Utpal Marshall has been covering the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team for many years, more then I can recollect. His easly and charming way of asking questions often bring out surprising and amusing answers from the runners and helpers. Using the medium of both video and photography, he captures the spirit of the race at all hours of the day, rain or shine. And during this year's race, mostly rain. Just a few of his photos... Be sure to view his videos on this web page and of course at his own web site, Perfection-Journey.
The runners try many ways to keep the mind from interfering with their running. One way to do that, according to Karteek and Patanga, is playing chess. They have set up a chess board near their stall in the dugout and after each mile loop they take a turn in moving their chess pieces. However, after a couple of days, Karteek noticed that someone was moving his chess pieces. To his delight, he discovered that Arun, an avid player himself and fellow 10-day runner, had been moving his pieces. When Arun first noticed the chess board and started playing, he said that all his pain immediately disappeared: such is the power of chess. To accommodate the new player, Patanga and Karteek set up a second chess board. Your move!
Books you might find interesting
During the race I often get a chance to chat with the runners as they pause for a brief stop in the camp. This monday morning first time runner Ashivad shared an experience, that occurred during the race, with multiday veteran Pranjal and myself, head race director Rupantar. One of the many obstances that the runners must cope with is sleep deprevation. The runner is confronted with the choice of 'am I still productive running', 'am I going too slow and therefore should I take a rest break and resume after the break'. As Ashivard told us, with eyes heavy from lack of sleep, he approached an object and was started to see a gnome. However, as he came nearer to the object, "it changed into a traffic cone". Reality or dream? Pranjal recounted a similar incident. During one of his past multiday races, from the distance he was startled to see an elfin figure. However as he approach the creature, it miraculously turned into a fire hydrant. Welcome to the "Twilight Zone", better know as multi day running.
Sri Chinmoy Ten Day Race |
April 17-27 |
|
Name |
Country |
|
Igor Mudryk | Ukraine | |
Ushika Muckenhumer |
Austria |
|
Budjargal Byambaa |
Mongolia |
|
Jesper Olsen |
Denmark |
|
Oleksandr Kharko |
Ukraine |
|
Georgs Jermolajevs |
Latvia |
|
Ananda-Lahari Zuscin |
Slovakia |
|
Sergey Leschchenko | Russia | |
Ales Pliva |
Czech Rep |
|
Karteek Clarke |
Scotland |
|
Michel Gouin |
Canada |
|
Mikhail Vasilchenko | Russia | |
Sergei Komelkov | Russia | |
Arun Bhardwaj | India | |
Padyatra Komak |
Slovakia |
|
Sandro Zincarini |
Italy |
|
Andrei Somov | Russia | |
Patanga Cordeiro Da Silva |
Brazil |
|
Pedja Knezevic |
Serbia |
|
Richard Takata |
Canada |
|
Nariledai XXX |
China |
|
Jiri Jurica |
Czech Rep |
|
Janos Derekas |
Hungary |
|
Paramanyu Lebedyev | Russia | |
Fred Davis III |
USA |
|
Nataliya Hlushchuk |
Ukraine |
|
Vinati Docziova |
Slovakia |
|
Elena Kareva |
Russia |
|
Kimberley Van Delst |
Canada |
|
Vasupradha Funk |
Switzerland |
|
Karnayati Morison |
Canada |
|
Gundega Gaille |
Latvia |
|
Yashasvati Plyavinskaya |
Russia |
|
Gudrun Freier |
Germany |
|
Suparna Pustogowa |
Germany |
|
Anna Khimchinskaia |
Russia |
|
Bayarsaikhan Dorjpagam |
Mongolia |
|
Albena Margaritova |
Germany |
|
Avanayaha Tsendee |
Mongolia |
|
Aldarmaa Baljinnyam |
Mongolia |
|
Laila Faerman |
USA |
|
Sri Chinmoy Six Day Race |
April 21-27 |
|
Name |
Country |
|
Ashprihanal Aalto | Finland | |
Ronnie Wong | USA | |
John Geesler |
USA |
|
Mark McCaslin |
USA |
|
Rimas Jakelaitis |
Lithuania |
|
Roger Martel |
Canada |
|
Pranjal Milovnik |
Slovakia |
|
Priyavadin Reisecker |
Austria |
|
Mark Dorion |
USA |
|
Upakaraka Tolstopiatenko |
Russia |
|
Konstantin Rybin | Russia | |
Marius Lacasse |
Canada |
|
Aleksei Riabikov | Russia | |
Odgiiv Jadambaa |
Mongolia |
|
Tanas Popovski | England | |
Todd McAuley |
USA |
|
Joe Cleary |
Canada |
|
Baltabek Nurakhmetov |
Kazakhstan |
|
Ashirvad Bello Zaianchick |
Brazil |
|
Tsogoo Chuluun |
Mongolia |
|
Oleg Shestov |
Russia |
|
Vera Kalishmanova |
Russia |
|
Shirley Kolakovich |
USA |
|
Pushparani Piner |
Canada |
|
Mattali Stebneva |
Russia |
|
Emma Johns |
New Zealand |
|
Barbara Szeprethy |
USA |
|
Pratishruti Khisamoutdinova |
Russia |
|
Anna Eliseeva |
Russia |
|
Susan Marshall |
New Zealand |
|
Divyata Kryuchkova | Russia | |
Kim Allan |
New Zealand |
|
Ashadeep Volkhardt |
Australia |
|
Petra Kasperova |
Czech Rep |
|
Alla Kravchenko |
Russia |
|
Gantuya Doorov |
Mongolia |
|
Sumiya Lundeg |
Mongolia |
|
If you note a discrepency in the above roster, please contact us at: 718-297-2556 or [email protected]
NYCRUNS is a popular website that lists races in the New York area. We were pleasantly surprised to see the 6 & 10 Day Races listed. Although this race draws most of its runners from outside the U.S., multiday running has a rich history in the New York area. See Sam Shaw's article in Harpers Magazine for a detailed history of multi-day running (including our 3,100 Mile Race) and also our archives for the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team's contributions to ultra running. Did you know that the New York Road Runners Club hosted a 6 Day Race at what was then Downing Statium on Randall's Island in 1983 and 1984?
Here is what NYCRUNS had to say:
"If you’re late to the start for this event, hang around and take part in the six-day run starting four days after this race (i.e. 10-Day Race). We’d like to provide you a capsule summary of what Sri is all about, but it’s making our head hurt. Perhaps we’ll do an article on this fascinating and unique event in the future. For now, check out Sri Chimnoy’s web site, and if you do one of its events, let us know!" For complete article...
Mark Dorian has been a friend of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team for decades, as well as a frequent participant in and volunteer at our multi-day races. Mark competed in this year's 2016 Six and Ten day race and offered the following insights:
The wind-driven rain flying north off Meadow Lake cut at the faces of tired runners. It was the afternoon of Tuesday April 26th. The 6-Day racers were in Day 4, the 10-Day competitors day 8. The end was not close enough to be "in sight," and most of the 80 runners moved a tad more gingerly than they had a few days earlier. My inner "red light" was telling me LOUDLY to stop!
I was cold, wrinkled, and ready to get in the car and drive the 5 miles to Uncle Arpan's warm, cozy house in Jamaica Hills. My wife and coach Helen phoned and suggested I simply walk the 9 or so minutes across the pedestrian overpass of the Grand Central Parkway to the Holiday Inn (something I and other runners have done in the past, but usually only when we had endured days on end of rough weather). I just could not get into any kind of rhythm, and ultimately Day 4 would be one of my lowest volume days (just 34 miles) of any of at least 15 multi-day races over the past dozen years.
Of course, as fate would have it, this was the day that several once-in-a lifetime running and life experiences greeted me. Until this point, each day of the race I looked forward to the 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. time period. Former race announcer and longtime helper Sanatan "Sinatra" Curchack would park his mini van at the far east end of our 1 mile loop, partly to keep an eye out for wayward speeding vehicles and loose dogs and other animals, but also for any runners who might head off the wrong way at this hairpin right turn and confusing round-a-bout. Plenty of runners have gone wrong briefly here, but generally late at night when sleep-deprived and being chased by seven foot tall skunks and raccoons.
I gave my customary wave and "Hey-hey!" to Sanatan (decades ago runners nicknamed him "Sinatra" because of his beautiful baritone speaking and singing voice, as well as the similarity of his name to the maestros Frank and Frank Jr.). Walking the short uphill turn, I saw many wet Cricket players just ahead. Cricket is a major sport in New York City, with many high schools having Varsity teams that draw crowds at games equal to what the schools' baseball teams or track meets do. A few times I have had Cricket balls come close to hitting me in the 300 meter stretch between pitches ("fields"), but I had also found a few abandoned, worn out balls in our path which allowed me and runner friends to have short games of toss and catch.
Fast forwarding a few miles and getting towards sunset, I was dreaming about the best restaurant (I think) in all of New York City (this would be the Oneness-Fountain-Heart, and conveniently for me it was close to our park AND they made deliveries!) To be clear, the race kitchen and food were amazing - the Head Chef, Nipura Brown from New Zealand, was charming and all agreed had the appearance of a movie star; she could easily have a reality cooking show in the USA. I enjoyed the race cafe's food around the clock, but the Oneness-Fountain-Heart is a gourmet establishment and offers several of my favorite dishes in the world, including "Royal Rice" and Cantonese-style noodles with broccoli, soy sauce and various other trimmings. (And did I mention their critically acclaimed desserts?) Like clockwork, my friend Galya Volodia Balatskyi, a world class runner originally from Ukraine came out to tidy my hopelessly messy car and table. Last summer, Galya ran over 70 miles every day - for 42 days - enroute to finishing 2nd to "the Flying Finn," Ashprihanal Pekka Aalto's world record 40 days+ in the world's longest ultra, the New York 3100 mile. Each runner has half of a table to place small essentials on, the table being under cover and mere inches from the running path. Within minutes my dream food from the Oneness-Fountain appeared at my newly tidied spot. More importantly, the smiling, well-known Chef Karlen himself had delivered it and cheered me up while walking a short ways with me. While I was still wet and miserable on the outside, I felt a warm glow on the inside.
Tales from the Medical Tent
One reason I could not get into any rhythm on this day was that I seemed unable to go 4 miles without having to visit the medical tent for one thing or another. Blister prevention, diarrhea prevention, chronically sore and swollen feet, bad back, bad breath - these all bled time from the unforgiving race clock. Luckily for me and all runners, we had a stellar crew of professional massage therapists, doctors, nurses, chiropractors and assistants at our disposal. Twice during the race we were beyond fortunate to have Dr. Sakhshat W. Flowers drive all the way out from suburban New Jersey to use his cold laser on limping or injured runners.
Doc Flowers, himself a stellar 400 meter runner in his youth, spent about 12 minutes each time working around my left foot and ankle, which were swollen and painful. And - miraculously - the swelling went down and the function of the ankle improved markedly. It seemed anything other than the Nike Odyssey or Structure caused me foot pain and blisters. A new pair of shoes brought out to me all the way from Manhattan by my lifelong friend and training partner Maurice Shalah also gave me new life - I wore Maurice's new shoes the last 115 or so miles of the race!
I was escorted from the medical tent (perhaps overstaying my welcome) by a muscular, unshaven, tough-looking Hungarian massage therapist. Fortunately, this tough-looking guy - Dr. Shivabhakta Tamas Agoston - happens to be one of my best friends at the race and favorite people in the world. He knows how to make me laugh when I want to cry, and is also good at giving me a kick (and I mean a real hard kick!) to get me to stop whining and start moving. Little did either of us suspect that as we walked along the first part of the course we would make a discovery worthy of any reality TV "Treasure Hunt" type show.
After 5 hours the rain had stopped and the weather had actually warmed. Near the sharp right turn where I had chatted to and waved at Sanatan a few hours earlier, I noticed - wedged against the curb - some empty paper bags from fast food restaurants, a few paper cups, and - what looked like a leather wallet! .....
Important questions with 2 days to go:
- What was in the wallet?!
- Would this author and all the other runners survive two-and-a-half more exhausting days of running?
- Would the magician and multi-Guinness world record holder Ashrita Furman manage to set a world record for catching ice creams thrown at him at Bartolo Colon (famous Mets' pitcher)-like speeds??
- WHO would win the 6 and 10-Day races, which were still close as the clock wound towards 48 hours to go??
- Who would win the annual "Most Smiley" Contest among runners, Big Andrei Andreyev or Little Sergei Leschenko of Russia, one of the famous Sykorova sisters (Manoshri and Gautami) of Canada, or some newcomer??
- Would race announcer/ manager Devashishu Torpy catch the young prankster who ran along the course alternately kicking over and tossing off into the bushes the hundreds of traffic cones marking the proper running route??
I was not paying direct attention to the soggy, thin leather wallet I grabbed off the top of the curb of our scenic, twisting running path around Flushing Meadows. I had been in the midst of telling my great friend and massage therapist Dr. Shivabhakta a long-winded story. Interrupting what I thought was a spine-tingling tale of almost being struck by lightning near a plane wreck way up rugged Kaaterskill High Peak in the nearby Catskills (just north of New York City), "Uncle Shiva" (a nickname given to him by my son Toby during a trip to San Diego some years ago) stated loudly "I feel like a snow man!"
Glancing at him, I noticed a "Kaaterskill Falls" (world famous 250' vertical, powerful, deadly falls near the above peak) of perspiration pouring down his face! I also questioned aloud why on a warm, steamy night (every night of the 6 day this year seemed warm, calm, and humid) he was wearing enough layers for a polar expedition. As old and skinny as I am, I wore only a long sleeved shirt and tights. To be fair, it had been wet, windy and chilly all afternoon and he had been standing giving non-stop massages and blister treatment in the drafty medical tent. So my friend "peeled off" at the 3/4 mile mark, where the bike path passes close to the finish straightaway before making a sharp turn down-and-back on "Sri Chinmoy Street" - the real name of a lovely tree-canopied pedestrian lane on the way to the lap finish.
I stumbled around the sharp right turn. Unfortunately, in perhaps 15 places new underground wiring for the old-fashioned looking street lights on our course had been covered up hastily by shoddy, rough temporary pavement - these "stripes" that felled even the most nimble of runners came to be known as "THE DREADED BLACK STRIPES"! Looking up, I saw an elderly lady runner stagger off the path and trip over a tree root. Luckily, a college-aged woman runner much fresher than I jumped to the older runner's aid. Readers may be gaining an appreciation of why runners laugh when asked by shorter distance runners, reporters and bystanders "isn't it boring doing lap after lap out there?!" There is rarely a dull moment or a time when even a sleepy competitor does not see or experience something unique or interesting.
Encouragement is
As quick as lightning
In joy-giving."
- Sri Chinmoy, Encouragement
The above inspiring aphorism appears on the back of race t-shirts from a trail ultra my wife and I direct. I also quoted this to Mr. J.B. (massage therapist and blister expert) and Nurse "Super Mario" Cardenas in the medical tent while continuing to narrate my own saga of various near lightning strikes I have experienced, from the one on High Peak (almost the same ridge as where the legendary Rip Van Winkle fell asleep during a summer lightning storm - you can look it up!) mentioned above to the lightning many runners in this year's races ran from - umbrellas in hand - at 4 to 5 a.m. on day 3. Therein lies another thing spectators and newcomers question - why run with an umbrella? This too may cause experienced multi-day runners to smile or chuckle knowingly.
All the while I was shuffling around the course and making endless trips to the medical tent, the pro athletes were cranking out fast laps, seeming to only slow to a fast walk the first 250 meters of each lap to grab drinks or easily-consumed food in a large cup from their helpers or well-organized tables. On day 5, I managed to run at least 6 miles with eventual 6 day winner Aidas Ardzijauskas from Lithuania, and discovered that he was actually not going so fast - certainly not as fast as ultimate 2nd placer (and Swedish national record setter) Johnny Hallneby. Aidas's secret was that he never stopped! I slogged along next to him as we passed the timing tents and camp area - and he did not even break stride.
For 3 laps Aidas ran at normal speed right through the middle of the camp - not even grabbing a cup of water. When I again ran a few laps with him and his countryman Rimas Jakelaitis (for many years one of the very best multi-day runners in the world, and one of just 14 people in history to have reached 600 miles in a 6 day race - and Rimas did it as a SPLIT in the 10 day race!) on day 6, again the same thing - no stopping or slowing at the end/ start of a lap! Straight through the middle of camp and back out towards the Long Island Expressway and wild brook and swamp from which snakes and muskrats watched us.
Not to be outdone, the top women were speeding around the course as well. At many times of the day the fastest-moving runner - period - on the course was legendary Australian Sarah Barnett. Smiling and encouraging all the "mere mortal" runners, Sarah flew towards her 4th win in the 10 day. With no helpers, she would often stop for a moment at her table to jot down some thought for an upcoming article or book while grabbing a piece of one of her many gourmet chocolate bars (she once gave my now 16 year old daughter Amalia - who was helping me at the time - some chocolates that had been given to Sarah by the Princess of Monaco after a win in the famous Monte Carlo 8 day!)
The USA's "walking diva" Yolanda Holder, a world class walker from Orange County, California, chased Sarah relentlessly, ultimately eclipsing the coveted 1,000 Km (622 mile) mark. And hot on Yolanda's heels came "the speeding server" from the famous Peace Garden Restaurant (as seen on TV) in Ottawa, Manoshri Sykorova (reaching an impressive 609 miles). I am still trying to wrap my head around the stat that in addition to the above three ladies, NINE men surpassed 600 miles in 10 days. So many great runners, so many great stories...
AND what of the "purple light" that flooded the race course several nights? Keeping in mind that one of the all-time great musicians - Prince - had passed just before the race - and the New York Mets (who play ball not 800 meters from the race course) have access to all manner of klieg/ strobe/ giant search lights - the mysterious and inspiring hues in the clear night skies are easily explained. Not to be outdone, several of the many wonderful live musicians who came out to entertain the runners at all hours of the day and night played snippets of some of Prince's songs. Sakshama Koloski - direct from Macedonia - played lovely bluesy, David Sanborn-style saxophone until the wee hours, greatly inspiring late night runners.
The talented world musician Kodanda seemed to have a dozen instruments at his disposal at any time, impressing the great runners from Mongolia with tunes on folk instruments from their country. But as at so many races, he truly shone on electric guitar, which like legends from Bob Dylan to Jimi Hendrix he makes "sing." It seems like yesterday that Guru Chinmoy himself was standing next to the race course musicians, clapping for them and ENCOURAGING them. I for one certainly miss having him along the race loop cheering for us.
And while the music played . . . questions and conundrums remained unanswered . . .
- What WAS in the soaking wet wallet?
- DID the race directors ever catch the "traffic cone thief"?!
- Is there any truth to the rumor that night time race director Rupantar P. LaRusso, Esq., gets to "run a tab" and get "free donuts" (limit for race: 30 - thirty - dozen) at the close-by Dunkin' Donuts on Horace Harding Expressway??
- WHY were runners, helpers and race workers rolling on the floor with laughter at the big post-race celebration at the wonderful local Panorama Cafe?!
- WERE some finishers really just using this as a "long training run" for the world's longest ultra - the Sri Chinmoy/ Self-Transcendence 3100 mile - that starts on Father's Day (June 19th)?
- DID an extremely sleepy race finisher sleep through the awards ceremony - and until after all race personnel had gone home late at night - AND all the way until the next day?
- DID 10 day 2nd placer Ed "The Jester" Ettinghausen - after running 717 miles - really walk and jog the 2 miles to nearby LaGuardia Airport for a flight just hours after the race finish?!
Author's Note: after weeks of failed attempts to capture in words some of the spirit and adventure of my recent attempt at the 20th annual New York Sri Chinmoy 6-Day Race, I was at a stop light on Mesa Street in my home town of El Paso, Texas when some sort of divine inspiration struck. I have a very small picture of the late Sri Chinmoy (philosopher, meditation teacher, spiritual leader, artist, running race organizer, and on and on) on the chipped and dusty dashboard of my old Honda CRV. Guru Chinmoy's picture, the red light, the fact that I had just finished my first decent run since the hard race in New York City - all were factors as I recalled one of several poems of his that I once knew by heart but in my old age know only "more-or-less."
The Red Light And The Green Light
I have two intimate friends:
The red light
And
The green light.
The red light warns me
And cautions me
And finally commands,
“Stop!”
The green light inspires me
And encourages me
And finally whispers,
“Start!”
My red friend
Teaches me patience.
My green friend
Teaches me dynamism.
My red friend tells me
My life is precious.
My green friend tells me
My goal is precious.
My red friend
Perfects my will.
My green friend
Fulfils my dream.
Sri Chinmoy, from The Wings of Light
Finland's largest and most important ultrarunning website, ultrajuoksu.fi, summarizes the recently completed Sri Chinmoy 6 and 10-Day Races in an article containing many photos and links to videos from the race, as well as a list of the final results. Kobi Oren from Israel dominated the Sri Chinmoy Ten Day Race with 755 miles, the fifth best total ever. Sarah Barnett led the ladies with 672 mile, her fourth win at 10 days. Aidas Ardzijauskas, Vilnius Lithuania won the Sri Chinmoy Six Day Race with 517 miles. Vikena Yutz, Columbus, GA, USA was first woman with 375 miles. (All photos by Prabhakar).
Eighteen hours await the 21st running of the Sri Chinmoy Ten Day Race, one of our premier events. 47 athletes have arrived from many countries to take part in this unique event, one of the longest running competitions on the calendar. 240 hours have to be dealt with, as the multi-day runners move along the certified one-mile loop in the famous Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which has been hosting our multidays for the past 16 years. The race starts on Tuesday, April 19 at 12 noon. Four days later 31 runners will join the fray in the 19th running of the Sri Chinmoy Six Day Race
The Ten Day started in 1996 at Wards Island in Manhattan near the Triborough Bridge (RFK Bridge) and featured 15 athletes. The course records for the event include 901 miles by Rimas Jakelaitis (LTH) in 2001 for the men, and 727 miles by Kaneenika Janakova (SLK) in 2014 for the ladies.
We hope to post daily results and screen shots of the gifted athletes as they attempt to garner as many miles as possible. We also offer best wishes to the brave runners as they seek to find out what they can do this year. 240 hours will be the goal- to survive and transcend. You never know what you have until you try.
Good luck to all the athletes and their family and friends.
This is the current list of participants as of April 9, 2016.
Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Ten Day Race
Name | M / F | Country | ||
1 | Kobi Oren | M | Israel | |
2 | Achim Heukemes | M | Germany | |
3 | Ed Ettinghausen | M | USA | |
4 | Ushika Muckenhumer | M | Austria | |
5 | Volodymyr Hlushchuk | M | Ukraine | |
6 | Andrey Andreev | M | Russia | |
7 | Ananda-Lahari Zuscin | M | Slovakia | |
8 | Sergey Kuzmin | M | Russia | |
9 | Oleksandr Kharko | M | Ukraine | |
10 | Sergei Komelkov | M | Russia | |
11 | Budjargal Byambaa | M | Mongolia | |
12 | Kalpa Lazarev | M | Russia | |
13 | Georgs Jermolajevs | M | Latvia | |
14 | Andrei Somov | M | Russia | |
15 | Sergey Leshchenko | M | Russia | |
16 | Mikhail Vasilchenko | M | Russia | |
17 | Ales Pliva | M | Czech Rep | |
18 | Michel Gouin | M | Canada | |
19 | Kumar Limbu | M | Nepal | |
20 | Janos Derekas | M | Hungary | |
21 | Patanga Cordeiro | M | Brazil | |
22 | Karteek Clarke | M | Scotland UK | |
23 | Mahasatya Janczak | M | Poland | |
24 | Sandro Zincarini | M | Italy | |
25 | Frederick Davis III | M | USA | |
26 | Richard Takata | M | Canada | |
27 | Michael Korol | M | USA | |
28 | Predrag Knezevic | M | Serbia | |
29 | Deveshu Zuderell | M | Austria | |
30 | Soren Raarup | M | Denmark | |
31 | Viktor Dodonov | M | Russia | |
40 | Sarah Barnett | F | Australia | |
41 | Elena Kareva | F | Russia | |
42 | Nataliya Hlushchuk | F | Ukraine | |
43 | Vinati Docziova | F | Slovakia | |
44 | Vasuprada Funk | F | Switzerland | |
45 | Giribhu Muhs | F | Germany | |
46 | Manoshri Sykorova | F | Slovakia | |
47 | Gautami Sykorova | F | Slovakia | |
48 | Yolanda Holder | F | USA | |
49 | Suparna Pustogowa | F | Germany | |
50 | Yashasvati Plyavinskaya | F | Russia | |
51 | Kimberley Van Delst | F | Canada | |
53 | Gudrun Freier | F | Germany | |
54 | Oyungerel Seded | F | Mongolia | |
55 | Karnayati Morison | F | Canada | |
56 | Ratuja Zub | F | Belarus |
Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Six Day Race
Name | M / F | Country | ||
60 | John Geesler | M | USA | |
61 | Aidas Ardzijauskas | M | Lithuania | |
62 | Rimas Jakelaitis | M | Lithuania | |
63 | Priyavadin Reisecker | M | Austria | |
64 | Mark Dorion | M | USA | |
65 | Roger Martel | M | Canada | |
66 | Wai Law | M | USA | |
67 | Arun Bhardwaj | M | India | |
68 | Hoskuldur Kristvinsson | M | Iceland | |
69 | Odgiiv Jadambaa | M | Mongolia | |
70 | Milan Javornicky | M | Czech Republic | |
71 | Joe Cleary | M | Canada | |
72 | Johnny Hallneby | M | Sweden | |
73 | Marius Lacasse | M | Canada | |
80 | Dipali Cunningham | F | USA | |
81 | Vikena Yutz | F | USA | |
82 | Mattali Stebneva | F | Russia | |
83 | Anna Khimchinskaia | F | Russia | |
84 | Pratishruti Khisamutdinova | F | Russia | |
85 | Anna Eliseeva | F | Russia | |
86 | Avanayaha Tsendee | F | Mongolia | |
87 | Sumiya Lundeg | F | Mongolia | |
88 | Erlinda Biondic | F | Canada | |
89 | Barbara Szeprethy | F | USA | |
90 | Sumeru Scheucher | F | Austria | |
91 | Albena Margaritova | F | Scotland UK | |
92 | Pushparani Piner | F | Canada | |
93 | Tatiana Arnst | F | Russia | |
94 | Susan Marshall | F | New Zealand | |
95 | Lyalya Faerman | F | Russia | |
96 | Gundega Gaile | F | Latvia |
The New York Times recently published an article touting a runner "as one of the country’s top female ultramarathoners". Kudos to the runner highlighted. However, the Times writer, while defining ultrarunning as any distance beyond the marathon (which I have no qualms with), failed to examine distances beyond the many races that were highlighted in the article. Ultrarunning beyond the 50 mile and 100 mile trail races has a long and storied history dating back to at least the pedestrian races in the 19th century. See Harper's Magazine article by Sam Shaw "Run Like Fire Once More" for a bigger history of multi day racing.
If multiday races were included, then surely Dipali Cunningham would be up there as one of the all-time greats. Here is a brief resume from a career spanning from 1991 to 2015:
- 36 multiday races
- 30 first place finishes
- 12 times overall wins (i.e beating all the men in the race!)
- 3 world records (6 day race) :
1998 504 miles
2001 510 miles
2009 (best) over 50 years old 513 miles
2014 American US age group record 55-59 475 miles - 3rd place in world for 700 miles (women)
- 4th place in world 1,000 miles (women)
- 33 Australian National records (24 hours to 1,000 miles)
Eighteen hours before the 21st Sri Chinmoy Ten Day Race begins- 12 noon April 19,2016. 47 athletes have arrived in town and await the next sunrise. Four days later 31 runners will join in the 19th Sri Chinmoy Six Day Race. Both races will finish at noon on Friday, April 29. Flushing Meadows Corona Park has been the home of multidays on the mile loop near Meadow Lake for the last 16 years.
The Ten Day started in 1996 at Wards Island in Manhattan near the Triborough Bridge(RFK Bridge) and featured 15 athletes. The course records for the event include 901 miles by Rimas Jakelaitis(LTH)- 2001) for the men, and 727 miles by Kaneenika Janakova(SLK)-2014 for the ladies.
We hope to post daily totals of each athlete as well as scoreboard updates on this site to show the progression of the runners as they journey along with remarkable energy and diligence. 240 hours will be the goal- to survive and transcend.
Good luck to all the athletes and their family and friends.
The deadline for entries to the 2016 Sri Chinmoy Ten and Six Day Races has passed. However, we do allow runners to be placed on the wait list, which is utilized according to space availability from cancellations. Historically, three to five people cancel before race day, so there is some hope for late entries actually getting into the field. Entries are picked on a first come-first served basis, and are notified by e-mail from us in a timely manner. The waitlist closes on April 1, 2016. Thanks for understanding!
In the Mind of Martin Fryer – The Beautiful Point of Surrendering to a Simple State of Pure Awareness
The following article appeared in the online website Ultra168 and is about Australian ultra runner Martin Fryer's experience in the 2013 Self-Transcendence 6 and 10 Day Races held in Flushing, New York. Ultra168 is a group of Sydney-based ultra marathon runners who share a passion for running on trails, as well as reporting on what’s happening in the world of trail and ultra running.
Martin Fryer is for me, and for many others one of the Godfather’s of Australian ultra-running. The respect I have for this man is huge. He gets on with his business with little or no fanfare on Facebook, and delivers time and time again with quite staggering results that you really do have to read twice to get a grasp of what he’s just achieved. None more so than his recent effort at the Sri Chinmoy 10 Day race that was recently held in New York where he amassed over 1,100kms over 10 days!
The 2015 Self-Transcendence 6 & 10 Day Races was covered by the most important ultrarunning website in Finnland,
ultrajuoksu.fi.
Although in Finnish, the article kept track of the top three men and women throughout the races.
Here the 10 day race final results by category
Place | Name | Age | M F | Total Miles | Under 50 | 50 - 59 | 60 - 69 | Over 70 | |||||
M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | ||||||
1 | Sarah Barnett | 39 | F | Adelaide, Australia | 641 | 1 | |||||||
2 | Shamita Achenbach-Konig | 50 | F | Vienna, Austria | 641 | 1 | |||||||
3 | Harita Davies | 40 | F | Christchurch, NZ | 540 | 2 | |||||||
4 | Manoshri Sykorova | 36 | F | Ottawa Ont, Canada | 530 | 3 | |||||||
5 | Giribhu Muhs | 44 | F | Berlin, Germany | 508 | 4 | |||||||
6 | Elena Kareva | 39 | F | Volgograd, Russia | 503 | 5 | |||||||
7 | Yashasvati Plyavinskaya | 49 | F | StPetersburg, Russia | 496 | 6 | |||||||
8 | Tatjana Jauk | 44 | F | Maribor, Slovenia | 485 | 7 | |||||||
9 | Larisa Psiukalova | 52 | F | Chelyabinsk, Russia | 480 | 2 | |||||||
10 | Gundega Gaile | 38 | F | Latvia | 476 | 8 | |||||||
11 | Karnayati Morison | 68 | F | Ottawa, Canada | 464 | 1 | |||||||
12 | Gudrun freier | 43 | F | Winterthur SUI, Germany | 462 | 9 | |||||||
13 | Pati Ibinova | 50 | F | Irkutsk, Russia | 450 | 3 | |||||||
14 | Suparna Pustogowa | 51 | F | Munich, Germany | 446 | 4 | |||||||
15 | Niribili File | 69 | F | Auckland, New Zealand | 433 | 2 | |||||||
16 | Anna Khimchinskaia | 37 | F | Moscow, Russia | 423 | 10 | |||||||
17 | Sara Schmidt | 35 | F | Den Haag, Netherlands | 420 | 11 | |||||||
18 | Shraddha Kurzemniece | 49 | F | Oslo, Norway | 417 | 12 | |||||||
19 | Vasuprada Funk | 34 | F | Ehrendingen, Switzerland | 337 | 13 | |||||||
20 | Vismaya Fischer | 44 | F | Birchwil, Switzerland | 212 | 14 | |||||||
1 | Aidas Ardzijauskas | 43 | M | Vilnius, Lithuania | 667 | 1 | |||||||
2 | Baladev Saraz | 38 | M | Komjatice, Slovakia | 650 | 2 | |||||||
3 | Ushika Muckenhumer | 47 | M | Salzburg, Austria | 625 | 3 | |||||||
4 | Sergey Kuzmin | 42 | M | NizhniyNovgorod, Russia | 589 | 4 | |||||||
5 | Oleksandr Kharko | 51 | M | Kiev, Ukraine | 588 | 1 | |||||||
6 | George Biondic | 62 | M | Aurora, Ontario, Canada | 587 | 1 | |||||||
7 | Ananda-Lahari Zuscin | 39 | M | Kosice, Slovakia | 587 | 5 | |||||||
8 | Kalpa Lazarev | 43 | M | Moscow, Russia | 564 | 6 | |||||||
9 | Andrey Andreev | 49 | M | St Petersburg, Russia | 543 | 7 | |||||||
10 | Sergei Komelkov | 54 | M | Chelyabinsk, Russia | 531 | 2 | |||||||
11 | Sergey Leshchenko | 41 | M | Chelyabinsk, Russia | 515 | 8 | |||||||
12 | Michel Gouin | 54 | M | Drummondville, QC, Canada | 514 | 3 | |||||||
13 | Mikhail Vasilchenko | 48 | M | Omsk, Russia | 514 | 9 | |||||||
14 | Georgs Jermolajevs | 72 | M | Riga, Latvia | 508 | 1 | |||||||
15 | Budjargal Byambaa | 33 | M | Ulaan Baatar , Mongolia | 487 | 10 | |||||||
16 | Janos Derekas | 33 | M | OsloNorway, Hungary | 480 | 11 | |||||||
17 | Ales Pliva | 36 | M | Prague, CzechRepublic | 475 | 12 | |||||||
18 | Chris Mak | 54 | M | HongKong, China | 471 | 4 | |||||||
19 | Atmavir Spacil | 36 | M | Kyjov , CzechRepublic | 468 | 13 | |||||||
20 | Karteek Clarke | 48 | M | Edinburgh, Scotland UK | 451 | 14 | |||||||
21 | Adrian MacDermott | 41 | M | London, England | 450 | 15 | |||||||
22 | Padyatra Komak | 39 | M | Stupava, Slovakia | 440 | 16 | |||||||
23 | Andrei Somov | 35 | M | StPetersburg, Russia | 429 | 17 | |||||||
24 | Patanga Cordeiro | 31 | M | Sao Paulo, Brazil | 407 | 18 | |||||||
25 | Sandro Zincarini | 29 | M | PortoSant'Elpidio, Italy | 382 | 19 | |||||||
26 | Pedro Gaspar | 43 | M | Coimbra, Portugal | 317 | 20 | |||||||
27 | Kumar Limbu | 40 | M | FlushingNY, Nepal | 313 | 21 | |||||||
28 | Fred Davis III | 67 | M | Cleveland OH, USA | 310 | 2 | |||||||
29 | Marius Lacasse | 55 | M | GatineauQue, Canada | 305 | 5 | |||||||
30 | Francesco Murianni | 43 | M | Milano, Italy | 174 | 22 |
Here are the final results for the 2015 Self-Transcendence 6 Day Race by Category
Place | Name | Age | M F | Total Miles | Under 50 | 50 - 59 | 60 - 69 | Over 70 | |||||
M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | ||||||
1 | Dipali Cunningham | 56 | F | Jamaica NY, USA | 451 | 1 | |||||||
2 | Nataliya Hlushchuk | 39 | F | Vinnitsa, Ukraine | 378 | 1 | |||||||
3 | Vera Kalishmanova | 59 | F | Volgograd, Russia | 371 | 2 | |||||||
4 | Divyata Kryuchkova | 37 | F | Tambov, Russia | 362 | 2 | |||||||
5 | Gautami Sykorova | 35 | F | Ottawa, Canada | 345 | 3 | |||||||
6 | Oyungerel Seded | 45 | F | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | 344 | 4 | |||||||
7 | Anna Eliseeva | 51 | F | Perm , Russia | 326 | 3 | |||||||
8 | Ratuja Zub | 36 | F | Minsk, Belarus | 307 | 5 | |||||||
9 | Bayarsaikhan Dorjpagma | 52 | F | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | 296 | 4 | |||||||
10 | Pratishruti Khisamoutdinova | 71 | F | Smolensk, Russia | 282 | 1 | |||||||
11 | Sylvie Boisvert | 52 | F | Quebec, Canada | 270 | 5 | |||||||
12 | Mattali Stebneva | 58 | F | StPetersburg, Russia | 260 | 6 | |||||||
13 | Albena Margaritova | 38 | F | Edinburgh, Scotland UK | 239 | 6 | |||||||
14 | Shirley Kolakovich | 43 | F | WhiteLake MI, USA | 211 | 7 | |||||||
1 | John Geesler | 56 | M | St Johnsville NY, USA | 423 | 1 | |||||||
2 | Mark McCaslin | 45 | M | CantonMI, USA | 400 | 1 | |||||||
3 | Rimas Jakelaitis | 60 | M | Brooklyn, NY, USA | 381 | 1 | |||||||
4 | Steven Battle | 51 | M | Worksopt, England | 360 | 2 | |||||||
5 | Don Winkley | 77 | M | Corpus Christ iTX, USA | 357 | 1 | |||||||
6 | Michael Korol | 56 | M | Syosset.NY, USA | 342 | 3 | |||||||
7 | Mark Dorion | 55 | M | El Paso, TX, USA | 341 | 4 | |||||||
8 | Wai Law | 48 | M | Bethpage NY, USA | 330 | 2 | |||||||
9 | Milan Javornicky | 40 | M | Celakovice, Czech Republic | 327 | 3 | |||||||
10 | Ed Rousseau | 75 | M | Minneapolis, USA | 323 | 2 | |||||||
11 | Priyavadin Reisecker | 45 | M | Salzburg, Austria | 305 | 4 | |||||||
12 | Mahasatya Janczak | 40 | M | Jzbica Lublin, Poland | 304 | 5 | |||||||
13 | Nikolai Egorov | 54 | M | Dzerzhinsk, Russia | 286 | 5 | |||||||
14 | Konstantin Rybin | 41 | M | Perm, Russia | 276 | 6 | |||||||
15 | Sanjay Rawal | 40 | M | Jamaica NY, USA | 240 | 7 | |||||||
16 | Gregg Ellis | 44 | M | Calhoun Georgia, USA | 128 | 8 | |||||||
17 | Jesse Itzler | 46 | M | New York,NY, USA | 28 | 9 |
The end of the third day and beginning of the fourth in this 240 hour race were like some other world, compressed into a series of fragments, scattered by strange powers. Runners continued on their journey. For the gents, Atmavir Spacil had fashioned a lead that was stigmatized by a gnarly stomach upset. He continued on for 64 miles at the bell of 72 hours, reaching 230 miles. Baladev Saraz had already set a pb for the three-day split and was good to make a move in the shimmering sunlight. By 7:00 pm he climbed within two miles of his friend Mr. Spacil. Ushika Muckenhumer of Austria moved into third place as the sunny skies turned cloudy, the winds swirled and shifted. The ladies had their own drama brewing, as Sarah Barnett, the race favorite and 2-time winner of the event assumed the lead. Shamita Achenbach-Konig made a move to challenge as the skies opened up and a thunderstorm revealed itself mid-afternoon. By 7:00 pm Shamita led Sarah by barely a lap. Rainbows, then the sun appeared. The runners keep going, beyond normalcy and commonsense, to places we can only imagine- all on a one-mile loop in a park where the clock keeps ticking. In FMCP, the elements rule. It is their world- we just live in it.
The morning had showed fog, then thunder, hail, more rain and finally sunshine. But the stout-hearted runners moved along. Atmavir Spacil has increased his lead to 17 miles by the noon, his second day complete at 166 miles, a nifty 75 miles in miserable conditions. By 8:00 pm he was closing in on 200. Baladev Saraz had moved into second overall with 180+, and Pati Ibinova and Sarah Barnett climbed past 170. Georgs Jermolajevs had run 69 miles on the sloggy pathways and joked that he will start running after five days- at age 72. By 8:00 pm Sarah was right on the heels of Pati and looked strong. Shamita Achenbach-Konig was steadily holding onto third place for the ladies. It is way to early to predict how the race will turn out, but it will be interesting to see what happens to the athletes as they move on along,. Will their bodies accept the workload, will their minds embrace the challenge, on this plot of earth stuck in the middle of the burgh of Queens, New York.
The last four hours of Day 1 proved to be the toughest of the cycle that started at noon yesterday. A furious little storm pummeled Flushing Meadows with 40 mph winds(70 km), and significant rainfall- almost like a mini nor'easter would on any given fall day in New England. Only the runners kept going, regardless of tidal basin flooding at high tide and southerly winds that nearly broke the reinforced scoreboard in half. Atmavir Spacil assumed command of the lead, ending the day with 91 miles, a few laps ahead of 72-year-old Georgs Jermolajevs, the first winner of the Ten Day some 19 years ago. Pati Ibinova led the distaff side with 90 miles, often plowing through the above ankle water that blocked the scoring area approach like a moat around a fort. As the fury of the storm subsided mid-afternoon, runners were able to abandon ponchos, raincoats and trash bags around their bodies and make hay around a drying park. Huge fog rolled in at sundown, but the will of the runners was strong. Atmavir has assumed a 10 mile lead at the 32 hour mark, and is running 11 minute laps consistently. Baladev Saraz and Pati Idinova have moved into second and third overall. Good weather is coming. More later...
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