About the author:

Medur is our go-to person for many of the essential tasks involved in putting on our races: race setup, our lap counting system and our website. An enthusiastic runner himself, he has participated in many editions of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run in Canada and the US.

Greer sets American record at Bislett

Four-time U.S. champion Breaux Greer set a new American men's record in the javelin with his win Friday at the opening event of the 2004 TDK Golden League at the Bergen Bislett Games in Bergen, Norway.

Greer won the competition with a best throw of 87.39 meters/286 feet, 8 inches, bettering the previous American record of 87.12m/285-10 by Tom Pukstys on May 25, 1997. Greer defeated the reigning world champion, Russia's Sergey Makarov, who was the runner-up with a best of 86.19m/282-9. Greer's performance is the second best in the world this season.

In other men's action, Americans went 1-2 in the men's 200 meters as Shawn Crawford won the race in 20.31 seconds, with Justin Gatlin the runner-up in 20.39.

2003 women's 100m world champion Torri Edwards won the 100 meters in 11.21 seconds over LaTasha Colander, who was the runner-up in 11.28. Also on the track, three-time world 100m hurdles champion Gail Devers was victorious in that event with the second-fastest time in the world this year of 12.56 seconds. Devers set the fastest time in the world this season with her May 7 win (12.50) in Kingston, Jamaica. Devers defeated reigning world champion Perdita Felicien of Canada, who was the runner-up in 12.66.

In women's field events, four-time USA outdoor champion Tisha Waller was the runner-up in the high jump with a clearance of 1.96 meters/6 feet, 5 inches. Reigning world outdoor champion Hestrie Cloete of South Africa just edged Waller with a clearance of 1.98m/6-6.

For more information, including the complete results from the Bergen Bislett Games, visit www.iaaf.org.

Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team articles - more articles

Harita Davies, two-time 3100 Mile finisher, shares this inspiring story:

Recently I was out for a walk. It was a drizzly, overcast day at the end of March. I usually pass by the 3100 course at the end of my walk or run, and today was no exception. From a distance I spotted two runners standing beside a car. It’s not hard to spot runners since they looked totally different from anyone else out there! I knew they were not Sri Chinmoy's students, so I guessed they had come to run on the sacred course, and I was right! This is not the first time I have come across runners who travel especially to circumnavigate the block. Who knows how many come that we never see!

I recognized both of them, as they have come out to support the 3100 Race last summer. We were mutually thrilled to connect! Their names are Kevin and Michelle, and they both live in Brooklyn. I asked what brought them out. They were both quiet, then Kevin told me they were running in honor of his young daughter, Megan, who sadly passed away just a few days earlier.

A Facebook group called Megan’s Mile or Megan Smile, had been created inviting people to run a mile in memory of his daughter. Kevin chose to run at the 3100 course because it is special to him. He found out about the 3100 after seeing the movie in 2018. He was interested and stayed in touch with Sanjay, who invited him to the pre-race banquet at Annam Brahma. He really connected with the photos of Sri Chinmoy on the walls.

On the morning of the run Kevin went to the driveway of Aspiration Ground and saw Vajra, who showed him a photo of Sri Chinmoy as a blessing before the start of his run - that means a lot to him.

Kevin and Michelle ended up running for nearly 12 hours and they covered 36 miles. They went to Annam Brahma three times before during and after the race, and they were the first to delight in how well they ate!

Several of us went out to visit them throughout the day and run a little with them. They were both eager to talk and share. Kevin had never run more than a marathon and confided that he dreams to run the 3100 one day. Michelle runs ultras regularly- she had been training for a 50 km race, which had been canceled.

At one point I took them a few supplies and they were having a heated discussion. Kevin had said they would end at 30 miles but after reaching that goal wanted to run 5 more. Michelle was cold and tired and wanted to know exactly why he wanted to run five more… I decided to leave at that point, only to see Michelle get out of the car to run 5 more- now that’s a real friend!

Kevin and Michelle were grateful for our support. I was so moved and inspired by what they did. I have no doubt that Sri Chinmoy would have been smiling down on them and blessing this understated act of true heroism.

Although bittersweet, to witness such a deeply heartfelt gesture at a time like this was a great honor. Fittingly, it served as a reminder that the darkest moments can be catalysts for an outpouring of divine qualities- hope, love, empathy, and our common yearning to connect, be happy, and appreciate every moment of this precious life we are so blessed to live.

"It is hope
That still keeps
The world alive."
Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 41, Agni Press, 2004

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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.

In March, 3100: Run and Become, premiered in Canberra, Australia, and included a live Skype interview with the director, Sanjay Rawal, from New York. The Sydney Morning Herald had this to say about the film:

"It's a race that goes so long that runners often stop for a haircut along the way. They eat all the ice cream, cookies and chips they can manage yet still lose up to 15 kilograms. And they run laps around a New York city block for almost 5000 kilometres. In the world of extreme sports, the "3100" has to be one of the most extreme." For the complete story...

Another article about the film just appeared in the Guardian, and interviews Rawal and 15-time finisher of the race, Asprihanal Aalto from Finland.

Watching it now – as the world’s major cities including New York are in shutdown – feels jarring, a reminder of the freedoms we have lost: to be outside in bustling streets, where people move with purpose; to run and to breathe without fear. More...

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