“Circumstances have brought me over for the entirety of the race.”
Nirbhasa, who is currently living in Iceland, is a welcome presence at the 3100 mile race this year. Just as he was last year when he was actually running here for the first time. Which, to no ones surprise, he completed in 51 days and 12 hours.
He has so much energy and enthusiasm that when you are around him you can so easily see, how, when all of this is focused on running, or for anything that matter, he can get the job done.
“I am trying to make sure that I am here every day. A couple of times a week I am counting. I also try and run some laps with all the runners.”
“It is really something. When you step onto the course it is like getting on the subway tracks and connecting to the third rail. The one that contains all the electricity.”
Nirbhasa describes that when he is on the course he has moments when the very powerful experience of last year comes back to him. “You are on the course for 52 days. It really sears itself into you. It becomes part of your life.”
He hasn’t been running multi day races for that long a period. He feels as though his soul compelled him to take part.
“For a long time I was looking at the 3100 mile race. It was always something I always admired and I got tremendous inspiration from the runners. It was not necessarily something I was going to do.”
“Even when I did my first 10 day race. There is an unofficial qualifying standard in that race for people to move on and do the 3100 mile race. You have to do 60 miles every day. In my first 10 day race I was hoovering around that standard.” He was worrying he says what might happen if he did manage to do the 60 mile a day average.
“Because there is definitely part of my makeup. That if you are qualified to do the 3100 than probably you should do it.”
“I think it is like most things in life. Or most things in the spiritual life, or at least with me. You are always start by doing it wrong. You start doing a long race and you try and do it with the physical. So then you run into all kinds of walls. The only way you can get around all this is by going deep within.”
“Surrendering to the highest part of your being. You realize that you have got to a place where your physical capacity just isn’t enough. You need something else.”
“What is interesting when you get to that point. Almost everything drops off. Your injuries become more manageable. Tiredness and all that becomes much more of a sweet experience.”
As we are moving along we are passing through a throng of people who have just left an Eid Mubarak gathering on a nearby field. It also too place last year.
By this time the race had become more of a heart experience, more of a soul experience. Referring to the crowds blocking the course, “All these things I could really appreciate. All these experiences that cropped up during the course of the race. You feel them so much more. You feel the essence of them so much more.”
Surrender-sweetness,
Gratitude-fullness,
Every day I need.
The board
The van arrives
Nirbhasa is counting this morning
Yuri drops off his laundry
A poem
Janos and Misha looking at the lap sheets
Moving the empty water jugs.
Rupantar doing his daily video
The girls
Stutisheel checking the lap sheet
Start Day 18
First steps
It is going to be hot
Vasu had another really good day with 72 miles
He now has 1227 miles
He is 36 miles ahead of Atmavir
Coming into camp
Early light
Atmavir ran 68 miles
He has 1191 miles
Hard to see
Yuri did 66 miles
He has 1167 miles
Ashprihanal and Stutisheel
Ashprihanal did 65 miles
He now has 1122 miles. Across the street in the sports field a large group has gathered for Eid Mubarak.
Surasa
Surasa did 64 miles she now has 1103 miles
With Vasavi
Legs
Happiness
Kaneenika did 62 miles
She has 1080 miles
She has completed 1000 miles in 15 days and 12 hours
Coming into camp
With Akbota
Shamita
Shamita did 60 miles
She has 1049 miles
Coming into camp
Stutisheel did 63 miles
He has 1018 miles
He does a play with Ashprihanal
Stops for a friend
Baladev
Baladev did 59 miles. His best day since the first
He has 969 miles
Be happy
Misha prepares small bags of ice for the runners
Ananda-Lahari did 59 miles
He has 968 miles
Along the service road
Sopan did 46 miles. He has 966 miles
Volodymyr did 34 miles
He now has 875 miles and the best massage
Service road
Nirjarini and the morning snack
“I feel we have been coming regularly each summer for the past 21 years.” Daulot and Stota are at the race this morning and they have just offered everyone ice cream in honor of Stota’s birthday.
Daulot says, “we come back for our birthdays but we are really thrilled about being here for the race.”
Stota, “This really feels like home for me on my birthday. Guru showered us with so much love and compassion. I have had many many happy moments and also very happy moments yet to come in the future. Very soulful. ”
“It is unfathomable. At the same time they have so much joy. It is amazing to me that they can be so self giving to us individuals as well as their own inner journey.”
Daulot, “From the outside it can appear if you don’t interact with the runners. That they can seem so serious, and so focused. You could believe that you might disturb their concentration. But they will sometimes yell at your from across the street, Hey, see you later. Have a good night.”
“I can’t believe that they can put out that much energy. Just to acknowledge our presence. That is the most amazing thing about their self giving.”
Click to Play:
Daulot and Stota read the Daily Prayer
Click to Play:
Enthusiasm Awakeners
Click to Play:
We may not see the Beyond,
But we do have the capacity
To feel the Beyond
Deep within us.
