Visit Perfection-Journey for great stories, videos and photos of the race. Visit Spontaneous Beauty for more great race photos.
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Visit Perfection-Journey for great stories, videos and photos of the race. Visit Spontaneous Beauty for more great race photos.
Sri Chinmoy 10 Day Race 2017 |
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Spirit of a Runner by Jogyata Dallas (originally printed in IndiaNZ Outlook, Viewpoint, 7th May, 2017)
Man has always been a runner, a biped-miracle capable of running hundreds of kilometers in a single day and seemingly inexhaustible and limitless in potential. The Greek legend Yiannis Kouros ran 303 kilometers in 24 hours and 473 kms in 48 hours and was capable of running 200 kms daily for 6 straight days. Auckland’s own Sandra Barwick still holds multi-day records - including running 883.6 km on a track in six days; 1000 km on the road in seven days, and 1000 miles in twelve and a half days. Less known as a running nation, India last year attempted to change the perception about running in that country by organizing the 'Great India Run’, the first multi-city ultra-marathon, with 12 elite marathoners traversing through six states and covering a distance of 1480 kms from Delhi to Mumbai in 18 days.
Photo: Ultra legends Sandy Barwick (right) and Yiannis Kouros (center) compete in the 1988 Sri Chinmoy 1000 Mile IAU
For thousands of years, cultures all over the world have used running as part of their cultural and spiritual expression. A new documentary by the Indian director Sanjay Rawal is set to explore these themes, with its film crew spending time with the Navajo Nation in Arizona, the famed running monks of Japan and the Kalahari bushmen in Botswana, as well as spending many days filming at last year's 3100 Mile Race in New York City. Editing of the film has already started and in the last month, a Kickstarter project has already raised over $50,000 of its $75,000 goal, to enable the film makers to complete the film by August. (visit: https://vimeo.com/215512505?ref=em-v-share)
Photo: Ashprihanal Aalto of Finland completes the 2015 Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile race in a record-breaking time of 40 days 9 hours 6 minutes and 21 seconds.
Documentary director Rawal comments: “We wanted to learn about the deepest spiritual traditions of exceptional indigenous runners from around the world. We wondered if we could, first of all, find runners that actually embodied the ancient esoteric approach to running and then earn their trust. And so we hunted on the run with the bushmen of Botswana and filmed their ancestral way of hunting. We ran with champion Navajo runners versed by their elders in the spiritual traditions of running. And we embedded with the Japanese Marathon Monks to document their epic 1,000 day running journey where at one time the stakes were literally life or death. Once a generation they pick an athlete to run for 1000 days over 7 years, in 100 day chunks - up to 56 miles per day over mountain trails!
Photo: Sri Chinmoy, seated, at the start of the 2004 Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race“
Then we came across the most elusive, elite multi-day race in the world, the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race, which takes place in Queens, New York City each summer and demands at least 59 miles a day for 52 straight days. While the participants of that race are for the most part Western, the event was founded by the Indian spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy. In a sense, the race requires runners to tap into an ancient energy found in the most remote cultures of the world. We build the arc of the entire film around this race and bounce between remote, expedition-worthy locations to draw parallels between the approaches to running. We’re eagerly looking forward to this new documentary - ‘3100: Run and Become’ - which promises to be the definitive exploration of why ultra-runners do what they do”.
Photo: Documentary director Sanjay Rawal (white t-shirt) with the bushmen of Botswana
Among other extraordinary running adventures: The Big Five marathon, Limpopo province, South Africa - seemingly a traditional overland marathon if not for the regular, freely roaming presence of the “big five” of African game: elephants, rhinos, leopards, buffalo and lions!
Then there’s the ‘Man versus Horse’ marathon in Wales, inspired by a claim that runners could keep pace with horses. Horses proved the victors in every race until 2004, when a man named Huw Lobb won and took home a purse of £25,000, which had grown unclaimed every year since the race’s inception.
And let’s not forget the ‘Man carrying Wife’ 250-meter dash, originating in Finland and featuring three separate obstacles, one of which involves wading through a water course at least a meter deep with your spouse over your shoulders. The prize for winning? - the woman’s weight in beer! In the world championships, she sits on one end of a seesaw until the amount of beer evens it out. And on Saturday, May 7 in 2017, Nike sponsored an attempt by three elite marathoners - nurtured over a year of planning - to break the seemingly unassailable two-hour barrier for the marathon.
This month, Kiwis Susan Marshall (Photo above, finishing) and Kim Allan came first and second in another challenging race, the just concluded Sri Chinmoy-inspired six day race in New York, a one mile loop around a flat, scenic trail in a pleasant park setting. Local Auckland runner 59-year-old Durba Lee also competed, defying the usual constraints of age to cover over 391 kms. These races by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team feature an international field of runners who come to test their endurance, skill with pacing, and ability to recover from the stress of constantly moving. The competitors run with minimal sleep, all the while trying to accumulate as many miles as possible.
Photo: Kim Allan 2017 6-Day 2nd place women
But why this love of distance, pain and great effort? For many, running is part of a spiritual quest, a journey of self-discovery. Russian athlete Jayasalini, the first female R-Mile Race, comments: “This race is all about how things that seem impossible actually can be very possible...for me the answer is to have that deep inner connection with my soul, with my inner being, at every moment of my life, as strong as I had during the race. There, the conditions are so extreme, that every moment is a sincere prayer, every moment is a sincere cry, and every moment I felt my soul expressing itself in and through me. Now I feel the real objective, the real goal for me is to be able to feel this during every moment of my whole life." Her online interview is interesting: https://us.srichinmoyraces.org/featured#node-9858
Photo: Jayasalini Abramovskikh
Sri Chinmoy, the late spiritual master, athlete and founder of the international Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, encouraged fitness and sport as a wonderful lifestyle positive in an increasingly sedentary world, a path to self-knowledge, a helpful spiritual discipline and a window into our limitless potential. He writes: “When you come to a particular standard, you have to say, ‘Is there anything more I can do?’. Then do it. The determination in your heroic effort will permeate your mind and heart even after your success or failure is long forgotten.”
Photo: Sri Chinmoy
Further inspiration: www.srichinmoyraces.org
Home page for 6 and 10 Day Races
Now that the 2017 edition of this year's race is finished, race director Sahishni Sczesiul takes some time to recap the highs and lows of this unique multiday race.
The 22nd Annual Sri Chinmoy Ten Day Race started on Monday, April 17 at noon, as 34 athletes left the cozy confines of their houses and apartments in various foreign countries (over 20) to do battle with 240 hours of running, nature’s elements and moving forward. The venue was the certified one-mile loop north of Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Igor Mudryk from Vinnitsa, Ukraine was the highest ranked individual, with a few races over 700 miles for 10 days, as well as a fabulous finish of 3100 miles in 2011 (45+ days!!). Jesper Olsen from Denmark was one of the world’s most unique runners, having completed two attempts of running ‘around the world’, feats that have been documented and shared with other runners. He also had extensive multi-day races to his credit. Perhaps a new rising star of super-long distance was Mongolian Budjargal Byambaa who hinted at very good fitness and a desire to join the elite of long races. The ladies field featured several runners capable of close to 600 miles for 10 days, including Ukrainian Nataliya Hlushchuk, also from Vinnitsa Ukraine, and Slovakian Vinati Docziova from Kosice. Canadian Kimberley Van Delst was also considered a favorite due to her brisk running style from 2016 and improved training.
The men roared off the line with Budjargal Byambaa setting a quick pace. After a few laps, Igor Mudryck and Jesper Olsen bothered to chase the Mongolian as he cruised through the first 50km in a little over 5 hours. Igor was only 3 minutes behind Budjargal. By the time the 24-hour mark approached, Mr Byambaa had seized the lead and reached 108 miles, smoothly and efficiently. Igor Mudryk took a few breaks in the early hours but still reached 91 miles. Jesper was satisfied with 80 miles, and content to parse his energy. Kimberley Van Delst found her way to the front after a few hours, and was shrugging her shoulders when queried as to how well she was running. All smiles was her reply. By the end of the day, she had reached 80 miles, with Russian Elena Kareva (77 miles) and Nataliya Hlushchuk (75) staying close.
The very first 10 day Race in 1996 was won by Georgs Jermolajevs from Riga, Latvia, with a distance of 725 miles (1176.7 km). 21 years later, Georgs started this year again, at age 74. Australian legend Dipali Cunningham finished close to Georgs with 723 miles in that first contest - she would go on to win the Sri Chinmoy Six Day Race, (added in 1998) a record 18 straight times.
The 48-hour mark showed the trend of good runners rising to the top of the standings. Budjargal Byambaa was now in control of the race with 189 miles at the 2-day break. He was still running at 4.5 to five miles per hour, with little sign of fatigue. His lead had swelled to nearly 30 miles. By Day 3, Jesper Olsen had pulled even with Igor Mudryk with a 70-mile day, and had actually gained back over 10 miles to the lead of Mr. Byambaa. But Day 4 saw a resurgence for Budjargal, as he rattled off 73 miles and continued to run quickly and efficiently. Jesper could not sustain the speed that Budjargal possessed. Only Igor Mudryk could even consider keeping up with the Mongolian champion.
The end of the fourth day also signaled the beginning of the 20th Annual Sri Chinmoy Six Day Race. An equal number of runners - 34 - moved forward to join their fellow runners on the one-mile loop. Heavy favorite, and four-time winner of the Six Day race, Ashprihanal Aalto, was there, with American John Geesler and other North Americans, as well as several Eastern Europeans, some who were novices but ready to experience 144 hours of running and becoming. Vikena Yutz, the defending women’s champ was back, as well as New Zealander Kim Allan, a national class 24-hour runner. By the end of the first day for the Sixers, John Geesler had a slim 2-mile lead over Ashprihanal Aalto, and Kim Allan had an 18-mile separation over Vikena Yutz.
In the Ten Day race, the six day splits verified the race - Budjargal has reached 456 miles, his best total for that distance by over 100 miles. Igor equaled 425 miles. No other runners topped 400 miles. Nataliya Hlushchuk held a slim 2 mile lead over Kimberley Van Delst, 342 to 340 miles.
The 48-hour splits for the Six Day people showed Kim Allan still leading by almost 20 miles, but Kiwi Susan Marshall claiming third place and on the rise in effort. By the end of three days, Vikena had closed to within 16 miles of first, but leg and foot injuries were causing her much pain and anxiety. She tried to rest a lot on the evening of the fourth day, but dropped from the race when the pain was too much. On the other hand, Susan Marshall was running better, and had closed the gap to Kim Allan from 30 miles to 14. Ashprihanal Aalto had assumed the overall lead in the Six Day after 48 hours with 180 miles, which proved to be enough cushion for the race. He and John Geesler stayed well ahead of the rest of the field.
In the Ten Day, Budjargal Byambaa was emerging as a star runner. He eclipsed his personal best (601 miles) before the end of Day 8 with 605 miles, and fashioned an insurmountable lead over second place of 40 miles. To his credit, Igor Mudryk pulled back a few miles in the last two days, but Budjargal had become the star of the race, overcoming any obstacle, and still staying above 67 miles the last seven days of the event. Budjargal also announced his ascendency in world rankings, becoming the first Mongolian to pass 1000km (8:09:41:10); first Mongolian to 700 miles (9:07:45:18), and first Mongolian winner of the Sri Chinmoy Ten Day Race - 739 miles (1189.305 km). His 138-mile improvement for 10 days is highly noteworthy, and places him fifth-ranked for best totals in the Ten Day history. If pushed he could have easily done more. At 35 years of age, he has a lot of talent and heart to reveal. (Photo: Budjargal right)
Igor Mudryk reached his personal best for 10 days with 713 miles, a couple better than his effort from 2009. Jesper Olsen held on to the last podium spot with 627 miles. There were several other personal bests in the men’s group, most notably Ales Pliva of the Czech Republic topping 600 miles for the first time (609), up from 534 miles, and 10-time Ten Day finisher Michel Gouin of Drummondville, Quebec, Canada making it 11 straight finishes – all eleven have been over 500 miles!
On the ladies side, Nataliya Hlushchuk won for the second time with 578 miles, a solid effort throughout, and as consistent as ever. Vinati Docziova ran 74 miles on the last day to lead all the ladies to the finish line as she finished second. Kimberley Van Delst held on for third with age-group Canadian records for six days, seven days and 10 days.
In the Six Day, Ashprihanal Aalto won the race for the fifth time. He totaled 441 miles on a gimpy knee and not a lot of training. True it was far short of his best 6-day of 505 miles, but he was still happy to share the park roads of Flushing Meadows with so many runners, going day and night to chase their dreams. John Geesler again finished second with 425 miles, and didn’t seem worse for wear after the race. He slept in his truck to avoid the rains that fell for a few of his days on the course. Aleksei Riabikov from Russia made the men’s podium with a fine first-time six-day effort of 377 miles. Through an interpreter he said the race gave him much satisfaction.
The women’s final results were a big surprise as Susan Marshall averaged 71 miles for each of the last three days to garner the victory with 408 miles, her first win. Her mileage was third best overall in the Six Day. Kim Allan held on to second place among the women with 364 miles, and Russian treasure Vera Kalishmanova, 61, from Volgograd, reached 332 miles and her second podium finish in three tries.
As the dust settles and the injuries heal, the runners have returned to their countries to bask in the glory or cope with the pain of recovery from injury. Yet, the undeniable feeling that we here in New York have after these two events have ended is one of gratitude for all the experiences - good or bad - that have been shared by runners and helpers alike. The sport of mult-day racing continues around the world. The many volunteers, helpers, professionals and organizers all agree- these races founded and nurtured by Sri Chinmoy over the decades give us hope and a glimpse of human potential. The energy at Sri Chinmoy Races is special. The runners’ ability to deal with everything over a period of 10 or 6 days and to reap satisfaction of any kind is a cause for celebration, and a small iota of perfection.
Home Page for 6 and 10 Day Races
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!
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 |
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Name |
Country |
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Igor Mudryk | Ukraine | |
Ushika Muckenhumer |
Austria |
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Budjargal Byambaa |
Mongolia |
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Jesper Olsen |
Denmark |
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Oleksandr Kharko |
Ukraine |
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Georgs Jermolajevs |
Latvia |
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Ananda-Lahari Zuscin |
Slovakia |
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Sergey Leschchenko | Russia | |
Ales Pliva |
Czech Rep |
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Karteek Clarke |
Scotland |
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Michel Gouin |
Canada |
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Mikhail Vasilchenko | Russia | |
Sergei Komelkov | Russia | |
Arun Bhardwaj | India | |
Padyatra Komak |
Slovakia |
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Sandro Zincarini |
Italy |
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Andrei Somov | Russia | |
Patanga Cordeiro Da Silva |
Brazil |
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Pedja Knezevic |
Serbia |
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Richard Takata |
Canada |
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Nariledai XXX |
China |
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Jiri Jurica |
Czech Rep |
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Janos Derekas |
Hungary |
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Paramanyu Lebedyev | Russia | |
Fred Davis III |
USA |
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Nataliya Hlushchuk |
Ukraine |
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Vinati Docziova |
Slovakia |
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Elena Kareva |
Russia |
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Kimberley Van Delst |
Canada |
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Vasupradha Funk |
Switzerland |
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Karnayati Morison |
Canada |
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Gundega Gaille |
Latvia |
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Yashasvati Plyavinskaya |
Russia |
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Gudrun Freier |
Germany |
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Suparna Pustogowa |
Germany |
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Anna Khimchinskaia |
Russia |
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Bayarsaikhan Dorjpagam |
Mongolia |
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Albena Margaritova |
Germany |
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Avanayaha Tsendee |
Mongolia |
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Aldarmaa Baljinnyam |
Mongolia |
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Laila Faerman |
USA |
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Sri Chinmoy Six Day Race |
April 21-27 |
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Name |
Country |
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Ashprihanal Aalto | Finland | |
Ronnie Wong | USA | |
John Geesler |
USA |
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Mark McCaslin |
USA |
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Rimas Jakelaitis |
Lithuania |
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Roger Martel |
Canada |
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Pranjal Milovnik |
Slovakia |
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Priyavadin Reisecker |
Austria |
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Mark Dorion |
USA |
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Upakaraka Tolstopiatenko |
Russia |
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Konstantin Rybin | Russia | |
Marius Lacasse |
Canada |
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Aleksei Riabikov | Russia | |
Odgiiv Jadambaa |
Mongolia |
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Tanas Popovski | England | |
Todd McAuley |
USA |
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Joe Cleary |
Canada |
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Baltabek Nurakhmetov |
Kazakhstan |
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Ashirvad Bello Zaianchick |
Brazil |
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Tsogoo Chuluun |
Mongolia |
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Oleg Shestov |
Russia |
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Vera Kalishmanova |
Russia |
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Shirley Kolakovich |
USA |
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Pushparani Piner |
Canada |
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Mattali Stebneva |
Russia |
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Emma Johns |
New Zealand |
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Barbara Szeprethy |
USA |
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Pratishruti Khisamoutdinova |
Russia |
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Anna Eliseeva |
Russia |
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Susan Marshall |
New Zealand |
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Divyata Kryuchkova | Russia | |
Kim Allan |
New Zealand |
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Ashadeep Volkhardt |
Australia |
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Petra Kasperova |
Czech Rep |
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Alla Kravchenko |
Russia |
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Gantuya Doorov |
Mongolia |
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Sumiya Lundeg |
Mongolia |
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