With the addition of the Six Day field igniting the flames of speed and stamina, our heroes of the Ten did glide along with a certain purpose today.Yuri Trostenyuk ran 69 miles to remain in front of the other 28 runners, but his grasp on first is giving way to the onslaught of Igor Mudryk, his friend and compatriot from Ukraine. Mr Mudryk sliced his way through tired signs of his own fatigue to garner 74 miles on a sunny,breezy weekend . The palpable energy helped Kaneenika Janakova remain far ahead of her competitors with another 69 mile day. She also creeped up to Yuri T.- only 3 miles separate the two leaders of the race.
Meanwhile, the start of the Six Day revealed speed in abundance on the men’s side. Newcomer Alex Swenson wisked his tall, thin frame around the loop with precision reaching 108 miles for the first 24 hours. He was four miles clear of American 48-hour record holder John Geesler and seven ahead of twelve-time champion Dipali Cunningham. Dipali is the undisputed Queen of Flushing Meadows. This park is the site of numerous records and overall triumphs by the thin Australian woman, who last year turned 50 but shows no signs of slowing down. The rest of the field did their best to stay close, but with diminishing returns. Swenson and Geesler are speed merchants in a sport of turtles, but also possess stamina and the will to maintain. Dipali, on the other hand, is a relentless runner who always seeks to find new ways to push herself, even without competition. The race for 144 hours should be an intriguing story as it unfolds lap by lap. Stay Tuned!!!
