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.
Davy Crockett's in-depth PDF on the ultrarunners of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990's is a must read for anyone interested in the history of these races, and in the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team's involvement. Includes many historical photos. The following is an excerpt from the PDF.
"The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team made a large impact on road and track ultras in the early 1980s. Sri Chinmoy came to the US in 1964 from India, attracted a spiritual following, and established a ‘marathon team’ in 1977 with a belief in ‘transcendence,’ man’s innate urge to go beyond himself and challenge the frontiers of his mind and body. This team put on hundreds of races throughout the world with key ultras put on in New York City. This team was impressively dedicated at races, manning lap counting tables through the day and long nights, supplying aid stations with mountains of food, and singing songs throughout races. They were directly responsible for promoting interest in 100-mile, 24-hour, 6-day, and 1,000-mile races during the early 1980s where the fastest ultra-runners in the country and world came to complete."
To download the complete PDF: Swift Endurance Legends
For more on the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team's history...
