Nirbhasa’s improvement over his previous performance here in 2015 is simply awesome. It is something that the numbers are extremely good at showing us. Something that our eyes and senses cannot so keenly detect over the slow pace and rhythm of the many long long days on the course.
What is clear is that Nirbhasa is now 142 miles ahead his previous achievement. Quite possibly he could finish the race by Saturday night and have the luxury of watching the final 3 days of the race from the sidelines.
He says there is no easy answer for his improvement. “First of all you’ve done the race once. So your body is just used to it. Your body has some memory, so it knows how to do it.”
“When I did the race the first time I did very well for the first 10 days. Then afterwards my mileage really slipped. I think part of that was because my body had no comprehension of dealing with those kind of distances.” Nirbhasa suggests that he does not know if there were a better way to prepare first timers for the race. “It just turned out the way that it did.”
He says that being ahead of his 2015 results is very helpful. “It is nice to transcend yourself. It is also nice to know that you can finish a couple of days early.” We are passing by the Enthusiasm Awakeners as we are talking. “I can spend a couple of days as a spectator rather than a runner. So that is really nice.”
I ask Nirbhasa whether Kaneenika passing him the other day has had any affect on his running. He laughs, “it has definitely added a little spice to life.”
“One of the things, especially going into the last 10 days of the race, and a lot of other runners will tell you. That it can be quite tough mentally. Because part of you can see the finish line ahead. I have prayed quite intensely to actually not have those mental issues. No matter what.”
“I have to say that so far those prayers are working. That also includes Kaneenika. She is a force of nature.” Nirbhasa adds that he has not backed off in any way. “I am not leaving anything on the table. It is not like I am taking it easy. What you see from me every day is my absolute best that I can put out.”
“So I have to say that I am quite detached about what place I am in. You are out here 18 hours a day, for so many days. Now there is only 4 days left to go. It is too long a time to be unhappy over something like 2nd or 3rd place.”
“I would much rather focus on concrete goals. Like trying to finish on Saturday night. That is to me a really positive goal that requires effort. Your happiness shouldn’t depend on what somebody else is doing.”
“There is definitely a part of me that is looking forward to some nice rest. But at the same time this race has something that I have never experienced. What it does for your inner aspiration. Your inner connection to your soul. There really is nothing quite like it that I have experienced.”
“I can only really hope that one of my goals is for after the race. To make sure that I can really try and keep what I have gained from the race. That I can transition back into day to day living. But at the same time really keep a lot of the inner experiences and inner qualities that I have gained from this race.”
Because we are eternal pilgrims,
Always we have to go forward —
Expanding and transcending.
Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 14, Agni Press, 1999
The board at the start of Day 46
Alan and Yuri
Suhasini
Yolanda and Renae
Yuri
Nidhruvi
Smarana
Harita
Kaneenika
Ananda-Lahari
Andrey and Sergey
Sipra is here
Vasu
Chatting
Nirbhasa
Team Yolanda
Harita
Kaneenika
Start Day 46
The rising sun
Vasu did 66 miles 121 laps
With Adhiratha
By the corner
He now has 2961 miles. He should finish on Friday morning
New counter
Sasha his helper
Flower
Kaneenika did 65 miles 119 laps
She now has 2855 miles
She is 2 miles ahead of Nirbhasa
She is 120 miles ahead of last year
With Shadri
Flower
Nirbhasa did 60 miles 111 laps
He now has 2853 miles
telling jokes
With Smarana
Flower
Harita did 60 miles 111 laps
She now has 2686 miles
Telling jokes
Having fun
Giving joy
Poise
Ashadeep
A bit of green
Yolanda did 63 miles 115 laps
She now has 2669 miles
Keeping in touch
She needs to maintain 61.5 miles
Flower
Smarana did 60 miles 110 laps
He now has 2483 miles
Telling jokes
With Mario
The long road
Flower
Andrey did 47 miles 87 laps
He now has 3884 miles
Legs
flower
Sergey did 46 miles 84 laps
He now has 2381 miles
Flower
Nidhruvi did 53 miles 97 laps
She now has 2341 miles
Getting help from Mario
The big show
A good joke
Moving on
Flower
Ananda-Lahari did 45 miles 83 laps
He has 2246 miles and is moving fast
Flower
Swamiji
Flower
Alan
Kamaneeya finishes her counting shift
Alexy preparing cabbage
Shadri reading
“Ok they are delivering sacks of nuts to the school right now, and there is a tall fence in between. What to do?”
Poem of the Day read by Emaneuls
Click to Play:
Enthusiasm Awakeners
Click to Play:
Today’s goal has to be transcended tomorrow. Today’s goal is the foundation-stone. Every moment we have to transcend ourselves and, while transcending, deep within us we shall cherish the message of perfection.
Sri Chinmoy, Lifting up the world with a oneness-heart, Agni Press, 1988
Hi Utpal, as always, thank you for the report. This time, special thanks for the runners’s pictures. They look like warrior-saints. Absolutely. It helps my aspiration to see their faces here.
Yes, the faces tell it all beautifully. Gratitude for carrying us through the summer with such a heroic blossoming.