2026 Sri Chinmoy 3100 Mile Race
What, Where, Who, Why, How, When.
Note. A slightly different version of this piece also appeared on the Sri Chinmoy 3,100-mile website.
The annual Sri Chinmoy Self Transcendence 3,100-mile race got underway in New York at 6 am on Sunday, 30th September. Yes. You read that correctly. A THREE THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED MILE RACE!
Just saying those words. Three Thousand One Hundred Miles stirs thoughts of epic adventures and wonderful trails. However, while all over the world, several thousand runners will have completed an ultra distance race on the roads or beautiful trails in the last week or so, 9 intrepid adventurers have taken on this awe-inspiring challenge of running for up to 52 days around a small block in the NewYork suburb of Queens from August 30th to October 20th.
Being involved in the global Sri Chinmoy team for many years and their involvement in the ultra world, the 3,100, as it is commonly called, has been a fascination for me since the first race in 1997.
There was no internet like we know it today, little email, and you got updates and results by phone call or the ocasional Fax.
In 2014 I had my first personal experience of the race when my good friend William Sichel, from Orkney, competed. I had a 3-week stint crewing him. The race was held then in the raw heat of June, July and early August. The heat was stifling just helping at the sidelines, so for the runners covering 60-70 miles a day it was a real challenge. At 60 years old, he became the oldest finisher of the race at the time. He returned in 2018, but due to several challenges that year, he failed to finish the full distance; nonetheless, he still covered 2,904.2496 miles.
Being physically present at the race and observing first hand what the runners are putting themselves through was in many ways a humbling experience.
With more time on my hands the last few years, I have spent some time at each race volunteering. It is always a fascinating experience. Many of you reading this will have helped at local 5km or 10km races where you can leave home after breakfast and be home by lunchtime. Others will have helped at an ultra of some length and given up a whole day or, in some cases, a whole weekend.
Here at the 3,100, some of the volunteers are here helping for several hours a day for the whole 52 days of the race; others come and help for one or two weeks. Some of the local Sri Chinmoy team will commit to helping for a day or an evening each week of the race. It all helps make the event work! I have got into the habit of coming for between 2-3 weeks.
It is a lot of fun, but also hard work with long shifts. When I talk to people about the race, I am often met with a look of bewilderment and incredulity, as they try to get their head around what the race actually involves, or that such an event exists. So, I have put together a short Who? What? Why? Where? When? for the event to help explain it.
So, What exactly is the 3,100-mile race?
The race’s full name is the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-mile race. In simple terms, it is an opportunity to run 3,100 miles on a 0.5488-mile loop around a suburban block in the borough of Queens, New York. A total of 5,653 laps, or 118 marathons, will be run. The course has been certified by USATF, and each lap is meticulously recorded.
How does the race work?
The course is open for 18 hours a day, from 6 am in the morning, to midnight, when there is a mandatory six-hour break for all runners.
Runners are encouraged to be at the course at 6 am to start each day.
They can run all day continuously, and some do, but most break up the day with walking breaks, food, massage breaks, and power naps.
They can finish their day at a time of their choosing.
Most runners have a daily goal they wish to achieve to keep them above the mythical redline, which is the daily total needed to reach the 52-day cut-off.
Isn’t running a small loop boring?
Although running a small loop for such a long time may sound crazy, it is a familiar concept to multi-day runners. Conventional 24-hour or 48-hour races, or slightly longer six and ten-day races, are generally held on a 400-metre track or a small road loop.
They are easy to manage logistically, as all the essential food and drink needed to survive the event are available regularly each lap, along with medical attention and the important moral and physical support from personal helpers and race volunteers.
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE RACE
You can view live webcams, the leaderboard, and all the latest daily news at the race website https://3100.srichinmoyraces.org/
You can also send messages to the runners, which are printed off each day and handed to them at the race. They appreciate these messages like anything, knowing runners and friends from around the world are following their progress.
Follow the race on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/scmtny/
WHERE IS THE RACE?
Want to visit the race to check things out?
This is where you need to get to.
Do drop by and offer the runners some encouragement.
Adjacent to Thomas Edison School.
165-65 84th Ave, Jamaica, NY 11432
WHY 3,100 Miles
The race is organised by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. Its founder, Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007), was a world-renowned meditation teacher, while also advocating physical fitness and running as a way of transcending our capacities and achieving new goals. The Marathon Team have been organising ultra races globally for over 40 years. This will be the 30th edition of the 3,100 race.
The Sri Chinmoy Marathon team in New York started by organising their first ultra race over the classic 24-hour distance in the late 1980s. Ultra running was not the popular sport and pastime it has become today. Races gradually became longer before progressing to 3,100 miles, which was set as an ultimate challenge in 1977.
Although the race is officially 3,100 miles, after the customary celebration at 3100 miles, most runners continue and run the thirteen extra laps needed to reach 5,000 km, a distance at which national and international rankings are maintained.
THE 2027 RACE.
This year, ten runners from 8 different countries started the race.
The runners come from……Italy, Australia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Moldova, Taiwan, Russia and India. They include six-time winner of the Sri Chinmoy 3,100-mile race Andrea Marcato. They also include three-time winner and 13-time finisher Vasu Duzhiy, and Australian multi-day specialist Annabel Hepworth.
A full list of all the runners with a brief bio is HERE
WHAT DO I GET FOR RUNNING 3,100 Miles?
A good question you might well ask?
With the only tangible reward at the event being a T-shirt, a trophy and the usual spontaneous rounds of applause, runners must have their own special reasons for running such a long distance. Check out the 3,100-mile race runner video interviews HERE
Five-time winner Andrea Marcato offered his own thoughts.
”The name of the race says it all. Self-transcendence means going beyond your own limits to improve yourself. You become a better runner but also a better human being. You can become more capable of extending your skills in any field of life.”
At the end of the day, although extreme in nature, it is a race like any other with a start, a course, and a finish line. Just like an 800-metre or 5,000-metre race, it is a lesson for anyone in personal preparation, goal setting, planning, and execution. Several weeks of it!
Sign up to receive our newsletter alerting you to new posts
If you are inspired by this, or think someone else you know will be, please do what you have to do by sharing. You all know how these things work by now:-) You can also follow me on Instagram @tarittweets and, less frequently these days, Twitter 🙂
Adrian Tarit Stott.
The author is a former GB 24-hour ultra international with over 100 ultra race completions. He has also been involved in organising ultra-distance races for over 30 years. He is very actively involved in several areas of the sport and is currently a member of UKA’s Ultra Running Advisory Group (URAG) and UKA’s Mountain and Trail Advisory Group, along with being a member of the Scottish Athletics Hill and Trail Running Commission. He also contributes to the selection and team management for both Scottish and GB ultra teams. A freelance writer in his spare time, he contributes articles and reports to several websites and magazines, including Athletics Weekly and Irunfar.
