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.
Kouros Wins Sri Chinmoy 100/70 Mile Races. World Masters Road Record Also Set
Photo: Yiannis Kouros making 100-miles look easy in the Sri Chinmoy 70/100 Mile Race.
Greek ultra distance super-star Yiannis Kouros, who holds the world record for the 100 mile road event, won again - taking first place in both divisions of the Sri Chinmoy 100/70 mile races. His times were 8 hours, 10 minutes and 18 seconds (70 miles) and 11:56:48 (100 miles). Yiannis's 70 mile time sets a new world record in the event; his 100 mile time is second only to his own record, set during the Sri Chinmoy 1984 24 Hour Race, held on the same one-mile loop in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY.
Women's 100 mile winner (for the 1986 race) Kay Moore set a personal record of 16:54:01. Moore betters her previous first place wins at Shea Stadium in 1984 and 1985.
Also in the 100 mile event, Cahit Yeter set a new world masters record of 13:35:21, bettering his first place win in the 1984 Shea Stadium 100 miler.
Photo: Cahit Yeter en route to new world masters 100 mile record
In the 70 mile race, held simultaneously with the longer race, Diane Hawkins set a new course record of 10:54:42. En route she set prs for 50 miles, 100K and 70 miles. Hawkins is the reigning TAC 50 Mile Champion, (and will be ) defending her title in Central Park in 2 weeks.
There were 49 entrants in the two events (the Sri Chinmoy 70 Mile and 100 Mile Races), making it one of the more substantial events held in the USA. Kouros, considered by many to be the greatest ultra runner of all time, holds 19 world ultra records. He ran with a fractured toe, from which he has been recovering since March.
Photo: Al Prawda running backwards at the Sri Chinmoy 70 and 100 Mile Road Races
As a side-light to the event, the race was the staging area for what is believed to be the longest backward-run in history. Prospect Park's Al "Spaceman" Ultra (Al Prawda) completed 70 miles in 21:32:59..."
Photo: ultra greats from New York and elsewhere at the Sri Chinmoy 70/100 Mile Races, Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, NY. (l to r) Cahit Yeter, Trishul Cherns, Yiannis Kouros, Seigfried Bauer, Diane Hawkins, Luis Rios. Yeter, Kouros, Hawkins and Rios were winners in the event.
Photo: Queen of the Roads - Diane Hawkins, TAC 50 Mile Champion, smashed the women's race record by 23 minutes in the Sri Chinmoy 70 Mile Race, Oct. 23-24, 1986 in Flushing Meadows Park. The race went back to back with a 100 miler.
And do not forget to check our gallery for more great photos...
The results for the 100/70 Mile Road Races
The history of the races:
"This is the 6th annual running of the Sri Chinmoy 70 mile race, a specialty event unique to the Marathon Team. It is the first annual running of the 100 mile event. The 70 mile race was first held in 1981 on a paved 3 mile loop around the lake at Rockland Lake State Park, NY. It was moved to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in 1983. The race record was set in 1981, as Stu Mittleman, then the US 100 mile road champion, faced George Gardiner, then the US 100 mile track champion. It was a duel between the two men until late in the race, when Mittleman opened up a small lead, finishing first in 8 hours,11 minutes and 31 seconds to Gardiner's 8:40:58. Coming in first for the women - and setting the still-standing women's race record - was Sue Medaglia, in 11:17:17.
Photo: Charlie Eidel (l) and Don Jewell (r) competing in the 1986 Sri Chinmoy 70 and 100 Mile Road Races.
The 1982 race was cold and damp, with times dipping as a result. Ken Littlefield won this event in 9:24:16. The 1983 event was shifted to a one-mile loop in Flushing Meadows Park where, warmed by the city, the weather was milder. The race was a closely contested one, with the lead see-sawing back and forth between Mike Sekulsky, Nathan Whiting and Don Jewell. At 57 miles, Don pulled ahead, finally winning by a lap in 9:21:36. The 1984 event was won by James Dempsey in 9:59:13. The race tried a shift to the spring months in 1985, serving as an opener to the Sri Chinmoy 1000 Mile event. Despite unseasonable heat and humidity, Luis Rios ran a fast race, finishing in an uncontested 9:23:40. First woman was Pippa Davis, with 12:14:42. Bowing to the requests of the runners, we shifted the event back to the cooler fall months in 1986."
