Aidas Ardzijauskas and Dipali Cunningham Photos by Utpal Marshall
The Self-Transcendence 10 & 6 Day Races 2015 drew to a close in Flushing Meadow Park, New York yesterday afternoon under sunny skies after wind rain and cold temperatures tested the runners in the earlier stages of the race.
Aidas Ardzijauskas sealed a great victory in the 10 day race with 301 miles in his last four days. Second placed Baladev Saraz also has a good final day with 72 miles as did Ushika Muckenhumer with his best days total since day 1 – 69 miles.
The womens 10 day race had a close finish as Sarah Barnett came out from an extended break to find Shamita Achenbach-Konig on the same lap but managed to hold on to the end. New Zealander Harita Davies finished an excellent performance with 540 miles.
The womens 6 day race was won for the 20th year in a row by Dipali Cunningham with another outright win. Nataliya Hlushchuk from Ukraine was pushed all the way by Russia’s Vera Kalishmanova who set a pb with 371 miles (597 km).
John Geesler won the mens Self-Transcendence 6 day race after putting the hard miles in the earlier part of the race while Mark McCaslin continued to improve with 78 miles on the final day to make it First and second for the USA. Lithuanian champion Rimas Jakelaitis rallied for the final day to cover 70 miles to hold off debutant Steven Battle to secure third place.
So, thats the results – I look forward to hearing the stories of the runners to which we have been partially privvy to through the interviews and images from the race taken by Utpal Marshall and posted on his blog, Perfection-Journey.org
The Sri Chinmoy Marathon has been organising races since 1977 and has hosted over a 100 multiday events in that time continuing to be inspired by the vision of Sri Chinmoy:
“In our life of self-transcendence, from the lower we grow into the higher. The lower is transformed into the higher, the less perfect is transformed into the more perfect. Things that have to be rejected, we reject; things that have to be transformed, we transform; things that have to be transcended, we transcend. This process of transcendence is beyond the thinking of the mental man.”
Excerpt from Meditation: Self-Transcendence – The Garland Of Nation-Souls by Sri Chinmoy.
Pos Name Surname Nat 192 Hours
10 Day Women
1 Sarah Barnett AUS 641
2 Shamita Achenbach-Konig AUT 641
3 Harita Davies NZL 540
10 Day Men
1 Aidas Ardzijauskas LTU 667
2 Baladev Saraz SVK 650
3 Ushika Muckenhumer AUT 625
6 Day Women
1 Dipali Cunningham USA 451
2 Nataliya Hlushchuk UKR 378
3 Vera Kalishmanova RUS 371
6 Day Men
1 John Geesler USA 423
2 Mark McCaslin USA 400
3 Rimas Jakelaitis LTU 381
Resources
Race website: Self-Transcendence 10 Day Race2015
Perfection Journey: Six and Ten Day Race 2015 Daily interviews,stories and photos.
Videos: Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team 10 & 6 day race 2015