Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

The Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race is the world's longest certified footrace. In 1996 Sri Chinmoy created this event as a 2,700-mile (4,345 km) race. At the award ceremony that year he declared that the 1997 edition would be extended to 3,100 miles (4,989 km).

This race, which lasts several weeks, is hosted by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team and takes place every summer in Queens, New York City. The course is 3,100 miles (4,989 km) long. Runners negotiate 5,649 laps of one extended city block in Jamaica, Queens, bounded by 164th Place, Abigail Adams (84th) Avenue, 168th Street, and the Grand Central Parkway — a distance of 0.5488 miles (883 m) — while the streets are in normal use. The runners have 52 days to complete the distance, running from 6 a.m. to midnight, an average of 59.62 miles (95.95 km) every day. The prize is typically a T-shirt, a DVD, or a small trophy. Detailed article on the race, with interviews with runners.

History The Self-Transcendence 3100 mile was founded by Sri Chinmoy out of his wish to create an opportunity for runners to discover the limits of their capacities and to try to go beyond them. Hence, the name "Self-Transcendence", which is appended to many of the footraces that the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team hosts. Since 1985 when the group first began holding races, the focus on the ultramarathon and multiday races has grown from the Ultra Trio, three races with staggered starts of 700, 1000 and 1300-mile duration that take place in September, and the spring races, which include the Self-Transcendence 6-Day race and one of a very few such races in the world, the Self-Transcendence 10-Day race.

In 1996 Sri Chinmoy created this event as a 2,700-mile (4,345 km) race. At the award ceremony that year he declared that the 1997 edition would be extended to 3,100 miles (4,989 km). The length of 3,100 is possibly a reference to the birth year of Sri Chinmoy, 19. The race has been run at this distance every year since.

In 2020, it was held in Salzburg, Austria due to the COVID-19 pandemic, from September 13 to November 3.

In 2021, with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, organisers decided to move the start date for the race from its usual date, mid-June, to Sunday, September 5, 2021.

11 runners were selected for 2022 and the race took place from Sunday, September 4 to Tuesday, October 25.

Race The race distance is the distance from the west to the east coast of the US, plus 11 marathons. For their safety, only runners with proven ultra-running experience are encouraged to apply. The race is run daily, changing direction each day, whatever the weather, which has ranged from heat to torrential downpour—runners sometimes carry umbrellas. Competitors run among people going about their everyday lives, dodging pedestrians and cyclists, students at Thomas A. Edison High School, and occasionally large crowds during various events or celebrations.

Sri Chinmoy said that the Self-Transcendence challenges runners to "transcend their own previous capacity", "gain spiritual insights" and "overcome the entire world's pre-conceived notions of possibility". Runners have spoken of "the most overwhelming moment", "When you run a marathon, you feel good ... when you run 3,100 miles, you feel even better still".

Vegetarian meals are provided by volunteers from an improvised kitchen; runners need to eat constantly, burning 10,000 kcal a day. Runners have six hours at night for eating, washing, foot care and sleep before returning to the course for the 6:00am start.

The race can be followed on the race website; regular updates for the participants are published there, and a webcam has been operating during recent years. An album of photo images is also published, several days a week, to record race activity.

Records and winners

Records The world record is held by Ashprihanal Aalto (FIN) who finished with a time of 40 days 09:06:21 in July 2015, breaking the previous record of 41 days 08:16:29 held by Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk (GER). The women's record is held by Tsai Wen-ya (TWN) who completed 3100 miles in 45 days 12:28:44 in 2023. She broke the 48 days 14:24:10 record set by Kaneenika Janakova (SVK) in 2017. Suprabha Beckjord (USA) is the only person to have completed every edition of the race (until 2009). Ashprihanal Aalto has won the race nine times and participated 15 times.

List of winners

+ Date Distance Men Women Year Miles Country Athlete Time Country Athlete Time(days, hours, minutes, seconds) 1985 1000 1986 1000 Stu Mittleman 11:20:37:00 1987 70010001300 Yiannis KourosTom GraceMarty Sprengelmeyer 150 miles567 miles1250 miles Antana LocsPippa Davis Izumi Yamamoto 691 miles832 miles825 miles 1988 70010001300 Sauriya Clarc Yiannis Kouros 11:05:42:0010:10:30:361172 miles Suprabha SchechterSandra BarwickIzumi Yamamoto 10:13:03:4514:20:45:16230 miles 1989 70010001300 Noivedya Brower John Wallis Al Howie 11:17:57:0014:09:45:0417:08:25:34 - Essie Garrett Suprabha Schechter - 12:19:26:3614:20:18:24 1990 70010001300 Peter Hodson Al Howie

Ronnie Wong 11:13:38:49 13:09:19:38

1177 milesSuprabha Schechter Christel Volmerhausen13:53:00:00 1119 miles 1991 70010001300 Thomas Possert Al Howie 13:14:02:5216:19:00:00 Sandra Barwick 17:22:46:07 1992 70010001300 09:14:43:30--Suprabha Beckjord 1993 70010001300 Jeffrey Covell Aleksandr Chulakov István Sipos 11:12:12:1314:18:29:4516:17:36:14 Monika Shamita Achenbach-König Dipali CunninghamAntana Locs 11:20:42:4615:12:52:02 18:12:34:35 1994 70010001300 - Aleksandar (Namitabha) Arsic Marty Sprengelmeyer - 11:14:30:2914:08:00:20 - Catherine Dipali CunninghamSilvia Andonie Graziano Antana Locs 10:05:32:5814:18:52:38 18:18:49:42 1995 70010001300 Sasa Djordjevic Georgs Jermolajevs 12:01:47:46-16:14:00:00 Catherine Dipali Cunningham Dhvaja Dorn- 09:15:14:4615:22:39:35- 1996 700100013002700 John WallisIstván SiposGeorgs Jermolajevs 10:07:25:5413:22:27:27 -40:11:00:00 - Paula Surasa Mairer- Suprabha Beckjord - 11:09:11:05- 43:01:00:00 - 1997 700100013002700 Nicola SinisgalliGeorgis JermolajevsGeorgs Jermolajevs 10:18:41:31 12:01:25:47-- -- Paula Surasa MairerDipali Cunningham-- 10:20:20:2513:20:18:40--

+ Winners of 3100-mile race (best times: colored background) Date Distance Men Women Year Miles Country Athlete Time(days, hours, minutes, seconds) Country Athlete Time(days, hours, minutes, seconds) 1997 3100 Edward Kelley 47:15:19:56 Suprabha Beckjord 51:02:09:56 1998 3100 46:17:02:06 Suprabha Beckjord 49:14:30:54 1999 3100 Edward Kelley 48:12:42:46 Suprabha Beckjord 51:14:16:17 2000 3100 Ashprihanal Aalto 47:13:29:55 Suprabha Beckjord 54:15:51:34 2001 3100 Ashprihanal Aalto 48:10:56:12 Suprabha Beckjord 52:10:37:42 2002 3100 Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk 42:13:24:03 Suprabha Beckjord 51:12:08:06 2003 3100 Namitabha Arsic 49:02:24:45 Suprabha Beckjord 56:03:00:22 2004 3100 Ashprihanal Aalto 46:06:55:11 Suprabha Beckjord 55:13:13:00 2005 3100 Srdjan Stojanovich 46:10:51:16 Suprabha Beckjord 63:04:23:28 2006 3100 Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk 41:08:16:29 Suprabha Beckjord 60:04:35:24 2007 3100 Ashprihanal Aalto 43:04:26:32 Suprabha Beckjord 58:07:54:27 2008 3100 Ashprihanal Aalto 44:02:42:15 Suprabha Beckjord 56:17:51:22 2009 3100 Ashprihanal Aalto 43:16:28:06 Suprabha Beckjord 60:08:58:51 2010 3100 Ashprihanal Aalto 46:07:37:24 No finisher — — 2011 3100 Sarvagata Ukrainskyi 44:13:38:52 Surasa Mairer 53:15:54:25 2012 3100 Grahak Cunningham 43:10:36:39 No entrants — — 2013 3100 Vasu Duzhiy 47:05:39:00 Surasa Mairer 50:04:57:24 2014 3100 Sarvagata Ukrainskyi 44:06:58:10 50:03:55:08 2015 3100 Ashprihanal Aalto40:09:06:21 Surasa Mairer 49:07:52:24 2016 3100 Yuri Trostenyuk 46:01:10:25 Kaneenika Janakova 51:07:31:07 2017 3100 Vasu Duzhiy 46:17:38:22 Kaneenika Janakova 48:14:24:10 2018 3100 Vasu Duzhiy 44:16:03:53 Surasa Mairer 51:12:47:37 2019 3100 Ashprihanal Aalto 47:01:39:34 Harita Davies 51:09:35:20 2020 3100 Andrea Marcato 43:12:07:26 No entrants — — 2021 3100 Andrea Marcato 42:17:38:38 Harita Davies 50:13:23:14 2022 3100 Andrea Marcato 43:03:20:27 Susan Marshall 50:16:23:53 2023 3100 Andrea Marcato 43:13:33:23 Tsai Wen-ya 45:12:28:4420243100Andrea Marcato43:03:04:06https://3100.srichinmoyraces.org/main-3100/previous-results/2024No finisher—— 2025 3100 Andrea Marcato 46:16:19:10 https://3100.srichinmoyraces.org/main-3100/previous-results/2025 Daniela Bojila 51:08:17:28 https://3100.srichinmoyraces.org/main-3100/previous-results/2025

See also Self-Transcendence 6- & 10-day Race

References Huffington Post

Harper's Magazine

Runner's World

Die Presse

us.srichinmoyraces.org

statistik.d-u-v.org

us.srichinmoyraces.org

srichinmoyraces.org

lebedev.org

srichinmoyraces.org

perfectionjourney.org

3100.ws

runnersworld.com

perfectionjourney.org

srichinmoybio.co.uk

3100.srichinmoyraces.org

srichinmoy.wordpress.com

srichinmoycentre.org

statistik.d-u-v.org

3100.srichinmoyraces.org

srichinmoy.wordpress.com

cbc.ca

3100.srichinmoyraces.org

runningmagazine.ca

srichinmoyraces.org

ruetir.com

3100.srichinmoyraces.org

stuff.co.nz

scoop.co.nz

Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

Bron en licentie