The longest race in the world

The longest race in the world

“A journey both physical and spiritual that allows runners to test themselves”, is how the organization of the event defines the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race, an ultramarathon whose 26th edition has been taking place since September 4 in New York and that, in the absence of anyone who dares to refute that statement, it is presented as the longest athletic event in the world: the participants must run 3,100 miles (4,988.9 kilometers) in 52 days.

The Finnish Ashprihanal Aalto, is 52 years old and works as a postal service official in his country, he has been running ultramarathons for 23 years and is participating for the 16th time in this competition that he has already won nine times and is also the owner of the record in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race: In 2015, he completed the 3,100 miles in 40 days, 9 hours, 6 minutes, and 21 seconds. Ashprihanal Aalto’s view of the race: “When you run a marathon or when you do something difficult, you feel very happy afterwards. You feel that you did your best, that you tried with all your might and you think: ‘I got it’”, reflected the Finn, who this year aspires to finish second behind Andrea Mercato. The Italian already completed the 3,100 miles on Monday and secured first place.

The first time this marathon was held was in 1997.

Currently 12 athletes are participating: nine men and three women. The youngest is New Zealander Susan Marshall (38 years old), a cook who works in a cafeteria in Canberra and who has embarked on this adventure for the sixth time. The oldest is the Taiwanese Lo Wei Ming (58), who last year completed the test in 48 days, 11 hours, 52 minutes and 1 second, which allowed him to finish second behind the Italian Andrea Mercato. He managed it by running almost all the time in flip flops.

The race takes place in an urban setting: Competitors race down the sidewalk on a 2,800-foot loop around a high school, athletic field and playground in a residential area of ​​the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens County. There, the ultra-marathon runners share space daily with the students who talk after each day of class or with the neighbors who carry the bags with their purchases.

From the start signal (this year it was September 4), the participants have 52 days to complete the 3,100 miles. Every day, the circuit opens at 6 and is available until midnight. During that time, athletes can manage the time they want between activity and rest. On average, they run 95 kilometers per day.

For this neighborhood, the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race represents one of the most important events of the year. Despite this, the daily dynamics of the territory are not radically altered by it. There are hardly any caravans destined for the rest of the competitors and some street stalls where they are offered drinks, food and vegetarian snacks.

This test was conceived at the end of the last century by Sri Chinmoy, a “spiritual teacher, athlete, artist, musician, poet and humanist”, according to the organization of the event. Between 1997 and 2019 it took place in Queens between June and August, in the boreal summer. In 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it had to be moved to Salzburg (Austria) and took place between September and November. That date, which coincides with the beginning of autumn in that part of the planet, was maintained with the return to New York in 2021.

Each year, organizers choose a group of 10 to 15 people from applicants “based on their previous achievements in the ultrarunning community, their ability to complete the distance, and other factors.”

While they emphasize that it is not necessary to adhere to any particular creed to aspire to a place among those who will launch the journey, they emphasize that applicants must “feel comfortable in a spiritual environment in which many of their fellow runners and the team will be spiritual seekers. “The self-transcendence aspect means that runners should feel like they are competing with themselves while engaging with their peers in a spirit of camaraderie and good decorum.”

That idea of ​​competing against each other is what still drives Nirbhasa Magee, who, less than a week before the end of the race, is running last and knows that he will not be able to complete the 3,100 miles.

However, he does not give up. “When you can go beyond all these challenges, you feel a huge inner confidence in your daily life. So for me, this is almost like a school of life without the distractions of the outside world,” said Magee, who has a Ph.D. in physics and works in Reykjavik, Iceland, assisting patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

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