Author: tejvan

3100 Mile Race In Media

The 3100 Mile Race has been featured in various newspapers and Media outlets in recent years. These are a selection of some articles.

“…The fifteen participants—all but two of them disciples of the Bengali Guru Sri Chinmoy, who has resided in the neighborhood for forty years—hailed from ten countries on three continents. They ran in all weather, seven days a week, from 6:00 a.m. to midnight, or until their bodies compelled them to rest. If they logged fewer than fifty miles on a given day, they risked disqualification. By their own reckoning, the runners climbed eight meters per lap, mounting and descending a spectral Everest every week and a half. They toiled in this fashion for six to eight weeks, however long it took them to complete 5,649 circuits—3,100 miles—around a single city block…”

Run Like Fire Once More: Chasing Perfection at the World’s Longest Footrace By: Sam Shaw at Harpers Magazine

..When you reach the 1,000-mile marker in the world’s longest footrace–a 3,100-mile summer odyssey in New York–try to remain calm.

“If you start thinking, ‘Oh, my, God, I’ve got another 2,000 miles to go,’ you’re in trouble,” said Trishul Cherns, a 48-year-old massage therapist from Queens, the site of the annual race. “You don’t want to get caught in that mental trap…”

In This Footrace, the last 3,000 Miles are the Hardest (link Broken) – by Alan Bastable, Columbia News Service, Nov 1, 2005

Video from CBS News

 


“Followers of Sri Chinmoy honor him and seek spiritual transcendence in various ways. A dozen followers are doing it this month by running around a city block in Jamaica, Queens, for seven weeks straight, 18 hours a day, from 6 a.m. to midnight…”

Running 3100 Miles and Following their leader every step of the way by Corey Kilgannon, New York Times – July 1, 2004


“…The goal is 3,100 miles within 51 days. That’s 5,649 times around this .5488 mile concrete course, or more than 60 miles daily between the race hours of 6:07 a.m. and midnight. In the world’s longest sanctioned race, and possibly the most incomprehensible road race ever devised, these five runners – a sixth dropped out – from four nations have circumnavigated the Thomas A. Edison Vocational/Technical School in Jamaica, Queens, an average of about 115 times daily since June 13…”

This 3100 Mile Race is for the Long Run by By Amy Shipley, Washington Post, Friday, July 31, 1998

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2008 Edition of the 3100 Mile Race

The 12th edition of the 3100 Mile Race began this Sunday, June 15th.

There are 14 entrants for this years race including:

  • Suprabha Beckjord
  • Abichal
  • Ananda-Lahari Zuscin
  • Asprihanal Aalto
  • Grahak Cunningham
  • Stutisheel Lebedyev
  • Pranab Vladovic
  • Smarana Puntigam
  • Pranjal Milovnik
  • Diganta Adhikari
  • Sopan Tsekov
  • Petr Spacil
  • Christopher Mullauer
  • Pavol Saraz

For details on this years runners see: Runner’s Profiles

Best wishes to all the runners in this epic feat of self-transcendence!

Results can be viewed here.

3100 Links

Photo by Jowan Gauthier

Videos of the 3100 Mile Race

These videos give a brief glimpse into the unique 3100 Mile Self Transcendence Race. They were taken by Utpal Marshall during the 2006 and 2007 edition.

Self Transcendence 3100 Mile Race Part 1

“On a cool June 11th morning, the longest foot race in the World started in New York City. A record 15 runners from 10 countries entered the event, which is being held for the tenth time. Participants have 51 days to complete the distance. Circling a large city block in Queens, they can run from 6 in the morning until midnight each night….”

Video by: Utpal Marshall. Originally published Sri Chinmoy TV

3100 Mile Self Transcendence Race part 2


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Why Run 3100 Miles?

Two of the most common questions asked at the 3100 mile race are: Why? and What do the runners eat?

The eating requirements are easy to answer, see what runners eat. However, the question of why anyone would want to run a 3100 mile race is not so easy to answer. In fairness it can only really be answered by those who have actually completed the distance. The furthest I have run is a 7 mile cross country race, which I very nicely came last. That is another story, but suffice to say I am not the most qualified person to answer why people run 3100 miles. Nevertheless it is an intriguing question. On the face of it, running a 3100 mile race has many challenges:

  1. 2 months without working.
  2. Innumerable blisters and other physical ailments
  3. The weather: Hot, humid weather and thunderstorms.
  4. Lack of sleep. Runners run from 6am up until 12pm midnight.
  5. A good pair of running shoes can be worn out after just 10 days of running.

However, despite the difficulties inherent in such a race, it also touches a deep seated aspiration for self transcendence. There is no human who has not, at some time, aspired to achieve something better, more fulfilling than previously.

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Women’s Distance Running and the 3100 Mile Race

In 1928, in the first year of women’s track and field events being allowed into the Olympics, 3 women collapsed in the 800 metres. Because of this it was felt by the authorities it was not safe for women to participate in events greater than 200 metres.

As a consequence, up until 1960, the longest distance for female runners at the Olympic Games was 200 metres. The idea of women running a marathon was at best frowned upon, but at worst was deemed to be medically dangerous. Women were placed in a catch 22 situation. They weren’t allowed to run, because it was thought marathon running was not safe. But, because they couldn’t run, they were unable to prove they could.

However, a few intrepid female runners ignored conventional wisdom to show that women could run respectable marathon times.

One of the early women marathon pioneers was Roberta Gibb; she sneaked into the Boston Marathon in 1966 and finished with an unofficial time of 3:21.25. When she entered a year later, officials forced her off course so she couldn’t get an official time.
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Video of the Start of 3100 Mile Race

“At first glance the early morning scene on this New York street seems pretty ordinary, but what is about to soon take place here is almost unbelievable. – The beginning of the Self – Transcendence 3100 mile race..”

This years race features 12 runners from 9 countries. Only Suprabha Beckjord has been to all of them, some have come back for another race. There are also a couple of first time entrants. First time runner Grahak Cunningham interviewed just before the start said of the race that he was feeling: “pretty nervous, but looking forward to it. I’ve been thinking about it for a few months, so its good to be here”

The video was produced by Utpal Marshall for Sri Chinmoy TV.