3100: Run and Become (2018) Movie Script
1
[indistinct chatter]
[ball thwacking]
[female weather reporter 1] Meteorologist
Linda Church in New York City.
The next few days are
absolutely ridiculously hot.
[male weather reporter 1] Temperatures
climbing into triple digits.
[male weather reporter 2]
We do have a heat advisory
that's in effect right now
until 7:00 p.m.
It's in effect again tomorrow in
all five boroughs of the city.
[female weather reporter 2] My feet
are baking, my face is sweating
and it feels like
105-110 degrees.
[female weather reporter 1] If
you can make your plans indoors,
please do so.
Don't go running around
trying to catch up on tennis, golf,
this, that and the other thing
'cause it's way, way too hot.
[siren wailing in the distance]
[woman] Very good, Ashprihanal.
- [breathes heavily]
- [stopwatch ticking]
[car door closes]
[stove hissing]
[hissing stops]
[slurping]
[exhales]
[scraping]
[machine whirring]
[Jigyasu Tervo] And, uh, so what
are your plans for the next summer?
Are you, like,
planning to run?
Maybe the long race?
I need a break, you know,
it's just run, run, run, run.
I want a change.
Well, I mean,
if you think about it, you're...
You know, like...
Okay, you're 44?
- What is your age, by the way?
- 45.
Forty-five years young.
- Yeah. Yeah.
- That's why I feel
that, you know,
it maybe for you the last chance.
Yeah, but I have run so much that...
I have run enough, you know?
I just broke
the world record,
and also, you know,
I ran it 13 times, 3,100.
I've seen that block enough.
I've been running,
running, running like a...
[stammering] ...energizer bunny,
you know, around the same block.
At least you can try.
But maybe if you don't do it next
summer, it may be...
too late to do your best
anymore, you know.
Well, the thing is that
if I go there,
- then I have to try to win.
- Okay.
[chuckles] And then
I suffer again.
[all chanting
in other language]
[music fades]
[narrator on TV]
It's 2002.
Sri Chinmoy is inaugurating the
annual marathon held in his honor
- in New York each August.
- [crowd cheering]
From his early years
at an ashram in India,
he was the champion sprinter,
winning 16 consecutive titles
in the 100-meter dash.
[Sri Chinmoy on TV] I
practiced meditation every day
at least for eight hours.
And by the grace of God,
I found there was no barrier
between spirituality
and athletics.
The inner life
and the outer life
can easily go together.
[narrator] Sri Chinmoy was a
tireless advocate for world peace,
and he believed in the
unifying power of sports.
[Sri Chinmoy]
I am a student of peace.
- I feel that physical fitness...
- [crowd cheering]
...is of paramount importance
in achieving peace.
[narrator]
He was a quintessential force
in the running boom
of the 1970s,
beginning the early editions of the New
York City Marathon with meditations.
And in 1997,
he launched the Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race,
the longest certified
road race in the world.
[Sri Chinmoy] Ashiprihanal,
our fastest runner,
so good, so good.
[narrator]
Since his passing in 2007,
thousands of his students
from all around the world
have continued his legacy to
promote peace through sports
and have touched
the lives of millions.
Even in his 70s,
despite punishing injuries
from decades of running,
- he could not resist the allure of the track.
- [gunfire]
He once wrote,
"God's philosophy is
simpler than the simplest.
Never give up.
Never give up."
[crowd applauding]
[Rupantar LaRusso] Okay!
Attention, please!
So, we welcome everyone
to the 20th Annual
Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race.
[cheers and applause]
What really makes this race
special is its spiritual focus.
The 3,100-Mile Race really is the
embodiment of Self-Transcendence.
But this is the only race that
I might say that can guarantee
to the runners
that no matter when you
cross the finish line,
or how many miles you do,
you will be changed,
and you will be changed
for the better.
[applause]
Okay, I have to say
one more thing.
Sri Chinmoy gave me
the permission
that if I decide
to pull you out of the race,
you are out of the race
for whatever reason.
If there's something going on,
you have a problem,
and I say
you're out of the race,
you are out of the race
and it's not a question.
Okay, is that
clear to everyone?
That's very important. Okay?
Thank you very much.
[applause]
Good luck!
[Ashprihanal Aalto] You never know
what you're gonna get in the race.
I'm simple, I don't...
Some people believe
you have to have
this and this food or this
and this vitamins, or...
All that doesn't really
matter right, so much.
The main thing is to be
spiritual and meditate.
I'm actually trying
to imagine in what way
I would be different
after the race.
And this kind of
often keeps me going.
[Ashprihanal] For me,
the goal is to transform myself,
to become a better person.
And running itself
is a meditation,
so, it's nice.
[Sahishnu Szczesiul] Okay,
good morning, ladies and gentlemen,
and welcome to the
20th Annual Sri Chinmoy
Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race.
I'd like to
introduce the runners.
- [crowd applauding]
- From Vienna, Austria,
she's done
over 1000 miles.
She's done multi-days
for many decades,
please welcome
Shamita Achenbach-Konig.
[cheers and applause]
Also from
Vinnytsya, Ukraine,
he's ranked
11th of all time,
he has three finishes
of best of 45 days,
sixteen hours,
Yuri Trostenyuk!
[applause]
And our top ranked runner
who is ranked number one.
He has 13 finishes,
eight victories.
He broke the record by 23 hours
and ten minutes last year,
reaching 3,100 miles
in 40 days,
nine hours, six minutes
and 21 seconds,
please welcome
from Helsinki, Finland,
the great
Ashprihanal Aalto.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Gentlemen and lady runners,
take it one day at a time,
one lap at a time.
Enjoy the race.
Run with energy,
run with lightness,
run with
childlike qualities
and your mind won't
bother you as much.
[all laughing]
Okay, we'll have a one
minute of silent meditation,
if all the runners could
line up behind the line here.
This is the start line going
in the clockwise direction.
[cameras clicking]
Five, four,
three, two, one, go!
[cheers and applause]
[Sahishnu] Good luck!
[cheers and applause continues]
[all singing]
Hey, Shamita,
we got you...
[Ashprihanal] I sometimes,
like, talk to myself.
A little bit crazy.[laughs]
So, last year after this race,
when I went home
I realized that
I'm not quite recovered
the way I thought I was.
I was delivering papers.
That was my only training.
But I went to Arizona,
and there's a
big Indian reservation.
Navajo.
And there's this
race that I ran,
it's such
a beautiful race.
Thirty-five miles,
but still kind of easy.
Navajo culture
is always to run,
in the morning
towards the east.
So we start
towards the sunrise.
[crowd howling]
Really, I loved it,
you know.
It was so beautiful,
the canyon.
Beautiful nature.
And then the race
started with this
Indian, uh, spiritual ceremony.
[chanting in Navajo]
[Shaun Martin] You run
to celebrate life.
You run because
it's a form of prayer.
You can go to any hogan
during a ceremony and listen
to a medicine man pray.
But you can pray, too,
through your feet,
through your breath.
Because running
is a prayer.
You're speaking to mother
earth with your feet,
you're breathing in father sky.
That is a prayer.
You're telling them,
you're asking them for blessings,
you're showing them
that you're willing to work
for that prayer,
for those blessings.
And while you're
out there running
you learn
about the land,
the sky,
the creator, the holy people,
and you make a connection.
When you make
that connection...
- [crowd cheering and applauding]
- ...you will be a champion.
You will become a warrior.
[woman]
Finishing at 90409...
[Shaun] In seventh place...
He's from Finland.
He ran the Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race
and set a
new course record.
This thing, they run around that
one city block in New York...
[woman] Oh, that one.
...for 3,100 miles.
[woman exclaims] What?
So, when he
was at the turnaround,
he was there
about ten seconds
and then he skipped
down to scramble.
He skipped down,
and I'm like,
"Yeah, he's just
getting warmed up."
[all laugh]
A guy that's become very
near and dear to my heart...
[crowd whooping]
...Ashprihanal Aalto.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Ashprihanal]
So, I did run there.
But in my eyes,
I really didn't train at all.
[Rupantar]
Ashprihanal, wow, 56.
Very good.
He's running as well
as he was running last year.
Record breaking pace.
Surasa, 53.
[watch ticking]
[narrator] Human beings evolved to
run great distances for survival.
In Southern Africa,
the Kalahari Desert
is a hard, dry land.
Yet, the San Bushmen
of the Kalahari
have thrived
in this bitter land
for over 100,000 years.
Key to their survival is the ancient
art of persistence hunting...
[Jumanda Gakelebone speaking]
...chasing their prey on foot.
[Jumanda speaking]
[narrator] With keen eyes and swift legs,
men hunt meat
for their families
and all the people
who live together.
So, they'll just
run after it?
- [Jumanda] Yeah.
- Mmm-hmm.
[Jumanda continues speaking]
[narrator] To become hunters,
boys must being early to
learn the ancient techniques
of running, shooting
and tracking.
[Tess] And I understand
that the government
has now imposed a hunting
ban on the bushmen.
Can you tell me
a little bit more about this
and how it's affecting
your people?
[Jumanda continues speaking]
[speaking other language]
[indistinct chatter continues]
[Jumanda continues speaking
in English]
[children chattering]
[Jumanda speaking
other language]
Mmm.
[speaking other language]
[both laughing]
[both continue speaking
in other language]
[sitar playing]
[female weather reporter]
In local news,
dangerous temperatures
across the area,
a heat advisory
now in effect.
[male weather reporter]
It is a real summer scorcher.
Temperatures in the 90s today
and if you have to be outside,
you know the heat index
had to be even higher.
The subway,
it was just sweltering.
CBS2's weather team's
got every angle covered,
Vanessa Murdock shows us how the intense
heat is affecting people outside.
[female weather reporter] First, Lonnie
Quinn is monitoring the temperatures,
and also some possible storms...
[continues indistinctly]
[man] What's difficult
about this race?
Sixty miles a day,
18 hours on your feet.
[man] Okay. And the guy that just went
by, Ashprihanal,
how can you explain that a guy
that's done this race 13 times
he's on number 14 now?
Um, he's a bird.
- [chuckles]
- He's tiny.
[man] But how can you explain him
doing last year 76.776 miles a day?
- When he hadn't done that?
- [Ray] He is the best in the world
right now from a
physiological standpoint,
and he's better mentally
than he is physiologically.
That's how
you explain that.
[man] People don't know
that he
hiked solo the
Appalachian Trail
- and the Pacific Crest Trail...
- Yeah, you told me that.
When he was 21 years old.
Yeah, you told me that, yeah.
- And that builds strength that never goes away, you know.
- That builds strength.
Ray, what about
mental training?
How can somebody approach this?
Do they need a coach?
Or do they need
their life experience
to get through
something like this?
[Ray] Life experience more
than a coach or anything.
I think mental toughness
is overrated.
No amount of
mental toughness
is gonna get us
to something we can't do.
[Dohai speaking German]
Huh?
[continues in German]
[both speaking German]
[Dohai speaks in German]
[Dohai speaks in German]
Uh-huh.
[Shamita speaking in German]
[both speaking in German]
[Dohai in English] I would
insist that she make a break
so that she can digest.
- Yeah, okay, okay.
- If she eats and drinks and eats,
the stomach always, uh...
[stammering]
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
always working.
It's mixing,
it doesn't digest.
Does not really,
really works perfect.
But if it's so hot,
you have to drink. And...
[both speaking German]
[Dohai in English] Now she's
making a break, yeah, Shamita.
[man] Right now?
[Dohai] Now, yes.
[man speaking]
[Dohai] Yeah.
She's totally exhausted.
[continues in German]
[Shamita speaking German]
[Dohai speaking German]
[both speaking German]
[Shamita sighs]
[cello playing]
So, are you excited
about the race upcoming?
Of course.
I mean, it's a long,
long preparation.
Like, in January,
I decided to do this.
And you grow
into this project.
In the beginning,
it's like overwhelming,
- like for many, many parts.
- Mmm-hmm.
For your mind, and for your
emotions, and everything.
And then you start training,
and then you come a little bit into it.
When you were saying that
so many people ask you
if you are going
to run the race,
and you were actually thinking
maybe, maybe.
I was dead against it
because I almost
lost you 20 years ago
- when you did a 100 kilometer race...
- Mmm-hmm.
- ...in Vienna and you almost died.
- Mmm-hmm.
Um, I mean, this is something
that always accompanies you,
but I'm not afraid of it.
Because, um,
I'm not afraid of it.
Of course, yeah,
when we die we die,
but we also have to live
when we live. [chuckles]
[Dohai] Petra! She's awake.
[Dohai in German]
[in English] I took a little
rest, it was half past two.
Congratulations.
Go that way.
[Rupantar] She's a great
runner, you know,
that she recovered
so quickly.
You know, from based on
what happened in the heat,
it shows you what
kind of shape she's in.
But what happens when
it gets hot, you know?
It's not hot yet.
What happens
when it gets 96-97?
The race will
find your weakness,
and if you can't overcome
that, that's a problem.
The race is
merciless like that.
It will find a weakness
and magnify it.
[bird chirping]
[Ajari Mitsunaga
speaking Japanese]
[continues in Japanese]
[prayer beads rattling]
[clapping]
[speaking in Japanese]
[Ajari continues in Japanese]
[prayer beads rattling]
[continues in Japanese]
[country song playing]
[woman speaking indistinctly]
[speaking in other language]
[rhythmic clapping]
[Ashprihanal] How do you
define a real running race?
If it's a real running race,
then you have
to cut your hair
while you're in the
middle of the race.
All other races are
just considered sprints.
[Shaun] You get up and you run
every morning before the sun rises,
as the sun
is rising because
the sun rises the
birth of a new day.
When I was going into the fourth
grade, my dad said
"Do you know why I make
you run every morning?"
I said,
"No, you're mean?"
[all laughing]
He said, "No,
because when I was in the fourth
grade, I ran for my life."
[Shaun] This is the...
Little Colorado river wash
right here.
This is the echo, this...
Oh, right there...
[Allen] Oh, this is
Canyon Diablo right here.
That boarding school where we ran
away from was down the river here.
We ran that
mostly at nighttime.
[Shaun] Do you know how
old you were when you...
I can't remember, six, five,
six, something like that.
They were instilling in
me false information about
George Washington
and Abraham Lincoln
and Ben Franklin were
my forefathers and...
Which, you know,
it wasn't true.
And they made us eat soap if
we got caught speaking Navajo.
The saying was,
"Kill the Indian
and save the man."
[indistinct chatter]
[speaking in Navajo]
[continues praying in English]
[continues in Navajo]
[Allen sighs and hums]
[Allen breathing sharply]
- [in English] Run carefully.
- [laughs] Yeah.
See you guys.
[sighs]
[Allen] Happy running.
[Allen speaking in Navajo]
[Ashprihanal] Yeah, it's like...
This race feels...
After a week of running it feels
like it's gonna go on forever.
So everything gets
kind of tougher.
Like foot problems.
These things.
Once the skin gets harder,
and like chafing also.
In the beginning
I always get but...
Even though I put so much
corn starch... [coughs]
But still, the body
is kind of adapted,
except maybe to the heat.
This kind of exhaustion
and heat problems,
they... they can come any time.
But now, I really
haven't felt my normal.
I've been coughing and...
God knows what I have.
It's been going on
for quite a while now.
So the plans can
change always here.
You never know,
If I can get well,
then I can start flying again.
[Nirbhasa Magee]
Hey, Ashprihanal.
Um, like when I did it,
I was going home at maybe 11:30, 11:35.
And then, about
day 27 or day 28,
you know, I realized I was kind
of on the wire to finish this...
[laughs] ...and I better
start, stop slacking.
[woman] Middle of the
day is the hardest part.
[Nirbhasa] Right, exactly.
The thing is
about this race
you really need to be
out here all the time.
You know, as much
as you possibly can.
Excellent, Surasa, gotcha.
Yeah, you gotta be like
military about it.
You gotta be military
about your shower,
you gotta be military
about, you know,
somebody's giving you
a massage, you're like,
"Okay, that's it."
You know,
you gotta eat, you know.
For example Ashprihanal,
who's going around and,
when he set the
world record last year,
he made it a policy
to be in bed by 12:34.
You know,
that was his goal,
to be in at 12:34.
And then I think
he was up at like, 5:37.
No, it really was,
it was like that.
Gotcha, Yuri.
That's amazing,
the capacity of
the human being,
whether you run a marathon
or you run a race like this.
Okay, you feel pain,
you feel suffering,
but then, you forget
about all that stuff.
Excellent, Shamita, I gotcha.
[chirping]
[grinding]
[clapping]
[Ajari speaking Japanese]
[grinding]
[clapping]
[footsteps]
[Shamita] Okay, I'll start.
Talking to myself
is a little funny.
Um...
Yesterday was
a very, very hot day,
I think 38 degrees Celsius.
And I started quite gentle.
I drank a lot,
I got all my supplements.
And in the afternoon
I felt really like,
totally exhausted,
oh, my God.
Took a little bit of rest,
and then I started
walking again,
and running and
walking and running.
And then
four hours later,
I went to see
our doctor here.
And then he said,
"Wow, no,
you are a little
bit dehydrated."
So... I got liquid,
a lot of liquid.
And of course I asked God
why does it have to be
so, so intense.
But today I'm not
risking anything,
so I'm having
a walking day today.
[indistinct chatter]
[Rupantar] I had a long talk with a
doctor from Germany today about, uh...
[man] What did he say?
[Rupantar] He said
that when it gets hot,
we just have to keep a
closer eye on the runners,
make sure they
drink their electrolytes.
And then he, uh,
said a few things
about Shamita,
we just have to
watch her in the heat.
She can't push
beyond her capacity.
[siren wailing in the distance]
[Shamita retching]
[Dohai speaking
in foreign language]
[in English] I kept telling her,
"You don't handle the heat well."
[man on phone]
And she agrees?
Well, I don't know
if she agreed,
but I got my message through.
I said "We're asking you
to stop running."
And, I had to repeat it
over and over again,
but I made it clear that
she's not going to run again.
- [man on phone] Yeah. We all agree.
- Yeah.
[cello playing]
[Sri Chinmoy]
We surrender
what we have
and what we are
to the supreme pilot.
What we have is our eagerness
to become
His perfect instruments,
in his own way.
And what we are,
at this moment,
is nothing short of
a veritable beggar,
a helpless child,
in the densest forest.
[rooster crows]
[Jumanda speaking]
[hens clucking]
[indistinct chatter]
[Jumanda speaking]
[speaking foreign language]
[Gaolo speaking
foreign language]
Okay, let's get
the stuff out.
Okay, let's get this stuff...
Are you sure?
There we go.
[door closes]
[Rupantar]
Hi, Rupantar here,
day 21
of the Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race
and the race marches
on and takes its toll.
Started with 12 runners
now we have 10.
Voldamir and Shamita
are no longer in the race.
And wow, Ashprihanal
is in fourth place.
Sometimes you just
have to surrender
to the obstacles that
the race presents
and there's always
another day to run.
And, signing out.
[phone beeps]
[Ashprihanal]
When Guru passed away,
it was like, kind of a gap.
Something was missing.
But, he's still guiding us
to stay inspired.
That's what keeps me going.
He really liked the race.
It was his favorite.
[Ashprihanal speaking]
[Petra speaking]
[Ashprihanal laughs]
[bell tolling in distance]
[Rupantar] All right,
everybody to the start please, downhill.
Everybody to the start.
All right, it's gonna be
a very cool day,
a good day to
get your miles in.
All right, runners,
on your marks, go!
[all cheering]
[Ashprihanal] I did two
70-mile days now in a row,
but all before that...
[panting]
...for many days
I was like,
how is it that
I'm pushing and pushing
just to get 60 miles?
And that's not normal, I knew.
Because I was actually trying
my best many days.
It wasn't that I was
just fooling around,
people maybe thought so.
I was coughing for a week,
I was cold.
There was one day
I only was walking,
and that was
when I felt this
burning in my lungs,
it was so bad.
And now this
toe is hurting.
So I have to
tape it next lap.
[panting]
So it's really
my hardest race this year.
You know, I feel like
my life is one big circle.
[panting]
Especially when
you realize that
there's thousands
of miles to go.
[panting]
[crowd cheering]
[Sri Chinmoy]
Tomorrow's disciple
will be the fastest
spiritual runner.
His code of life
will be to run
and become
and become and run.
He'll run in order to succeed,
he'll become
in order to proceed.
At times he will run
and reach the goal,
at times the goal
will come to him.
[Shaun]
You know, growing up,
getting up and running
every morning down the road,
it was one thing...
It was one thing
to hear the stories
of boarding schools,
and the trails that
[voice shaking] taught you how
to become the person you became.
So, the significance
of this run for me is
that my son, and my daughter,
can receive the same,
the same teachings.
[Allen] It was hard times.
We didn't know
the dangers were there.
There were kids that
freezed to death,
died of thirst, dehydration,
just running out there.
[Shaun] I intentionally
pushed myself
when I was a kid [sniffles]
to hurt while we ran.
[voice shaking] To try to
experience those things
that you experienced.
For the same reasons you ran,
I think, I think,
deep down,
that's why I ran too.
[groans]
I can't lift my leg.
[groaning]
[Rupantar] Good morning.
Rupantar here, day 35
of the Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race.
We've never had
a race this close.
Today's headline,
Yuri from Ukraine is running
the race of his life.
He has risen to second place
with Ashprihanal
nipping at his heels.
The question is whether
he will ultimately
hold off Ashprihanal,
who has finally broken
out of his doldrums.
And here comes one of
the brave warriors now.
Good morning, Yuri.
And let us see
what today has to offer.
[thunder rumbling]
[Ashprihanal] So, one morning,
when I was running here,
I realized that
I had been fooled.
Because the brochure
about the race
said that
you're going to have
a nice sunny vacation
with friends,
all you can eat buffet...
[panting] ...in the
capital city of the world,
with, you know,
great culture,
many people around.
Yeah. Like a great place
to spend your vacation here.
[man] Looking good, Yuri!
[Ashprihanal]
And what happened was that,
I didn't read the little text
in the brochure because,
in America,
everything you buy in
America has this little text.
Oh, if you drink coffee
you might burn your tongue
and your mouth,
or you drown in it
if you put your whole
head in your cup.
These kinds of
warnings always.
So, when I had a break,
I went to see the brochure
and I saw the little text.
[panting]
And then, I read it,
and it said things like,
"Even though it's
all you can eat buffet,
you're not gonna
gain any weight,
you're gonna lose weight."
And then it said, like,
"The sunny vacation
with friends
will be all 17-hour,
all day military training."
[panting]
And that was my mistake.
I forgot to read
the little text.
[playing flute]
[Nirbhasa] Four people
have been in the lead
at some point or another
in this race
and it's lead to this very
interesting situation now,
where, at day 36,
which is a comparatively
late stage of the race,
you know, you've got
the three leading runners
at 16 miles apart.
You have, for example,
Ashprihanal at
a very early stage
having to deal
with cough and fever.
You know, but then, Vasu,
having to deal with
foot blisters now
probably for something like
a week and a half, two weeks.
You know, Atmavir has been,
compared to previous years,
has actually been doing
really, really well.
And the only one who has
remained comparatively
problem-free has been Yuri.
Excellent Yuri, 41.
Good, good, good.
[Yuri speaking
foreign language]
- [thunder rumbling]
- [rain pattering]
[sobbing]
[Sahishnu] It's not so much
a competitive thing.
I think Ashprihanal
doesn't really care
whether he finishes
third, second or first.
But I think there is a modicum
of competitiveness inside him
- that still burns.
- [Nirbhasa] Yeah, exactly.
[Sahishnu] And he knows he's
only got 740 or 760 miles left.
[Nirbhasa] Yeah.
And it's not that hard for him.
And once maybe the heat breaks
he could pick it up to 70,
and then whoever
comes along with him
will come along.
[Nirbhasa] Yes, excellent.
So you're back out
from your break.
Good, good, good.
Also, what this race does,
it exposes everything
about you,
- whether you want it to happen or not.
- [Nirbhasa] Yeah.
Your emotions are
right on your sleeve.
And so, you have to
really have that control.
And I think only through
the power of meditation,
it's not just
a control of the mind,
- but going deep within it.
- Yeah, exactly.
I think it can help you
to get through blisters
or the heat-related episodes
or just so many darn miles.
[speaking Japanese]
[grinding]
[grinding]
[Sri Chinmoy] Run and become,
we run, we become.
We run in the outer world,
we become in the inner world.
[Gaolo speaking
foreign language]
[Sri Chinmoy] Inspiration
helps us run
toward the length
and breadth of the world.
It helps us
run far, farther, farthest.
A chosen instrument
of our beloved Supreme.
[horses neighing]
[Allen speaking English]
[Allen speaking
foreign language]
[Allen speaking English]
[Sri Chinmoy] Inspiration
tells us to look around
and thus feel
and see boundless light,
energy, power.
Aspiration tells us
to dive deeply
and enjoy boundless
delight, nectar, bliss.
[grinding]
[Sri Chinmoy] At every
moment, we are transcending
our achievements.
we are transcending
what we have
and what we are.
At every moment
through running,
to become, belong,
to become something great,
sublime, divine and supreme.
Today's goal
is the starting point
for tomorrow's new dawn.
[Rupantar] Hi, good morning,
Rupantar here.
Day 46, the story is Yuri.
Holding off Ashprihanal's push.
The two top
will finish tomorrow.
Okay, got a lot of
activity now to prepare,
and signing off.
[Nirbhasa] Okay, Vasu, 90.
[Sahishnu]
It's shaping up to be
the closest finish
we've ever had in this race.
Yuri, four, five days ago,
had a 27-mile lead
on Ashprihanal.
- Okay, good, gotcha.
- And then Sunday,
here comes Ashprihanal
and he throws up a 76.
[Nirbhasa]
Ashprihanal is gaining,
you know, four to five
to six miles, everyday.
Um...
And, you know,
slowly inching up,
slowly inching up.
Um... Particularly...
Excellent Yuri, I got you!
Today, you know, I was
counting earlier on today,
and you could see
for a couple of hours there,
it was a little bit
beginning to get
at Yuri, you know.
Somehow, you know,
this feeling,
this guy's coming up at me,
he's gaining a mile,
a mile and a half every hour.
And somehow
you just feel that
at some point
he just made a decision
that I'm not going
to let this get at me.
[Sahishnu]
As a lover of competition,
because it usually brings out
the best in you,
just as long as you
can keep it gentlemanly.
And they are,
I mean, they know.
Okay Ashprihanal.
I have you.
[Sahishnu] In order
for Ashprihanal
to get a legitimate chance
of winning in the race,
starting tomorrow,
assuming they have about
12 to 15 miles to go,
could be less,
depending upon how
they push it tonight.
I would say he has to be
- between one and two miles behind.
- Exactly.
And he'll gain ground
on Yuri tomorrow,
but it's gonna be really tight.
- Could be a hand-in-hand finish.
- Yeah.
[Ashprihanal] And for me,
the last few days, it's like going...
[panting] ...almost to
my last year's standard.
And, Yuri has
raised his own standard
to a new level.
And because I'm doing
75 miles, 76 mile days
he also started doing more.
[Yuri speaking
foreign language]
[Ashprihanal] I'm making
them suffer a little bit.
[laughs]
Because I'm sure he would
like to just do 65 miles.
[laughs]
But, this is not only a
spiritual journey or something,
it's a race!
[Ashprihanal]
It's my meditation,
that's what keeps me going.
[man] He's a bird.
[Shaun] It's too far,
it's too long,
it's too hot.
[man] I've seen
what he can do,
but I don't know
if there's anything left
to be able to do more.
[Ashprihanal]
And I'm running for my Guru.
[Sri Chinmoy chanting]
Run, run, run, run, run.
[Ashprihanal]
It's my meditation,
that's what keeps me going.
[Rupantar] Hi, good morning.
It's day 47,
Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race,
and what an evening we had.
Ashprihanal, wow, 86 miles.
Picking up the pace
as the finish line
becomes more
clearer and clearer
and nearer and nearer.
[Rupantar] Okay, runners
to the start please!
Runners to the start please!
Downhill.
Runners to the start.
Okay, runners,
to your marks, go!
[all cheering]
[singing and clapping]
[all cheering and clapping]
[Ashprihanal panting]
Last night I did my best.
It was kind of my last shot.
But then,
Yuri kept going faster.
What happens,
happens, you know.
Here we go.
[all clapping and cheering]
[indistinct chatter]
[all cheering and clapping]
[Sri Chinmoy]
Who is the winner?
Not he who wins,
but he who has established
his cheerful oneness
with the result,
he who loves to run sleeplessly
and breathlessly with God,
a supreme runner,
he who requires
only one thing,
God's satisfaction
in God's own way.
[all clapping]
[Ashprihanal] I mean,
I try to win the races,
and I often do.
But that's not the main thing.
The goal is to do your best
and then you are happy
with whatever happens.
That's a good feeling.
[all cheering and clapping]
What do you say about someone
who's done this race 14 times?
[crowd cheering]
[indistinct chattering]
[Ashprihanal speaks]
[man speaking]
- [man] No?
- [laughter]
[indistinct chattering]
[Allen] Protect them
on the road,
on their way,
on their endeavors,
the opportunities
that they have...
[continues speaking
indistinctly]
[indistinct chattering
and laughter]
[crowd cheering and clapping]
[indistinct chatter]
[ball thwacking]
[female weather reporter 1] Meteorologist
Linda Church in New York City.
The next few days are
absolutely ridiculously hot.
[male weather reporter 1] Temperatures
climbing into triple digits.
[male weather reporter 2]
We do have a heat advisory
that's in effect right now
until 7:00 p.m.
It's in effect again tomorrow in
all five boroughs of the city.
[female weather reporter 2] My feet
are baking, my face is sweating
and it feels like
105-110 degrees.
[female weather reporter 1] If
you can make your plans indoors,
please do so.
Don't go running around
trying to catch up on tennis, golf,
this, that and the other thing
'cause it's way, way too hot.
[siren wailing in the distance]
[woman] Very good, Ashprihanal.
- [breathes heavily]
- [stopwatch ticking]
[car door closes]
[stove hissing]
[hissing stops]
[slurping]
[exhales]
[scraping]
[machine whirring]
[Jigyasu Tervo] And, uh, so what
are your plans for the next summer?
Are you, like,
planning to run?
Maybe the long race?
I need a break, you know,
it's just run, run, run, run.
I want a change.
Well, I mean,
if you think about it, you're...
You know, like...
Okay, you're 44?
- What is your age, by the way?
- 45.
Forty-five years young.
- Yeah. Yeah.
- That's why I feel
that, you know,
it maybe for you the last chance.
Yeah, but I have run so much that...
I have run enough, you know?
I just broke
the world record,
and also, you know,
I ran it 13 times, 3,100.
I've seen that block enough.
I've been running,
running, running like a...
[stammering] ...energizer bunny,
you know, around the same block.
At least you can try.
But maybe if you don't do it next
summer, it may be...
too late to do your best
anymore, you know.
Well, the thing is that
if I go there,
- then I have to try to win.
- Okay.
[chuckles] And then
I suffer again.
[all chanting
in other language]
[music fades]
[narrator on TV]
It's 2002.
Sri Chinmoy is inaugurating the
annual marathon held in his honor
- in New York each August.
- [crowd cheering]
From his early years
at an ashram in India,
he was the champion sprinter,
winning 16 consecutive titles
in the 100-meter dash.
[Sri Chinmoy on TV] I
practiced meditation every day
at least for eight hours.
And by the grace of God,
I found there was no barrier
between spirituality
and athletics.
The inner life
and the outer life
can easily go together.
[narrator] Sri Chinmoy was a
tireless advocate for world peace,
and he believed in the
unifying power of sports.
[Sri Chinmoy]
I am a student of peace.
- I feel that physical fitness...
- [crowd cheering]
...is of paramount importance
in achieving peace.
[narrator]
He was a quintessential force
in the running boom
of the 1970s,
beginning the early editions of the New
York City Marathon with meditations.
And in 1997,
he launched the Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race,
the longest certified
road race in the world.
[Sri Chinmoy] Ashiprihanal,
our fastest runner,
so good, so good.
[narrator]
Since his passing in 2007,
thousands of his students
from all around the world
have continued his legacy to
promote peace through sports
and have touched
the lives of millions.
Even in his 70s,
despite punishing injuries
from decades of running,
- he could not resist the allure of the track.
- [gunfire]
He once wrote,
"God's philosophy is
simpler than the simplest.
Never give up.
Never give up."
[crowd applauding]
[Rupantar LaRusso] Okay!
Attention, please!
So, we welcome everyone
to the 20th Annual
Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race.
[cheers and applause]
What really makes this race
special is its spiritual focus.
The 3,100-Mile Race really is the
embodiment of Self-Transcendence.
But this is the only race that
I might say that can guarantee
to the runners
that no matter when you
cross the finish line,
or how many miles you do,
you will be changed,
and you will be changed
for the better.
[applause]
Okay, I have to say
one more thing.
Sri Chinmoy gave me
the permission
that if I decide
to pull you out of the race,
you are out of the race
for whatever reason.
If there's something going on,
you have a problem,
and I say
you're out of the race,
you are out of the race
and it's not a question.
Okay, is that
clear to everyone?
That's very important. Okay?
Thank you very much.
[applause]
Good luck!
[Ashprihanal Aalto] You never know
what you're gonna get in the race.
I'm simple, I don't...
Some people believe
you have to have
this and this food or this
and this vitamins, or...
All that doesn't really
matter right, so much.
The main thing is to be
spiritual and meditate.
I'm actually trying
to imagine in what way
I would be different
after the race.
And this kind of
often keeps me going.
[Ashprihanal] For me,
the goal is to transform myself,
to become a better person.
And running itself
is a meditation,
so, it's nice.
[Sahishnu Szczesiul] Okay,
good morning, ladies and gentlemen,
and welcome to the
20th Annual Sri Chinmoy
Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race.
I'd like to
introduce the runners.
- [crowd applauding]
- From Vienna, Austria,
she's done
over 1000 miles.
She's done multi-days
for many decades,
please welcome
Shamita Achenbach-Konig.
[cheers and applause]
Also from
Vinnytsya, Ukraine,
he's ranked
11th of all time,
he has three finishes
of best of 45 days,
sixteen hours,
Yuri Trostenyuk!
[applause]
And our top ranked runner
who is ranked number one.
He has 13 finishes,
eight victories.
He broke the record by 23 hours
and ten minutes last year,
reaching 3,100 miles
in 40 days,
nine hours, six minutes
and 21 seconds,
please welcome
from Helsinki, Finland,
the great
Ashprihanal Aalto.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Gentlemen and lady runners,
take it one day at a time,
one lap at a time.
Enjoy the race.
Run with energy,
run with lightness,
run with
childlike qualities
and your mind won't
bother you as much.
[all laughing]
Okay, we'll have a one
minute of silent meditation,
if all the runners could
line up behind the line here.
This is the start line going
in the clockwise direction.
[cameras clicking]
Five, four,
three, two, one, go!
[cheers and applause]
[Sahishnu] Good luck!
[cheers and applause continues]
[all singing]
Hey, Shamita,
we got you...
[Ashprihanal] I sometimes,
like, talk to myself.
A little bit crazy.[laughs]
So, last year after this race,
when I went home
I realized that
I'm not quite recovered
the way I thought I was.
I was delivering papers.
That was my only training.
But I went to Arizona,
and there's a
big Indian reservation.
Navajo.
And there's this
race that I ran,
it's such
a beautiful race.
Thirty-five miles,
but still kind of easy.
Navajo culture
is always to run,
in the morning
towards the east.
So we start
towards the sunrise.
[crowd howling]
Really, I loved it,
you know.
It was so beautiful,
the canyon.
Beautiful nature.
And then the race
started with this
Indian, uh, spiritual ceremony.
[chanting in Navajo]
[Shaun Martin] You run
to celebrate life.
You run because
it's a form of prayer.
You can go to any hogan
during a ceremony and listen
to a medicine man pray.
But you can pray, too,
through your feet,
through your breath.
Because running
is a prayer.
You're speaking to mother
earth with your feet,
you're breathing in father sky.
That is a prayer.
You're telling them,
you're asking them for blessings,
you're showing them
that you're willing to work
for that prayer,
for those blessings.
And while you're
out there running
you learn
about the land,
the sky,
the creator, the holy people,
and you make a connection.
When you make
that connection...
- [crowd cheering and applauding]
- ...you will be a champion.
You will become a warrior.
[woman]
Finishing at 90409...
[Shaun] In seventh place...
He's from Finland.
He ran the Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race
and set a
new course record.
This thing, they run around that
one city block in New York...
[woman] Oh, that one.
...for 3,100 miles.
[woman exclaims] What?
So, when he
was at the turnaround,
he was there
about ten seconds
and then he skipped
down to scramble.
He skipped down,
and I'm like,
"Yeah, he's just
getting warmed up."
[all laugh]
A guy that's become very
near and dear to my heart...
[crowd whooping]
...Ashprihanal Aalto.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Ashprihanal]
So, I did run there.
But in my eyes,
I really didn't train at all.
[Rupantar]
Ashprihanal, wow, 56.
Very good.
He's running as well
as he was running last year.
Record breaking pace.
Surasa, 53.
[watch ticking]
[narrator] Human beings evolved to
run great distances for survival.
In Southern Africa,
the Kalahari Desert
is a hard, dry land.
Yet, the San Bushmen
of the Kalahari
have thrived
in this bitter land
for over 100,000 years.
Key to their survival is the ancient
art of persistence hunting...
[Jumanda Gakelebone speaking]
...chasing their prey on foot.
[Jumanda speaking]
[narrator] With keen eyes and swift legs,
men hunt meat
for their families
and all the people
who live together.
So, they'll just
run after it?
- [Jumanda] Yeah.
- Mmm-hmm.
[Jumanda continues speaking]
[narrator] To become hunters,
boys must being early to
learn the ancient techniques
of running, shooting
and tracking.
[Tess] And I understand
that the government
has now imposed a hunting
ban on the bushmen.
Can you tell me
a little bit more about this
and how it's affecting
your people?
[Jumanda continues speaking]
[speaking other language]
[indistinct chatter continues]
[Jumanda continues speaking
in English]
[children chattering]
[Jumanda speaking
other language]
Mmm.
[speaking other language]
[both laughing]
[both continue speaking
in other language]
[sitar playing]
[female weather reporter]
In local news,
dangerous temperatures
across the area,
a heat advisory
now in effect.
[male weather reporter]
It is a real summer scorcher.
Temperatures in the 90s today
and if you have to be outside,
you know the heat index
had to be even higher.
The subway,
it was just sweltering.
CBS2's weather team's
got every angle covered,
Vanessa Murdock shows us how the intense
heat is affecting people outside.
[female weather reporter] First, Lonnie
Quinn is monitoring the temperatures,
and also some possible storms...
[continues indistinctly]
[man] What's difficult
about this race?
Sixty miles a day,
18 hours on your feet.
[man] Okay. And the guy that just went
by, Ashprihanal,
how can you explain that a guy
that's done this race 13 times
he's on number 14 now?
Um, he's a bird.
- [chuckles]
- He's tiny.
[man] But how can you explain him
doing last year 76.776 miles a day?
- When he hadn't done that?
- [Ray] He is the best in the world
right now from a
physiological standpoint,
and he's better mentally
than he is physiologically.
That's how
you explain that.
[man] People don't know
that he
hiked solo the
Appalachian Trail
- and the Pacific Crest Trail...
- Yeah, you told me that.
When he was 21 years old.
Yeah, you told me that, yeah.
- And that builds strength that never goes away, you know.
- That builds strength.
Ray, what about
mental training?
How can somebody approach this?
Do they need a coach?
Or do they need
their life experience
to get through
something like this?
[Ray] Life experience more
than a coach or anything.
I think mental toughness
is overrated.
No amount of
mental toughness
is gonna get us
to something we can't do.
[Dohai speaking German]
Huh?
[continues in German]
[both speaking German]
[Dohai speaks in German]
[Dohai speaks in German]
Uh-huh.
[Shamita speaking in German]
[both speaking in German]
[Dohai in English] I would
insist that she make a break
so that she can digest.
- Yeah, okay, okay.
- If she eats and drinks and eats,
the stomach always, uh...
[stammering]
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
always working.
It's mixing,
it doesn't digest.
Does not really,
really works perfect.
But if it's so hot,
you have to drink. And...
[both speaking German]
[Dohai in English] Now she's
making a break, yeah, Shamita.
[man] Right now?
[Dohai] Now, yes.
[man speaking]
[Dohai] Yeah.
She's totally exhausted.
[continues in German]
[Shamita speaking German]
[Dohai speaking German]
[both speaking German]
[Shamita sighs]
[cello playing]
So, are you excited
about the race upcoming?
Of course.
I mean, it's a long,
long preparation.
Like, in January,
I decided to do this.
And you grow
into this project.
In the beginning,
it's like overwhelming,
- like for many, many parts.
- Mmm-hmm.
For your mind, and for your
emotions, and everything.
And then you start training,
and then you come a little bit into it.
When you were saying that
so many people ask you
if you are going
to run the race,
and you were actually thinking
maybe, maybe.
I was dead against it
because I almost
lost you 20 years ago
- when you did a 100 kilometer race...
- Mmm-hmm.
- ...in Vienna and you almost died.
- Mmm-hmm.
Um, I mean, this is something
that always accompanies you,
but I'm not afraid of it.
Because, um,
I'm not afraid of it.
Of course, yeah,
when we die we die,
but we also have to live
when we live. [chuckles]
[Dohai] Petra! She's awake.
[Dohai in German]
[in English] I took a little
rest, it was half past two.
Congratulations.
Go that way.
[Rupantar] She's a great
runner, you know,
that she recovered
so quickly.
You know, from based on
what happened in the heat,
it shows you what
kind of shape she's in.
But what happens when
it gets hot, you know?
It's not hot yet.
What happens
when it gets 96-97?
The race will
find your weakness,
and if you can't overcome
that, that's a problem.
The race is
merciless like that.
It will find a weakness
and magnify it.
[bird chirping]
[Ajari Mitsunaga
speaking Japanese]
[continues in Japanese]
[prayer beads rattling]
[clapping]
[speaking in Japanese]
[Ajari continues in Japanese]
[prayer beads rattling]
[continues in Japanese]
[country song playing]
[woman speaking indistinctly]
[speaking in other language]
[rhythmic clapping]
[Ashprihanal] How do you
define a real running race?
If it's a real running race,
then you have
to cut your hair
while you're in the
middle of the race.
All other races are
just considered sprints.
[Shaun] You get up and you run
every morning before the sun rises,
as the sun
is rising because
the sun rises the
birth of a new day.
When I was going into the fourth
grade, my dad said
"Do you know why I make
you run every morning?"
I said,
"No, you're mean?"
[all laughing]
He said, "No,
because when I was in the fourth
grade, I ran for my life."
[Shaun] This is the...
Little Colorado river wash
right here.
This is the echo, this...
Oh, right there...
[Allen] Oh, this is
Canyon Diablo right here.
That boarding school where we ran
away from was down the river here.
We ran that
mostly at nighttime.
[Shaun] Do you know how
old you were when you...
I can't remember, six, five,
six, something like that.
They were instilling in
me false information about
George Washington
and Abraham Lincoln
and Ben Franklin were
my forefathers and...
Which, you know,
it wasn't true.
And they made us eat soap if
we got caught speaking Navajo.
The saying was,
"Kill the Indian
and save the man."
[indistinct chatter]
[speaking in Navajo]
[continues praying in English]
[continues in Navajo]
[Allen sighs and hums]
[Allen breathing sharply]
- [in English] Run carefully.
- [laughs] Yeah.
See you guys.
[sighs]
[Allen] Happy running.
[Allen speaking in Navajo]
[Ashprihanal] Yeah, it's like...
This race feels...
After a week of running it feels
like it's gonna go on forever.
So everything gets
kind of tougher.
Like foot problems.
These things.
Once the skin gets harder,
and like chafing also.
In the beginning
I always get but...
Even though I put so much
corn starch... [coughs]
But still, the body
is kind of adapted,
except maybe to the heat.
This kind of exhaustion
and heat problems,
they... they can come any time.
But now, I really
haven't felt my normal.
I've been coughing and...
God knows what I have.
It's been going on
for quite a while now.
So the plans can
change always here.
You never know,
If I can get well,
then I can start flying again.
[Nirbhasa Magee]
Hey, Ashprihanal.
Um, like when I did it,
I was going home at maybe 11:30, 11:35.
And then, about
day 27 or day 28,
you know, I realized I was kind
of on the wire to finish this...
[laughs] ...and I better
start, stop slacking.
[woman] Middle of the
day is the hardest part.
[Nirbhasa] Right, exactly.
The thing is
about this race
you really need to be
out here all the time.
You know, as much
as you possibly can.
Excellent, Surasa, gotcha.
Yeah, you gotta be like
military about it.
You gotta be military
about your shower,
you gotta be military
about, you know,
somebody's giving you
a massage, you're like,
"Okay, that's it."
You know,
you gotta eat, you know.
For example Ashprihanal,
who's going around and,
when he set the
world record last year,
he made it a policy
to be in bed by 12:34.
You know,
that was his goal,
to be in at 12:34.
And then I think
he was up at like, 5:37.
No, it really was,
it was like that.
Gotcha, Yuri.
That's amazing,
the capacity of
the human being,
whether you run a marathon
or you run a race like this.
Okay, you feel pain,
you feel suffering,
but then, you forget
about all that stuff.
Excellent, Shamita, I gotcha.
[chirping]
[grinding]
[clapping]
[Ajari speaking Japanese]
[grinding]
[clapping]
[footsteps]
[Shamita] Okay, I'll start.
Talking to myself
is a little funny.
Um...
Yesterday was
a very, very hot day,
I think 38 degrees Celsius.
And I started quite gentle.
I drank a lot,
I got all my supplements.
And in the afternoon
I felt really like,
totally exhausted,
oh, my God.
Took a little bit of rest,
and then I started
walking again,
and running and
walking and running.
And then
four hours later,
I went to see
our doctor here.
And then he said,
"Wow, no,
you are a little
bit dehydrated."
So... I got liquid,
a lot of liquid.
And of course I asked God
why does it have to be
so, so intense.
But today I'm not
risking anything,
so I'm having
a walking day today.
[indistinct chatter]
[Rupantar] I had a long talk with a
doctor from Germany today about, uh...
[man] What did he say?
[Rupantar] He said
that when it gets hot,
we just have to keep a
closer eye on the runners,
make sure they
drink their electrolytes.
And then he, uh,
said a few things
about Shamita,
we just have to
watch her in the heat.
She can't push
beyond her capacity.
[siren wailing in the distance]
[Shamita retching]
[Dohai speaking
in foreign language]
[in English] I kept telling her,
"You don't handle the heat well."
[man on phone]
And she agrees?
Well, I don't know
if she agreed,
but I got my message through.
I said "We're asking you
to stop running."
And, I had to repeat it
over and over again,
but I made it clear that
she's not going to run again.
- [man on phone] Yeah. We all agree.
- Yeah.
[cello playing]
[Sri Chinmoy]
We surrender
what we have
and what we are
to the supreme pilot.
What we have is our eagerness
to become
His perfect instruments,
in his own way.
And what we are,
at this moment,
is nothing short of
a veritable beggar,
a helpless child,
in the densest forest.
[rooster crows]
[Jumanda speaking]
[hens clucking]
[indistinct chatter]
[Jumanda speaking]
[speaking foreign language]
[Gaolo speaking
foreign language]
Okay, let's get
the stuff out.
Okay, let's get this stuff...
Are you sure?
There we go.
[door closes]
[Rupantar]
Hi, Rupantar here,
day 21
of the Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race
and the race marches
on and takes its toll.
Started with 12 runners
now we have 10.
Voldamir and Shamita
are no longer in the race.
And wow, Ashprihanal
is in fourth place.
Sometimes you just
have to surrender
to the obstacles that
the race presents
and there's always
another day to run.
And, signing out.
[phone beeps]
[Ashprihanal]
When Guru passed away,
it was like, kind of a gap.
Something was missing.
But, he's still guiding us
to stay inspired.
That's what keeps me going.
He really liked the race.
It was his favorite.
[Ashprihanal speaking]
[Petra speaking]
[Ashprihanal laughs]
[bell tolling in distance]
[Rupantar] All right,
everybody to the start please, downhill.
Everybody to the start.
All right, it's gonna be
a very cool day,
a good day to
get your miles in.
All right, runners,
on your marks, go!
[all cheering]
[Ashprihanal] I did two
70-mile days now in a row,
but all before that...
[panting]
...for many days
I was like,
how is it that
I'm pushing and pushing
just to get 60 miles?
And that's not normal, I knew.
Because I was actually trying
my best many days.
It wasn't that I was
just fooling around,
people maybe thought so.
I was coughing for a week,
I was cold.
There was one day
I only was walking,
and that was
when I felt this
burning in my lungs,
it was so bad.
And now this
toe is hurting.
So I have to
tape it next lap.
[panting]
So it's really
my hardest race this year.
You know, I feel like
my life is one big circle.
[panting]
Especially when
you realize that
there's thousands
of miles to go.
[panting]
[crowd cheering]
[Sri Chinmoy]
Tomorrow's disciple
will be the fastest
spiritual runner.
His code of life
will be to run
and become
and become and run.
He'll run in order to succeed,
he'll become
in order to proceed.
At times he will run
and reach the goal,
at times the goal
will come to him.
[Shaun]
You know, growing up,
getting up and running
every morning down the road,
it was one thing...
It was one thing
to hear the stories
of boarding schools,
and the trails that
[voice shaking] taught you how
to become the person you became.
So, the significance
of this run for me is
that my son, and my daughter,
can receive the same,
the same teachings.
[Allen] It was hard times.
We didn't know
the dangers were there.
There were kids that
freezed to death,
died of thirst, dehydration,
just running out there.
[Shaun] I intentionally
pushed myself
when I was a kid [sniffles]
to hurt while we ran.
[voice shaking] To try to
experience those things
that you experienced.
For the same reasons you ran,
I think, I think,
deep down,
that's why I ran too.
[groans]
I can't lift my leg.
[groaning]
[Rupantar] Good morning.
Rupantar here, day 35
of the Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race.
We've never had
a race this close.
Today's headline,
Yuri from Ukraine is running
the race of his life.
He has risen to second place
with Ashprihanal
nipping at his heels.
The question is whether
he will ultimately
hold off Ashprihanal,
who has finally broken
out of his doldrums.
And here comes one of
the brave warriors now.
Good morning, Yuri.
And let us see
what today has to offer.
[thunder rumbling]
[Ashprihanal] So, one morning,
when I was running here,
I realized that
I had been fooled.
Because the brochure
about the race
said that
you're going to have
a nice sunny vacation
with friends,
all you can eat buffet...
[panting] ...in the
capital city of the world,
with, you know,
great culture,
many people around.
Yeah. Like a great place
to spend your vacation here.
[man] Looking good, Yuri!
[Ashprihanal]
And what happened was that,
I didn't read the little text
in the brochure because,
in America,
everything you buy in
America has this little text.
Oh, if you drink coffee
you might burn your tongue
and your mouth,
or you drown in it
if you put your whole
head in your cup.
These kinds of
warnings always.
So, when I had a break,
I went to see the brochure
and I saw the little text.
[panting]
And then, I read it,
and it said things like,
"Even though it's
all you can eat buffet,
you're not gonna
gain any weight,
you're gonna lose weight."
And then it said, like,
"The sunny vacation
with friends
will be all 17-hour,
all day military training."
[panting]
And that was my mistake.
I forgot to read
the little text.
[playing flute]
[Nirbhasa] Four people
have been in the lead
at some point or another
in this race
and it's lead to this very
interesting situation now,
where, at day 36,
which is a comparatively
late stage of the race,
you know, you've got
the three leading runners
at 16 miles apart.
You have, for example,
Ashprihanal at
a very early stage
having to deal
with cough and fever.
You know, but then, Vasu,
having to deal with
foot blisters now
probably for something like
a week and a half, two weeks.
You know, Atmavir has been,
compared to previous years,
has actually been doing
really, really well.
And the only one who has
remained comparatively
problem-free has been Yuri.
Excellent Yuri, 41.
Good, good, good.
[Yuri speaking
foreign language]
- [thunder rumbling]
- [rain pattering]
[sobbing]
[Sahishnu] It's not so much
a competitive thing.
I think Ashprihanal
doesn't really care
whether he finishes
third, second or first.
But I think there is a modicum
of competitiveness inside him
- that still burns.
- [Nirbhasa] Yeah, exactly.
[Sahishnu] And he knows he's
only got 740 or 760 miles left.
[Nirbhasa] Yeah.
And it's not that hard for him.
And once maybe the heat breaks
he could pick it up to 70,
and then whoever
comes along with him
will come along.
[Nirbhasa] Yes, excellent.
So you're back out
from your break.
Good, good, good.
Also, what this race does,
it exposes everything
about you,
- whether you want it to happen or not.
- [Nirbhasa] Yeah.
Your emotions are
right on your sleeve.
And so, you have to
really have that control.
And I think only through
the power of meditation,
it's not just
a control of the mind,
- but going deep within it.
- Yeah, exactly.
I think it can help you
to get through blisters
or the heat-related episodes
or just so many darn miles.
[speaking Japanese]
[grinding]
[grinding]
[Sri Chinmoy] Run and become,
we run, we become.
We run in the outer world,
we become in the inner world.
[Gaolo speaking
foreign language]
[Sri Chinmoy] Inspiration
helps us run
toward the length
and breadth of the world.
It helps us
run far, farther, farthest.
A chosen instrument
of our beloved Supreme.
[horses neighing]
[Allen speaking English]
[Allen speaking
foreign language]
[Allen speaking English]
[Sri Chinmoy] Inspiration
tells us to look around
and thus feel
and see boundless light,
energy, power.
Aspiration tells us
to dive deeply
and enjoy boundless
delight, nectar, bliss.
[grinding]
[Sri Chinmoy] At every
moment, we are transcending
our achievements.
we are transcending
what we have
and what we are.
At every moment
through running,
to become, belong,
to become something great,
sublime, divine and supreme.
Today's goal
is the starting point
for tomorrow's new dawn.
[Rupantar] Hi, good morning,
Rupantar here.
Day 46, the story is Yuri.
Holding off Ashprihanal's push.
The two top
will finish tomorrow.
Okay, got a lot of
activity now to prepare,
and signing off.
[Nirbhasa] Okay, Vasu, 90.
[Sahishnu]
It's shaping up to be
the closest finish
we've ever had in this race.
Yuri, four, five days ago,
had a 27-mile lead
on Ashprihanal.
- Okay, good, gotcha.
- And then Sunday,
here comes Ashprihanal
and he throws up a 76.
[Nirbhasa]
Ashprihanal is gaining,
you know, four to five
to six miles, everyday.
Um...
And, you know,
slowly inching up,
slowly inching up.
Um... Particularly...
Excellent Yuri, I got you!
Today, you know, I was
counting earlier on today,
and you could see
for a couple of hours there,
it was a little bit
beginning to get
at Yuri, you know.
Somehow, you know,
this feeling,
this guy's coming up at me,
he's gaining a mile,
a mile and a half every hour.
And somehow
you just feel that
at some point
he just made a decision
that I'm not going
to let this get at me.
[Sahishnu]
As a lover of competition,
because it usually brings out
the best in you,
just as long as you
can keep it gentlemanly.
And they are,
I mean, they know.
Okay Ashprihanal.
I have you.
[Sahishnu] In order
for Ashprihanal
to get a legitimate chance
of winning in the race,
starting tomorrow,
assuming they have about
12 to 15 miles to go,
could be less,
depending upon how
they push it tonight.
I would say he has to be
- between one and two miles behind.
- Exactly.
And he'll gain ground
on Yuri tomorrow,
but it's gonna be really tight.
- Could be a hand-in-hand finish.
- Yeah.
[Ashprihanal] And for me,
the last few days, it's like going...
[panting] ...almost to
my last year's standard.
And, Yuri has
raised his own standard
to a new level.
And because I'm doing
75 miles, 76 mile days
he also started doing more.
[Yuri speaking
foreign language]
[Ashprihanal] I'm making
them suffer a little bit.
[laughs]
Because I'm sure he would
like to just do 65 miles.
[laughs]
But, this is not only a
spiritual journey or something,
it's a race!
[Ashprihanal]
It's my meditation,
that's what keeps me going.
[man] He's a bird.
[Shaun] It's too far,
it's too long,
it's too hot.
[man] I've seen
what he can do,
but I don't know
if there's anything left
to be able to do more.
[Ashprihanal]
And I'm running for my Guru.
[Sri Chinmoy chanting]
Run, run, run, run, run.
[Ashprihanal]
It's my meditation,
that's what keeps me going.
[Rupantar] Hi, good morning.
It's day 47,
Self-Transcendence
3,100-Mile Race,
and what an evening we had.
Ashprihanal, wow, 86 miles.
Picking up the pace
as the finish line
becomes more
clearer and clearer
and nearer and nearer.
[Rupantar] Okay, runners
to the start please!
Runners to the start please!
Downhill.
Runners to the start.
Okay, runners,
to your marks, go!
[all cheering]
[singing and clapping]
[all cheering and clapping]
[Ashprihanal panting]
Last night I did my best.
It was kind of my last shot.
But then,
Yuri kept going faster.
What happens,
happens, you know.
Here we go.
[all clapping and cheering]
[indistinct chatter]
[all cheering and clapping]
[Sri Chinmoy]
Who is the winner?
Not he who wins,
but he who has established
his cheerful oneness
with the result,
he who loves to run sleeplessly
and breathlessly with God,
a supreme runner,
he who requires
only one thing,
God's satisfaction
in God's own way.
[all clapping]
[Ashprihanal] I mean,
I try to win the races,
and I often do.
But that's not the main thing.
The goal is to do your best
and then you are happy
with whatever happens.
That's a good feeling.
[all cheering and clapping]
What do you say about someone
who's done this race 14 times?
[crowd cheering]
[indistinct chattering]
[Ashprihanal speaks]
[man speaking]
- [man] No?
- [laughter]
[indistinct chattering]
[Allen] Protect them
on the road,
on their way,
on their endeavors,
the opportunities
that they have...
[continues speaking
indistinctly]
[indistinct chattering
and laughter]
[crowd cheering and clapping]