This morning nothing seemed to be going right. Weather issues, technical problems, and a general case of the early morning grumbles. The trajectory of the day was not going up and neither was my drone, due to rain. Generally it felt, that whatever could go wrong was in fact…. going wrong.
My interview schedule was topsy turvy and I was getting a little desperate. So I turned to Smarana, and asked for an interview, and he said yes. And it was not just a grudging yes, it was one of those sweet, deep, and grateful yes’s that in an instant melted away my woes.
We started our run with him carrying an umbrella in a light rain. The weather affects the runners in all kinds of ways, and even though it wasn’t raining heavily it was humid and the air was thick. He said it makes his legs heavy, and makes it difficult. He adds, “I am becoming more sensitive to the heat.”
When I ask whether or not he is looking for it all to be over, “There are two hearts beating inside of me. One wants it all to be over with and the other one feels that every day is so precious out here.”
“There is such precious energy out here and it is inspiring to see the runners who are still struggling. They know that they have to hit certain numbers in order to finish. The pressure they have and how they are dealing with it, is really nice.”
Smarana has also been inspired by all those who are selflessly working at the race. “Yesterday I was just in awe watching Sahishnu clean the food bar. He had such dedication and love while he was cleaning it.”
“Mario comes here after working a 12 hour shift in an intensive care unit and comes and gives massages to the runners, and then thanks them for coming to him for a massage.”
“There is such a high moral and spiritual standard here. You can just absorb it every day. It is really nice.”
“At the moment this is home but I know this game. You want to go to the beach or something like that and then when you get to the beach it is kind of boring. You are always longing to do something else. But at the moment I am enjoying being here. I know I can’t finish the race but I know it is just me and the course, with all the other runners and the helpers.”
“There is no outer glory. I am just doing it for my own spiritual development.”
The Board at the Start of Day 39… *Note totals may not be accurate..The magic number is 2,246*
Early camp
