Takasumi completed the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race in 51 days, 12 hours, 50 minutes, 52 seconds
“Lots of ups and downs. Lots of challenges. There continues to be lots of challenges. I know I always look as if everything is great.”
“There is always physical things that happen. Up until the very end I just pray for protection, and I pray to be taken care of. That I can reach the goal.”
“I feel it is very important for me to feel the quality of gratitude. Because this is all God’s grace. It is important to really feel that, and to make it a reality.”
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
“In this race you couldn’t run more than a day by yourself. I have had help from so many people, in so many different ways.” Harita describes her support as coming from around the world.
“Sending me messages of encouragement. Praying for me.”
“Then I have my main helpers. Who have been really incredible and come from many different countries to help me. For the way I do the race this kind of help is so important. To have a team.”
“Then there are all the people who are out here. Running, counting, being a part of it and coming out to support it. To me that is what really makes the race.”
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
“It’s so important and so inspiring. It’s really what keeps me going. When I look back over the days and weeks. There are so many who come out and get inspiration. It gives me so much joy. So much fulfillment and satisfaction . The goal is for a oneness world family.”
“If we can create that in this little place here then you can have hope for the whole world.”
“It is an opportunity for me to be the best that I can be. To push beyond my boundaries. To focus more on my spirituality. To make the theory a reality.”
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
“We all know the theory of spirituality. The theory of a oneness world family. We know all the qualities you need to be a really good person but until put yourself through really challenging times. Then you can’t make the theory a reality.”
“To practice being an instrument of God. By going through challenging times draw on the divinity within myself.”
Harita describes how the race allows everyone to be part of it however much they want. What ever portion of their hearts they put into it they will get back
“I didn’t realize how hard the race would be. Not just for the runners but also all the workers.”
I am going to be the 50th person to to complete the race but I didn’t realize just how many people behind the scenes working together to put the race on. I want people to know about this race, and how many people it took to put it all together.”
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
“The support of the Taiwanese community helped me a lot. I realized that even though the race is called self-transcendence, but it cannot happen without the collaboration of a lot of people helping each other. Now I feel I know more of the wisdom behind it. It is only because of team work and people working together.”
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
“I am just a small person. But the impact of my achievement that I have had on people is beyond my imagination. I feel more people need to know about the race.”
“I never met Sri Chinmoy, but I feel that when he created this race he must have had some thought behind it.”
Wei Ming feels touched and inspired by the meaning of Self-transcendence the very meaning of the race and what he accomplished here in 48 days, 11 hours, 52 minutes setting a standard for all of Asia and older runners everywhere.
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
“Probably to do something that is long and is good you need to love it. I just love this race. For me it has an intensity and many other things that I don’t go through in my day to day ordinary life.”
“I come here for self-transcendence. For a feeling of oneness. To see and be with the best people on earth. To experience closeness to God. So the race is a magnet. I just can’t resist.”
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
“As time passes and you look back all your trophies and medals and rankings they all just fade away. What remains is your experience and your discoveries. What remains is the inner feeling.”
Stutisheel says that all the tough experiences that happen at the race fade into the background. “The hardship all the tough days, you can’t remember.”
“You just remember being full of energy. Flying around the course. You remember sunny weather and a big positive drive and that is the main reason why I keep coming back.”
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
This is his 13th appearance at the race and says each one offers him unique experiences. “The numbers don’t mean anything.”
“Actually 7 years ago today on day 49 I established my personal best of 48 days and 3 hours. This year is different. But still I am very happy to be able to play this game.”
“Sri Chinmoy was very involved with this race and would come and visit the race as many as 5 times a day. Once, after the race was finished. He stood in front of his house and said with such regret. Telling Rupantar, how I miss the race.”
“So on one hand we are looking forward to the race finishing. We are counting days until the finish. On the other hand I already miss the race.”
“After 4 days it will be over. No more camp. No more runners going around and around. Still it will be in our hearts. A good experience. A very good experience.”
“Each of my races here are beautiful in there own way. If you look at my first race it was very hard for me. Perhaps even harder than this one. But if we speak just about this race I had many more things happen to me.”
“I can’t remember all the things ….It started with blisters. I had trouble with my sciatic nerve, and other problems because of that. Now I am having some trouble with my tooth. Such kind of things.”
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
“I think we have these difficulties because it forces us to go deeper inside and find joy to make progress, and do this not just for ourselves but for all of humanity.”
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
Vasu says he tries not to think too much about the finish which is now just 170 miles away. But he is doing everything he can to get there as quickly as possible.
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
“I am trying now to offer more gratitude for this race and for everything that has happened. Also I am happy about the finish which is not only my achievement. It is the achievement of my spiritual teacher and everybody who has been part of this race. Without everyone this finish would not be possible.”
“It was the first year I ran in the race. When I reached 2700 miles, I was passing the counting table and people were congratulating me.” Suprabha ( a fellow runner ) was also there and she also congratulated him.
Of all the support and encouragement offered at that moment Ananda-Lahari says he was basically not receptive. His response, “it’s just numbers.”
Suprabha he says was puzzled by his response. She said, “Isn’t it amazing that Sri Chinmoy comes here every day to play music.”
It was at this moment he says that he realized just how fortunate he was. The significance of his spiritual teacher making a daily appearance to encourage and inspire him and the other runners was suddenly made clear to him.
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
“I was so exhausted and tired I couldn’t feel what was going on here. For me it was a lesson on how good it is to feel grateful for everything at every moment. But if I cannot do this then I have to work on it. For me it was a really good lesson.”
“The second lesson was I was really exhausted. I was really tired on the last day of the race. I will get there somehow.”
Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo
It was at this moment he says when time literally stopped. At this moment Suprabha passed and asked, “how are you?”
His response he said was just to complain about all his ailments. Suprabha said to him, “don’t think about it.” Then she just ran away.
Somehow he says he was jolted out of his misery. “I could run again and also time started running. So I am running at my fastest speed. I entered into my pain and I could just run.”
