A short video of the 3100 Mile Self-Transcendence Race from the Wall Street Journal.
‘A Distance so Long it takes 52 days’
See other: Articles on 3100 Mile Race
How the 3100 Mile Race has become an annual feature of Jamaica Hills, New York
Author: tejvan
Blogs by 3100 Mile Runners
Some of the 3100 Mile runners have their own website / blog
- Stutisheel’s blog
- Pranjal’s blog – Pranjal is updating his blog whilst running 2010 race!
- Multidays – Former 3100 Mile finisher Abichal Watkins updates a site on Ultra distance running with updates on this year’s race.
Other Useful Links
- Utpal Marshall a member of Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team also updates a blog on the 3100 mile race at Perfection Journey
- 2010 Race Results can be viewed here
- Photos from 2010 Race
- 3100 at Sri Chinmoy Races
Keep On Running
An interview with Grahak Cunnigham on ABC Australia. Grahak finished 2nd in the 2009 edition of the 3100 Mile Race.
3100 Mile Movie Trailer
Film by Jessie Beers-Altman on Suprabha Beckjord’s participation in the 3100 Mile Self Transcendence Race
3100 Mile Race Statistics
Nayak compiled some interesting statistics about the 3100 Mile race.
Here are some of the staggering numbers that go to make up the 3100 race, now completing its 12th year. I have estimated some quantities when information was not available.
Total number of starters since the 3100 race began in 1997 – 102
Percent of starters who finished – 83%
Total distance travelled, all years – 297,184 miles (478,169 km)
Comparison to moon travel – From earth to moon + 2! times around the earth
Number of steps taken—all runners and years – 523 million
Total number of laps-all runners and years – 541,545
Number of times around the earth, all runners & years – 12
Running around Jupiter, largest planet – More than once around
Suprabha”s mileage for 12 years – 39,900
Total number of person-days involved in race, all years and runners – 4932 days (13! years)
Average finish time – 50 days +10 hours
Water consumed, all years and runners – 20,000 liters
Estimated number of meals eaten, all runners and years – 15,000 (enough to feed a family of 4 for 10 years),
Number of countries represented – 17
Countries with most entries USA: 17 (because of Suprabha”s 12)
Country with most runners – Czechoslovakia: 6 (3 Czech, 3 Slovak); Germany: 4; USA: 4
Total number of thoughts at 10 per minute, all runners and years – 53 million
Estimated number of hours of selfless service support since 1997 – 52,000 (equivalent to 6 years of 24/7)
Related
More Photos from 3100 Mile Race
How Far is 3100 Miles?
One feature about the 3100 mile race is that it hard to comprehend the distance of the race; it is something far beyond our usual concept of a running race. It is widely accepted that several months of training are required to run a marathon; to complete a marathon of 26 miles is no mean feat. The 3100 mile race is the equivalent of running 118 marathons back to back.
To many of us it is hard enough to run 2 miles everyday. If we ran 2 miles everyday it would take 4 years, 2 months (or 1,550 days) to complete the race. It will take some of the runners less than 50 days to complete the race averaging 60-70 miles a day. The record for the 3100 mile race is 41 days set by Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk of Germany in 2006.
The 3100 Mile race is run on a short .5488 loop. But, if it was place to place. 3100 miles could involve:
- Running from Los Angeles to New York and then finishing off with another 500 mile loop.
- Running from Paris to Moscow and back
- Running Land’s End to John o Groat’s in UK, 3 times
The Prize of Self Transcendence
3100 Race continues even in a heavy New York Downpour
New York Daily News carry a short article – No prize for 14 runners – only Self-Transcendence
“I get a thrill from being out here,” said Suprabha Beckjord, 52, of Washington, D.C. – the only woman and only American participating in this year’s race.
“It’s a [dream] to be able to achieve a very long distance. It’s something we can only accomplish with determination and willpower,” said Beckjord, who has averaged 57.6 miles a day.
The gruelling race as well as being a great test of stamina, honors the race’s founder, Sri Chinmoy.
Photo by Arpan from Day 14 (Suprabha Beckjord on the left, helper on right)
Leave Message for Runners
If you would like to leave a message for the runners, you are welcome to use this:
The messages will be printed out and taken to the race the next morning.
The runners will definitely appreciate hearing from well wishers around the world.
Interviews with Runners at New York Magazine
New York Magazine interviewed 5 of the runners from the 3100 Mile Race, Diganta Pobitzer, Suprabha Beckjord. Bottom: Grahak Cunningham, Asprihanal Aalto, and Stutisheel Lebedyev.
Brief excerpt from Interview with Aspihanal Aalto (the current race leader)
…
How do you get past the pain and boredom? With my MP3 player, talking with friends, going to the heart, and quieting the mind. Or …. I like to listen to music. It’s good to have books or music for the mind. My MP3 player broke down three weeks ago — I’d like to listen to books, like the Da Vinci Code, or the Harry Potter books. You can read the Harry Potter books three times.
When does it get hard? When the mind-problems come.
Does it get easy again? When you get happy.
…
Read Full interviews with 5 runners at New York Magazine.
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