“Its never over until its over.” Nirbhasa has had on paper at leas a great race. As of this morning as he starts the day, in this his 3rd race, he is 9 miles ahead of his previous best. It is a razor thin margin when you are calculating through all the thousands of miles that he has run. Yet whatever his fate may be in the days ahead, when he goes home tonight the finish line will be less than 200 miles away.
The incredibly hot and humid weather has mostly passed, but its effects still linger in the faces and legs of those most devastated by it. Nirbhasa was given a blow that he has still not yet fully recovered from. “I am not entirely sure what happened.”
“During the really big heat wave about 10 days ago, I basically got heat exhaustion. Especially during hot days I haven’t yet fully recovered. It still flares up.”
“We had a period of sustained heat, the previous 3 days. I just have to be very careful, and somehow deal with it. It was my first time dealing with, particularly that level of heat. It was 100 degrees in the shade, and the real heat index was something like 105. 20/20 hindsight is always a great thing. You just deal with the situation you have, here and now.”
The qualities Nirbhasa feel that are most important to doing the race are patience and perseverance. “You have to sense that the race is your job. That while you are here, you are inspiring so many people. That you are doing something beneficial. You need a sense of dedication to that purpose.”
He says that when it comes to Joy, “you find moments throughout the day whenever you can.”
As for the finish line which is drawing so, so close. “Yes and no. If you start thinking too much about it you still have a job here to do. I still have a few days left to complete. You have to focus on the task at hand.”
The Board at the Start of Day 46
Camp early
Rupantar interview
Clocks
Anupam
Ashprihanal
Rupantar’s daily video
Smarana
Harita
Ushika
Start of Day 46
Afternoon weather
Clear and warm morning
Ashprihanal has 2955 miles
He did 65 miles
Making 3000….by Arpan
Will finish Friday morning
Flower
Anupam being interviewed
Nirbhasa has 2866 miles
He did 59 miles
Making 2900
With Peterson
Flower
Sahishnu
Vasu has 2825 miles
He did 61 miles
He is 24 miles ahead of Ananda-Lahari….. and I did not realize until I looked more closely he is speaking with Stutisheel
Flower
Welcome
Ananda-lahari has 2601 miles
He ran 58
He is 67 miles ahead of Smarana
Inna
Smarana has 2734 miles
He ran 55
He is 25 miles ahead of Harita
Flower
Sahisnu with photographer
Harita has 2709 miles
Yesterday was a very tough day….she did 38 miles
She did 2 laps of the course with this lady who speaks no English
Looking much better today
Flower
Tape dispenser gone awry
Todor has 2667 miles….the magic number is 2682 miles
He did 42 miles
With Todor
Green
Reflections
A light touch
Ushika has 2387 miles
He made 52 miles
Making 2400 miles
With Max
Flower
Cooks
“Okay, what is better than sitting on a park bench enjoying the morning sun?”
Poem of the Day held by Savita and Anjali
God
Playfully tries
To hide from
Our eyes.
But His Heart
Prevents.
Sri Chinmoy
July 31st, 2006
Enthusiasm Awakeners
Mine is the wisdom-light
That tells me to ask
Not for a lighter burden,
But for a stronger heart.
Sri Chinmoy, Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, part 9, Agni Press, 1981
Another good joke…. and interview.
And Hooray for a Stronger Heart!! ♡
Yesterday in the video it looked like Nirbhasa was in a kind of twilight zone in the early morning. Very happy he is “alive”! I was a bit worried!
And thanks for the interview with Rupantar. I am sure the race is much more powerful then what we see here on the board. And all that traffic…! Even I remember as a former ultrarunner how it feels when a person crosses the pathway – its like someone crossing your heart.
Harita is an amazing woman! Her inner attitude must be so strong. We can learn so much from her with regards to our own lives…making unconscious mistakes at times.
Always enjoying your background music and needless to say your inspiring interviews!
Poem of the Day held by Savita and Anjali
goes like this:
“God playfully tries to hide
from our eyes.
But His Heart prevents”
Sri Chinmoy
July 31th, 2006