She is the Diva, and according to the Self-Transcendence 3100 mile race brochure, she is as well the fastest female pedestrian in the world. It seems that for a couple of years now that she would eventually make her way to Queens to the home of the longest race in the world. In this its 21’s year Yolanda’s relentless footsteps in fact did intersect with the half mile course around Thomas Edison High School.
Yolanda starts her 5th day of the race with renewed energy and confidence. After a shaky couple of days she has found her groove and has adapted well to the sometimes not so user friendly New York summer heat and humidity.
“I am feeling good. Good Morning America. Good Morning World.” Yolanda greets our little interview with her world class smile and her unparalleled superb enthusiastic attitude.
“I am feeling great the first 2 days were not good. I almost thought I was going to drop out. I had heat exhaustion really bad and now I have it under control. I am getting my nutrition and hydration under control. I am back.”
Asked why this race, “One I like to challenge myself and this is a huge challenge. With this race I am hoping to have an outer body experience. I have done over 500 marathons and ultras and I have never cried after any of them. I hope that I can feel something…..besides the pain.”
“The people here are so beautiful and warm and welcoming. There is so much love around. I believe in Sri Chinmoy’s philosophy of transcendence both inner and outer. I hope to experience that.”
“I thought in my head that 60 miles a day was going to be really easy. That I could be fabulous and have fun. I am having fun now. Yesterday was my best day (62 miles)
“But this is hard, really hard. I don’t get much sleep. We have 6 hours off, you have to be done by midnight. But that time off is not really enough. By the time you have showered and try to get some sleep. This is really hard and challenging.”
“I am finally getting my groove. I am feeling much better. I am nutrition and hydration together. That is the key. You have to have that. I have a problem with water. It just really upsets my stomach. So what I have been doing is putting fresh fruit in my water. That has been really helping me get the water down and stay hydrated. That is the key.”
“I am working really hard. Yesterday was my best day and I was able to pull off the 62 miles. Get into my groove and be happy. I didn’t come all the way out here to be miserable.”
“Why sign up for something and be miserable. Life is all about being happy and finding your peace. Also just getting healthy and fit. I am truly blessed to be here every day. This course I thought was going to be boring. I have met some of the nicest people through smiling. People are looking for my smile and it is only day 5. They look for me. Where is that lady who smiles? She waves at me she smiles. That has been really keeping me going, seeing the same people every day.”
Yolanda has some regrets about keeping up all her social media commitments but knows that getting in all the laps each day is her first and foremost priority.
“I trained really hard for 4 months. Yesterday I felt the benefit of the training. I felt in control, and I think I am going to do okay. Every day is a new day.”
“Everybody has challenges in their lives. I truly believe that if we let go of all the thousands of excuses of why we can’t get healthy and fit. Just do it. Move your body every single day. Some say, o my doctor says I should move my body only every other day for 15 minutes…..no!”
“Do it every day for 15 minutes. You will get stronger. You will get better at it, and you will enjoy life more. That is my thing for the day. I don’t want to start preaching on that. You know I lost both my parents to type 2 Diabetes. They would tell you as well……move your body every day.”
If you want to succeed
In your outer life,
Then keep moving.
The board after 4 days
Some beautiful chalk drawings have appeared since yesterday.
Nidhruvi arrives
17 minutes
Vasu arrives with dirty laundry
Yuri getting the food table ready
Yolanda and Nidhruvi getting ready
Kaneenika and Harita
Harita’s shoes
Kaneenika doing some shoe surgery
Suhashini
Medur working on the live streaming webcam
Alan and Rupantar
Nirbhasa checking his mileage
Sasha helping Andrey with his feet
Soon
Start Day 5
Another beautiful day
Vasu leads the field
He ran the most of all the runners with 70 miles
After 4 days he has 298 miles
Vasu by the playground
Artist at work
Nirbhasa had a great day with 66 miles
He is in 2nd place with 271 miles
Clover
Camp
Smarana had 62 miles
He has 253 miles
Flower
Kaneenika did 59 miles
She leads the girls with 253 miles
From across the field
Camp
Nidhruvi did 57 miles
She has 245 miles
Purple
Harita did 55 miles
She has 244 miles
Just about altogether
Good friends
Ananda-Lahari did 58 miles
On the fence
“Is there anything better than a bench to yourself and breakfast on a sunny morning in the park. Perhaps just a little more cheese.”
Andrey did 55 miles
Sergey did 54 miles
Sun flower
Anjali and the daily prayer
Click to Play:
“I can’t imagine any other place that I would rather be. It is beautiful weather. There are seekers running around the course. Transcending themselves at every moment, and all of us who are involved are benefiting from that.”
“The 3100 mile race is an ingenious invention. That is helping anyone who comes by in multifarious ways. Some we don’t even realize until later on. So I am really happy and I wouldn’t want to be anyplace else.”
Enthusiasm Awakeners
Click to Play:
Enthusiasm is a flying bird.
We must catch it
And do the needful
Before it flies away.
Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 14, Agni Press, 1999
Wow,I Just loved Yolanda’s interview. How inspiring to get motivated to Keep moving! I remember counting her in our 10day race and how her smile lit everyone up. No wonder the whole neighborhood is responding to her gorgeous smile and positive nature. Thx and keep on keeping on.