I make a joke with Yuri this morning. He is running so fast and easy. So relaxed and comfortable it is almost as though he could not possibly have been here, doing this very hard thing for 46 straight days.
Where are you going? I ask.
“Inward to my heart. I am in a hurry to go deep inside to my heart. It is a good place and I feel very good there.”
“When I wake up I am like most people, I am in my mind. But when I start running, I dive deep within my heart and start running there. I am really happy there. It is a wonderful place.”
So You will never leave the course?
“I actually don’t want to stop. I felt such sorrow that I will have to stop today. I want to continue. It is such a beautiful place here. What I experience here I never felt before in my life. Nowhere.”
“Maybe this place is like a magnet. It is pulling runners more and more from all over the world.”
He had said that coming here was a bit like going to school. It was something that you progressed each year by attending.
“It is more than school. There are no limits. You can dive deeper and deeper inside your heart or it is like flying higher and higher in the sky. For me it is just that every time I come the experiences I have here are becoming deeper. It is like a very tall tree, and as you climb this tree. Your view of the horizon is continually expanding, and you can see farther.”
Last year, in his first race here you could say that is was not an easy experience compared to this time. He did manage to finish in 51 days and 4 hours. But what has happened to him this year maybe one of the most improved performances by any runner ever. His pace this year is such that when compared to last year he would have won the race with his predicted time today. He started the morning 256 miles ahead of last year. Nearly 4 days faster.
“Actually my results are not so important. The most important thing is the consciousness in which you are running. How you feel. This year I feel much better inwardly. I studied very seriously what Sri Chinmoy has said about this race. He did not speak about the runners outer results. For me the most important thing is not to be first but to be one with everyone here. To feel oneness.”
“Actually I feel that the most important thing is to share with everyone what you are experiencing through oneness.”
He describes this experience that he is having as something he knows that we all have within our own hearts as well. It is through running here that has awakened him to this.
“If I could I would just open my heart and give and show everyone what I feel and what I am. Because this is much better than any words.”
Click to Play Interview: (Translation by Anastasia)
Film made at the start of the race 2006
Across the street Sri Chinmoy ran the 47 mile race on his birthday August 27th 2 times. The first time he ran in 1979 his time was 12:41:48. The following year on his second attempt, when this picture was taken he ran more than an hour faster. His time was 11:27:24.
My life’s only road:
Forward.
My heart’s only road:
Inward.
My soul’s only road:
Upward.
Sri Chinmoy, Morning blessing-call-prayers, Agni Press, 2010
It is Stutisheel who had the most laps yesterday with 129. But the surprising number is the 125 made by William yesterday. His 68 mile day was second only to his first day on the course.
Yuri arrives one last time.
Getting out of the taxi.
A very tired Jayasalini getting a helping hand from Mom
Pranjal will finish on Saturday
Yuri is honored with a garland on this his final day.
Start Day 47
Yuri runs like it is his first day. It will be a perfect one.
Every step is taken with delight by Yuri
He seems so incredibly in tune with what he has to do and knows just how to do it.
His friend Vasu will finish tomorrow.
The Enthusiasm Awakeners honor him this morning.
The sun will shine all day but it will neither be humid or hot all day.
volodymyr has been a big part of Yuri’s race.
Vasu starts the day with exactly the same mileage as he did this time last year.
He ran 124 laps yesterday which is 68 miles. To surpass last year he needs to run a little more than 72 miles today.
The truth is likely that he neither knows or cares. He just continues to do the best he can.
2 days ago Pranjal says that at the end of the day his legs just died. “There was no energy in them. Fortunately it only lasted for 2 hours. Then they somehow woke up.” He noticed this morning that others also did not run so well. “Towards the end of the day it is sometimes really hard to find a balance of energy.”
Today will be different. He will do 117 laps.
He mentions that last year Yuri had problems with the heat. “He suffered a lot.”
Both he and Vasu will finish on Friday. “The race will be over for us for this year.”
There are 2 things he is looking forward to. Sleep, which he predicts could be up to 15 hours
The next, “I will sit down at a table to eat. Because for the last 2 months I never sat down while eating. I was always walking or running.”
There is construction on the sidewalk on the far side of the course.
Larisa and friends performing.
Click to Play:
So delicate and so strong.
Stutisheel ran a remarkable 129 laps yesterday or 70 miles.
His will be a personal best. He has 162 more miles to go. Which is 2 and a half day.
In the distance comes Harper the Dalmatian.
You can’t believe how tired I am this morning. I was watching all the late shows until they ran out and boy am I dog tired today.
Thanks to Sarita and Jadranka who made guesses about the toys, and anyone who had fun and made a guess yet didn’t submit it.
1. red truck – strong and everlasting, can go trough all kinds of obstacles Pranjal
2. prince in glasses – intelligent, polite, quiet well-behaved Teekshanam
3. yellow patrol bulldog – disciplined, experienced, has all kinds of help in any trouble situation Stutisheel
4. girl in pink glasses – clever and smart, knows a lot about many things Nidhruvi
5. little white horse – light, fluffy Jayasalini
6. green turtle in red – slow but fast, consistent, patient William
7. bear – kind, noisy, happy Ray
8. white rabbit – calm, smiling, gentle Ananda-Lahari
9. princess – with child consciousness, easy and enthusiastic Sarah, her name means princess
10. Mike boy in blue – Smiling Sopan
11. Blue dragon – Tall, curious, blue-eyed Baladev
12. yellow road car – strong, hard-working intensive Yuri
13. Lion – it was a surprise for Champion Sarvagata
14. Rome warrior with the spear, very strong, fast Vasu, those who sees him knows that he liked to run with the wooden stick
Sarah now has just 251 miles more to go.
She ran 109 laps yesterday.
Heading through the camp
Sharing a light moment with Ray.
She will have the 2nd fastest women’s time for this race, in a little more than 4 days.
Hastakamala counting
Is that William coming? He did 124 laps.
Harper is most definitely correct in that William is coming. But she has the laps wrong by one. William had a spectacular 125 lap day.
He is so remarkable when you consider how close he was to it all slipping out of reach.
The arrival of Tim from Manchester got him back on track.
He is so superbly focused. Things always going well on the dryer and cooler days
Alan helping like nobody else
Getting so close to his world record.
Briefly passing through
Jayasalini did 105 laps
She has 2771 miles and is in no danger of not finishing.
If you want to know why she is so strong then look no further than her Mom.
She is running really well
But a little extra encouragement always helps
Her helper Pati checking the board.
Somehow the little bits of color come
Once again today Nidhruvi is invoking happiness.
She did 105 laps yesterday. Ray talks at length with me today about just how hard she has worked here. He knows because he has seen it first hand. She has been consistent, in that she never dropped below 102 laps.
These last few days will be nothing if not interesting to see how they unfold.
Vishvarupani is praying for her along with everyone else.
Baladev did 96 laps yesterday and I ask him to recite some poems for me. He tells me that when he comes around the loop again he will do it.
When he comes he says that he has written 4 poems but will tell me only one.
Only with Love and Joy
Will we reach the Golden Shore.
I ask him about the poem and he says, “because I really feel this year more joy and more love.” More so than other years.
“Last year I think it was peace. The peace is still there but love and joy are more forward now.”
Click to Play:
Teekshanam appears to be finishing his race very strongly. He did 113 laps yesterday.
Once again a peacock has decided to join the Enthusiasm Awakeners.
The mystic gaze of Ananda-Lahari who did 81 laps yesterday.
Who is always in such a wonderful mood each day and each lap.
Ray with his own mystical look
And also a combination of both mystical and practical words as well. Several media groups came today. This is the local Fox news affiliate.
Article in New York Times
Isn’t amazing, how when you stand up on your own 2 feet how small the world begins to look around you.
Well the world looks just as good to me on 4 feet. Can we discuss it?
Prayer of the Day
Recited by Tajini the birthday girl
Tonight the board is changed one last time for Yuri
Yuri crosses the finish line
Click to Play Finish:
“Finishing in 2nd place in a time of 46 days, 14 hours, and 16 minutes. Which is an average of 66.53 miles per day. He transcended his first attempt from last year by a net gain of 4 days, 14 hours. He is a good person and a darn good runner.
He is a 4 time winner of the 10 day race and now he is in 2nd place in the world’s longest race. By far his best performance.”
Sahishnu’s Speech:
His score sheet.
The champion speaks:
“Dear friends I am happy. My dream is fulfilled. I have been dreaming about this distance for a long time.”
(Click Below to hear full speech)
He embraces the friend who helped him arrive at his goal.
Enthusiasm Awakeners
Song of the Day
Click to Play:
My mind wants to interpret
All my dreams.
My heart wants to love
All my dreams.
My soul wants to fulfil
All my dreams.
Sri Chinmoy, My Christmas-New Year-Vacation Aspiration-Prayers, Part 10, Agni Press,
Hi Utpal
thank you.
Practise your meditation — Your Destination
Will come closer to you
Day by day.
Sri Chinmoy,49015 Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, Part 50, Agni Press, 2009
Immortal words from our divine warriors. All great champions of the universe.
And Utpal, thank you for not going away this year from the race.
I saw Yuri running in one of Baladev’s videos and it looked like he could run for eternity. I am so happy for him to finish!!!
It was very kind of you, Utpal, to include us “lazy spectators” in Sarvagata’s playful finish celebration. I actually did submit my guesses and I am happy that eight of them were right.
Congratulations to Sarvagata and Yuri, and the whole Self-Transcendence team..The self-giving of all is contributing to the sooner arrival of peace on earth. Utpal,thanks for letting us share so intimately in the unfolding experience. Incredible but true, all of this!