Sopan starts the day with 2468 miles. With just 642 more miles to go and a buffer of 25 miles his chances look very good to be able to complete the distance. He tells me this morning he feels pretty good, which translate into not having severe blister pain.
“Which means I can start running.” For the first hour of the day he is walking and gradually warming up his very tired muscles. “It is part of the race.”
Telling me about the blisters he seems confidant that they come, heal, and then go. “It is nothing like a disaster.”
Now with just 11 days left he feels the race winding down. “But that is why I try and focus only on today. If I start to think about the next few days then the race for me goes really slow. It makes me impatient. You want to get to the finish line but it is still a long way. In my case it is still over 600 miles.”
“I feel connected to the goal. So I try and follow this link. For me it is almost like connecting to a different world. You become detached from all that you have experienced before. You become connected to a new world a new experience.”
“Every runner experiences the race in a different way. Everyone needs a different experience. And when you are here you get the experience you need to get. You cannot control what experience you get. You can only surrender to it and move forward. You have to except what is happening, keep moving forward, and keep making progress. Both with miles and with inner progress.”
“You have to overcome your own inner limitations, that also create your outer limitations.”
Sopan has had many significant experiences when Sri Chinmoy used to visit the race. “12 years ago when I completed my 2nd race here in 2006. He was giving an interview to a journalist of a local TV station. It was 4 hours before my finish and I was running by and heard Sri Chinmoy saying, we can be truly happy only when we constantly transcend ourselves, both inwardly and outwardly.”
Sopan says that before he left the course he gave him a big smile. Later he would come back for his finish and gave him his spiritual name, Sopan. “I had constant experiences with Sri Chinmoy when he came to the race but this was a special one.”
The Board at the Start of Day 42 …*Note totals may not be accurate, Magic Number is 2,443 *
Early
Kaneenika’s table
Kobi and Vajra
Surasa arrives
Pacific Northwest are the day’s race sponsor
William
Smarana
Paramartha and Rupantar
Kaneenika checking the totals
Ananda-Lahari
Some atomic clock issues
Kobi and Ushika hug
Start Day 42
A humid but pleasant morning
Vasu did 68 miles
He now has 2831 miles
Running so well and so consistent
A great race
269 more miles to go
Flower
Kobi ran 65 miles
He now has 2747 miles
Having an ice cream
Day 42
A fantastic race
353 miles more to go
Flower
Ushika ran 60 miles
He now has 2521 miles
Camp
An inspiring letter from home
With a little extra encouragement
579 more miles
Flower
Sopan did 55 miles
He now has 2488 miles
Getting mail
A great race
Flower
Surasa ran 60 miles
With Dipali and Vasuprada
3100 mile race
She now has 2466 miles
She is 23 miles over the magic number
Flower
Kaneenika despite the stormy conditions last night ran 61 miles
She now has 2436 miles
With helper Leelavatee
She is now just 7 miles under the magic number
Green
Constance one of the cooks from Australia
William ran 49 miles
He now has 2323 miles
A cute dog moment
Telling a joke
A truly great athlete at age 64
Flower
Alan and Databir with ice cream
Boijayanti at 2 mile race
Smarana had a good day with 62 miles
He now has 2319 miles
His 9th race here
A new counter
Green
Nirjharini with happy poems
Ananda-Lahari ran a spectacular 70 miles
He now has 2235 miles
Flower
Swamiji
Sahishnu updating the boards
“I don’t care which way the other runners are going. Tell the counters I am going the other direction.”
Poem of the Day read by Antana
Click to Play:
Enthusiasm-Awakeners
Click to Play:
To me, life is not
A leisurely walk
But a constant
Self-transcendence-race.
Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 19, Agni Press, 2000
Who ever is connected to the Race, even if just following the reports, has a special experiences every day. We are all part of One and if we are aware of it, the Race effects us tremendously, both consciously and unconsciously!
Being grateful to all the runners and helpers fills my heart with joy and love!
Thanks everybody for serving Supreme in a very, very special way.
Who is Spontaneous Beauty?
There is a glowing RAINBOW in the first picture!