“I try to see it as blessings. Sometimes I think the sun helps me a little bit.” The weather has shown not just Surasa, but all the runners many faces over the past week. A few days ago it was a day of heavy thunderstorms and now the heat is settling in and has no plans to leave any time soon. Surasa will have ample opportunity to renew a challenging friendship with such an unforgiving power.
She says of this relationship, “I try but of course if it gets so hot I forget. I think it would be good to see the sun as a friend, and not to fight.”
Surasa has been running now for 2 weeks and has covered 810 miles. She is not certain that she has yet to get completely into the rhythm and flow of the race. She is happy with her performance thus far but confesses that a day before her flight to New York she actually considered cancelling coming. “I had back pain. I thought I was not strong enough.” She does not have any doubt whatsoever now that coming to the race was the right thing.
“I am just grateful that each day I am able to do my miles. Therefore I am satisfied.”
She says that when negative thoughts appear for her the best thing is to push them away. “If it is possible to do it.”
“I always forget the hard things about the race. So when I think about the race it is always just positive. I forget the other things. It is really funny and amazing but it is just like that. When I think about the race I get joy.”
The board at the start of Day 14
The quiet time
How the heat wave is shaping up
Yolanda takes a picture of the board
Surasa arrives
William was very cautious yesterday with the heat
There will be lots of water
Generator problems
Andy Cable has come to help Yolanda
Karabi is counting
Kobi worked on by Vajra
Resident musician Kodanda
Boys
Smarana
Relaxing
Kaneenika cutting up shoes
Max putting oil on Ushika’s legs
Start Day 14
The day starts pleasant but continues to get hotter
Kobi ran 60 miles yesterday
He has 942 miles and leads Vasu by 10
Walking through camp
Flower
Vasu did 65 miles
He now has 932 miles
Everyone is drinking
Yuri and Alexei
Flower
Smarana did 62 miles
He now has 827 miles
With Patanga
He knows the New York heat
Flower
Kodanda takes a break playing music while Joe visits
Surasa did 59 miles
She now has 810 miles
Flower
William did 35 miles
He is being cautious about the heat
William has 779 miles
William in camp
Flower
Sopan did 62 miles
Day 14
He now has 778 miles
Sopan in camp
Flower
Ushika did 62 miles
He now has 778 miles
Drinking
Max shows a picture that Lucas from Salzburg made of Ushika
Flower
Yolanda did 57 miles
She has 776 miles
Andy Cable is helping out
Some medicine from Bahula
Flower
Kaneenika did 57 miles
Drinking
With Ritadyumna
Flower
Ananda-Lahari did 50 miles
He now has 743 miles
Flower
June 26 marks the 36th anniversary of the 2 mile race
Antana and Lailai
The race starts at 8 am every Saturday
“Yow, this sidewalk is too hot. I am going to have to go back to flying to get to work.”
Poem of the Day read by Antana
Click to Play:
Enthusiasm Awakeners
Click to Play:
I am so grateful to my soul,
For every day it chases away
All my mind’s doubts, anxieties
And worries.
Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 8, Agni Press, 1998
Welcome Andy, he was a great help to Yolanda last year!
Thanks Utpal for amazing reports!