Harashita's Zoom Report

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 3100 Mile Race Finishers’ visit at a Japanese University!

Harashita

Two of this year’s 3100 Mile Race finishers, Harita and Andrea, kindly paid a Zoom visit to a university in Osaka, Japan, where I teach English. Through this project, the students had a unique taste of the race by directly interacting with the remarkable runner-guest speakers.

Prior to their visit, in early December, the students watched some videos from the race and came up with a question each in English to ask their respective guest. On the day, December 11, most of the 90-minute class was spent in questions and answers. About 50 students took part in Harita’s group, and Andrea had about 70 students. The students’ questions were varied and in response to them, the guest speakers discussed a wide range of topics—including their training programs, benefits of meditation, vegetarianism, how to overcome obstacles, how to maintain motivation, and the importance of support. This particular university has a number of strong sport teams, and many of the students belong to one. It is academically progressive as well (though their English may not be that great!). For these reasons, many things the guest speakers touched on resonated with them in multiple ways.

After the Zoom visit, the students wrote what they had learned as their messages to the guests, to be presented in front of the class first. They then chose their favorite photo from the race website, to be shown on the screen during their presentations. Their presentations took place in late December. Finally, the polished messages were collated and sent to Harita and Andrea, just today (January 3).

Below I would like to share some of the students’ messages. As you can see, it was a very special opportunity for my students; they absorbed so much through this experience. I am extremely grateful for this precious opportunity, and for Harita’s and Andrea’s kind willingness to share their experiences with my students.

Excerpts from the students’ messages:

Dear Harita, I'm Nori. Thank you for coming to our class. You told us that you respect Sri Chinmoy as your mentor. I'm impressed by how you’re influenced by him. You learned meditation from him and do it even during the race. We make use of it during class and it feels great. So, I'd like to keep doing it. Thank you!

[Note: we do one minute meditation in each class, so he is referring to that.]

Hi, Harita! I'm Sosuke.

I was impressed with your strong message! It is that we should have a goal to keep our motivation. For you Harita, your goal was to complete the race and you could do it.

As for me, when I was in high school, I studied and played tennis very hard but my goal wasn't clear. That is why I couldn't get a good examination score and couldn't be a strong tennis player, either. So, I will be conscious of having my goal to keep my motivation in university.

Hi, Harita. I'm Saya. Thank you for sharing your story! What impressed me the most was the importance of putting things into practice. I often look up interesting things, but I wouldn't act on it easily. Therefore, I get only knowledge and I couldn't get experiences. When I heard your story, I thought if I don't try, I can't start things. I decided to try things I'm interested in from now on. Thank you for giving your courage!

Hi Harita. I'm Yuki. I was impressed by the words that even if you failed, you shouldn't take it too seriously. This is because there were many times that I didn't try for fear of failure. But thanks to Harita, I learned that I don't have to worry too much if I fail.

Hi Harita. I'm Mariko. I was surprised to hear that you ate three or four ice creams a day. And I was glad to hear you ate sushi during the race because sushi is Japanese food. I want you to eat more Japanese food even if it's not during the race.

Dear Harita,

…There are two things I learned from you. First, to act anyway. By doing so, we can get more confidence and other positive things. Second, to work hard until the edge of our capacity. … To grow as a human being, I’d like to be conscious of these actions.

Kind regards,

Yuta

Hi Harita. Thank you so much for speaking in our class. There were two things that were so impressive in your talk. They were “Concentrate on the present” and “Believe in my unlimited power”. I found that these ideas make your mind strong. … Someday I hope to be able to believe my power like you. From Takuya.

Hi Harita, Thank you for this time. My name is Ko. What impressed me the most is about "God’s grace". You said "God is both kind and strict". In addition, You said "Sri Chinmoy said 'God is like sunlight'". I think this expression is interesting. Also, hearing these words. I think I must open myself, And I have to make effort.

Hi, Harita! My name is Sosuke. … I found you to be a nice person. Unlike most people, you always see things in a positive light. You tried to see potential in the race as difficult as this one. And you have shown me that things are accomplished if you never give up.

Hi Harita! My name is Taito. Harita, you are crazy. Of course, in a good sense. … When I try a new thing, I'm afraid of a failure because I think it's a bad thing. But you are different from me. You don't think a failure is a bad thing.

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Dear Andrea,

Thank you for telling us about your valuable experience. … You said that meditation is important because you can calm your thoughts and focus the mind, and these are what athletes need. I was surprised because I have the same opinion about meditation as you say. I've been meditating since I talked with Mr. Pradeep before. But I don't do it as a daily habit. From your story, I understand the benefits of doing it regularly, so I will do it every day from today. Again, thank you. Daichi

[Note: his group had Pradeep as a guest speaker last semester.]

Hi Andrea. What impressed me the most was creating an environment for practicing. You told us you create an environment where you have no choice but to practice even on days when you are not motivated to practice. I have some unmotivated days. And I do nothing in that day. But I decided to create a harsh environment like you from now on . Haruo

Hi Andrea! Thank you so much for coming to our class. I’m Rikuto. … I am participating in the rowing club at present, and there were many things to learn. Two things that impressed me the most were that you have to push yourself hard so that you can succeed in the race, and that you have to keep your body in high condition. These are very important for an athlete, and I would like to learn from these lessons in my training.

Dear Andrea

… You said your goal is to try to be a good example of the world and to be a model or inspiration, also you said you want to be fair. I often thought what I want to be or what kind of person I want to be but I couldn't find the answer. However, I felt I found the answer in your speech. … From Mio

Hi Andrea. I'm Akane. Thank you for sharing your story. … I was impressed by the fact that you were running with the other runners who had not yet finished even after your own race. I thought you were very different from me, who only thinks about myself. Like you, I want to cherish compassion and bond.

Hi Andrea, I'm Kantaro. Thank you for coming to our class on zoom. … I was surprised to hear you say that mental strength is more important than physical strength in the race. Because I had always thought that endurance running was for those who had physical strength. … What's even more surprising is that your mental recovery is slower than physical recovery. I can't understand it. …

Hi Andrea, this is Kazu. … I got inspiration from your words: "Meditation is important for athletes and meditation helps athletes to concentrate.” I am a hockey player and I would like to become professional in the future. I think I should meditate before playing. Finally I respect you as a strong human being so I want to be like you.

Hi, Andrea.

…The thing that impressed me the most about your story is the stoicism you have towards your training. I was surprised when I heard about you training run before work, go to the gym during lunch break, and go swimming after work…. I also decided to follow you example and start exercising. Yuko

Hi Andrea! I’m Yutaro. I was impressed by your talk throwing your house key to the neighbor’s house to create a situation where you must run. I thought … it was important to create a situation where things must be done. … I like running as well as you, so I want to run with you someday.

Hi Andrea! I'm Daichi. Thank you for talking to us! I was surprised that you lost 11 kilograms in 40 days, and that you were also training during work breaks. Your way of life is so cool. Your words inspired me. I respect you. I will try meditation.

Hi, Andrea My name is Takumi.

What impressed me most this time was you have the mindset that every day is the first day. I felt this way of thinking was very good. The next thing that left an impression on me was there is no prize money. … It was amazing that you could do your best even though you didn't get any prize money. I thought there was something more important than money in this race.

Hi Andrea, You said: “I can't run very fast, so let me run longer distances.” I thought this idea was interesting. If I can't do something, I'll approach from a different perspective. This idea can be used when I am stuck in life. Souta

Hi Andrea! My name is Naoko. Thank you so much for coming to our class! I was very surprised that you think "Why am I doing such a hard thing?" during the race. I learned that even a powerful person can be tired. And, I want to be stoic like you. I am very lazy. But I think stoic people are very cool. So, my goal is to regulate my life.

Hi Andrea. My name is Arisa. I learned a vegetarian's body recovers quickly. It is an advantage for athletes. I'm not a vegetarian, so I learned about all this for the first time when I listened to your interview. I thought that athletes eat meat, and they get power from meat. I came to be interested in vegetarianism through your interview.

Hi Andrea! I’m Kana. I was very inspired by your experiences.

You said, "I feel like a soldier during the race.” I was most impressed with your stories. I thought it was very important to prepare my spirit. When I try something, I want to have a strong heart like you, like a soldier!

Hi Andrea. My name is Koshi. I was impressed with your life goal episode. You said your goal is to make inspiration. I think this is a very wonderful idea. I want to be a person who gives inspiration to people in the future. Also I want to try meditation because I want to get concentration like you. Thank you Andrea !

Hi Andrea!! Your speech was very interesting and fun. "Like a soldier"...I love this phrase. I think your strength is your mind supported by meditation. … From Tomoya

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A few personal impressions from this years 6 day race in New York’s Flushing Meadows Park, 18–24 April 2022, by Shashanka Karlen

A multi-day race is a good way to discover the flexibility and fluidity of time. In the beginning, when you have covered your first 6-10 hours and realize what you have gotten yourself into, the look forward to the end of 6 days can be really frightening. At least for the mind. It seems an infinity of time away and mentally you may wonder how you can actually ever reach that goal. There are moments during the race where time does not seem to move, where each lap is just simply very hard work and there seems to be no way out, no person to talk to, no special food that would uplift you, no piece of music that would carry you forward. Don Winkley, the American Ultra runner, still running at 83, calls these “the character-building miles”. I thought of him several times during the race also because he had so many great stories to tell when we met 10 years ago during the Self-Transcendence 10 day race.

On the other hand, when you look back after 3 or 4 days to the beginning of the race it seems that time practically flew by, that all went so quickly that you could hardly grasp it. And even now, the second day after the race time has already moved on and we try to quickly preserve all the treasures that have come along the way of these 6 days.

The bathtub by Don Winkley
Don Winkley told me this story back in 2012 and it remained anchored in my memory ever since. Don said that once he had a very difficult race, the weather was miserable and at some point he said to himself “After this is over I will get a nice suite at a hotel and enjoy myself.” Once the race was over he did exactly that, checked in at the hotel and got a very large beautiful suite. The problem was that Don was in such a bad physical shape and the bathroom was very far away from his bed. As he needed the bathroom frequently and the distance was too far he finally decided to sleep in the bathtub...Poor Don!

Ode to Joy

One evening, I believe it was on the 3rd day, around midnight I got the inspiration to listen to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. I thought, good, this will take care of the race for 1 ½ hours, the total length of the four movements. There is a special live recording from December 1989, recorded in Berlin just after the Berlin Wall came down and includes musicians and singers from both East and West. The conductor is the famous Leonard Bernstein. Feeling the pulse of time, he took the freedom to change the name from “Ode to Joy” to “Ode to Freedom”. It is indeed a very special recording of a very special symphony in a very special moment of human history. This symphony has become a global hymn to freedom and the brotherhood of man and is loved more than ever.

Interestingly enough the next morning Kodanda, the “race-musician” played the theme of Ode to Joy, without knowing anything about my experience the night before. I thought it was a nice proof how on an inner level feelings and thoughts travel freely and are picked up, it may be as close as a few meters like in this case or it may be on the other side of the globe.

“Somehow it must be possible for us to learn from his [Beethoven’s] music by hearing it, no, not hearing it but by listening to it with all our power of attention and concentration. Then perhaps we can grow into something worth being called “the human race”. ...In this time of world agony and hopelessness and helplessness, we love his music and we need it. As despairing as we may be, we can not listen to this 9th Symphony without emerging from it changed, enriched, encouraged.” - Leonard Bernstein 1979

I think also for many other Ultra runners listening to music is an important support. I don’t know what other runners listen to, except maybe from the story that Grahak told from the 3100 mile race. He was listening to heavy rock music and was suddenly called to Sri Chinmoy’s car to get Prasad (blessed food) and he somehow did not manage to turn off the music. Even though it was only in the earphones, the music was clearly audible and he felt embarrassed... Like in the case of the perception of time, a multi day race also makes you much more sensitive to music and different kinds of music and their effect on yourself. I listened a good amount of time to Sri Chinmoy’s music and I liked particularly his singing. I could make a very easy connection to him through his singing. It just goes directly to your heart and soul.

Sometimes I would listen to popular music. “Paradise” by Coldplay came up, “Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits, “Comfortably Numb” and “Echos” by Pink Floyd (bringing back memories from long forgotten times). Later I discovered “Deja Vu” by Crosby, Still, Nash and Young and this worked very well with its rhythm and lightness. I was very careful not to cross a certain line, because I felt it would have a detrimental influence on my inner state of being. For example, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” was beyond that red line even though I enjoyed this song 40 years ago when I was DJ in a Club.

The fourth dimension

One evening when Patanga came to the counting area he had a mystical, otherworldly look on his face. He suddenly looked up, lifted his right arm and pointed to the sky. He did not say anything. I was reminded of a scene in Martin Strel’s movie about swimming the entire length of the Amazon river (3273miles/5268km) in 2007. There is a moment in the film where he is alone standing on the shore of the Amazon in the middle of the Jungle and you see him from the back, immersed in this glorious nature, pointing with both hands to the sky. They are declaring in the film that Martin has entered “the fourth dimension”. For me the “fourth dimension” signifies the moment when there is no more separation between Paradise, you and nature, you become completely part of it. It is a direct, authentic, immediate experience of nature as it really is and you are part of it.

A multi-day race or other similar events (or even long training runs in beautiful nature) help greatly to become more subtle and receptive to this kind of experience. There were moments in this year’s race where these “ecstatic” moments of grace appeared, mainly in the morning at dawn.

The “4 Lap Interview” with Ananda Lahari

Ananda Lahari does not speak much during a race, his smile though has become legendary. I feel privileged therefore to have had the opportunity to do 4 laps with him. Maybe this exception happened because it was meant to be, like the fact that we were neighbours both on our race tables as well as with our tents, both totally “by chance”. I had just come out of the medical tent, in the morning of day 3. After a good early session of 8-9 laps of “refreshed” running, I suddenly felt a shooting pain in the shin of my right leg... I had become one of the many victims of shin splints and was not happy about it. In the corner after the medical tent and the bathrooms, Ananda Lahiri was just appearing and we started to walk together. He gave me an insight into his unique life and running universe and also greatly encouraged me concerning my shin splints. He gave me an overview of how people have dealt with it both physically as well as mentally. He mentioned cases where runners were able to get rid of shin splints within hours! (Some of us may remember just the opposite - the 14 days Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk was walking because of shin splints during one of the 3100-mile races in New York...).

Ananda Lahiri also concretely gave me tips for the best foot movement so that the foot would be relaxed but still locked to avoid the stress on the shin when rolling up. I used all of the advice as good as possible and it felt almost like a miracle that the pain almost disappeared and I could keep a good walking pace. Running though was out of the question. That is why this article is called “A long walk to myself ”.

The Master's Breath

One other thing Ananda Lahari mentioned was that he would sometimes focus simply on his breath. Then, he said, everything becomes completely simplified and focused.

There was a moment when the race was really difficult and I started to focus also on the breath. I started to breathe through the nose which I did not normally do before and I started to repeat mantras in rhythm with the breath. “Supreme” did not work so well but “Guru” worked very well. I would breathe in with Gu- and breath out with -ru. After having done this for a while I suddenly felt the Master totally close. It felt like he was opening some inner chambers for me to come in. That was probably my most fulfilling experience of the whole race.

Love and Serve

I love running the nights where all is more quiet and there are less distractions. One early morning, maybe around 2 am, Rupantar (the SCMT director) was just leaving from the counting station where he had jumped in and we met for a few seconds. I thanked him for putting on this great event and mentioned that it is simply “invaluable”. It is valuable beyond measure. Just the experiences of even one runner seem so tremendously beneficial. He was smiling and it became a treasured moment. I felt what others have said before: there is so much love, dedication, and service going into an event like that. I felt this from the set-up crew that was extremely helpful with putting up the tents, to the great cooking teams, the medical staff and also the counters. Specially those that were announcing the miles were all great and really added a very supportive energy. More generally, you can see Sri Chinmoy’s signature in all of that. His teaching, his love, love for the world but also very specifically love for the running world, for the runners and also for the ideal of self-transcendence. In the difficult times of a race it is extremely rewarding and consoling to experience this generosity of heart and soul.

The Car Racers Flash Mob

During the last night, from Saturday to Sunday, shortly after 1 am, an avalanche of cars arrived in the parking lot. Very soon there were probably close to a hundred cars. In the middle, some cars with howling motors started to make sliding manoeuvres or demonstrated fast starts. Of course they had no idea that there was a running race going on and that a part of the parking lot was actually a running course. Imagine the runners, in the final period of the race, quite sensitive to what is going on in- and outside themselves. It felt to me like a sudden invasion, a hostile attack before the end of the race. Fortunately the people seemed to be all quite friendly and when the police finally arrived they all left, almost as fast as they appeared.

The Uniqueness of Flushing Meadow

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team has held Ultra races in Flushing Meadow park since 1985, for nearly 40 years. Countless races have been held here, and many epic battles between runners or even between runners and nature have taken place here. In 1985 Yiannis Kouros and a few dozen other runners battled through a hurricane, Kouros ending up with a world best of 178 miles (285km). Personally, I always struggle to get used to the permanent noise of the cars from the highways on three sides, the planes that are coming in or starting very low from close by La Guardia airport and also to the unpredictable, extremely fast changing and often cold wind that rattles through the park much of the running time. It adds definitely a layer of challenge on top of the running itself. Fortunately, the noise cancellation headphones are a big help and it is also astounding how quickly the body and the whole system adjust to these new conditions.

Each Journey is different

One thing that I find really fascinating is to see the vast differences in runners; the different nationalities, running styles, attitudes and ambitions and goals. You can clearly see that each runner is on his or her own journey. One day they are flying, the next day they may be nearly dying. Sometimes it seems that all are feeling a new breath of energy at the same time, it is like somebody is infusing energy into the runners or even breathing through the runners and suddenly the faces are lightening up and the bodies are cooperating. I must say I could not see enough of Wei Mings' absolutely incredible running style. His absolutely smooth and harmonious movements were of such grace and beauty it really felt like running in perfection.

Inner World and Outer World

I did not watch any world news, specifically about the war in Ukraine during the entire race. I saw the danger that it would have a negative influence on my mental state and performance. On the other hand I felt clearly that all the runners (and helpers in any function) created such an incredibly positive energy through their efforts and aspiration. It was like a dynamo that was continually charged. I am sure that this positive energy will now continue to do its work in the world atmosphere and help to strengthen the positive forces and energies.

The Golden Shore

I think many if not most of the runners start longing from day 1 for the end of the race. The challenge is huge, the mind is unable to grasp the task, the problems set in soon... I think the longing remains for the duration of the race but then so many incredible things happen during these 6 days: there is an extraordinary depth of experience, there is the wonderful camaraderie, the team spirit, the smiles and warm support from all the helpers, the sense of achievement with each mile that has been put in the personal account. Then you start to realise that you will miss something when it is over, you may realise that something within you just opened up and is now ready to fly, you want to continue...I love running and running has given me so much over the last 40 years. I hope I can run or at least walk to the last day of my life!

I encourage all runners who feel the inspiration to move up to the Ultra level, to multi day running. It is worth the step, a deep, fulfilling experience is almost certainly guaranteed.

Shashanka, 24th April 2022 6 days: 278 miles / 448 km

Author's note: May it be duly noted that these notes were strongly encouraged, if not demanded, by my spiritual brother Devashishu. Several of the topics appeared in creative exchanges while he was a lap announcer in the morning shifts.

Photo Credit: Jowan, www.srichinmoyultraphoto.com / Utpal Marshall, https://perfectionjourney.org
Design of PDF: Bijoy, Zurich, Switzerland / Bird Drawings by Sri Chinmoy

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About the author:

The 23rd Sri Chinmoy Six-Day Race was held from April 18-24, 2022, on a new running course at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, just under a mile in length, and ready to be deployed. A group of 29 runners- 19 men and 10 women, comprised the international field from 17 countries, to seek new abilities in the multi-day format of run and ’go-as-you-please. The six-day world leader for 2021 was back in New York. Budjargal Byambaa from Ulaanbaatar Mongolia led the multi-day lists for the previous year with a sparkling PB of 561.7 miles/904.07km. He had won 10 of his previous 15 multi-day excursions, throughout the States, Europe and China.

Mr Byambaa’s 102.5 miles on Day 1 set the tone, as the pleasant running weather from the start took a deep dive after midnight, and a twisting, windy rain-storm pulverized the course and its occupants for 10 hours of flooding, wailing water, and winds off of Meadow Lake which tried any athlete to continue in such conditions. Plank bridges helped the runners get along the course. The sun did not really make a daytime appearance for 48 hours, but that did not halt the runners either.

The overall second place on Day 2 belonged to Andrea Marcato, the Italian phenom who blitzed the 3100 Mile Race in September/October of 2021 here in New York with a third –fastest finish and a star bright presence in this multi-day super-long events. However, six days is six days- not 42 days, so you had to be pushing the envelope to stay with stars like Budjargal, and likewise the elite women. Annabel Hepworth and Susan Marshall - both from Australia - were the pre-race favourites, and Miss Marshall, a Kiwi at birth and in heart, knew it would take all her abilities and more to stay with the experienced Annabel. Her resume brims with world-class performances and national dominance. After two full days the two ladies were one lap apart. They were also third and fourth best overall, as the difficulty and lack of sleep took its toll on the 29 runners.

At the halfway mark Budjargal Byambaa had a 50km lead on Mr Marcato, which would not be bridged all the way to the end. The excellent running by the top men pulled the other stalwarts along. Romanian Adrian Papuc emerged as a bona-fide talent. Wei-Ming Lo, the remarkable Taiwanese national icon, showed good form throughout the first four days, but his last day was the best men’s final day with 80.3 miles/ 129.2km. He moved to fourth for the gentlemen at age 58.

The women’s battle for the top spot continued. By the end of Day 5, Annabel Hepworth had a six-mile lead but Susan Marshall had placed her fitness and talent all in for the last day. She upped her pace and refused to stop for any duration throughout the last night. Annabel had pushed herself beyond the ability to stay on the track. After a pair of falls, while moving, she was forced to sleep for a few hours, which fueled Susan Marshall’s all-out attempt. Susan had the best final day of all the runners, reaching 84.2 miles, and a six-day PB by 34 miles at 442.3.

Taiwanese veteran Wen Ya Tsai pushed hard the last two days after getting through a bout of shin splints. She set a national record W50 of 385.21 miles/ 619.985 km to nail the mark. Budjargal topped 500 miles for the second time in his running career with 502.3 miles/ 808.37km- and another trophy for his burgeoning awards list. Andrea Marcato set a PB with a 463.6 miles/702.63km effort.

There were 10 PB’s reached in a race with difficult beginnings but promising ends. The SCMT is blessed to have had such wonderful volunteers and staff who gave of themselves for the duration. Next year the 10-Day Race will hopefully return to the fray, so that athletes will again test their abilities in longer phases, and those physical and mental bars set by previous performances will be equalled or surpassed. Thanks to Sri Chinmoy for the unwavering challenges and the inspiration to continue the fight to do more. Each goal attained becomes a new starting point. Good luck to all multi-day runners. Never give up.

Photos by: Jowan

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