Author: Sahishnu

photo by Arpan

As this observer has noted the courageous endeavors of the runners, all are subject to the intense weather elements without exception. The race leader Asprihanal Aalto was forced to sit a day with symptoms of heat stroke and dehydration – he even had two bags of IV fluid taken in to ensure a speedy recovery. He is hopeful to return to the fray Thursday. Meanwhile, Atmavir Petr Spacil has had a good recovery from weakness with a solid 64.75 mile day to lead the pack through the intense heat today as the heatwave has yet to break up. Galya V. Balatskyy was a close second for the day with 64.20 and remains third overall. And the ever relentless Pranjal Milovnik hovers in second place only 10 miles behind Asprihanal. To a man,or woman, they all miss Asprihanal and hope he can bounce back – soon.

photo by Jowan

Only four runners were able to move past 60 miles on this most difficult day. Asprihanal Aalto and Dharbhasana Lynn both challenged the vertical expansion of mercury by running 65.85 and 64.20 miles, respectively, as the race progressed through another hot day. The runners sensed it would be wiser to back off and not risk being battered by the sun so lower mileage and lesser expectations were in order. We have not had a heat wave of this difficulty since the 1999 race.

photo by Nandana
With the temps reaching 99ºF, our band of merry warriors continued on to the work at hand. Asprihanal Aalto ran 65.30 to lead the way, closely followed by Dharbhasana Lynn, with 63.66 and Pranjal Milovnik with 63.11 miles. Only five men made it past 60 miles- one has to be extra careful on extreme days like this to not topple the applecart, so to speak. Ice cubes on the head, a little extra salt with food, and tissue salts with water a few times throughout the day were first steps to surviving the heat-wave in progress. With possibly four more brutal days, we shall see what happens …

photo by Jowan
On a sweltering Fourth of July, Asprihanal Aalto and Pranjal Milovnik made the most of their talents whilst keeping in good form without breaking down. Asprihanal ran 68.6 miles, and Pranjal 68.05 as the field had six runners top 60 miles with the mercury sizzling to 94ºF. The top eight are still in the plus side of the battle for laps and average miles in order to finish. Asprihanal leads all with 70.29 miles per day average (113.13 km). The five day forecast does not look promising but our heroes will find a way to get it done.

photo by Arpan

Pranjal Milovnik was the Day 21 leader with 69.69 miles. Only five runners made it past sixty miles as the temps climbed to the mid nineties. Asprihanal Aalto still leads overall with 1477.91 miles, averaging 70.45 miles per day (113.45 KM).

photo by ArpanFor one day, any runner can be the hero and lead the others. Today, three men came in with 68.05 miles – Asprihanal Aalto, Pranjal Milovnik, and Petr Spacil all landed with 124 laps. Meanwhile, seven men bested 60 miles on a warm but pleasant afternoon as the mercury eased towards the mid-eighties.

photo by Arpan
Asprihanal Aalto notched his sixth straight day of 70+ miles run with a neat 71.344 mile excursion around the ‘block’. Petr Spacil regained form after a two-day lapse cost him second place by running 70.79 miles to tie for third overall. Eight runners ran past 60 miles today . Purna-Samarpan Querhammer and Surasa Mairer both went past the 1000 mile split.

1000 miles- Purna-Samarpan Querhammer 18 days+03:14:11
1000 miles- Surasa Mairer 18 days +10:32:18.

photo by Arpan
It cooled off nicely for our merry band of thrill-seeker runners as they are negotiating their way through the third week of high-mileage running. Asprihanal Aalto again led the way with 71.344 miles as the weather reminded him of summers in Finland along the fjords and flatlands of Scandinavia. Pranjal Milovnik again excelled with 67.5 miles to secure second place overall. In all, nine of the Elevatin’ Eleven passed 60 miles or more today.

photo by Nandana
Seven runners passed 60 miles as the last remnants of the four day heatwave left the area. Asprihanal Aalto again topped 70 miles for the fourth straight day with 71.34. Galya V. Balatskyy moved into second place with a 67.50 mile day, a few laps ahead of Pranjal Milovnik who reached 64.75 miles. The surprise performance of the day belonged to first-timer Dharbhasana Lynn, the thin, slight New Zealand man who garnered 68.05 miles to reach 1000 miles total.
Three runners reached the 1000 mile mark today:
Pavol Saraz – 16 days+02:19:54
Ananda Lahari Zuscin – 16 days+02:26:36
Dharbhasana Lynn – 16 days+16:21:50.

photo by Arpan
With the heat wave lingering with mid-nineties(30C) temps, our brave if not delirious crew managed to survive and move on. Asprihanal Aalto again ran 70.24 miles to lead the pack, followed by the relentless Pranjal Milovnik with 68.02 miles. Stutisheel Lebedyev(15 days+08:51:31) and Pushkar Mullauer(15 days+14:14:32) both glided through the 1000 mile split.Seven men still managed over 60 miles today with one more tough day ahead before the weather breaks.