Blog

Today nine runners went past 60 miles on another pleasant, moderate day. Defending champ Vasu Duzhiy led the way with 70.79 miles.One of the tenets of being a good multi-day runner seems to be to forget the past, no matter how good or bad it was. Case in point- William Sichel,60,has climbed from the depths of disappointment to a sublime feeling of accomplishment within the last two weeks. He was over 80 miles behind pace to finish the race. Today he is only eight miles back and doing well. He can probably right the ship by Tuesday. He will certainly gain a higher place or two on the scoreboard if he can hold form.

It is hard to imagine five weeks on the block have expired, but the totals of miles and constant movement of the race make the elapse of time seem almost superfluous. One man who managed to utilize nearly every moment of the day was Sarvagata Ukrainskyi, who ran 81.2 miles, the highest total he has ever run in his four years at this event. His compatriot Stutisheel Lebedyev ran his third straight day of 70.79 miles. He is on pace for a personal best if his form holds. The first nine all ran over sixty miles. The temps barely reached 80ºF with some high cloud cover and breezes to make it an extraordinary day. The focus of the total group is quite admirable as we head into the sixth week of extreme distance running. With the weather so good, who knows what to expect. Will we see all fourteen pass the 60 mile barrier on the same day? Stay tuned.

Slightly cooler temperatures contributed to some fine performances by our weary band of runners. Stutisheel Lebedyev from Kiev, Ukraine made it two straight days over 70+miles to cop Day honors for the men. William Sichel was second best with 68+ miles, and has moved closer to being on pace to finish. Nidhruvi Zimmerman led the ladies with 59.8 miles.
Nidhruvi Zimmerman-2000 miles= 33 days+12:21:50
William Sichel-2000 miles = 33 days+16:43:55

On a sunny, clear pleasant day in New York, the 14 travelers who are going somewhere fast kept moving closer to the goal. Two passed 70 miles- fellow countrymen Sarvagata Ukrainskyi(71.89 miles), and Stutisheel Lebedyev(70.79 miles), while nine made it past 59+ miles. Two women also went past 2000 miles- Sarah Barnett for the second time, and Jayasalini Olga Abramovskikh for her first. The lower humidity is a welcome respite from rain and sticky conditions- it appears this condition will persist for 4 or 5 days. We are blessed, for sure.
Sarah Barnett-2000 miles=32 days +04:33:37
Jayasalini Olga Abramovskikh-2000 miles=32 days+17:09:41

With only 20 days left, it is make or break time. Either you are all in, or out. Fitness is there, but the right amount of rest is crucial. Our intrepid runners pushed hard and were greeted with better weather and some good results. Sarvagata Ukrainskyi continues to run well and quickly along the sidewalk course. He reached 74+ miles again today, equalling his best day so far. Vasu Duzhiy was the only one who tried to follow Mr Ukrainskyi and made it to 69+ miles. Stutisheel Lebedyev had 67+ miles and Pranjal Milovnik reached 65.3. William Sichel again amazed us with 67.5 miles and is climbing closer to being on pace again. Jayasalini and Sarah Barnett each had 60.91 miles to carry the distaff side. And Ray Krolewicz reached 60.91 miles in a burst of inspiration and song. It will be pleasant for a few more days so miles should be available to collect. It must be the ‘El Nino’ effect. Either way- “Go Runners”.

Withstanding a second day of several thunderstorms hitting the region, our steadfast runners were resolute and up to the task. Six made it past 60 miles, and nine past the iconic ‘109’ on the lap sheets- symbolic of a plus factor in one’s daily totals. If one can touch 109 at this stage of the race, then there is a chance of finishing. Sarvagata Ukrainskyi yet again led the parade with 70.24 miles. He needs to average 70 miles each day herein to finish on the 44th day- an elite mark where only three men have ever gone. At this time the men’s podium is practically set, unless Vasu Duzhiy, the defending champ, can unleash a miracle barrage of miles in the next fortnight. All three women snagged the ‘109’ onto the scoresheet, with Sarah Barnett comfortably leading the group. And making himself a threat to not only finish but even crash the elite board of top seven, William Sichel,60, from Scotland has placed himself back into a realistic chance of finishing. Stay tuned, friends, this is going to be a great three weeks.

The world’s longest footrace reached the 30th day today, and Sarvagata Ukrainskyi did not disappoint. The race leader chalked up his best day total this year with 74.08 miles, and extended his lead to 94 miles. Second placer Yuri Trostenyuk went past the 2000 mile mark for the second time in his running career(2000 miles=29 days+16:34:20). Things became more complicated in the sticky evening when the rain became steady and several thunderstorms moved into the area, pummeling the course and runners alike. But our heroes met the challenge well, as seven went past 60 miles.

On a surprisingly cool(79ºF) day and evening, seven men and women made it past 60 miles. Vasu Duzhiy was the day leader with 66.9 miles. Scotsman William Sichel turned in another fine effort with 64.75 miles. He is starting to have a powerful rhythm to his stride and his determination. The humidity was high all day, but showers held off until just before midnight. Jayasalini Olga Abramovskikh from Moscow took day leader honors for the ladies with 60.35 miles. She remains firmly in seventh place overall. Sarvagata Ukrainskyi passed 2000 miles(28 days+11:10:29)and in doing so ran his second 1000 miles about an hour and a half faster than his first. So much for wearing down. Have a good week friends.

Nine runners made it past sixty miles today, as temperatures barely reached 85º and the humidity index was wavering only slightly. Sarvagata Ukrainskyi and Sarah Barnett were putting on a show in fast-paced laps. Mr Ukrainskyi had 69.95 for the day and a long calculated approach of faster laps for extended periods of time. He is averaging 70.18 miles per day. His countryman Yuri Trostenyuk is still running a solid second overall, and is just touching new realms of performance-possibility. He is averaging 66.95 and is relentless in his approach. Sarah is running 62.24 miles per day and looks the strongest of the ladies.

It took 25 days before two runners matched each other and ran over 70 miles in one day on the same day- excluding Day 1 and Day 2 of course. Sarvagata Ukrainskyi and Vasu Duzhiy each ran 71.34 miles on a glorious day with a perfect evening- cool and breezy. Eight runners made it past 60+ to improve their chances at crossing that finish line in the weeks ahead. Sarah Barnett again led the ladies with 62 miles. Moderate weather appears on the horizon for the next week. Can the runners take advantage and get those needed laps. Stay tuned for the answer.