Tag: Sri Chinmoy

Day 3…Follow Your Heart (June 20)

After 2 days of running Harita Davies has more than proven she belongs with this extraordinary group of distance runners attempting to complete 3100 miles.  Among the women athletes she ran the most laps on day 2 and is currently tied with Kaneenika and Nidhruvi for 2nd place (4th overall).  She starts her 3rd day here looking great and showing no obvious wear and tear from just running 128.9 miles.

“Ever since I started meditating I started running.  So since I began my spiritual life, it was always really a part of it.  I was very fortunate to have it instilled in me by Subarata who was a great runner and one of the center leaders of the Sri Chinmoy group in New Zealand.  She had done many ultra races she really really encouraged us and showed how meditation and running go really well together.”

“I grew up playing sports, my parents are really into sports so for me it was something that I was brought up with and I know that it saved my life in so many ways.  As a teenager when ever I had a hard time and went into sports it made me feel that everything was going to be okay.”

“So my running is like that in so many ways.  Whenever times are difficult or challenging I can just go out for a run.  You feel like everything is taken away.  You feel clear and you feel light.  It helps you to stay much more positive.”

“A lot of people say that I seem like such a happy person and that I am really lucky for that but I would say that is something that I have worked at very hard.  Running is a big part of what helps me to be able to do that.”

“Ever since I first saw the 3100 mile race I just had the feeling that it was inevitable that one day I would do it. But I had no idea when and I always thought maybe in 10 years time.   But last year I realized, I am 42, and 10 years more?

“Last summer I got the inner inspiration and at the time and hadn’t been thinking about doing the race at all.  I was always projecting it into the future.  So I was really surprised that I got inspired to run the race this year.”

She describes her position as one that she would never attempt the race at all unless she could be happy while doing it.  “But every time I looked at the race it just looked like torture.  I couldn’t conceive of how I could do it and be happy.”

“After I ran the marathon and the 47 mile race in August I had an experience.  Even though my body was really suffering.  On a deeper level I felt so much joy and happiness.  Then a couple a weeks after those races I was handed a book on the 3100 mile race, and I suddenly went…..O NO!  Now I can see how it is possible.”

“The more I meditated and thought about it I felt, if you have the inspiration to do something, you should follow that inspiration.  Sri Chinmoy said that inspiration is like a bird.  You should reach out and catch it and not wait for it to land.  If you really feel as though you are following your heart, which I really try and do in my life.”

“I really try and follow my inspiration.  I feel Inspiration is a most powerful blessing.  If you have an inspiration to do something you have to see it as a tremendous blessing.  I felt inspired and that is why I am here doing it.”

“Whatever experience I have doing this race is what I am meant to have and will make progress from it.”

“I am grateful so far, but it is still so early.  Everybody knows that the race is a tremendous opportunity to just live in the moment, and that is a thing that we all have to learn how to do……..and be happy.”

You follow
Your heart’s love.
Your life’s happiness
Will follow you.

Sri Chinmoy, Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, part 83, Agni Press, 1984

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Day 2…I Want To Have More Joy (June 19)

Smarana is running the race for the 8th time.  It is a great achievement for any runner particularly when you consider that he completed the race each of the 7 times he has run before.  What makes Smarana’s story so unique though is that it has been 9 years since he last ran.  I, like so many others was inspired to see him return after such a long absence,and yet curious why it took him so long to run again.

On his first day he had a great start with 72.4 miles.  His mileage was only bettered by Vasu.  He is running well this morning, “I am happy about that you never know.”

“The last time I ran here was 2008 but back then I had the wrong consciousness for the race.”  He points to his forehead and adds, “I really, really……really suffered.” (Laughs)

“It took me 9 years to be happy to be back here again.  Since then I have changed my attitude quite a bit.”  Smarana tells me that he had grown distant from the race both physically and mentally.  He says though, “If I had the feeling to come back and do it again I would be the first one to be there.  I hadn’t had this feeling in 8 years. Then in August it was just there.”

“It took me a day to examine it and feel whether or not it was a solid call.  Then I just made the commitment.  Then I said, if the Supreme wants me to run then he has to get me there.  Attitude wise, physically wise.   With shoes I had big issues.  There was a real journey to get me to the starting line, but it was also so rewarding.”

Smarana describes that now that he is actually running this is he says, “the icing on the cake.”

As for the race he says, “it is a privilege to have almost 2 months time to let go of my daily routine, my daily business.  Just to launch into the experience of just running and being taken care of.  Just to let go and dive deep within.”

I pursue the clarity of this call to come and run, and how all of us can listen and understand when such an inspiration comes to us as well.  “There is a voice inside of us.  Which is not like foam floating on a river, it is something solid.”  He said if it is like this then you should follow it.

“In the beginning when I was inspired by the call I was nowhere close to being able to do it.”

“I used to always have this motto, no pain no gain.  After suffering so much the last time I ran here I have learned my lesson.  I now know I can change my belief system.  Now I believe I should have joy and more joy, go to delight.”

“So this is like my new attitude.  We are the creators, if I want to suffer, then suffering will be provided.  But I want to have more joy.  So I hope I can prove this stupid theory in this race.”

When we get joy,
Let us sleeplessly continue
Doing the right thing
To receive
More joy and abundant joy.

Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 15, Agni Press, 1999

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Day 1… Transcendence Is Perfection (June 18)

It was a foggy warm start for the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race this morning

For Harita this will be her first race

Nirbhasa is back at the race for the 2nd time.  He ran last in 2015

Nidhruvi making a last minute call

It has been 9 years for Smarana since he last ran

Harita being appreciated by Snehashila and of course mutually

Sahishnu makes final introductions

10 runners

Turning the clock back to the start of the race in 2006

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The Day Before the Start of 3100 Mile Race 2017

At the end of the very first 3100 mile race in 1997 Sri Chinmoy the founder of the race said”

“These 3,100 miles remind us of one divine and supreme reality: we can and we must do everything at our command to transform the world of lethargy and unwillingness to be dynamic. Unwillingness we do not leave behind us. Therefore happiness remains always a far cry. Willingness to give, willingness to achieve, willingness to grow and glow should be the message of our souls. With our souls’ blessings we can and will fulfill our earthly life.”

On a cloudy Saturday afternoon the runners and their crew assembled for one last meeting before the start of the race tomorrow at 6 am

A picture of the whole group

Yolanda is running for the first time

Sandhani

Smarana has 7 finishes but it has been 9 years since he was last here

Kaneenika here for the 3rd year

Ananda-Lahari has a long streak of participating in the race

Harita is running for the first time

Andrey is running for the first time

Nidhruvi

Bahula

Nirbhasa and Sergey

Rupantar

Sahishnu with some instructions

Mario

Bipin

Vasu

Nirjharini

Veeraja with auyervedic gift bags for all the runners

Sahishnu

Sri Chinmoy in an undated photo running on Jamaica high school track

“This 3,100 miles is an unprecedented journey in our world-peace-manifestation-dream. World-peace can come into existence only when we are inundated with patience and perseverance. Infinite patience we need in our inner life and perseverance we need in our outer life.”

Sri Chinmoy, Pioneer-runners of tomorrow’s world-peace-dawn, Agni Press, 1998

The outer running
Begins on the road
And ends on the road.
The inner running begins
Inside the silence-heart,
And it continues
Along Eternity’s Road.

April 27….Finish (Always Something New)

Bugjargal won the 10 day race today with 739 miles.  He placed with the second place finisher Igor, who completed 713 miles at the finish line.

Jesper came in 3rd with 627 miles.  He says he trained very hard for this race, but unlike many other times he has run he suffered from many ailments.  All of which in their unique way contributed to a powerful and positive experience.

Nataliya won the Women’s 10 Day with 578 miles

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Vinati was 2nd with 569 miles

Kim was 3rd with 525 miles

Ashprihanal won the 6 day with 441 miles and John Geesler was 2nd with 425 miles

Nearly there

Susan Marshall won the 6 day women with 408 miles

Her goal had been to complete 400 miles.  She celebrated at the time briefly with her helper Hridayinee

Kim Allan was 2nd with 364 miles.   Shirley had 162 miles

Winners all

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April 26….Day 10 (Each Man Is A Miracle of Miracles)

“I guess I am happy.”  One can’t blame Ashirvad if he is a little uncertain of his feelings.  This is his first 6 day race and over the course of the past 5 days he has run 212 miles.

“It is a great opportunity to be here.  Everything is perfect.”  When asked what got him to come out and run this year.   “I have a lot of friends who are good runners, not like me, and they somehow encouraged me.  I never even thought about doing it till some time last year.” In earlier years he came many times to help with computer technical support.

“What happens here is magical somehow.  There is an energy, there is a feeling that goes through everything.”  Ashirvad says this energy permeates not just the other runners but also the course and as well all those who help or even come by to support the race.

“I have started to take notice and realize every place along the course.  There is a certain identity.”  Nothing goes unnoticed from the puddles to the trash cans to the trees.  “Each becomes an element that makes the course so unique.”

He says all the experiences both high and low force you to live in the moment.  “It keeps you focused on right here right now.”

“I am surprised that my mind did not go off or start to get bored because there is always something new.  It is either the pain or an experience that you have, or the weather. All those things are changing all the time.  It forces you to be in the moment.”

“I am of course happy.  The last day is the happiest day of the entire race.”

Andrei says that he thinks about the race quite often at home and has deep feelings about it.  “I get inspiration when I think about it.”

He says while the race goes on he sometimes feels pressure and even that I don’t like it.  “But after awhile when I recover and feel better.  Now everything is okay.”

“From the 2n or 3rd day I feel as though I have changed my mind a little bit.  My problems I felt like they disappeared, or became no so important.  After this I felt peace was coming into me, into my mind.  No problems bothered me.”

“Its been an amazing experience.”  Ashadeep is running her very first 6 day race.

“There have definitely been highs and lows.  But everything has been a miracle.  The race has totally blown my mind in every way.”

She says she is surprised what the body can accomplish when grace descends.

“I tried my best not to have any expectations.  I did want to make the 150 miles over the first 3 days.  I knew that was Sri Chinmoy’s original cutoff.  “I was very happy that I completed that.  For the next 3 days I was just happy that I could continue.  Ashadeep has 241 miles for 5 days.

She says that she will be both a little happy and a little sad when tomorrow she is completing her last lap of the race.  “Definitely it is very magical out here.  There is a very strong force.”

The furthest she has ever raced is the 47 mile race.  When asked why the big jump to this race, “just my heart.”

“I have been to this race many times to help count.  I have always felt a pull towards it.  “It took me 4 years to get ready and to actually do it.”

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April 25….Day 9 (Going to the Source)

Mark Dorion is telling me a story from the night before.  Andrei Somov had asked him deep into the night what he got out of running the race.

“I have had very many highs and very many lows this past week.  I am trying to be steady but that is just how life sometimes confronts you.”

Mark feels that finding that balance is something every person has to confront in their own lives when face with adversity and challenge.  “There are days when nothing seems to be going your way and then you forget sometimes just how many days when things do go your own way.”

He also feels of course that ultra races are like climbing great mountains.  “It is never the same mountain twice in any way.  Not the people, not the physical feelings and not the spiritual feelings.  There is always something new.”

“I like to challenge myself.”  Ronnie Wong has had a lifetime of challenge as ultra distance runner.  At age 70 he has come back to the 6 day trying to set an age group record.  After 4 days he has 182 miles.

Ronnie says he had a surgery just this past October.  “For 6 weeks I could not run at all.”

“After my operation I wanted to see if I could run this kind of distance.  I am not completely recovered yet.”

“Right now I don’t have any pain.  This rain is okay.  I seem to work better when there it is a little wet.”  It has been 9 years since Vedisha has been here at the race.  The hard part for her she says, “is to push through your boundaries in order to reach your goals.”

“Years are flying but something happened a year ago.”  Vedisha says that she had an inflamed vein in one of her legs.  “I came out of that experience with Sri Chinmoy’s help.  Since then I just felt I have felt little hints and messages that I should do this race.”

Her message she says, “was let’s try this again.  I really didn’t want to believe it because my problem was with my leg.  So I said okay.  Let’s try. Because of this I had to have 100% faith because logically you would never do something like this after that kind of surgery.”

“It was really painful and in August I could hardly walk.  But miraculously I came out of that.  I think doing the race for me is a kind of a tribute to Sri Chinmoy and my way of saying thank you.”

As for the race so far she says you learn more from silence.  “Inside silence, and you also observe your surroundings more as well as the inner world.  Maybe it is my hallucination or imagination but being here is a very nice opportunity to observe these things that you would never do in your day to day ordinary life.”

“Now I have the time and the surroundings are provided.

Flower

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April 24….Day 8 (Keep Moving)

“If I stop for too long my feet hurt.” I joke that means she needs to keep moving for the next 3 days.

Kim Allan has been leading the women’s 6 day race from the start.  “It is a good thing it means you can’t muck around.  At the end of 72 hours she has 220 miles a number that puts her at 3rd place overall.

“It has been tough.  The road is undulating.  It is a tough course.”

“When things go wrong it kind of escalates.  In shorter races you can think it will be over at 100km.  But when things go wrong you think, o my gosh, I still have 4 days.”

Her longest event prior to this was to run for 86 hours where I did 500km but it wasn’t a race.  Kim tells me that she is familiar with other Sri Chinmoy Marathon team events from her home in New Zealand.  “I did the 24 hour race in Auckland and it is awesome.  It is a really enjoyable experience apart from the pain.”

“I am happy I am still going.  I had stomach issues that first night at 1 in the morning.” After which she had blisters and realized things weren’t going according to her plan.  “The thought of sticking it out for 6 days seemed enormous.  I guess I am proud that I am still here.”

Kim feels that at this point in the race it is her mental strength that she is relying on most.  “I am not doing a lot of running.  I have managed to maintain my miles by staying awake.  I have had 2 hours and 30 minutes sleep since the start of the race.”

“I just stay up all night knocking the mileage out.”  She has a 17 mile lead over Vikena.  She says that at the beginning she was competing only with herself.  But now, “It is hard when you find yourself in front.  You kind of want to hold it.  You get competitive.”

She says that Vikena is running really strongly.  “The only way I have managed to keep my place is that when she is sleeping I just keep going.  Every lap I do she still has to pull that one back.  She is a lovely lady.  I don’t want to be competitive with her.”

Her feeling about the race thus far, “It is wonderful.”

“I feel very fortunate to be here.  Every time I come here after finishing, it makes me more mature.  The race gives me a better understanding of life.”

“I take this race like I do life.  Many times in life we feel ourselves in difficult conditions.  Here the same thing happens.  Sometimes it is cold, sometimes it is windy and because of that you feel low.  The answer you find is to keep moving on.”

“Nothing else do you need to do, just keep moving on.  2 days I go I was in a real bad patch.  My feet were sore.  I used the mantra, Keep moving on, and now I am doing good.  I am still on my 50 miles a day pace.”

“Personally I take this race as an opportunity to inspire the citizens of my country, India.”

*translation by Stutisheel*

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April 23….Day 7 (Stay Inside Your Heart)

“I like to challenge myself.”

This is the 4th time Budjargal Byambaa has come to the race and so far he has run spectacularly and consistently over the past 6 days. He has 456 miles and leads the 10 day field by 21 miles.  When I ask him why he is running so much better this year he says, “I made sure that I trained better back in my home in Mongolia.”

* translation courtesy of Ariuka*

“In previous years my training was split between Canada, U.S., and China.  This time what worked out well was I trained in my country Mongolia.  The climate there is very friendly, and good for challenging yourself. ”

He adds that his goal is both to run well with big miles and win the race.  As to what he has learned, “Your heart power is much stronger than your mind power.  If you stay in the heart, you can forget all about your pains.”

“It has been dark for 2 days and now that it is sunny people are starting to feel happy.” Gundega has done the race 5 times and this is the 2nd time she has been in the 10 day.  After 6 days she has 327 miles and is in 4th place.

The difference between the 10 and 6 is that the 10 is a longer experience.  As for her miles she says, “when I started I think I cared but then after 4 days I had an interesting inner experience.  I wasn’t caring about the right thing.”   She realized that more important than her mileage was being in a good consciousness.”

When that happened she immediately felt her stress and worries vanish.  “I am so happy.”

I ask her how it is possible to be in a good consciousness when the race is so difficult.  “You can walk, you listen to music, You can imagine you are a small child.  You can do many many things.”

Gundega says every race she is shown something new.  “You always learn something about yourself.  It is really really important.  It is progress.”

“I spent all of last year preparing for the race.”  Injured, she could not run the 6 day last year.  How she got interested she says, “it started 4 years ago when I came to help at the 3100 mile race.  It gave me the inspiration to start training for this event.”

“The energy at these races is so amazing.  I didn’t come with any big expectations I just wanted to offer myself and do my best.  This year was going to be a learning experience.”  After 2 days she has 126 miles.

She feels that being happy and joyful and having positive thoughts are really important to the race experience.  “It makes such a difference in how one feels.”

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