmavir Petr Spacil and Vasu Duzhiy are also close behind and set to finish very soon. In the womens race Kaneenika Janakova and Surasa Mairer are also edging closer to the magic 3100 mile mark.

The New York Times recently published an article touting a runner "as one of the country’s top female ultramarathoners". Kudos to the runner highlighted. However, the Times writer, while defining ultrarunning as any distance beyond the marathon (which I have no qualms with), failed to examine distances beyond the many races that were highlighted in the article. Ultrarunning beyond the 50 mile and 100 mile trail races has a long and storied history dating back to at least the pedestrian races in the 19th century. See Harper's Magazine article by Sam Shaw "Run Like Fire Once More" for a bigger history of multi day racing.

If multiday races were included, then surely Dipali Cunningham would be up there as one of the all-time greats. Here is a brief resume from a career spanning from 1991 to 2015:

• 36 multiday races
• 30 first place finishes
• 12 times overall wins (i.e beating all the men in the race!)
• 3 world records (6 day race) :
  1998 504 miles
  2001 510 miles
  2009 (best) over 50 years old 513 miles
  2014 American US age group record 55-59 475 miles
• 3rd place in world for 700 miles (women)
• 4th place in world 1,000 miles (women)
• 33 Australian National records (24 hours to 1,000 miles)