Day 49 Kaneenika….Coming From Inside (August 5)

The day started with torrential rain and then nature performed one of its little surprises and the day, quite dramatically became gorgeous.  Giving Kaneenika, who is finishing her long long race tonight a beautiful blessing.  One that all those champions still left here running can appreciate and benefit from.

*photo by Jowan*

She starts day 49 having completed 3047 miles.  Meaning of course that she has just 53 miles more to run.  What those numbers also show is that she is 133 miles better than her performance last year.  And around 8:30 tonight she will have set a new women’s world record at the Self Transcendence 3100 mile race.

As for her final hours and miles, “I feel as though I am doing my regular thing.  Just running.”

“There was something very special happening here at various moments.  Sometimes I felt as though I was being pushed or pulled.  There was definitely some kind of force.  A force was doing it for me.”

“At the beginning of the race I actually didn’t feel so strong, the first week and maybe even 10 days.  But then all of a sudden it felt as though I was gaining the strength.  It just all started happening.   It was all coming from inside.”

“To tell the truth I didn’t feel as though I was ready for this.”

I ask Kaneenika if it is possible to get stronger as the race progresses.  “Yes that is definitely true.  Physically your body gets used to the routine.  It is just surprising to me.   After all these years that I have been running the multi day races.  You do get stronger.”

I ask her if she feels that the races in some way touches the world beyond the little block here in Queens.  “I hope so.  That is why we are here.  That is the real reason.  It is not about the outer achievements but what we bring to the world.”

“There was one message that we got from a person who said that he has been watching the race, and he was about to go to a job interview.  Part of which he was required to give a lecture.  He was so nervous.  But when he started thinking about us running here, he immediately calmed down.  Then he said everything went so well at his interview.”

“Without Sri Chinmoy there wouldn’t be a race.  Without him we wouldn’t be able to do what we are doing.  Each one of us, and not only the runners.  Each one of us is a perfect instrument.  The Supreme is a conductor, and we just play our instruments the way he want us to.  That is how we play our parts.”

The board at the start of Day 49

Rain

Clock

Sihasini

Ananda-Lahari

The girls

Smarana

Boys

Vasu comes

Yolanda is ready

It is going to be wet

Start of Day 49

Vasu

For a time he sings songs with Ananda-Lahari

He helps out at the camp and then leaves for a break

flower

Kaneenika did 63 miles 115 laps

She now has 3047 miles

With Shadri

A great performance

Flower

Nirbhasa did 63 miles 115 laps

He starts the day with 3041 miles

His brother Keith

Honored by Enthusiasm Awakeners

Flower

Harita did 60 miles 110 laps

She now has 2869 miles

Joke

A happy audience

A great race

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Yolanda did 62 miles 113 laps

She has 2855 miles

With Renae

Flower

Smarana did 50 miles 92 laps

He has 2658 miles

Flower

Andrey did 50 miles 92 laps

He has 2566 miles

Nearly over

Flower

Sergey did 47 miles 86 (laps)

He now has 2522 miles

The long way

Flower

Nidhruvi did 53 miles 98 laps

She now has 2501 miles

Telling jokes

Wet day wet feet

Mareike

Flower

Ananda-Lahari did 36 miles 67 laps

He now has 2404 miles

Flower

Swamiji

Happy rocks

Suhasini and the rain

Pranika with Keith and Louise, Nirbhasa’s brother and sister

Vajra at the 2 mile race

Funny hats

Funny hats

funny hats

Funny hats

Funny hats

Kanala reads the daily prayer

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kanala prayer

Enthusiasm Awakeners

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parvati