This morning Vasu passed one of his last great milestones before he reaches his finish line early next week. A handful of people were there ringing small shiny bells and there were enthusiastic shouts and hoorays for him after he completed 2700 miles. He didn’t slow down or pause for a picture. He will only stop when he reaches the finish line.
It will be his 7th straight finish and most likely he will once again be this years champion. When I ask him this morning if he is having a good day he replies with absolute sincerity, “Every day is a good day.”
Vasu says that for him, even though it is so enticingly close, he cannot yet see the finish line but he feels it calling to him. “I try to be happy every day.”
Kobi runs very fast right from the beginning each day. “He runs fast and he inspires me to also run faster. It is good very good.”
Tomorrow the Enthusiasm Awakeners will be celebrating their anniversary. “They are very important to us. In the morning we are a little bit sleepy, we have no energy for running. But when the Enthusiasm Awakeners come and we feel how they feed us inwardly and we become happy. We increase our speed.”
“I am very grateful to Sri Chinmoy for creating this group, and to all the girls who participate. It is very very nice. I am very grateful.”
Vasu says that his focus for this race has been the importance of spirituality and music. “They have given me the energy to run this race. I think they are also very good for our regular lives. Without spirituality we cannot do this race. We cannot run. We cannot be happy.”
“When we are sleepy or our consciousness low we can pray and meditate and listen to music and then become full of energy. Our spirituality is real. It elevates us to another level in our consciousness. It is also very useful in our regular lives.”
The Board at the Start of Day 40 *Note totals may not be accurate…Magic number is 2,324*
Early
Paramartha sets out counting tables
Kobi and Vajra
William arrives
Perfection Surprise is today’s sponsor
Aharan and Vajra
Surasa arrives
Konstantin chipping ice
Ananda-Hari
Smarana and Ushika
Vasu arrives
Nearly time
Start of Day 40
It will be a humid day
Vasu ran 67 miles
Yesterday he completed 2693 miles and now he finishes 2700 miles
A very good person
Doing so well
Flower
Breakfast
Kobi did 64 miles
He now has 2616 miles
An amazing athlete
Covering new ground each day
With Eli and Liron
Flower
Ushika did 62 miles
He now has 2395 miles
With Max his helper
Flower
Sopan had his 3rd day of 58 miles 107 laps
He now has 2354 miles. 30 miles over the magic number
He is well on track
A great day
Green
Surasa did 60 miles
She now has 2345 miles 21 miles ahead of the magic number
With Vasuprada
Green
Kaneenika did 61 miles
Past the field
She now has 2314 miles, just 10 miles off the magic number
With helper Leelavatee
“Who is that?”
Enjoying her morning mail
Flower
William did 59 miles
He now has 2221 miles
His goal now is to reach 3,000 miles
Telling a joke
Alan says he needs to do 108 laps to make the 3000
Day 40
Smarana did 51 miles
He now has 2207 miles
The journey continues
Flower
Ananda-Hari did 46 miles
He now has 2118 miles
Flower
Swamiji
Flower
“Honestly, I just can’t take my eyes off these runners.”
Ghost in the puddle
Poem of the Day read by Guzel
Click to Play:
Enthusiasm Awakeners preview for Tomorrow
Enthusiasm Awakeners
Click to Play:
Real spirituality
Is something
That we must embody,
Reveal and manifest.
Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 45, Agni Press, 2006
Yes Vasu is Sooo right… the Enthusiasm Awakeners are really so important to the runners every morning… they help with energizing and waking them up with music as they run their first few laps around. I wish them a very joyful anniversary tomorrow. Wow Vasu…2700 miles! Amazing!!