“I just had a soccer match behind my tent as I was trying to sleep.” She confesses that she got a bit grumpy which just may be why she is out now on the loop pounding out another mile….”But its good.”
Holding a multi day race in a public park will always have its short comings. Sarah Barnett has been running now for 7 days straight, noisy kids are probably well down on her list of the inconveniences and annoyances that she has had to endure. Despite the relentless wind, the cold, and a day of endless rain Sarah has been superb. She not only leads the ladies 10 day field with 469 miles she also, for good measure, is 10 miles ahead of the leading man.
I ask her about her ideas on competition. “If we are still living in the desire life than we are fighting to win. We are all human. That is the name of the game. We all set out to train hard and do as well as you can. But in the end it is kind of empty. If that is the only thing you are running for.”
“There has to be some deeper purpose to it I guess.”
I suggest to Sarah that since she has run a lot of these races, she probably has as good an idea as anybody on what that deeper thing is. “I think it is like an inner silence, that you don’t really have in your regular life.”
“I always feel that I can come into the race with different life issues.” Than she has 10 days of silence, excluding soccer playing children, to really reflect and appreciate all the aspects of her life. This provides her ample opportunity to pray, and sing spiritual songs…….(jokes) “and running, eating and sleeping. Then things just simplify.”
“Everyone here tries and have a spiritual outlook…..let God’s will be done. Then you are happy. In the big scheme of life it doesn’t really matter who comes first or second.” (laughs)
She thinks it is hard for people who are not running to understand this. With all the runners, no matter their mileage, they all share the same struggle. “We are all pushing our bodies to the limit.”
Sarah describes that the combination of everything creates a powerful experience. “It gets you out of your ego. If you are just concentrating on yourself alone, it is really boring. It gets to be too much. You have to laugh with people. It is a unique experience. That is why I keep signing up for the next race…. and the next race….. and the next race.”
“It is a really beautiful experience…… as well as suffering and tiredness.”
* Click On Picture Below…. and then again on next … to Play Interview:
There is lots of activity on this fine Sunday in the park. Baladev is leading the men with 459
Dipali leads the 6 day ladies with 250 miles
She is also leading the 6 day race overall.
Lyalya and friend are part of her support team
Clock and counter friend
It is windy and a bit cool so Adrian is staying wrapped up.
Every lap counts
Anna taking a break
Staying hydrated
Tatjana and helper
Everybody finds their own pace
Vera
Some wide open spaces
Steven Battle
Shadows
Manoshri and Shamita who is in 2nd place of the ladies with 445 and 3rd place overall.
Sara getting paced by her support crew.
Rimas
Beauty reaching out
Friends
Sandro
Sarah jettisoning the trash
Wai and Michael
Pati is in 3rd place in the ladies with 399 miles.
Sometimes there is traffic on the course.
Misha
Misha’s feet
Nicolai
Nice afternoon to take a nap….. and to run
If you are looking for a good opthamologist
Mark Dorion on the back straight
Niribili
Patanga and Padyatra
So very near
Sri Chinmoy street.
Friends
Ratuja
Mark McCaslin has 188 miles after 3 days
Mark Dorion
John Geesler pushing hard
John leads the men with 237 miles
Georgs with 387 miles
Harita
Gautami and her new shy friend
George with 401 miles
Michel
Gudrun
Sun and more sun
Milan
Trees yet to push forth leaves
Mahasatya
Mattali
Camp flowers
A great competition and a great friendship….. Ed and Don
Bujargal
An interview with first time 6 day runner Albena Margaritova
Click to Play:
Moments of quiet
Going past the marker
Anna with a smile
Adrian taking care of things off the track
Andrey taking care of things on the track
Ed Rousseau and others moving through life
Each experience is a beautiful incident
Inside my heart.
Each experience is a powerful reality
Inside my soul.
Thanks Utpal! Feels like we are right there to drink in the transcendence joy – we get to benefit from the runners tremendous feats! Thanks to all
Each and every race I am amazed by each interview how real and true the experiences of the runners are. 🙂