20 September

Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race Salzburg 2020

Day 8

We had a beautiful warm Sunday. Family and kids coming to the park enjoying table tennis, football (soccer) and other games.

The night was cold. All 5 runners are still with exuding excellent spirit! And it seems they are slowly getting used to the work ahead.

Andrea had another wonderful day with 114,8 km finishing the 8th day with a total of 556 miles, only 4 miles away from averaging 70 miles a day for 8 days. Which is just fantastic!

Nobody should think that was easy for Andrea. He is still battling with sore foot problems (heat and soreness). He is very disciplined in keeping his breaks short and also having very few breaks.His attitude is that 'he came here to perform'!

Nirbhasa was again super steady and reached 102 km, went home first at 23:39.

All other runners ran until midnight.

Always at night he has a little problem with getting tired...... During the day he battled with a few problems, but they could not stop him.

One wise thing he discovered was that the sharp corners on the course he has to walk to avoid problems.

Ushika had a really good day reaching for the first time after day 2 the needed mileage to finish the race 98,1 km (he needed 96 km). He was so grateful that he ended the day by telling me that he would like to order flowers for Sri Chinmoy's statue in our Cafe-Restaurant 'The Heart of Joy'.

Ananda-Lahari is still trying to find his rhythm. But told me today that he is determined to finish the race in 52 days. He looks very fresh and I think and hope we will see bigger numbers from him in the upcoming days.

Milan is battling with pain in his right knee and the same sore foot problems as Andrea. Ultimately he reached 85,6 km. Ananda-Lahari had a similar problem with the sore foot. Milan is positive and sweet like a child, for almost every day.

Priyavadin

500 miles splits:

Andrea Marcato- 500mi- 7+03:28:05

Nirbhasa Magee- 500mi- 7+15:50:49

Andrea is showing signs of great general fitness. As long as he avoids big problems with his feet, and takes care of his overall strength. His recovery from day to day seems quite good. He has a chance to do really well in this race in Salzburg. Many people know that he would have run the 3100 Mile race in New York, if not for the Covid-19 pandemic. Nirbhasa also seems to be rounding into shape. He has three finishes to his credit, so the distance is not as intimidating as it might be to a first-timer. Priyavadin is also correct in the progress of Ushika and Ananda-Lahari. If both men are able to gain strength and optimal fitness, they could finish within 52 days. Ushika has one finish in two attempts, and of course-Annada-Lahari has the most starts- 17- and six finishes in his resume. As any runner in this race knows, ultimately, it is up to the Highest Power, whether or not he or she finishes. 44 days left.

Good luck to all. More later

Sahishnu

from Cool and Clear New York