The race is called “Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 MileRace,” is held in the U.S. and is the longest certified road race in the world. Do not be misled by the number “3100”-if it were kilometers it would already be a lot, but it is miles, which in kilometers makes 4989. A few days ago 39-year-old Andrea Marcato from Venice won it. It took him 42 days, 17 hours, 38 minutes and 38 seconds, and if you like numbers, in that time he ran the equivalent distance of 118 marathons, at an average of 116 km per day.
In order to accomplish this, he had 18 hours of race time a day, and he used them up to the single second, never resting, eating up to 10,000 calories a day in the form of small snacks he consumed while running or walking, and wearing out 15 pairs of shoes.
Self-transcendence
Arriving at the finish line, he enthusiastically described the feeling of peace and happiness he felt, something that 24-hour races could no longer give him.
His words perfectly resonate with the spirit in which this race was founded by Indian spiritual master and athlete Sri Chinmoy in 1997: according to him, running-and especially ultras-helps the individual achieve a state of self-transcendence and thus happiness. After accomplishing such a feat, Chinmoy says, those who run that long feel they have accomplished something significant.
Another special feature of this race is that it is run around a New York City block. Exactly: the course is an endless goose ride that Marcato has repeated 5,649 times.
The only rule of the race is the maximum limit: 52 days, a far cry from the 42 that the Veneto athlete took.
But Marcato must like round numbers because at the finish he saw fit to continue for another 11 kilometers, the ones that separated him from the 5,000 mark. Managing to be even happier, we presume.