Athletics hype has a name: Race of Self-Transcendence (the race of Self-transcendence). This is the longest race in the world and in which only a few can participate. First, because of the difficulty of running an average of 100 km a day without seeing anything more than a high school, the school playground and a basketball court at a distance of 883 meters in the neighborhood of Jamaicadistrict of Queens (New York); secondly, because of the personal ability to spare 52 days a year (maximum time for 5,000 km) and thirdly, because of the strict selection process. The 2023 edition (in which he did not participate Pekka) started on August 30 and ended on October 21. There were only 9 boys and 6 girls.
The teacher’s career
Sri Chinmoy, an Indian spiritual teacher, athlete, musician and peace philosopher, created the race in 1997 after completing many marathons and ultras himself. The only goal is for each runner to find a way to do something extraordinary through sport. Based on Hindu principles, the teachings of Sri Chinmoy They explain self-transcendence as striving to do better than before. It is personal improvement by going beyond one’s own achievements, abilities and past results.
He wrote several books and directed peace meditations in the city for 37 years. U.N with officials and politicians.
No schedule
The organization changes direction every day and runners pass by citizens going about their daily business. If runners need to rest during the day, they have vans with four beds. They can start at six in the morning and, while each sets their own pace, if one starts strong, they can finish their session before 12 at night if they have covered the required daily- day km.
Runners share a room as guests of local citizens and have three chefs cooking according to their taste.
Participants will end up doing 5,649 laps, which is 118 marathons in the entire race. For many years, the race was held in the middle of summer, with scorching temperatures adding to the challenge. This year, heavy rains in the city flooded the route with consequent drop in temperature. The men’s record is maintained Pekka Aalto with 40 days +9:6:21 (in 2015) while the woman is held by Slovak Kanenika Janakova with a time of 48 days+14:24:10.
The power of the vegetarian mind
Pekka Aalto was born on August 27, 1970 in Stockholm (Sweden), surprisingly, on the same day Sri Chinmoy. After being the most faithful participant in the 3,100 mile (5,000 km) race, the teacher gave him the nickname ‘Ashprihanal’ which means ‘Fire of aspiration within the heart’. He is, by far, the athlete who has won the most events. He’s already done it, getting ahead of 10 dates after joining 16 times.
wave He said in an interview that he used about 9 pairs of shoes to run the test and that his diet was strictly vegetarian although he did eat eggs and dairy products. In the past, he decided not to eat meat or fish for one reason: he thinks that animals are stressed when they are slaughtered and that stress is transferred to people.
A postman by profession, he devoted the last year to moving to his new house outside of Helsinki where he has more space to run and shoot a documentary. Aalto started running ultras in 1999 when he participated in the 100 km race in Turku, Finlandwith a time of 10:55:42 and that same year he participated in the New York 700 miles (1,126 km) organized by Sri Chinmoy which he completed in 10 days+23:10:40 finishing first. In addition to the 3,100-mile (52-day) and 700-mile (10-day) ultras, there is also a ‘gentle’ 6-day ultra to cover 422 miles (680 km).
Always on the same block. His way of planning the race is as follows: he gets up around 5:35 am, heals blisters and bandages his feet, arrives at the circuit, has a very light breakfast and begins his marathon day , breaks every two hours and ends at eight o’clock in the afternoon. He realized that after many days of doing the same task his mind was scattered, as if he were staring at a blank wall.
When faced with difficult moments, the same aphorism applies: “Run as if it were your last race and you have decided never to run again.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
