“It is such a long race, but whey you are nearing the finish you start to savor every moment because you know it is coming to an end.” After 42 days of running Sarah has completed 2100 miles. Certainly not the kind of distance she had hoped for at the beginning, now so many weeks ago, and yet she has run for more days and for a longer distance than she has ever done before.
For quite a long time now the big, 3100 mile finish line just drew further and further away from her ability to reach it.(This time) Many other athletes when faced with this discouraging scenario would have simply opted out. Packed their bags and headed off instead to warm showers and soft beds.
There are times when we see in others such powerful and illumining qualities that we can be surprised and also hopefully inspired by them as well. Sarah has amply demonstrated here an incredible strength, resilience, perseverance, and bravery. Strong inner qualities that don’t quickly become evident when you take just a quick glance and see just her kind and gentle nature. Her long battles here however show a much different dimension of who and what she is. These epic experiences have placed her front and center with many unavoidable encounters with a number of significant inner adversaries.
Just finding her way around and through a long standing foot injury showed that she had an incredible grit and determination. Yet perhaps her greatest adversary was simply dealing with what looks like a small battle, but really for most of us it is just so much more challenging. For many our greatest adversary is simply dealing with our own doubt and disappointment. How well she has fared in this is evident simply by the fact that she is happy and still out there on the course.
I mention that now she has just 10 days more, a time she has had to confront many times in the yearly Spring races in Flushing Meadow. “10 days is still a long time.”
“The mind is our biggest enemy. This place could be a playground the whole time if you chose to see it that way, in the best consciousness. It is like our every day life. Sometime we get down, and we think, why do we have to do this. I think the mind has a lot to do with it.”
“I am really thinking every day at a time now. The foot injury feels like I am managing it, for the first time, in a long time. It is not giving me a lot of trouble so I hope to run a little better. I really feel like I want to enjoy each lap. I feel like there is a change right now. People have got through the extremely hard times. But who knows what’s ahead.”
As she contemplates the final moments of the race, “really I think I am going to miss it. I never thought I would say that, but when I go home to my regular life, I am going to remember that this is a kind of spiritual world here. It is a mini world. Everyone you speak to has a slightly different perspective on life. I am really going to miss that.”
Why do you live inside your body
To become a puppet of your foe, fear?
Why do you live inside your mind
To become a puppet of your foe, doubt?
Live inside your heart
To become an admirer of your true friend,
Your soul.
Sri Chinmoy, Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, Part 48, Agni Press, 1982
Day 43 begins and it is cool and will become overcast
Rupantar once again translating something into German…
The almighty board
Start
Vasu had a day here yesterday that we have not seen in a long time
He did 130 laps which is 71 miles
Today he may be running equally as fast but you cannot tell. He is calm and strong and enjoys so much hearing stories about Sri Chinmoy from Vajra.
At one point today he calmly prepares for a treatment from Dr. Kausal with lots of help from Nicolay
Kausal is amazed at how well he is doing, how loose his legs are.
He poses for a picture with Dhrubha.
Then he shares some joy with Ashprihanal who is also carrying an onion like him. He is now 24 miles behind Atmavir.
And just to let Stutisheel know it looks as though they have fixed the sign at the park this past week.
Atmavir still leads and also had a very good day yesterday with 127 laps.
Atmavir has 351 miles to go. Less than 5 days of running.
Ashprihanal is still 3rd.
He ran 102 laps yesterday. 
But he looks as though he is beginning to fly again
The course bathed in light
There are quite a few people who are going to great lengths to serve the race in the best way they can. Jowan has been taking pictures since 2006
He is one of the main photographers along with Prhabhakar and Arpan.
Last night he was here for 4 hours trying to get time lapse pictures of the stars. “I am trying to keep a high standard. I try and do now what I did at the very beginning. I am inspired by the runners and I want to honor what they are doing.”
Sarvagata had a spectacular day yesterday, with 122 laps.
The clouds will soon move in
The big man on a big corner
Because of what Sarvagata did yesterday Pranjal is once again back in 5th. But he got a very good 113 laps himself.
Surasa also had a good day she had 112 laps.
She has 521 miles to go.
Not without difficulties, but ones she is willing to manage.
Every morning under Irena’s watchful eye
Yuri looks fully recovered now
He did 115 laps yesterday. A mileage he hasn’t done here since day 16. He looks strong and confident.
“I am just too tired to move. If they want to use the sidewalk they are going to have to fly.
The Swami on the course this morning.
Nidhruvi had 109 laps yesterday.
She has 569 miles to go and 1o days to do it.
There are a lot of things happening today and it is not going to be an easy one. Sylvia is at her side helping in every way she can.
Feet must keep moving
Sahishnu and Ray making a lap or two.
Sopan has set a goal now that he hopes is doable.
He did 109 laps yesterday and has 2405 miles. He would like to make 3000 on day 52… A hard job but he can do it.
Baladev did 98 laps yesterday
He will continue to do his best
Ananda-Lahari is running sometimes this morning.
Always moving as quickly as he can towards the goal
A happy Sarah comes through one more time.
Life moving at its usual pace.
Some extra special musical guests who have brought their own decorations.
They are part of Sangit Surabhi
Not the full line up.
But they sound pretty good
You can listen for yourself
Play
Poem of the day
Recited by Sarah
Enthusiasm Awakeners
INSIDE OUR HEARTS
I shall not die, but live.
Where ?
Inside your heart.
I shall not speak, but listen.
Where ?
Inside my heart.
Sri Chinmoy, Transcendence-Perfection, Agni Press, 1975
Gratitude
As Sarah has said, everyone has a slightly different perspective on life and how enjoyable that it to hear them. This is one of the absolute jewels of this blog, that we have an opportunity to hear some of the inner experiences the runners are having. It is so inspiring.
To continue a race (or a project, or anything) when things are not going the way you expected is a quality I am fascinated by. The determination and ability to re-evaluate and sustain the real, deep motivation one had at the starting line really impresses me. When you are winning — or things are going well — you have outer encouragement and motivation. When things are going badly, you only have your inner life to rely on.
I never met Sarah before this Race but watching her run every morning, I feel such an intense respect and affection for her (for each of these heroes, actually). May she always know what a tremendous victory she has achieved here — and may she never, ever add a footnote, asterisk or the phrase “but I didn’t” to this VICTORY of hers.
“The outer difficulties come
Eventually to go.
The inner courage comes
Permanently to stay.”
— Sri Chinmoy (#4457, Ten Thousand Flower-Flames):