“My last interview,” Ashprihanal says as he rounds the corner by the handball court.
I am standing of course just beyond waiting to greet him but what I see, rather than hear, is just how much he is smiling with an innocent glee. For now with just a little more than 200 miles more to go he surely just has to reach across a few more days and lovingly touch the finish line here for the 15th time.
Ashprihanal says, “the last 200 miles is like all the other 200 miles. It is not a big change.” When he had 700 miles left he told Sahishnu that from that distance he could comfortably see himself arriving at the goal. “You start to see you are getting closer to the end.”
He says it doesn’t get easier at this point and pretty much stays the same. “But it is not getting harder either. So that is nice.”
“This is like a pilgrimage so we all try and go together.” He has not been focusing on the fact that he will be this years race champion. “I am just trying to run the race.”
“It has always been clear to me that this is an outer race. Then there is this inner thing.” Ashprihanal believes as time passes he is experiencing the inner qualities of the race more and more. “I am trying to feel that the spiritual inner part is more important than the outer part.”
The Board at the Start of Day 45
Dipali’s Race Tips #6
Medur is back
Clocks
Ashprihanal
Ushika
Smarana
Harita
Smarana stretches
Nirbhasa arrives
Start Day 45
Hot
Hot
Ashprihanal has 2889 miles
He ran 63 miles
Making 2900 miles
Not long now
Green
Gary visiting from the UK
Garima making ice bags
Nirbhassa has 2807 miles
He did 59 miles
Getting an ice cream
Hot and hard
Flower
Max
Mario
Vasu has 2763 miles
He did 64 miles
He leads Ananda-Lahari by 21 miles
Flower
Todor
Double checking
Ananda-Lahari has 2742 miles
He did 59 miles
He is 80 miles ahead of the magic number
Flower
Aharan
Anupan
Smarana has 2678 miles
He did 62
Getting weighed
Aharan helps when he can
7 miles ahead of Harita
Flower
Cooks
Nirjharini
Harita has 2671 miles
She did 60 miles
But it is a very tough day for Harita today
It is hot and she is trying to stay cool
Flower
Sahishnu and his new name tag
Renata
Todor has 2624 miles ….2 miles above the magic number
He did 58 miles
Todor on the job
Flower
Nayaja
Pranika
Ushika has 2335 miles
He did the most miles yesterday 64
Sunscreen
Magnificent Max
flower
My favorite beverage
Swamiji
Nirjharini
“I just have to stand up straight and I am easily as tall as any pigeon.”
Poem of the Day held by Jadranka
God’s
Justice-Eye
Purifies my
Mind.
Sri Chinmoy
July 30th, 2006
Enthusiasm Awakeners
This 3,100 miles is an unprecedented journey in our world-peace-manifestation-dream. World-peace can come into existence only when we are inundated with patience and perseverance. Infinite patience we need in our inner life and perseverance we need in our outer life.
Sri Chinmoy, Pioneer-runners of tomorrow’s world-peace-dawn: ultramarathon running and self-transcendence, Agni Press, 1998
Thanks for all the beautiful quotes, particularly loved the one at the end, here some more from the same collection: “Once more, to each runner, on behalf of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, I wish to offer my most humble and most soulful gratitude and gratitude. Each runner is marking the beginning of a new dawn that transcends at every moment its beauty, its light and its divinity. This divinity is embodying world-joy and world-peace. You are the true and perfect embodiments of world-peace. For that, to each of you my heart bows with boundless love and gratitude.” Sri Chinmoy, Remarks before the first 700 — 1,000 — 1,300-mile race, 5 June 1987, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, New York,
I would love to see Ashprihanal walking/running in slow motion. His style is so very interesting. He seems to be in such an inner flow, almost absent minded. It’s amazing to witness.
Harita’s joke yesterday and Nirbhasa’s joke today are two of my faves. Liked the final interview with Asprihanal today too.
Thank you!