Archive: a history of our very first public ultramarathon

About the author:

Nirbhasa is from Ireland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.

Pioneers of ultrarunning at the 1982 race: Stu Mittleman, Sue Medaglia, Ted Corbitt, and Cahit Yeter

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team started its service to the public by putting on races ranging from 2 mile to the marathon. Only after a few years, did it start entering into the world of ultramarathons. Sahishnu Szczesiul, our associate race director and inveterate statistician, has lovingly compiled a history of our 24 hour race, which ran from 1980 to 1993. This was the very first ultramarathon we put on for the public.

In this 53-page story, Sahishnu details the 50 mile, 100k and 100mile women's world records broken by Marcy Schwam in the very first race, the records set by the immortal Yiannis Kouros in 1984 and 1985 (the latter in the middle of storm force conditions), and Ann Trason's shattering of the 24 hour world record in 1989.

Read: History of the 24 hour race (pdf)
You can also read excerpts for the following years: 1993 • 1991 • 1990 • 1989 • 1988 • 1987 • 1986 • 1985 • 1984 • 1983 • 1982 • 1981 • 1980
24 hour race page

Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team history - more articles

About the author:

Rupantar has been the race director of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team since 1985, having been asked by Sri Chinmoy to serve in that capacity. As well as working on the big races the US Marathon Team organise each year - the 3100 Mile Race and the Six and 10 Day Race - he also spends a considerable amount of time archiving the Marathon Team's 40 year history on this website.

"The Sri Chinmoy Grand Prix: A 31-Consecutive-Day Race" (Press Release). August 28, 1981. Retrieved 2013-01-29. Archive copy at the Sri Chinmoy office, Queens, New York.

"QUEENS --- The Sri Chinmoy Grand Prix - the longest consecutive-day-race in history - concluded Wednesday, August 26 after a 31-day series of 440, 880s and 1 to 5 mile events that totaled 50 miles. The Grand Prix was held to honor the sports philosopher and meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy's 50th birthday (August 27).

The Grand Prix winner was Fernando Castillo, age 27, of Queens, running for the Millrose AA. He scored 247 out of a possible 403 points, picking up most of his points at the shorter distances. Second place went to Harry Austin of Jamaica, with 185 points.

Points were given in a descending sequence to the first seven winners in each individual race (13, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4), with the overall high scorer the victor. The race segments alternated between the Jamaica High School track and Flushing Meadow Park.

Place positions began shifting shortly after August 16, when international members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team arrived in Jamaica for two weeks of birthday celebrations. The runners, especially the Australian and German Teams, began picking up points immediately and were soon knocking local runners out of position. Strongest among the visiting runners was Rejean Gauthier, a champion marathon runner from the Ottawa, Canada Team. He dominated the track once he arrived, winning almost every race over 880 and capturing third place overall with 143 points.

Sri Chinmoy congratulates Fernando

Castelli, winner of the 1981 Sri Chinmoy

31 Consecutive Day Race.

Castillo, an all-around strong runner and former high school star sprinter, was able to retain his lead by coming in consistently in a least 2nd through 4th, with a scattering of firsts. However, Austin, a stronger sprinter than distance runner, and at one time the Grand Prix leader, rapidly lost ground.

First place in the women's division went to Nilima Silver, with 299 points. With the international arrivals, Cathy Cunningham of Melbourne, Australia and Garima Hoffman of San Francisco began moving into the contenders circle, vying with Silver for first place and effectively moving Silver's previous competitor, Barada Weisbrot, of Jamaica, into a firm second.

In the age divisions (where the point system was weighted less) Sri Chinmoy won in the 46-50 age with 90 points and running novelist Zan Knudson, of Sea Castle, LI, won the women's masters division with 130 points.

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America's first world ultra title of the century and three national records were won at the second annual Sri Chinmoy 1,000 Mile World Championship, held April 26 - May 11 in Queens, NY.

Shattering the previous world mark by 16 hours, New York's Stu Mittleman, 34, bested former record holder Siegfried Bauer of New Zealand, who finished runnerup. Mittleman ran the distance in 11 days 20:37. Bauer, age 44, ran ten hours over his 1983 record, clocking 12 hours, 22 minutes and 36 seconds.

Photo: Bauer (l) and Mittleman (r) raced neck and neck during most of the 1986 Sri Chinmoy 1,000 Mile Race.

Mittleman is the first American to secure a world ultra-distance record since 1896, when George Littlewood established the world 6-day record. Praising Mittleman's achievement, Race Director Sri Chinmoy told the large finish-line crowd: "Now America has the record for the shortest distance - 100 meters - and the longest distance - 1,000 miles. America is in full command!"

Speaking of his victory, Mittleman said that more than in a shorter ultra race, this was an event in which the support team makes the difference. Mittleman offered high praises to Bauer, who held the lead through day 6 of the event. He could not have achieved his victory, Mittleman said, had it not been for the unrelenting pace set by the great runner, and the emotional support of the other runners during the race's inevitable "down periods." "This was not the accomplishment of one individual's will," Mittleman observed. "It is the collective accomplishment of my handlers, my friends, the Sri Chinmoy people and the runners who helped me."

Canadian Trishul Cherns, 29, lowered his own national record by more than two days, running 13+7:51 to finish third over Britain's Alan Fairbrother, 49, and Dan Coffey, 54. Both Englishmen set new national marks; Fairbrother first with 13+22:49, Coffey following with 14+10:45.

Photo: Trishul Cherns becomes only the second two time finisher of 1,000 miles.

The five runners completing the distance make this the largest field ever to finish a 1,000 mile race. The winners were part of an elite group of 13 ultra distance runners who began the race April 26 on a one-mile looped course in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens. Running and walking up to 21 hours a day, the athletes attempted to cover the equivalent of over 39 marathons by race's close 15 days later, on May 11th at 1pm. Only two of the original 13 competitors dropped out.

Photo: Sri Chinmoy (r) congratulates Stu Mittleman (l), winner and world record holder at the 1986 Sri Chinmoy 1,000 Mile Race.

The sole female competitor at race's close was Sulochana Kallai, a 56 year old Saks Fifth Avenue beauty consultant who logged 595 miles. Sixty-nine year old Willie Rios, the oldest contestant, ran 751 miles. Joe Michaels, former heart attack patient and now president of Cardiac Runners Assoc., ran 569 miles.

This was the fifth 1,000 mile race held in modern racing history. Out of several dozen starters, there are now nine ultra athletes who have completed this distance. Bauer and Cherns are the only athletes who have completed the distance more than once...