"Don Jewel, East Islip, Wins 24 Hour Race for Second Time" (Press release). September 26, 1988. Retrieved 12/16/11. Archive copy at the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team office.

"Don Jewell of East Islip, the US Masters record holder, won the Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Road Race for the second year in a row, running 133 miles to defeat a seasoned field of 35 ultra runners. The event, held in Flushing Meadows -Corona Park, Queens, NY, ended Sunday, September 25 at 10 am. Second place, with 130 miles went to Arpan DeAngelo of Jamaica, NY - a cross-continent athlete whose credits include two running and one cycling USA 50 state relays. Ed Dodd of Heddonfield, NJ, one of the first multiday race organizers in the USA, took third with 121 miles.

It was an especially competitive race; the highly-seasoned athletes, virtually all from the Northeast, knew each other well. Early attempts to establish control ended with several veteran runners in the lead pack pushed beyond their limits and out of the winner's ring entirely. During this time, Jewell, secure in his pacing strategy, ran comfortably in the middle of the top ten. Around 12 hours, as race weariness and attrition began, Jewell and Arpan DeAngelo worked their way into the lead and battled it out for the remaining hours, Jewell finally moving ahead to win by three miles.

In the thin-ranked women's division, Pragati Pascale of Jamaica, Queens, maintained her lead from the start, finishing with 91 miles. This seasoned multiday runner has established a number of wins for her self over the past few years, including the Sri Chinmoy 700 mile race, 1987. Ms. Pascale is accomplished in a number of ultra fields, having in the past also won the women's division of the Pepsi Cola Central Park 24 Hour Cycling Race."

A brief history of the Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race (from the 1988 brochure)

(Our first 24 hour race was in 1980. A last second entrant, Kirit Makata, won, although never having run more than 11 miles at one time!)

"..Kirit (Makata) won the (1980) race with 111 3/4 miles, followed ever so closely by Marcy (Schwam)  with 111 miles. Kirit's performance established a Japanese national record that still stands. Marcy, although coming just short of winning the race overall, still had ample satisfaction as she established new world track records of 6:43:23 for 50 miles; 8:46:35 for 100K and 15:44:27 for 100 miles.

When Ted Corbitt was told of what the 19-year-old novice Kirit had done on a training base with 11 miles as his longest run, his comment was, "Incredible!"

The following year (1981) we had another incredible race with 43-year old ultra-great Cahit Yeter running the race of his life and establishing a North American track record of 155 miles, 1,182 yds. Sue Medaglia, also over 40, established two world track records of 126 miles, 789 yards for 24 hours, and 200K in 23:41:08.

In September 1982, Ed Foley won the men's race with 143 miles, and Sue Medaglia again won with 126 miles, 256 yds., coming just short of her own world record. Sue won the next year also to make it three in a row with 122 miles, as Jim Roser, who was over 50, ran 128 miles to come in ahead of stars like Cahit Yeter and Stu Middleman. That was the year the moving documentary "The Inner Runner" was filmed.

In 1983, Luis Rios from Brooklyn emerged as a world-class 24-hour runner, winning the race with 141 miles. Sue Medaglia won again with 110 miles for the women...

Yiannis Kouros, perhaps the greatest ultra-distance runner of all time, sped his way to a new world record of 177 miles in 1984. Along the way he garnered the 100-mile world record in 11:46:36 and the 200K in 15:11:48. Yiannis, who did not seem overly exerted during the race, stopped for his only break to graciously offer Greek pastries to all the scorers and officials as soon as he had broken the existing world record. That completed, he returned to the race and almost leisurely added another 7 miles to his amazing total. Many of us who watched agreed that Yiannis could have gone over 180 miles had he wanted to. Don Jewell, from East Islip, NY, was cruising in Yiannis's wake to a North American master's road record of 145 miles. And we had a new women's winner in Kay Moore with 122 miles...

1985 was the year Hurricane Gloria hit New York rather hard...the amazing Yiannis again setting a world record with 178 miles. The great and ageless Willie Rios ran 101 miles to set a world road record for age 65 and over. Kay Moore won again, this time with 104 miles.

That brings us to 1986, and it was Luis Rios for his second win with 138 miles. Kay Moore took home her third victory in a row with 120 miles as 11 runners did over 100 miles. Last year (1987), 19 runners completed 100 miles or better as Don Jewell won with 130 miles and a new women's star emerged as Pippa Davis won with 115 miles."

Final Results