“It is kind of interesting. I did some strong days, and I was thinking about all this high mileage, that I felt somehow I had to do. And I was getting uninspired. Then I got some good advice from Dipali….just relax.”
“Be in the right place and be grateful and the miles will come.”
“There is nothing worse than killing yourself mentally, with all the thoughts of what you have to do.”
Nirbhasa Magee is running the 10 day race for his 2nd time and clearly he has come back better trained and better prepared. His performance this year has been nothing short of superb.
At his current rate he will pass the 1000 km goal he achieved last year sometime during the late stretches of day 9, which started just moments earlier.
“You never know what your body is going to take. Definitely my body is a little more tired.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere if it weren’t for all the help from all the runners. Outwardly you might think that they are my competitors, because they are quite close in terms of mileage.” He mentions the names of all those who have helped and adds, “you kind of feel that you are standing on the shoulders of giants. It is great to be the beneficiary of all that wealth and talent.”
When you hear such sincere and humble words as Nirbhasa’s, and listen as well to all the others who have come to this race and have given so much of themselves, it is not hard to look upon this New York city park here as a kind of perfect little world.
A place where everyone helps and cares for others. A place of ultimate challenge most definitely, but it is through this work and effort that each one here reveals and expands upon the better parts of who they are. With luck as well bring some illumination to the shadowed bits that do not want to change.
And if we are truly lucky, when the bell rings and the last lap has been run, the great world just beyond the fence and trees becomes just a little more perfect as well.
Click to Play Interview:
Eoin Keith continues to blaze forward into new great new world for him of 6 day running.
He ran 89 miles on his 4th day and now has 385 miles. He and Helen are very grateful to all the support he has been receiving from supporters back in Ireland. The viewers of the blog from Ireland currently make up 25 % of all traffic to this site….thank you as well.
Eoin running with Sarvagata from the 10 day race.
You have to appreciate and admire any and all the runners here but sometimes the performances of the very best athletes are just shocking. Ashprihanal Aalto ran 82 miles yesterday and now has 657 miles for 8 days.
Because it is Sunday there are many visitors to the park. Who really pay little attention to the race that is going on around them.
Lo Wei Ming also continues to do well. He is still getting lots of support from those back home and here as well. Sharon Tan from the Culture Center of Tipei came back again today.
He ran his best mileage day yesterday since his first day. He ran 74 miles and now has a very good total of 505 for 8 days.
“I have my ups and downs believe me.”
There is no athlete here who brings quite the experience and training for 6 day running here as Dipali Cunningham. On the big board her performance this year has been so good that she is actually in 3rd place overall with 324 miles.
Her voice sounds a little hoarse as she speaks, which she describes as, “a little bit of a worry.”
She had a brand new plan for herself this year, of parking a van to take breaks just off the course. “I can’t tell you how terrific it is getting in that van. It is like a little den. It is small compact, cozy, and sooooo warm.”
“As you can see every day we have constant wind. When you close the door of that van, you feel like you are shutting out everything. And, you are actually still involved in the race. You are sitting in the parking lot and you are not removed from the race.”
“While if you are staying in a tent you really don’t know what is going on. You are in a little dark area. That is how I feel.”
“For me, what I do is think of the day and think of the lap. I know that when I hit noon tomorrow it will be a really delightful feeling. Knowing that I just have 24 hours left in the race.”
She has 324 miles after 4 days. “I am very happy. Happy because I feel a little bit weak coming in and we haven’t had really great weather. But I just feel extremely grateful that those numbers are on the board.”
Her 2 crew members are in the midst of a shift change and so are both waiting in camp for her. “They are wonderful. “Hirayinee helped me last year so she knew just how to take care of me this year. Prapti is an incredible athlete herself, a Canadian bike champion, and a great runner. So I have got it made.”
Click to Play Interview:
Some of the flowers could not be more beautiful.
Every runner has something to celebrate at some point during the race. Daulot completed 400 miles just before the end of day 8. His wife Stota celebrated with him.
There are breezy times when no one sits along the benches.
Deveshu from Vienna with 180 miles in his first mulit day.
Music being played along the course.
Elena from Moscow back out on the course after having a very tough day
The road and the road.
Volodymyr with that magnificent look and those magnificent 532 miles
A kitchen always preparing food.
Adrian pretending to advertise some special supplement.
Mario who helps so much in medical taking a break on his bike out on the course.
“I am here for the first time. I agreed to help as a member of the medical team.” Gints, from Latvia is a physiotherapist and has bee doing a terrific job at the race for the past 8 days.
When I ask if anything surprises him about the race. “Well just today we had one man, who had an injury. It looked pretty bad. I was almost sure that it was a fracture or something. Latter on it turned out that it was not so bad. We tried everything we knew. At the end of this he is now running.” (laughs) “That surprised me actually.”
About that injury.
“At the beginning it seemed to be not so good. At the end it turned out. I cannot tell why it worked out. What was the main reason. We were doing our best.”
“When I feel too tired I just go out into the fresh air and take in some sun. Then I can return. If I am not happy then nobody is happy. If I do not feel okay myself than I cannot help anybody.”
When asked what self transcendence means for him. “I try and transcend my comfort zone. I try and take as many people, and treat them as good as I can. That is self transcendence for me.”
“This is my first multi day race, as a helper.” Last August he helped out at the marathon at Rockland state park. “What surprises me is how people are still smiling, and walking, and they just continue.”
I suggest it also applies to him. “When you get used to the pressure than you can adapt.”
Click to Play Interview:
Don’t stop now
Do not adjust your chair. Luis listing to the left.
Misha giving his feet a break.
Priyavadin has 240 miles
Usika has 470 miles
Spectators
Gabriela with 478 miles.
Counting
Sandro just in case he forgets who he is.
Spring skies and flowers.
Gudrun with her own flower and also a very nice 382 miles.
Sergei reflecting on the race…. or perhaps the race course.
Bright spots everywhere.
Shamita has 502 miles
Big goals.
Rimas with some real competition.
Purna Samarpan has 195 miles.
Patanga with 334 miles and his bliss.
Some girls performing music for the runners.
Click to Hear Music:
Michel Guoin has 414 miles.
Michael Korol has 213 miles and wants to remind folks that he is running to promote Autism awareness. He also pointed to his shorts and mentioned that he is an art teacher should you be wondering.
Flowers along the way.
Lakshmana helping mom who has 291 miles.
Larisa has 215 miles
Kumar taking a break has 445 miles.
Budjaergal has 190 miles
Kaneenika with 580 miles is in 2nd place overall in the 10 day race.
Ilvaka has 532 miles and is in 2nd place in the women.
Gino taking a foot soak.
The unstoppable Gerry Shea with 155 miles.
Big sky big race.
If there is any reason that Eoin Keith cannot slow down it is the dark horse Galya. He has 341 miles in the 6 day race.
“It feels like home here,” says Vinati,”because there are so many disciples here. But definitely my home is Slovakia and the Czech republic. She has been here 6 times but, “every year I come I come with some problems. So it is never certain.”
“It is not like that the problems awaken here. I already arrive here with some physical problems.” This she suggests simply battling these things means it is unavoidable not to face self transcendence.
While we run Ananda-Lahari is just in front. I suggest that he is not interested in how many miles he runs. He overhears and contradicts me, “I am.” (Everyone laughs)
What happens here for her is a big transformation. “Here my mind is calm. I can meditate.” She feels that just coming here she has to offer up the experience to the highest. “Every year I feel progress.” It is so powerful the experience here that despite any problems she feels that it is important to come just the same.
“I am doing my best. Within my mind is telling me to be calm, not to go to the extreme. But I am really doing my best.” She has 440 miles and with us as we run is her friend Danica.
Click to Play Interview Part 1:
After a short time Vinati wanted to clarify some things that she said earlier. She wanted to be clear that when she came with her current physical problems it was not that she wanted to torture herself by running here. “I strongly feel that pain is not just the pain. Everybody has unconscious things inside.” You have to bring forward your imperfections in order to transform and illumine them.
“The sooner we go through this experience, the sooner we will be happier with ourselves. We will feel more fulfilled.”
“This is the battlefield and I am so happy that despite everything I could here and that I could run. I am happy that I am still running. For me this is a great miracle.”
Click to Play Interview: Part 2:
Run fast! Fear not!
The Goal itself will come
To inspire you
And to aspire in and through you.
Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, Part 38, Agni Press, 2004
Thank you Utpal.
Another great report. Sitting in front my computer it seems that this year the weather is a bit better that the last few years. 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUDRUN!!!
THANK YOU, UTPAL, AND ALL WHO ARE RUNNING AND HELPING!!!
Thanks Utpla!
So great to see how well Nirbhasa is doing. He is truly Icelands pride and joy!
Thanks again for the updates.
Tremendous effort by everyone out there.
Please pass on my best wishes to Eoin, from john on Australia.