Andrea Marcato was the day's leading runner with 70 miles, pushing him past 2,300 miles. On his current pace he is on course to finish inside 11 more days, somewhere around day 45 — though it is worth emphasising that anything can happen in this race. Radu Budan, running his second race and looking set for another good finish, managed 66.9 miles.

In third place, Lo Wei Ming ran 62.5 miles. He is currently just ahead of the leading woman, Annabel Hepworth, who now has 2,153 miles. Her furthest distance in this race was 2,185 miles, in 2024. She was keeping a good pace that year until her feet suffered serious sores because of unfamiliarity with the concrete surface. This year she has been running a very steady pace, and will hope to transcend her previous best today.

Nayaja Perugini passed 2,000 miles for the first time in her career and is progressing nicely in her first attempt at the ultimate race. Vasu Duzhiy, one of the race's veteran runners, ran 57 miles. Nina Yang Huang-Lan logged 53.1 for 1767 miles. Ananda-Lahari Zuscin's ran 42.7 and Stutisheel Lebedev's 39.4 miles.

But, although we can report mileage, it only captures one part of the race. Firstly, there is a hidden team of helpers and volunteers providing food, counting and support for the runners. If you visit the race, you will see it is a constant hive of activity; something is always happening. It is definitely worth vising the race in person.

Also for the runners, the race is much more than records and finishing. The value of such a long race is its opportunity for self-transcendence and learning more about yourself. Sri Chinmoy writes

"Self-transcendence means
Self-expansion
In every way"

— Sri Chinmoy

And that is very true of this race, you are not just testing your physical limits but also the mental and spiritual reserves that are needed in such a tough challenge.

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Wei Ming and Annabel reach 2,000 miles, and some special mail arrives

With the weather much improved and the storm now blown through, the runners seem to be settling back into "normal" autumnal New York weather.

Over the last couple of days, many of the runners received something very special — handwritten mail. The letters were written to individual runners by elementary school students at Free Union Country School in Charlottesville, Virginia. The runners and race staff were charmed and deeply touched.

Some of the children mentioned that they had also written letters last year, but those were mistakenly sent to the country of Jamaica rather than Jamaica in New York. It was lovely to see how happy and eager even the most focused runners were to take the time to read their mail. They are all planning to write back to the children at the end of the race.

A big thank you to the teachers, Blair, Amberley and Michael Scott, for making something so special happen, and to all the children for their heartfelt letters.

Don't forget that you can also send the runners your own encouragement, via the "Message the runners" tab on the race homepage,

Daily statistics and recent milestones (TBC)

We now have four runners through 2,000 miles.

After Andrea reached the mark on Sunday evening in 28 days 14:50:52, Radu reached 2,000 miles on Tuesday in 30 days 07:20:30.

Day 32, Wednesday, saw Wei Ming reach 2,000 miles in 31 days 04:54:28. Later in the day, Annabel reached 2,000 miles in 31 days 07:42:41.

Andrea reached 3,500 km in 31 days 07:19:07.

Nayaja reached 3,000 km in 30 days 16:10:43.

Daily updates (TBC)

• Andrea blitzed a 75.1-mile day to reach 2218.3 miles.
• Radu, with 68 miles, had the second-highest daily total, finishing the day on 2130.5 miles.
• Wei Ming, after reaching 2,000 miles in the morning, recorded a 63.6-mile day to finish on 2043.9 miles.
• Annabel, after hitting 2,000 miles early in the afternoon, clocked 62.5 miles for the day, for a cumulative 2030.1 miles.
• Vasu, after a slow morning, did his usual routine of running strong in the evening right through to midnight, reaching 60.3 miles for the day and a total of 1976.4 miles. He should make 2,000 miles on Thursday afternoon.
• Nayaja is also closing in on 2,000 miles, finishing the day on 1933.1 miles after a daily 63 miles. Her 2,000 will have to wait until Friday.
• Nina, taking advantage of the better weather, had her best day for a while with 57.5 miles, reaching 1663.8 miles by the end of the day.
• Stutisheel clocked 45.5 miles, leaving him on 1495.5 miles.
• Ananda-Lahari, with 42.2 miles, lies 10.5 miles back on 1485 miles.

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The storm continues

Despite optimistic forecasts of better weather, the storm continued for most of the day. The consistent rain, coupled with lower temperatures, is testing the resolve of the 3,100-mile runners. Small tree branches fell overnight, and the Grand Central slip road that runs along the north side of the course has several large puddles.

Even Vasu, our veteran 13-time finisher, has been heard to comment that "the cold rain is very hard on the feet." Despite all that, the runners are still putting in some impressive distances.

• Andrea Marcato is back in the groove and hit 70 miles yet again for the highest daily mileage. His 70.2 miles took him to 2,080.6 miles total. 
• Radu Budan had another solid 64.7 miles to finish the day on 1,994.5 miles; 2,000 miles beckons for him on day 31.
• Wei Ming Lo had the second-highest total of the day, clocking 69.6 miles. He seemed to embrace the rain. As one of the volunteers, Mark, commented, "He seems to have plenty of fuel in the tank, with an excellent support team." His 69.6 miles leapfrogged him above Annabel, and he finished on 1,911.7 miles.
• Annabel, though, maintained her steady momentum, clocking 61.9 miles to leave her on 1,905.7 miles at the end of the day.
• Vasu also ran 61.9 miles, finishing on 1,855.2 miles.
• Nayaja was also in 60-mile territory with 61.4 miles, taking her total to 1,808 miles.
• Stutisheel and Nina battled the elements well.
• Nina ran 46 miles to finish on 1,558 miles.

Stutisheel was above 50 with 51 miles and a total of 1,410.5 miles, and has moved back ahead of Ananda-Lahari.

Ananda-Lahari did not have the best of days, struggling in the conditions but finishing with 30.7 miles, just reaching 1,400 miles (1,400.6) by the day's close.

The Role of Volunteers

An event like the 3,100-mile race could not take place without the help of numerous volunteers.

Along with the core team from the local New York Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, visitors come from out of town to help out. One of the furthest-travelled visitors is Uddipan Brown, whom we caught up with at the race.

Tarit: Uddipan, you are here helping at the 3,100-mile race. First of all, where are you from?

Uddipan: I'm originally from New Zealand, but now I make my home in Rarotonga, an island in the Cook Islands group in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Tarit: It seems we have helpers from all over the planet at this race. What inspires you to come here and help at this fabulous event?

Uddipan: I have been a runner for a very long time, and when I was competing, I really appreciated the incredible help and assistance I got from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. So once I finally retired from competitive running, I was inspired to offer that same kind of assistance myself. I feel very much a part of this race, even though I am not running it myself.

Tarit: We have all helped at little local 5Ks, 10Ks and even half marathons — maybe the odd shorter ultra race. They are all done and dusted in a morning or a weekend at most. At this race, people are here helping for two weeks, three weeks, or even longer. How long have you been here?

Uddipan: I have been here since before the start of the race on 30th August, and I am going to be here until the race officially finishes on 20th October.

Tarit: Wow! So you are helping for the whole 52 days. That's quite an adventure in itself.

Uddipan: It is. It's a fantastic adventure, and I am learning a lot about myself. Not for nothing is it called the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race — I find myself transcending like anything every day, in all the tasks I am doing. I am just trying to do them better and better each day.

Tarit: So what time of day do you come to the race? Is it a set time?

Uddipan: Well, my job is to shop for the race kitchen. There are other things I do, but that is my main role. That starts at around 8 am. I come in, and we talk over the shopping list. By 9 am, I am out on the road, shopping at various restaurant depots, supermarkets, or even tiny little Indian stores, depending on what the kitchen staff want that particular day.

I have a budget that Rupantar (race director) has given me, and so far I have managed to keep well within it, so I am very happy about that.

When I get back, I unload everything in the kitchen. Also, if any supplies are needed directly at the race, I take them straight there. After that, I wash dishes in the kitchen, and then I have a little break.

In the afternoons, I am usually at the race, helping with a lap-counting shift. Then there are other things. Once a week, I am the overnight guard at the race village itself — that's on Mondays. Apart from that, I do anything that Rupantar asks me to do. Sometimes we go and pick up propane tanks for the race site, or fuel for the generator. Sometimes Bipin will ask me to do other errands.

It's a team effort. I don't have bright ideas of my own — I just do what I'm told by all the experienced people, who intuitively know how to make the race run smoothly.

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Are there any limits? Normal service resumed.

Eight years before the first 3,100-mile race, Sri Chinmoy was interviewed by John Hanc, a well-known New York journalist.

At the time, the 1,300-mile race was the longest the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team had organised. This was seen as an event to push the boundaries of running endurance to its limits. Sri Chinmoy, as we now know, had other ideas.

John Hanc: On the ultra-distance side, you and the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team have been leaders in expanding the limits of what people can run. Do you think there will be any limit to the distance people can run? Ten years from now, will we be talking about a 2,000-mile or a 5,000-mile run?

Sri Chinmoy: "No, there is no limit to the distance, because there is no limit to human capacity. Human capacity depends on our inner hunger — how sincerely we need something or are crying for something. In the material world, if someone has tremendous greed and wants to become a multi-millionaire, he works very hard, and eventually he fulfils his desire. But by possessing the material world, we can never be happy. We can only find joy by serving as an instrument of God and fulfilling His Will. If God wants us to be a sprinter or an ultramarathon runner, and if we follow His dictates, then naturally we will become very happy. It will not matter if we stand first or last. Success or failure, we shall place at His feet. What matters is that we are pleasing God in His own way. How do we know what God wants us to do? By praying and meditating.

But even on the outer plane, our capacity is constantly expanding. Right now, 1,300 miles is our longest race. To run 1,300 miles in 18 days is almost beyond our imagination. We feel that is our ultimate capacity. But previously, we felt that 1,000 miles was the limit. Who thought of a 1,300-mile race five years ago? At that time, people would have thought I was a crazy man if I had suggested that. But now you see that this crazy man was right, because people are doing it. Somebody just has to start. We always have to go ahead, because life means progress.

The inner runner is always trying to inspire the outer runner. First, the inner runner says, 'Go forward, go forward, go ahead, go ahead!' Then the outer runner says, 'How can I go ahead if you do not give me the aspiration and inner cry?' Then the inner runner gives the outer runner the inner cry to do something and to become something good. In this way, the inner runner offers inspiration and aspiration to the outer runner."

In yesterday's race news

Normal service was resumed yesterday as Andrea Marcato bounced back from his "little sickness setback" and threw down a 70-mile day.

Heavy rain and fresh winds for much of the day made things somewhat challenging, but they did not stop our intrepid adventurers on their onward journey. See the US photo gallery here to feel the atmospheric conditions.

Normal service was resumed yesterday, in some ways.

• Andrea Marcato bounced back from his "little sickness setback" and threw down a 70-mile day (details in yesterday's daily update). He totalled 70.1 miles for the day to finish on 1949.5. Assuming he has no reaction to today's effort, he should reach 2,000 miles early Sunday evening.
• Radu Budan ran a 63-mile day, continuing his own race and consistently logging the miles to reach 1867.8 miles at the close of the day.
• Annabel Hepworth ran a couple of miles below her usual daily total but maintained her 60-mile threshold, running 60.8 miles to finish the day on 1783.9 miles.
• Wei Ming Lo maintained a 62.5-mile (100 km) baseline to finish on 1779 miles.
• Vasu and Nayaja both recorded 61.4 miles, leaving them on 1732.9 miles and 1685.2 miles, respectively.
• Nina continues to crack on, hitting 47.7 miles for the day.
• Ananda-Lahari and Stutisheel battled the conditions to achieve 36.1 miles and 35.6 miles, respectively.

"When your mind is plagued by dark doubts,
you are bound to be imprisoned
by all limitations — inner and outer."

— Sri Chinmoy

Race report: Tarit Stott

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The race reaches the halfway point, and race leader Andrea suffers a setback

Thursday 24th September marked a minor landmark, as the race reached the halfway point of its 52-day journey. For 26 days now, since Day One on August 30th, the runners have been slowly and steadily circling the short 0.5488-mile lap around Thomas Edison High School.

Summer is slowly turning to autumn, and sweeping up the fallen leaves around the race camp has become a daily task for some. Although not actually cold yet, temperatures are dropping, especially in the early mornings and late evenings. Some of the runners are now wearing an extra layer at these times. In the counting tent, where the volunteers sit static for several hours, hats and warmer jackets are now a necessity for the early morning and evening shifts.

Day 26 saw some drama unfold amongst the runners. Six-time winner Andrea Marcato, the race leader from Day One, is having his first real test of the race. After regularly logging high-60-mile to low-70-mile days, he suddenly dropped to a 57.6-mile day on Day 25, and an even lower 47.7-mile day yesterday on Day 26. The reason is a sudden stomach and gastrointestinal (GI) issue.

As a regular multi-day runner, he knows these issues can happen to any of the runners on any given day. If he were not in the race, he would probably take a complete break and stay home to let his body work through the temporary setback. In his current situation, on Day 26 of one of the toughest running challenges in the world, this is not an option. With advice from the experienced race medical team, he is still "showing up" each day and circling the race loop at a reduced effort.

Athletes like Andrea have a level of natural strength, resilience and fitness way above normal, built over many years. That is why he is a multi-day champion. At times like this, that fitness, resilience, and all-round belief that any obstacle is there to be experienced and overcome, give him a huge advantage. Patience is needed. However, history shows that with the right advice from the race medical team, and support from his own personal helpers, he has the capacity to get through this and finish the race. Time will tell, but we will keep an eye on the daily leaderboard!

In other news

• Andrea's lead has certainly been reduced, but he still has a healthy buffer.
• Radu, who is in second place, continues his own progress with a steady 65.8-mile day but is still almost 80 miles behind Andrea.
• Annabel Hepworth continues to hit her daily target and ran another solid 63-mile day, leaving her with a total of 1,661.1 miles.
• Wei Ming Lo, with all his experience, continues to grow into the race. He has established a good routine, and another 64.1-mile day yesterday took him to the halfway point. Observers are wondering if he will, as he has in previous years, get stronger as the race progresses.
• Vasu, with another 60-mile day, also has the 3,100-mile race experience to push on strongly in the second half of the race.
• Nayaja, now well recovered from her own injury interlude, and in her first race beyond 10 days, continues to explore her own boundaries. She ran 63 miles yesterday, leaving her on 1,562.4 miles.
• Vasu and Nayaja both went through halfway yesterday, well inside the mythical "cut-off" line.
• Nina, although below the cut-off line, continues to look good with another 50-plus-mile day. With every passing day, though, the 3,100-mile goal is slipping further away.

Report by Tarit Stott.

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Day 24 of the Sri Chinmoy 3,100 Mile Race saw the nine contenders continue their epic journey. The race leader, Andrea Marcato, once again topped the daily mileage with another impressive 70.2-mile day. The rest of the top six also covered more than 60 miles.

A highlight of the morning was Radu Budan (Moldova) passing the halfway mark with 1,550 miles. It is Radu's second race, and so far he has displayed great talent and aptitude for the distance.

But whilst we often focus on the runners' mileage, there is always a big support crew to feed and look after them. Andrea is always looking to save time where possible, and here his main handler, Arpan, gives him food on the move.

Most runners will not have full-time helpers, and some manage without any specific help at all. But the race organisers always provide food and snacks at a convenient location on the course. Here, Vasu Duzhiy is scanning the table for something he might fancy.

How Many Calories Does a Runner Burn?

A runner who is on the move from 6 am to midnight — 18 hours of running — and completes 70 miles in a day may burn anything from 7,300 calories (59 kg) to 9,000 calories (72 kg).

A runner who completes 60 miles may burn anything from 6,300 (59 kg) to 7,800 (72 kg) calories in total.

Calories burned depend on a few factors, but this gives a rough idea that runners need to eat around three times the usual daily calorie intake of 2,000 calories. It might sound like a dream to be able to eat so much without putting on weight, but it can actually be hard work, and the stomach has to work harder to process so much food. Especially if it is hot, a runner may not feel like eating. This is why it is important the food is tasty and appealing. The race cooks do a great job! (More photos at Arpan 3100 gallery)

Radu Interview with Tarit

Radu is doing well so far, averaging in the mid-to-high sixties every day and well on course, for now, for another finish. Every day, his expression switches from steely concentration on the task at hand, to laughing and joking with volunteers, to occasional periods when he is quiet and seemingly dealing with a temporary issue. Every day, though, he is "showing up" with the knowledge and experience from 2024 that covering 3,100 miles is achievable.

He has an overall aura of quiet confidence that he will reach the goal again. So, what are his own thoughts as he reaches halfway?

You reached halfway today; does that give you any special feelings?

"I lost a little enthusiasm a few days ago because I had a problem with my knee. Usually, after a marathon or some other big run, after halfway I start to concentrate on going down! Until then you imagine you are going up a mountain. Now you start to go back down. This, for me, is great, because every day you are closer to the end. It is also good for me, because if halfway feels like this, and I feel okay, then from now on half of my worries have disappeared. (laughs)

If 50% of your worries have gone, then you feel much more happiness. The numbers are very important to me, and all the time I calculate how much I need to do each day. After halfway, it's much easier mentally. There can be some problems, even bigger problems, but mentally, if you already know you are past halfway, it is easier to stay calm when problems crop up. If you have less worry and more calm, I hope everything will be fine."

Do you worry about the weather?

"Yes, when it's rainy, you have to change your clothes and nothing is easy. You're wet all the time, even if you have a good jacket, because you're running and sweating; you're wet inside too.

Sometimes when it rains a lot, it also gets colder, and for me that feels uncomfortable. You lose time. You also lose time when you change, and everything is wet. Having wet socks is one of the worst things in the world. But it's like in life; you cannot change anything. You have to deal with things. You have to change to do what is needed.

When you need a cap, or a jacket or T-shirt or something else, it all takes time. I'm a little worried, but when you get through it and see that you survive, it gives you happiness, and you understand nothing can stop you or distract you. There's a bit more wind today."

Does the wind affect you at all?

"Not so much, unless it is very strong. Usually, in 10-day races here in New York, one part of the park is so open, and the wind can just stop you sometimes. It's very, very strong. But here, it's not so strong. Here, the problem is that in the evening, many times, half of the course is quite warm with no wind, and half is very cold as you run into the wind. You don't know which clothes to wear.

You can walk and enjoy the wind blowing, or you have to freeze, or you have to be too warm because you put extra clothes on."

Major Daily Milestones (All TBC)

• Andrea Marcato — 2700 km in 23 Days 08:15:43
• Radu Budan — Halfway in 23 Days +01:26:18; 2500 km in 23 Days 02:15:26
• Annabel Hepworth — 1500 miles in 23 Days +06:47:47; 2400 km in 23 Days 04:36:49
• Wei Ming Lo — 1500 miles in 23 Days +10:25:44; 2200 km in 23 Days +09:15:47
• Vasu Duzhiy — 2300 km in 23 Days 01:11:59
• Nayaja Perugini — 1400 miles in 23 Days +06:42:36
• Nina — 2000 km in 23 Days 10:16:42

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As runners enter the third week, the mileage totals continue to rise. As a casual observer, we can become complacent about the great effort of running multiple marathons, day after day, but this is what the runners are quietly doing.

After day 22, six runners are above the daily average of 59.6. Nayaja Perugini has a buffer of just 0.5 miles but, after coming through the challenge of shin splints, is recovering well.

It is not just a physical challenge of running up to an average of 60 miles a day for 52 days, but also a mental challenge. The race founder Sri Chinmoy knew the importance of inspiration for the runners. He gave runners advice such as trying to smile, maintaining cheerfulness, and offering gratitude during the race.

Sri Chinmoy also founded the early morning singing group Enthusiasm Awakeners. This group of women sing Sri Chinmoy's English songs every day and offer the runners prasad (blessed food). In turn, the runners sometimes perform short skits and jokes. But, for the runners, the singing group offers a new inspiration every morning, just at that time of the day, when the body can ache from the previous day's efforts and is slow to get going.

Out in the open, the runners have to contend with everything that Mother Earth sends to them. Yesterday, there were periods of heavy rain. 

This is a short video captured by Arpan. When it rains in New York, it can be like a tropical downpour. But, the runners must keep going.

“When the heart has aspiration
And the mind has enthusiasm,
There is nothing
That we cannot accomplish.”

— Sri Chinmoy

Andrea hits halfway on Day 22

Shortly after 4 pm this afternoon, Andrea completed lap no. 2,827. Just a number in some ways, but it is symbolic as the halfway mark of the 3,100 Mile Race.

Watching the runners circle the loop every day, it is easy to become complacent and take things for granted, forgetting the enormity of the task the runners are undertaking.

They have been running for three weeks now and are scheduled to run a total of 5,563 laps.

I asked Andrea if he had any special feelings on reaching halfway.

"I don't think too much about it really. I try not to think about how far away the finish is, as that can overwhelm you. It does give you a nice feeling of being at halfway, but I'm just concentrating now on getting to 1,600 miles; then it will be 1,700, then 1,800. So I try to break it down into little things to be achieved each day.

You know in the back of your head there is still a long way to go, but you also know that in a race of this distance, anything might happen. It can rain a lot, it can get cold now, and all these things can change your race."

Next Thursday will see us hit Day 26, the halfway point of the 52-day time limit. It's tempting to say it will be all downhill from there, but the runners know there is still much work to be done.

Daily Milestones (All TBC)

• Andrea Marcato — HALFWAY: 1550 miles in 21 Days +10:23:35; 2500 km in 21 Days 11:16:50
• Radu Budan — 2300 km in 21 Days 03:32:46
• Annabel Hepworth — 1400 miles in 21 Days +14:21:43; 2200 km in 21 Days 05:02:47
• Wei Ming Lo — 2200 km in 21 Days +09:15:47
• Vasu Duzhiy — 2100 km in 20 Days 16:40:53
• Nayaja Perugini — 1300 miles in 21 Days +14:32:04; 2100 km in 21 Days 16:15:42
• Ananda-Lahari Zuscin — 1700 km in 21 Days 05:09:33

Daily Stats (All TBC)

• Andrea Marcato hit the halfway point and continued on to another 70-plus day with 70.1 miles, again topping the daily rankings, finishing with a cumulative total of 1,577.7 miles.
• Radu Budan ran another solid 64.7 miles, the 2nd-highest daily total, giving him a cumulative total of 1,415.4 miles.
• Annabel Hepworth, possibly affected by today's rain, ran a 59.7-mile day — her first day below the 60-mile barrier. She closed the day with 1,408.3 miles.
• Wei Ming Lo again closed out the day with 62.5 miles, finishing on a cumulative total of 1,397.8 miles.
• Vasu Duzhiy continues to hit 60 miles, recording 60.3 miles today to give a cumulative total of 1,371 miles.
• Nayaja Perugini continues to go well, increasing her daily total to 61.4 miles, finishing the day with 1,311.77 miles.
• Nina Huang-Lan continued to battle through her own issues and finished the day with 41.1 miles. This improved her total to 1,164.2 miles.
• Ananda-Lahari Zuscin, with a 46.0-mile day, improved his total to 1,089.1 miles.
• Stutisheel Lebedev finished with a daily total of 37.2 miles and a cumulative total of 1,057.3 miles.

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No walls, just tunnels

Marathon runners talk ruefully of hitting the wall: the point where it all becomes too hard, and the pace you had planned is simply no longer possible. Fuel stores are depleted, cramp may be setting in, and there is no time to replenish anything in a hurry. Pressing on to the finish at a reduced, sometimes painful pace is all you can do.

You can also pick up an injury, and then a judgement has to be made about whether to push on and risk further damage, or stop. For most, stopping is not an option.

In a long ultra, or a multi-day race like the 3,100, there are no walls to hit. All the runners experience low energy or minor aches and pains, but time is on their side. Unlike in a marathon, there is time to take a breath, work out what is going on, and come up with a solution.

Occasionally a runner will hit something more serious, something that really does feel like a wall. Multi-day runners know that for them there are no walls — but there are tunnels to travel through.

Nayaja has been in a tunnel for the last four days.

On Monday she had the joy of reaching 1,000 miles for the first time, setting a new Italian record. The following day she began to feel pain in her shins which, as the day went on, steadily worsened and eventually reduced her to a walk.

She was seen by the race medics and took advice from her helpers and from other experienced multi-day runners in the Sri Chinmoy team, several of them 3,100-mile finishers. Stretches, tape, ice packs, the traditional cabbage-leaf dressing, and no end of good old tender loving care to keep her spirits up.

In short, although there were moments when her race felt under threat, there was no need to panic. She had been running well up to that point and had a good cushion above the mythical cut-off line.

The experienced 3,100 runners offered the wisdom that a test like this is all part of the experience. Any notion that covering 3,100 miles would be easy is soon banished. This is one of the world's most extreme physical challenges — some would say it goes well beyond the physical — and difficulties like these will happen. They are something to be faced head-on and dealt with.

The collective advice was that two or three days of easy walking at reduced mileage should let the shin settle, heal a little, and allow running to be resumed gradually.

Some medics and physiotherapists reading this may be horrified, since total rest, or at most non-weight-bearing exercise, is the usual prescription for a serious shin problem. But multi-day runners are a different breed, and will always look for a way to persevere through the tunnel.

Now, on Friday, Nayaja is clearly coming out the other side and running again.

There is no need for her to panic about falling behind the red line. We are "only" on day 20, and there is plenty of time to make up ground once the shin is fully better.

3,100-mile runners often find that when problems arise, if you accept them as part of the race, stay cheerful, and surrender to the experience, magic can and does happen.

All will be well.

Every problem is different, and the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team would always recommend that a runner seek advice from the race medical team if they have a serious physical or medical issue.

DAILY MILESTONES (all TBC)

• Andrea Marcato — 1,400 miles in 19 days, 6 hrs, 56 min, 12 sec, and 2,300 km in 19 days, 14 hrs, 39 min, 4 sec
• Radu Budan — 1,300 miles in 19 days, 4 hrs, 16 min, 19 sec, and 2,100 km in 19 days, 5 hrs, 21 min, 32 sec
• Annabel Hepworth — 2,000 km in 19 days, 5 hrs, 0 min, 9 sec
• Wei Ming Lo — 2,000 km in 19 days, 8 hrs, 48 min, 26 sec
• Vasu Duzhiy — 1,200 miles in 19 days, 13 hrs, 40 min, 12 sec
• Nayaja Perugini — 1,900 km in 19 days, 15 hrs, 6 min, 41 sec
• Nina Huang-Lan — 1,700 km in 19 days, 10 hrs, 45 min, 45 sec
• Ananda-Lahari Zuscin — 1,600 km in 19 days, 16 hrs, 22 min, 35 sec

DAILY STATS (all TBC)

• Andrea Marcato again topped the daily rankings, going through 1,400 miles and 2,300 km on the way to a cumulative total of 1,441.2 miles.
• Radu Budan ran another solid 68.0 miles, the second-highest total of the day, for a cumulative 1,350.7 miles.
• Annabel Hepworth ran yet another 62.5-mile day, closing on 1,284.9 miles.
• Wei Ming Lo closed out the day with a fabulous 65.8 miles, finishing on a cumulative total of 1,271.7.
• Vasu Duzhiy continues to hit 60, recording 60.8 miles today for a cumulative total of 1,249.8.
• Nayaja Perugini, as described above, is running again, and lifted her daily total to 53.1 miles to finish the day on 1,188.9.
• Nina Huang-Lan continued to battle through her own problems and finished with 60.8 miles, her best since day 3. That improves her total to 1,071.0 miles.
• Ananda-Lahari Zuscin, with a 44.4-mile day, improved his total to 998.0 miles.
• Stutisheel Lebedev finished with 51.0 miles for a cumulative total of 985.4. He is once again closing in on Ananda-Lahari.

"Faith has the capacity
To pass through
The darkest tunnels."

— Sri Chinmoy

Follow the race

• Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo 2026
• 3100 Mile US Gallery 2026 - Arpan's Galleries
• Perfection Journey - 3100 Mile Race 2026
• Instagram - SCMT 
• YT - SCMT 

Visitors to the race

Hardly a day goes by without visitors coming to the race. Often they are local runners with a long-standing connection to the race, who bring gifts of drinks or fruit for the runners. Sometimes people come from other parts of the city, such as Manhattan or Brooklyn, having heard about the race and wanting to see it for themselves.

Occasionally, visitors come with a special story and make a real effort to get here.

On Sunday, a Romanian couple, Florin Chira and his wife Anna, stopped by the race. Two days earlier, they had been half a world away, travelling in Romania, and stopped to eat at a small village café. Florin was wearing a running shirt, and the waitress said to him, “You look like a runner. Have you heard of Radu Budan? He is Moldova and Romania’s best ultrarunner.”

Florin happens to be an accomplished double triathlete, so he was very interested, although he had never heard of Radu. They chatted in the café for a while.

Afterwards, Florin looked Radu up online and discovered that he was currently running the 3,100 Mile Race. By coincidence, the couple were flying to New York two days later.

They made a special detour to visit the race and meet Radu, telling him how their chance conversation in the café had led them here. They chatted with Radu and other runners and helpers before continuing on their way.

It is quite an extraordinary story, but then, this is an extraordinary race.

Also over the weekend, a Spanish couple, Ramon Lopez Mendizabal and his wife, went out of their way to visit the race, and they too chatted with Radu.

Daily milestones (all TBC)

• Andrea Marcato: 2,000 km in 17 days 02:30:11; 1,300 miles in 17 days 17:19:46
• Radu Budan: 1,900 km in 17 days 07:50:14; 1,200 miles in 17 days 12:58:21
• Annabel Hepworth: 1,100 miles in 17 days 01:04:59; 1,800 km in 17 days 05:38:13
• Wei Ming Lo: 1,100 miles in 17 days 05:24:14; 1,800 km in 17 days 09:53:25
• Vasu Duzhiy: 1,100 miles in 17 days 09:55:03; 1,800 km in 17 days  
• Nayaja Perugini: 1,700 km in 17 days 01:05:40
• Nina Yang Huang-Lan: 1,500 km in 17 days 06:29:06
• Stutisheel Lebedev: 1,400 km in 17 days 00:06:59; 900 miles in 17 days  
• Ananda-Lahari Zuscin: 1,400 km in 17 days 02:36:52; 900 miles in 17 days 

Daily stats (all TBC)

• Andrea Marcato again topped the daily list, passing 70 miles to finish with 71.8 miles and a cumulative total of 1,304.6 miles.
• Radu Budan ran another solid 66.9 miles, the second-highest daily total, to reach 1,216.9 miles.
• Annabel Hepworth ran another 63.6-mile day, closing on 1,159.3 miles.
• Wei Ming Lo ran 63.0 miles, his sixth consecutive 60-mile day, to finish on a cumulative total of 1,142.8 miles.
• Vasu Duzhiy continues to hit 60 miles, recording 63.0 miles today for a cumulative total of 1,130.2 miles.
• Nayaja Perugini continued to fight through her issues, recording a reduced 37.2 miles to finish the day on 1,091.8 miles.
• Nina Yang Huang-Lan battled through her own issues and finished the day with 45.5 miles, improving her total to 960.8 miles.
• Stutisheel Lebedev started the day well but faded as it went on, finishing with 36.7 miles and a cumulative total of 906.5 miles.
• Ananda-Lahari Zuscin, with a 48.9-mile day, improved his total to 909.8 miles, moving ahead of Stutisheel late in the evening.

“Every day is an inspiring day
For self-transcendence.”

— Sri Chinmoy 

Follow the race

• Sri Chinmoy Ultra Photo 2026
• 3100 Mile US Gallery 2026 - Arpan's Galleries
• Perfection Journey - 3100 Mile Race 2026
• Instagram - SCMT 
• YT - SCMT