About the author:

Nirbhasa is from Ireland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.

Reminisces from Sahishnu...

The ninth edition of the Sri Chinmoy 24-Hour was held on May 2-3, 1987 on our venerable one-mile loop in Flushing Meadows Park near the giant Unisphere, the jewel of iconic symbols from the 1964-65 World’s Fair. A full compliment of 40 runners, including 10 women toed the line, adjacent the National Tennis Center, its facilities dwarfing parts of the large park as the fair weather projected happy runners and good times.

The heavy players in the race were dueling from the start. Cahit Yeter, 52, from the Bronx popped a 6:48:37 50-mile split to lead all. Don Jewell, 49, of East Islip, NY gave chase, with defending 24-hour champ Luis Rios a casual 40 minutes back of him. Diane Hawkins, 35, NYC, was the early leader through 50 miles in 8:01:54. Pippa Davis, 40, Westford, MA, the transplanted Englishwoman of 5-Day fame, pulled new American talent Suprabha Schecter, 31,Wash, DC along in the quest to stay close to the top.

Just past the 70-mile mark, Don Jewell was clearly the man of the race if he maintained form throughout the night. Don touched the line for 100 miles in 15:49:25, and cruised on to 130 miles. Luis Rios held for second place with 121 miles, holding off a charging Fred Riemer, the mountain specialist who reached 118 miles. In the women’s competition, Pippa Davis hung tough, claiming first position with 115 miles, 421 yards. Suprabha Schecter reached 111 miles, 632 yards for second. Diane Hawkins held the third podium position with 103 miles.

In all, 20 runners went past 100 miles. The event served as the warm-up for our 18-day trio of multiday races- the Sri Chinmoy 1300 Mile Race (with 1000 mile and 700 mile distances) that followed the 24-hour.

It was not until after the award ceremony of the third Sri Chinmoy Five-Day Race on November 12, 1987 that we heard about another 24-hour race happening soon- in Flushing Meadows. Sri Chinmoy wanted the race helpers and organizers to either run the 24-hour or come and watch, and let other people organize it from within our group. This was such a kind gesture after a full 12 months of events throughout the calendar year. Not, surprisingly, some of the 24-hour racers from earlier in the year came to run again, and or ‘help the helpers’ as some of us stood at the line, on December 12, for the 10th running of the 24-Hour. Forty people ran the race.

Sri Chinmoy’s spontaneity in creating another race was very appealing, at least to his students. He did not want people to dry out on the vine in our spiritual life. Rather, by exploring and challenging ourselves, no matter where we stood in the compendium of runner/ helper perspectives, the truth was clear. Both athlete and helper must transcend their previous notions of limits, boundaries, and capabilities. The spiritual life, he said, was a continuous exploration. Especially with the summer success of the 1988 Sri Chinmoy World Championship 1000 Mile Race and Ultra Trio, and the success of the other multiday races, there was amazing energy and attention drawn to these races. We had to keep up the pace. The one- day event still had a purpose.

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 runners line up for the start. There were 40 finishers in the Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race, May 2-3, 1987.

And more photos:

Books you might find interesting

Guru Marathon Sri Chinmoy

A life and teachings on meditation and athletics

Inspiration

About the author:

As well as an extraordinary runner and race organiser in his own right, Cahit Yeter was a true friend of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team for many years. This bio is excerpted from the 1987 24 Hour Race brochure:

"...The champion athlete has endured many hardships in his long career and has come through each testing to now stand as one of the premier ultra athletes in the country. In the past several years he has been honored with several prestigious awards given by the running community to its own. At last year's race he received the Ultrarunner of the Year Award from the New York Road Runners Club (offered jointly to Cahit and to Stu Mittleman, who set a world record at the Sri Chinmoy 1,000 mile race); and also for the past two years has received the Special Achievement Award from TAC (the US governing athletic body for running). The TAC award is offered to only one runner a year, in all distances from 50 meters to 24 hours, for their athletic achievements.

Cahit was born in Istanbul, Turkey. During his youth he was his country's top runner in the 5,000 meter, 10,000 meter and marathon events. He was preparing for the Olympics when, at age 23, he was in an auto accident so severe the doctors told him his goal should be simply to walk again. For the next sixteen years Cahit forgot running. He immigrated to America and set to work building a new life for himself. Then, one day, he was mugged by 6-7 New York hoodlums. What frustrated him most was that he now did not have the athletic capacity to even run away from his attackers.

The next day Cahit went to the park and began running. A mere three weeks later he ran his first marathon in over sixteen years - the difficult and hilly Yonkers event. He finished in 4:35. His next race was the 1976 NY Marathon, which he completed in 3:03; and then the Philadelphia Marathon, 2:55. In 1977 he organized his first race, a 3 mile event in the Bronx attended by 450 runners. His Cahit's Pacers running team now holds a number of popular Bronx races each year. Within two years Cahit ran his first ultra -a 50 miler in Central Park - and from there entered solidly into this sport. He has set a number of records for the 100 mile race (13:35, set at the 1986 Sri Chinmoy 100 Mile/70 Mile race); the North American 200 k track record (17:44) and the North American 45-49 year old record for the 24 hour event (155 miles 1182 yards).

About the author:

(from the original press release)

The 9th annual Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race (May 2-3, 1987) brought 45 international ultra runners to Queens' Flushing Meadow Park. Circling a one-mile loop that skirts the Children's Zoo and Carousel, as day turned to night and back again, the runners witnessed a number of upsets in position. The early leaders - Bronx's Cahit Yeter, The Athletic Congress Special Achievement Award winner of the year and Manhattan's Diane Hawkins, MAC Ultrarunner of the Year (MAC is the NY Metropolitan Division of The Athletics Congress), succumbed to the vestiges of flu in the late night hours. The race opened up immediately as several athletes fought it out for first place men's and women's positions. Finally, in the early morning hours, East Islip's Don Jewell wrested the lead from Brooklyn's Luis Rios and went on to win the race in 130 miles - a nine mile lead. Pippa Davis, of Westford, Massachusetts had a harder time, keeping a close eye on Suprabha of Washington, DC as they dueled to a 115 to 111 mile finish.

Local runners included Jeffrey Spera of Middle Village, Queens, who ran 102 miles to achieve a 12th place finish. From Jamaica, Queens, two runners finished with over 100 miles - considered in ultra circles to qualify an athlete as an expert distance runner. They were Kirit Makita (103 miles) and Saurjya Clark (100 miles)."

Photo: Cahit Yeter (no. 44), ultra legend and holder of several Master's records, is off to an early lead. For more on Cahit Yeter.

(from original press release)

Don Jewell (no. 23) of East Islip, Long Island, holds the USA road record for the 24 hour event - 145 miles, set in the 1984 running of the Sri Chinmoy race. Interestingly, this record mileage placed him second in the event to the legendary Yiannis Kouros of Greece, who ran 177 miles for a world road record.

The defending champion for this year's 24 Hour Race is Luis Rios, a Brooklyn-bred local boy, who tallied 138 miles in the 1986 race. He also won the 1983 24 Hour Race with 141 miles.

(from original press release)

Pippa, originally from Britain, currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband and children. She won the women's division of the 1986 Sri Chinmoy 5 day race with 311 miles. She has completed 15 ultras in her 10 years of running and this June will enter that rarefied group of women who has attempted the 1,000 mile event.

(from original press release)

1986 was a good year for Diane. She won a number of prestigious events, including the Sri Chinmoy 70 miler and the MAC (the NY Metropolitan Division of The Athletics Congress) 50 Mile Championship. For her accomplishments, the actress-ultrarunner has received two prestigious awards. These are the New York Road Runner's Women's Ultramarathoner of the Year Award and the selection as the Long Distance Woman Runner of the Year by MAC . Her first attempt at a 24 hour race, in Texas, was cut short by a tornado. Today's race thus becomes her official entry into this ultra distance arena.

The final results of the race and more photos...