There are times when you just know that something special is happening. The Self-Transcendence 6 and 10 day race is just a few hours old and already 36 year old Igor Mudryk from Vinnitsa Ukraine seems to be doing something above and beyond everyone else in the field. The bow has been barely untied from this years running and yet, in just the few hours I was there, I felt I was witnessing from him, the early stages of a remarkable performance.
Last year he ran 712 miles which was a huge increase over his previous best, something in the order of 179 miles more. Today the weather Gods are smiling on Flushing Meadow and perhaps the whole east coast of America. The temperature is balmy and the winds are mild so at this point in the race everyone looks great. There are no great struggles going on and the jabs of pain and the shackles of groaning fatigue have yet to be felt by anyone. Unless perhaps it is the crew who have worked here for close to 5 days to make sure that all the bits of the great jig saw puzzle were neatly in place.
The skies are fresh, bright, and clear over Flushing Meadow today. Below, by the rippling waters of Meadow Lake, the walkers and the gawkers are out and about enjoying an usually early spring. One in which the flowers have emerged much ahead of schedule. It seems that almost overnight that the dull veil of winter has been swiftly eclipsed by the usual bright carnival of nature,which is so typical of an often spectacular New York Spring.
It is not just that the colors of nature are so vibrant here and there around the lake. There is also an exotic blend of rhythms, smells, and sounds permeating the whole expanse of the park.