The Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race
The World's Longest Footrace
photo by Jowan
During the first two weeks of the race the runners must navigate through the constant stream of students at Thomas Edison High School as the students prepare for summer vacation. Weaving in and out of the hundreds of students each day is just one of the many obstacles the runners must confront during their long journey to 3100 miles!
Rain showers greeted the intrepid 13 runners as the second day started. Asprihanal Aalto again led the charge with 75.73 miles. Pushkar C. Mullauer climbed into second place with a sparkling 72.44 mile effort, while Ananda-Lahari Zuscin remained only one lap behind him.Cooler temps allowed good evening running after a second storm pummeled the course at about 5:00pm.
Five-Time winner of the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race Asprihanal Aalto from Helsinki,Finland did not disappoint on Day 1 of the 13th edition of this race. Mr. Aalto,a courier back home, ran 85.06 miles to lead the field of thirteen runners.Annada-Lahari Zuscin of Slovakia held second place with 80.67 miles as pleasant daytime temps cooled off to the low 60’s at dusk. The field looks ready to do well this year.
Thirteen intrepid runners from nine countries burst from the starting line at 6:00am near Thomas Edison and Jamaica High Schools in Jamaica,Queens,NY to commence the 13th Annual Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. The race lasts up to 51 days or more on the hard surface course which measures .5488 of a mile or 883.3 meters.Five-time winner and 8-time finisher Asprihahal Aalto,38, from Helsinki,Finland led the packs of runners circling the quiet neighborhood. Runners are allowed 18 hours per day to try and accumulate 60 miles or more, with the course closing at midnight each night. Twelve-time finisher and women’s champion Suprabha Beckjord ,53, the lone American,is attempting to finish all 13 editions. Light rain and mild temperatures are expected for Day 1.
Stay tuned for daily updates and feature stories.
Film by Jessie Beers-Altman on Suprabha Beckjord’s participation in the 3100 Mile Self Transcendence Race
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
At a few minutes before midnight, American woman Suprabha Beckjord,52,completed the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race for a record 12th time, reaching the line in 56 days+17:51:22. The petite gift-shop owner from Washington,DC averaged 54.634 miles per day(87.925 km). She has run 39,900 miles on the concrete half-mile loop around the neighborhood the last 13 summers, and is also the oldest finisher of 3100 miles in race history. A total of eleven runners completed the distance this year out of a field of 14, with six claiming personal bests from one hour to four days better.
