... a section for uplifting stories and personal anecdotes told by and about inspiring New Zealand athletes.

Abichal Watkins, 45, from Pontypool, Wales has run more than 30 ultra-marathons, and is the first runner from the UK to complete the world's longest footrace of 3,100 miles. Paula Bartimeus finds out what inspired him to take up ultra-running, and how he trains for these gruelling endurance events.

Mark's account of a classic race that also saw Fran and Amelia competing for the Sri Chinmoy AC

For the past three weekends it had been wet and windy and I was preparing myself for the challenge of running head long into a stiff wind on Weston's …

Agnes from the Sri Chinmoy AC in Edinburgh recalls the amazing journey of her first Ironman Triathlon - completed in the debilitating heat and humidity of Malaysia!

No-one seems to be able to agree on exactly when it happened, but some time in final quarter of the last century, four members of the Sri chinmoy AC set off on an ultradistance challenge run from London to Brighton.

London to Brighton: a personal perspective by Sarvosmi

In my youth, the only running that I did was when I was in hot pursuit of moving objects, such as buses or footballs, or when moving objects, such as large rugby players, were in hot pursuit of me. It was …

"Nothing is impossible if we can get beyond the barriers created by our own minds."

In 2001 NZUA President, Richard Tout, asked Barney McBryde if he would contribute an article to the NZUA News on what he had been up to over the previous few months. Barney had been very active in a number of Ultra events that year, and his response was published in …

Few people look forward to an ultra race. Even fewer positively relish the chance to have ten days of nothing but! Meet one in a million - the indefatigable Niribili File.

THE 2025 SRI CHINMOY SELF-TRANSCENDENCE, 3,100 MILE RACE.

The longest certified road race in the World.

What, Where, Who, Why, How, When?

The annual Sri Chinmoy 3,100-mile got underway in New York at 6 am this morning. Yes. You read that correctly. A THREE THOUSAND, ONE …

https://vimeo.com/1064430504

A video about the 3100 Mile Race which includes historic footage from 2005-2007, when the race founder, Sri Chinmoy came to the race. It also features interviews with runners from the 2024 race, who continue this initial inspiration in their own unique way.

Andrea Marcato reached 4800 km today, another personal total in 41:07: 31:14. Four and a half hours later, he reached 3000 miles for the fifth time in his 3100-mile race career in 41:12:14:17. He ran 68 miles for the day, which leaves him only 80.101 miles left. He has spoken …

An event like the 3,100-mile race could not take place without the help of numerous volunteers.

Along with the core team from the local New York Sri Chinmoy Marathon, team, visitors come from out of town to help out.

One of the furthest …

Cast your mind back to the morning of August 30th. What were you doing at 6 am that morning 12 runners set off on a 3,100-mile journey? 

Although the distance seems immense, they are simply running around a 0.5488-mile block in Queens, New York, with every lap being …

Article and video on Suprabha Beckjord, who ran and completed the first 13 editions of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race.

“I love it, of course I always loved it when they would sing when I was running.” Sunday morning I caught up with Suprabha after she …

Ray Krolewicz ran the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race in 2014. This is his story of how he came to do the race. 

“Maybe I have hidden from some of my spirituality. I think this race has allowed me the time to really focus on that and …

For many years, scientists debated whether a sub-four-minute mile was humanly possible. For decades, the goal remained elusive but on the 6th May 1954, Roger Bannister broke the magic milestone with a time of 3:59:4 on Iffley Track, Oxford. It was one of the most iconic sporting records and achievements. …

I have a new fitness goal – training for the “Centenarian Decathlon” – i.e be fit when you are really old. The idea is that as we get older, our muscle and fitness declines rapidly. It means we can spend the last 10 years of our life, unable to move …

Video Summary

https://vimeo.com/813371728

Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Race

“Transcendence is perfection.
Perfection is transcendence.
When we transcend our capacities,
Immediately we get an inner joy,
An inner thrill,
Which is another name for perfection.
No perfection can ever be achieved
Without self-transcendence.”
– Sri Chinmoy

Abhejali Bernardova, of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from the Czech Republic has swum seven of the world's toughest stretches of open water, including the English Channel. She has also recently published a book about her swimming exploits in Czech entitled: "Until the Water Runs Out?" For a recent …

Sri Chinmoy was a pioneer of ultra-running and encouraged athletes to challenge their limitations through a philosophy of self-transcendence and going beyond the limits of mind and body. Sri Chinmoy taught that by challenging our limits, we could do something that we previously thought impossible.

To this end, ultra-running …

Abhejali Bernardová from the Sri Chinnmoy Marathon Team has been nominated for the World Open Water Swimming Association's 'Woman of the Year' award for the second time in 43 years. In September, Abhejali (44) completed a 1111 km 'channel triathlon' and took her 7 days, 12 hours and 5 minutes …

This year's 3100 Mile race took place this year in New York in September and October. In addition there were two (at least that we know of!) solo runs of 3100 miles, inspired by the race's message of self-transcendence and the unlimited power of the human spirit.

On …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdGEbwxsauE

Hill climbs are one of the two main disciplines in the UK amateur cycling calendar (the other being time trials). To mark the 2021 British National Hill Climb championships at the beginning of October, a new documentary by Maciek Tomiczek celebrating the world of hill climbing was released …

The 25th edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race saw seven inteprid runners take to the start line. In a period of 52 days, the seven runners ran a total of 21,112 miles - all around a 0.5 mile block in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

The race …

For a 24-hour race, 100 miles is considered a very respectable result for the average runner! Author and ultrarunner Adharanand Finn set out to do just that in our 24 hour race, held in Battersea, London. His story of perseverance makes for very inspiring reading, regardless of whether you are …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v-puiO_5RY

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 3100 Mile Race was held in 2020 in Salzburg, Austria and Klaus Tiefenbrunner, a native Salzburger, had a front row seat! He spent many days at the race interviewing and filming the runners for an upcoming documentary, and became a real part …

I remember my first ultra-run. It was with a group of friends who had decided to run from London to Brighton. Our course was about 50 miles. The furthest I had ever run before that was a marathon. It felt like a big jump - almost double the distance. It …

Nirbhasa Magee, who finished the 2020 edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile race was featured in an article in the Meath Chronicle. Nirbhasa is a native of Summerhill, Co Meath in Ireland and currently lives in Iceland. After the race, he spoke to the paper about the challenges …

The 2020 edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race was held in Salzburg, Austria with five runners attempting to complete the 3,100 miles (nearly 5,000km). Usually, the race is held in New York, US, but due to Covid could not occur this year. Undaunted by the challenges of organising this …

Dear runners in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race in Salzburg, my dear brothers,

Than you very much for the gift you give us all by your running. I, too, may - althrough from a great distance - participate in this magnificent festival of meditative sports: My thoughts and …

Soccer in the Sri Chinmoy Centre, and the Jamaica High School Track: A Disciple History

by Rupantar LaRusso and friends

This article began as a history of Guru’s encouragement of soccer in the Centre. That in itself proved to be a surprisingly huge saga! Soon, though, we also …

Guru ran his fastest marathon on March 25th, 1979 in Toledo, Ohio. It was called the Heartwatcher’s Marathon. Guru’s time was 3:55:07, which is an average pace of 8:58 per mile, or 5:34 per kilometer. He was 47 years old.

This was Guru’s second marathon; his first …

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 …

Special Friends Run at the 3100 Course

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 …

https://vimeo.com/338160007

A cellist from Vienna, Shamita Achenbach-König has been running ultramarathons for over 25 years. Her latest project is a series of multi-day runs across Europe – first she ran around Lake Constance where she grew up, then she ran across the length of her native Austria, and then …

https://vimeo.com/327481179

Earlier this year, Subarnamala Riedel from the Zurich Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team was interviewed, and she talked about how much joy she gets from organising ultra events for the public. In Switzerland, we have been putting on two big ultra events for over a quarter of a century …

Every year we offer a limited number (approx 5-10) free entries to the Sri Chinmoy Somerset Try-a-Tri or Sprint Triathlon in return for a day's marshalling at the race.

This means you can either help out as a marshal this year and have a free entry for next year, …

Sri Chinmoy believed that running is beneficial to physical health but also can give an inner spiritual fulfilment. Running teaches us determination, focus and reminds us of our aspiration to go beyond our previous limitations. Running is both physically challenging but, at the same time, gives an inner joy and …

Most ultra-runners have to balance training for many hours a day with the demands of their regular life, and Jayasalini Abramovskikh is no exception, working at least 9 hours a day at her job as an economist. Jayasalini has run our 6 and 10 day race many times, and in …

https://vimeo.com/240602153

Samunnati Nataliya Lehonkova from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team represented the Ukraine in the 2016 Olympic marathon in Rio, and has also won marathons in Los Angeles, Dublin, Edinburgh, Belfast and Toulouse. Her most recent win, in the 2017 Dublin marathon, established a personal best of 2:28.

…

https://vimeo.com/233031004

Our members consider sports, and running in particular, to be an integral part of their inner life, along with more traditional spiritual disciplines such as meditation. Vasudha, who helps to organise our Marathon Team events in San Diego, speaks eloquently about how the role that running plays in …

Inspiration and enthusiasm

From the spiritual point of view, there are many things we can learn from games. One is fellow feeling. Then, in volleyball there is something called a serve. Let us take the term 'serve'. By playing, we are serving mankind. You will say, "How?" Let us …

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in Bristol, England has been holding triathlons since 2013, getting particular satisfaction out of encouraging people who have never done triathlons before to try one. In this vide, husband and wife Garga and Kokila Chamberlain, who are part of the organising team, explain how Sri …

There and Back Again
Or Bristol-Glasgow-Bristol May – June 2017

I’d had it in mind to ride up the west coast of the UK to Glasgow and back ever since I was unable to gain a place in the London-Edinburgh-London this year. So when I saw this route proposed …

By Vilas Silverton, Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team

Since entering this year's Mille Pennines Audax in July, I have looked for tough rides that would prepare me for the upcoming hill-fest that awaits later in the year. In preparation, I have tried to loose a little weight, and have sought …

Sandhani Fitch has been marking and certifying courses for Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team races ever since the very first race in 1977; here he shares a few interesting details about how the now-famous course for the 3100 Mile Race - a half-mile loop around a high school, sports field and …

Running in rhythm with the heart, Jayasalini Olga Abramovskikh's account of her epic finish of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race, is now available in a new English translation.

In 2014, Jayasalini became the first Russian woman to complete the race when she crossed the line in 51 …

Self-transcendence simply means seeking to try and better yourself. Sport gives us an opportunity - whatever our current standard - to transcend our previous physical achievements.

One of my earliest experiences of self-transcendence was competing in a …

Vajin Armstrong, a member of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in New Zealand won the prestigious Swiss Alpine Marathon in Davos with a time of 6:25:23 h, followed by Evgenii Glyva (UKR) with 6:41:17 h and Bernhard Eggenschiler (CH) with 6:44:11 h. The race is considered one of the premier …

“The very word Olympics is, for me, a magnificent thrill, absolutely a universal thrill, and it raises the consciousness of humanity in the inner world. True, in the outer world we may notice some wrong forces, but in the inner world the Olympics is a great opportunity for the …

Sri Chinmoy loved running. In his early years in India, he was an excellent sprinter; and in his mid-forties, he took up long distance running, completing 22 marathons and several ultra-marathons, with a best marathon of 3:55:07 in Toledo, Ohio in 1979. He continued practising sprinting up to his mid …

Ten years after Sri Chinmoy founded the Marathon Team, he initiated the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, a worldwide torch relay run that unites people from all walks of life around a shared wish for peace. This video contains some very touching interviews with the international team of runners as …

Vilas Silverton from the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team took part for the first time in a 600km Audax ride, a long-distance cycling challenge also known as a Brevet or Randonee. Although they are not races, they do have time limits (in this case 40 hours) and require riders to pass …

A unique quality of the races organised by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team is their focus on self-transcendence, a philosophy powerfully advocated by Sri Chinmoy. In its simplest form self-transcendence involves seeking to do better than before - going beyond our previous achievements, capacities and results.

Self-transcendence can take …

Sri Chinmoy Running Festival (30/04/2016-01/05/2016)

di Pupetta Greco

Ritornare a correre una 24 ore per Paolo Panunzi non è stato un capriccio, ma il desiderio di rivivere le sensazioni e le emozioni già provate un paio di anni prima a Torino.

Questa volta, pensava di …

"Meet the spiritual leader, peace ambassador, runner and
weightlifter who encouraged an entire generation to seek
fulfilment through long-distance running"

Sri Chinmoy - at Men's Running Magazine pdf

Related

• Mens Running magazine
• Going for a run around the block - why the …

Matthias van Baaren from Austria has given us many interesting graphics over the past couple of years, which helped inspire our charts display. He just sent us this interesting comparison of race times over the years, along with a few interesting tidbits; you can see the hi-res pdf version here …

This video was taken at the British Time Trial Championship, June 2015. The footage was shown on British Cycling Live streaming and also British Eurosport. The event was held at Cadwell Motor Park and the Lincolnshire countryside.

[video url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBktvGZKiUI"]

There was a big startlist with other …

After 33 years at Palmer Street, the successful running shop Run and Become has moved to a new location in the heart of Victoria, London. To celebrate the move to Ecclestone Street, many customers, suppliers and long-time supporters were invited to an evening function to mark the occasion. …

A Corinthian Endeavour by Paul Jones tells the story of the UK National hill climb Championship from 1944 to 2014. The championship holds a unique place in the UK cycling calendar, always being held in the last weekend in October, marking the end of the domestic time trial season. …

July 30, 2014 - Karteek Clarke, member of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon and Swimming Team swam the slowest and toughest of his 11 Channel crossings on 30 July (19 hours and 1 minute). He is indeed a champion of champions. Looking at the map of his route, you’d think he …

Tijdens onze races zetten we borden langs het parkoers met inspirerende spreuken en teksten van spirituele leraar Sri Chinmoy. Op verzoek hebben we de borden gefotografeerd en hierbij op onze website gezet, ter inspiratie.

Our interactive daily graphs on the homepage were inspired by the graphs that Matthias van Baaren from Vienna has been sending us since the beginning of the race (he also sent us the fun Chicken Run graphic from a couple of weeks ago). We havent been able to get around …

Luis Rios is a legendary marathon runner and a longtime friend of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, having participated in our races for decades. This great story, titled "After a Jog 35 Years Ago, He’s Still Running in Circles" written by Jesse Newman appeared in the New York Times appeared …

In 2025 we are planning to stage three multisport events in the Bristol area.

SwimBikeRun-MINI DUATHLONS - our popular series of Run/Bike/Run events at Tockington Manor School is all set to go ahead on three dates in 2025, now with a choice of distances and the price back down …

'Das große Buch vom Marathon' von dem ausgebildeten DLV-A-Trainer und Diplom-Ingenieur Hubert Beck ist zum Bestseller und zum Standardwerk für Marathonläufer geworden. Sein Anfang August erschienenes Werk 'Das große Buch vom Ultramarathon' lässt Ähnliches für die Ultralaufszene erahnen. Dem Autor, der selbst auch einige der extremsten Ultraläufe der …

[vimeo url="https://vimeo.com/99590070" width="500"]

This video was shot by one of our photographers during the 2013 race. The music is by Parichayaka Hammerl; the first track is his own composition and the subsequent tracks are his arrangements of Sri Chinmoy's melodies

The Fifth Annual Self-Transcendence Swim-Run at Lake Welch Beach

The Perfect Race for Swim Training and Multi-Sport Training 

Sunday, September 8th 2013

Race Start is at 10:00 am

The Self-Transcendence Swim-Run at Lake Welch Beach offers the perfect opportunity for swimming training in …

Interested in a Sprint Triathlon?

Try the Self-Transcendence Swim-Run Instead!

The Self-Transcendence Swim-Run at Lake Welch Beach is the perfect multi-sport event designed with various types of athletes in mind, from beginner triathletes, to swimmers, runners, and the occasional multi-sport dabbler.

…

Interested in a Sprint Triathlon?

Try the Self-Transcendence Swim-Run Instead!

The Self-Transcendence Swim-Run at Lake Welch Beach is the perfect multi-sport event designed with various types of athletes in mind, from beginner triathletes, to swimmers, runners, and the occasional multi-sport dabbler.

…

This book contains firsthand experience of healthy and holistic nutrition at the world longest annual Self-Transcendence 3100 mile race. It is aimed at everyone who seeks to lead an active and healthy life and to fully unfold one’s potential. First edition of the book was printed out in Ukraine in …

Every April an invitational marathon is held only for members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team who have run faster than Sri Chinmoy's fastest marathon time of 3:55:07 and, within the past 5 years.

Sri Chinmoy loved the challenge of the marathon distance and in fact completed 22 marathons …

In 1976, a group of Sri Chinmoy's students participated in a 50 state relay to celebrate the ideals on which America was founded. Here are some extracts from the brochure for that initiative, along with some media coverage the event garnered:

"A Bicentennial Offering:

• Non-stop, Round-the-clock, …

"London Wins 5 Divisions in 1st International Race" (Press Release). August 2, 1981. Retrieved 2013-01-28. Archive copy at the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team office, Queens, New York.

"London's M. Caldwell (age 28) came in ahead of 2,000 runners from 50 cities around the world to win the first annual …

Please find an English review underneath the German text.

Der innere Friede, die Freude und die Energie, die wir durch Meditation und die richtige Einstellung in unser Wesen bringen, lässt uns eine erfüllendere Dimension des Sports erfahren und kann uns zu Leistungen jenseits unserer bisherigen Grenzen beflügeln. Ja Sport …

 

Christchurch runner and Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team race director Vajin Armstrong achived the 1st of his 3 consecutive victories in New Zealand's premier mountain race on 04 Dec 2010.

Running the rugged 60 km mountain course for …

Why would anyone want to run 700 miles (1,126 km) in 13 days? Aucklander Subarata Cunningham explains why, and how, she did it...

Subarata Cunningham - Ultra-Marathoner

I've run marathons before, but the 700 mile race I ran in New York last year (1997) really …

Whiting, Nathan. "From the Big Apple: The Ultimate Challenge. Ulrarunning. September 1991.

The marathon has been called ‘the ultimate challenge.’ Most of us laugh at a Saturday workout distance being so honored. If pressed, we might each name our own ultimate goal or achievement: a Rocky Mountain trail race, …

Nathan Whiting, who ran in the historic 24 Hour Race in 1989 (and completed 107 miles), puts Ann Trason’s victory in context with the prevailing views of the running community during the 1980s.

Whiting, Nathan. “From the Big Apple: Women Who Win." September 1989. Reprinted with permission from the …

As well as an extraordinary runner and race organiser in his own right, Cahit Yeter was a true friend of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team for many years. This bio is excerpted from the 1987 24 Hour Race brochure:

"...The champion athlete has endured many hardships in his long …

Milroy, Andy. "The History of the 1,000 Mile Race." 1989. Ultrarunning. Printed with permission from the publisher.

"It is in the nature of the ultra marathoner runner to seek new challenges. In recent years the ambition of many runners became to tackle a six-day race. Veterans of such races …

"Greek Runner Topples Three World Road Records" (Press Release). November 8, 1984. Retrieved 2012-09-17. Archive copy at the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team Office, Queens, New York.

"Three world road records fell at the feet of Greek distance runner, Yiannis Kouros, in the Sri Chinmoy 24-Hour Race, November 7-8 in …

Reminisces from Sahishnu Sczesiul....

The Second Annual Sri Chinmoy 24-Hour Race was held on the same cinder track in Greenwich, Connecticut, from September 26–27, 1981. This race became the focus of the SCMT for nearly a whole year, even with our schedule packed with shorter races, half-marathons, full marathons …