Self Transcendence 5k race 29 april 09

Results from the Self Transcendence 5k race, Wednesday 29 April 09, The Meadows, Edinburgh

1	Ray Ward	HBT	16.02
2	Colin Welsh	Border Harriers	16.26
3	Alec Davidson	Falkirk Victoria	16.28
4	Tom Ferrington	Corstorphine RC	16.34
5	Bryan Clark	Corstorphine RC	16.45
6	Adam Priestley	Edinburgh AC	16.51
7	Steve Maniam	Edinburgh AC	17.14
8	Keith Dunlop	Edinburgh AC	17.15
9	Dean Whiteford	u/a	17.18
10	James Ruskin	Edinburgh AC	17.20
11	Ian Logan	West Lothian Tri Club	17.24
12	Stephen Allan	Kirkintilloch Olympians	17.26
13	Ken Rankin	Falkirk Victoria	17.33	1st MV50
14	Will Townsend	HBT	17.41
15	Al Anthony	Central	17.44
16	Tom Carter	u/a	17.49
17	Colin Feechan	Ron Hill Cambuslang	17.59	2nd MV50
18	Dermot Baillie	Edinburgh AC	17.59
19	David Patton	Corstorphine RC	18.04
20	John Anderson	Penicuik H	18.06
21	Willie Jarvie	Portobello RC	18.07	3rd MV50
22	Julian Warman	HBT	18.16
23	Steve Laing	Central	18.22	MV50
24	John MacPherson	HBT	18.27
25	Rupert Nash	HBT	18.32
26	Peter Cameron	Edinburgh AC	18.34
27	Jonathon Ferry	Edinburgh AC	18.35
28	Cath Ferry	Edinburgh AC	18.36	1st F
29	Bruce Malcolm	Corstorphine RC	18.37
30	Oliver Pryce	u/a	18.41
31	Phillip Hendry	Central	18.41
32	Gareth Gibb	Edinburgh AC	18.43
33	Mike Anderson	Corstorphine RC	18.49
34	Heidi Nicholson	Edinburgh Uni hare and hounds	18.55	2nd F
35	Nigel Munro	Edinburgh AC	18.58
36	Kim Threadgall	Edinburgh AC	19.00	3rd F
37	Scott Jarvie	Portobello RC	19.07	MV50
38	Steven Shields	u/a	19.11
39	Tom Bodeker	u/a	19.11
40	Megan Mowbray	HBT	19.13	4th F
41	Eilidh Wardlaw	HBT	19.18	5th F
42	Isobel Knox	HBT	19.25	6th F
43	Steven Darcy	Portobello RC	19.29
44	Ken Mortimer	Edinburgh AC	19.31
45	Vincent Jumelle	u/a	19.32
46	Chris Peggie	Corstorphine RC	19.35
47	David Sloan	u/a	19.40
48	Alan Brownie	u/a	19.41	MV50
49	Kenny Moore	Ferranti	19.47
50	Hamish Cameron	Forres H	19.47	1st MV60
51	Chris Ross	u/a	19.55
52	John Owens	u/a	19.59
53	Scott Williamson	Corstorphine RC	20.06
54	Duncan Baker	HBT	20.10	MV50
55	Graham Macleod	Edinburgh AC	20.22
56	Alec Chalmers	u/a	20.23
57	Mike Brown	u/a	20.23
58	Ray Slaine	u/a	20.30
59	Graham Miller	u/a	20.42
60	Andreas Wilhelm	u/a	20.44
61	Pete Ferry	u/a	20.47
62	Nicholas Moyer	HBT	20.47
63	Claire Gilchrist	Ferranti	20.54	7th F
64	Alec Agnew	Lothian	20.57	MV50
65	Stephen Malley	Portobello RC	21.03
66	Heath MacIntosh	Garscube Harriers	21.11	F
67	Tony Johnstone	u/a	21.19
68	Paul Silk	Black Country Triathletes	21.33
69	Dan Murray	u/a	21.35
70	Dario Marrocchelli	u/a	21.38
71	Alex Campbell	Moorfoot Runners	21.39	F
72	Keith Sambrook	u/a	21.40	MV50
73	Amber Lattner	u/a	21.44	F
74	Alison Arnold	Middle Meadow Milers	21.46	F
75	Alan Gordon	HBT	21.50	MV60
76	Eddie Follan	u/a	21.53
77	Steve Blair	Corstorphine RC	21.59
78	Richard Brown	u/a	22.04
79	David Taylor	u/a	22.08	MV60
80	Douglas Brodie	Edinburgh AC	22.09
81	Alastair Scott	u/a	22.14
82	Geoff Mitchell	HBT	22.21	MV50
83	Alex Jackson	Ferranti	22.32	mv60
84	Jane Stephenson	u/a	22.39	F
85	Brian Cowan	u/a	22.43
86	Jim Hill	u/a	22.48	MV50
87	Pamela Whitley	u/a	22.50	F
88	Betty Gilchrist	Ferranti	22.54	1st FV50
89	Kenneth Fraser	u/a	22.55
90	Graham Bennison	Fife AC	22.57	MV60
91	Lucy Marshall	Jog Scotland	23.01	F
92	Duncan Hamilton	u/a	23.04
93	Phyllis Mitchell	HBT	23.09	F
94	Claire Ward	HBT	23.09	F
95	Debbie Macdonald	HBT	23.26	F
96	Sarah Bennison	Fife AC	23.37	F
97	Alan Grierson	Harmeny	23.39
98	Keith Norfolk	u/a	23.40
99	Wendy MacFarlane	u/a	23.48	F
100	Gavin Dicker	u/a	23.50
101	Isobel Brass	u/a	23.52	F
102	Alan Henderson	u/a	23.56
103	Neil Comfort	u/a	24.05
104	Dick Wall	HBT	24.08	MV50
105	Andy Cross	u/a	24.18
106	Susan Blurton	u/a	24.34	F
107	Norman Gould	HBT	24.42	MV60
108	Arek Porsch	u/a	24.46
109	Eddie McDonald	Ferranti	24.50	MV60
110	Siobhan Sellar	Ferranti	24.50	F
111	Ian Elliott	u/a	25.08
112	Fiona Duncan	u/a	25.28	F
113	Michael Joyce	u/a	25.35
114	Adele Inch	u/a	25.39	F
115	Fiona Comfort	u/a	26.46	F
116	Julie Murray	u/a	37.25	F

Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team articles - more articles

A new course record 14:01 for Kevin Campbell at the Scottish 5km Road championship.

Stefanie Tucker takes the women’s title

Another Master’s record for Falkirk’s Fiona Matheson.

Full results HERE

RACE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDING DRONE FOOTAGE : RACE VIDEO HIGHLIGHT

Kevin Campbell of Cambuslang took the men’s Scottish Athletics 5km road title in the annual Sri Chinmoy event at Silverknowes, Edinburgh, with his fellow club member Stefanie Tucker making it a Cambuslang double in taking the women’s title.

Pre-race rain relented just before the start, and minimal wind off the Firth of Forth led to fast times.

A small group set a good early pace, but Campbell then increased the pace, reaching the 3 km mark comfortably in front. Ben Macmillan (Falkirk) was in second, a few seconds back with a small group featuring Aberdeen’s Sean Chalmers, Cambuslang’s Callum Tharme, James Alexander (Garscube) and Robbie Ferguson (Kilbarchan) a few yards back.

Campbell continued to push the pace and was a clear winner, just missing the 14-minute barrier in 14.01. Macmillan took second in 14:08 with Chalmers in 14:12, repeating his 3rd place from 2025.

Alexander, in 5th with 14:17 took the Scottish U/20 title in a new U/20 course record of 14:17.

In the women's race, Cambuslang’s Stefanie Tucker was a clear leader at 3km. Central’s Grace Whelan, Kirsty Walker (Edinburgh AC, and Gala Harriers’ Katie Rourke were a few seconds back, followed by Lasswade’s Amy Franklin.

Tucker also stayed strong in the final 2 km to achieve her goal of dipping under 16 minutes in 15:57.

Whelan took second in 16:12, with Rourke taking the bronze medal in 16:16.

Charlotte Rose-Burton, from Edinburgh University, took the Scottish women's under-20 title in 17:12.

In the Masters Category, there was another outstanding run from Falkirk’s Fiona Matheson. She took advantage of the ideal conditions to lower the British Female V65 5km road best performance to 18:58. (gun time) This was only a week after setting a new British Masters 0/65 record over the 10km distance in Grangemouth.

Adam Gray of Penicuik took the Men's V40 title in 14:58, a second ahead of Corstorphine’s Dermot Cummins.

Moray Anderson, possibly in his first race in a new age category, took the MV50 title in 16:29, with Chris Upson of Cambuslang taking the MV60 title in 17:31.

Lothian Running Club’s Phil Jurczyk, in 41:51, was first MV80.

In the other Scottish women’s Masters titles, there were wins for Dundee Hawks, Sandy MacDougall in 17:21 at MV40, Shettleston’s Avril Masson at MV50 in 18:35.

Fife’s Innes Bracegirdle was 1st FV70 in 23:54

Kevin Campbell led Cambuslang to the team title, backed up by Callum Tharme in 4th and Ryan Thomson in 9th. Edinburgh University were second, and Shettleston were third.

The Edinburgh AC trio of Kirsty Walker, Mercss Sanchez-Oliver, and Hannah Cox took the women’s team gold medals from Central AC and Shettleston.

Results Men

Kevin Campbell. Cambuslang 14:01
Ben MacMillan Falkirk Vics 14:08
Sean Chalmers Aberdeen. 14:12

Women

Stefanie Tucker Cambuslang . 15:57
Grace Whelan Central AC 15:59
Katie Rourke Gala Harriers 16:16

Master's category positions

MV40 1. Adam Gray Penicuik Harriers 14:58
WV40 1. Sandy MacDougall Dundee HH 17:21
MV50 1. Moray Anderson Corstorphine 16:29
WV50 1. Avril Masson. Shettleston 18:35
MV60 1. Chris Upson Cambuslang 17:31
WV60 1. Fiona Matheson. Falkirk Victoria 18:58
WV70 1. Innes Bracegirdle Fife AC 23:54
WV70 2. Liz Bondi Lothian RC 29:10
MV80. Phillip Jurczyk Lothian RC 41:51

Juniors

Men U/20 1, James Alexander. Garscube. 14:17
Wom U/20 Charlotte Rose-Burton EDin Uni HH 17:12
MU17 1. Ben Baillie East Kilbride 14:43
WU17 1. Rachel Caves Harmeny 17:56

All results TBC.

A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THE HELPERS WHO CHEERFULLY HELPED, DESPITE THE DOWNPOUR OF RAIN. WE REALLY ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO YOU ALL.

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Course record for Logan Rees at the Scottish 5km Road championship.

Morag Millar takes the women’s title, just missing her course record.

it was a breezy evening at Silverknowes and a great turnout with 531 finishers. Thank you to all the runners who turned up and hopefully you were all happy with your run on the night. A BIG thank you to all the helpers including the set up and take down crew (MASSIVE THANK YOU), registration crew, marshalls. shute funnerllers, announcer and Scottish Athletic officials who all came together to make a seamless enjoyable race event. Special mention to Tony Marsh (Film and Photography) for the amazing race video with superb drone footage. Thank you Tony.

Logan Rees of Fife AC took the men’s Scottish Athletics 5km road title In a competitive race with Central’s Morag Millar taking the women’s title. Despite the breeze blowing off the Firth of Forth there were fast times.

A group of four led at the 3km point including Rees (Fife AC), Clubmate Ben Sandilands and the Cambuslang duo of Jamie McKinnon and Callum Tharme. Aberdeen’s Sean Chalmers, Hamish Hickey (Central) and Ryan Thomson (Cambuslang) were just a few strides behind.

It was Rees who proved the stronger in the final kilometre to take the win in a new course record of 14:04. McKinnon took second place in 14:06 with Chalmers third in 14:08, both also inside Jamie Crowe’s previous best of 14:12 from 2023.

In the women's race Shettleston’s Lynn McKenna led at 3km from Central’s Morag Millar and Edinburgh’s Nancy Scott, It was Millar who powered home in the last kilometre to take the Scottish title for the third time just two seconds outside her course record from 2019 in 15:57. Scott also dipped under the 16 minute mark with 15:59 while McKenna took third in 16:02. Millie McClelland-Brooks, of Inverclyde, in 4th place, took the women’s under 20 title in 16:06, inside the best previous U20 time on the course of Natasha Phillips, 16:14 from 2023.

In the Men's Junior under 20 championships, Edinburgh University’s Angus Wright took gold in 14:30.

There were some impressive Masters performances, with Corstorphine's Stuart Livingstone setting a new MV40 Course record of 14:57 ahead of Edinburgh AC’s John Lenehan 15:10.

Brent Brodie, Bellahouston, set another course record in the MV50 category with 16:17, two seconds inside Scott McDonald’s 16:19 from 2019.

Ed Norton took the MV70 title with 20:47 in a close battle, edging out Jim Scott of Edinburgh (EAC) by just three seconds.20:50.

Laura Haggarty took the WV40 in 17:50.

Pamela Baillie took the WV50 Gala Harrriers 18:58.

Fiona Mathieson took the WV60 Falkirk Victoria 19:00.

Jamie McKinnon led Cambuslang to the team title, backed up by Callum Tharme in 4th and Ryan Thomson in 6th. Central were second and Fife AC were third.

The Edinburgh AC trio of Nancy Scott, Kirsty Walker and Hannah Cox took the women’s team gold medals from Shettleston and Edinburgh University Hares and Hounds.

Masters category positions

MV40 1. Stuart Livingstone Corstorphine 14:57

WV40 1. Laura Haggarty Kilmarnock 17:50

MV50 1. Brent Brodie Bellahouston 16:17

WV50 1. Pamela Baillie Gala Harrriers 18:58

MV60 1. David Cross. Edinburgh Athletic Cub 18:08

WV60 1. Fiona Mathieson. Falkirk Victoria 19:00

MV70 1. Ed Norton PH Racing Club 20:47

2. Jim Scott Edinburgh Athletic Cub. 20:50

MU17 1. James Alexander. Garscube 14:30

WU17 1. Nancy Corrie Harmeny 17:02

All results TBC.

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Thanks to everyone who took part in our Flat, Free, Fun, Five KM Race at BAWA, run in conjunction with the excellent Bristol Running Show. Now we have a measured course around the flat playing fields, we may make this an annual fixture.

Results are attached.

Our next races are the SBR-Mini Duathlon (run-bike-run) at Tockington on 30th March and our 1-mile junior + 2-mile open race at Eastville Park on May 6th.

See you there!

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This year our race incorporated the UK 24 Hour Championships. 42 Runners set started out on a sunny Saturday afternoon. 24 Hours later, 29 bold, courageous, fearless competitors triumphed having faced down hours and hours of heavy rain through the night; truly a race of two halves weather-wise. For the third time in the history of our race, a woman won the race; Sarah Funderburk of Mornington Chasers displayed utter focus, grit and brilliance to record 131 Miles. Brian Robb stuck his head down and didn't let the constant rain distract him to finish 1st Man, setting a new PB of 123 Miles. Per Audun Heskestad recorded a remarkable 108 Miles to win 1st Vet 60 at the age of 69. Who inspired us and the competitors alike the most? Unquestionably the remarkable Patricia Seabrook who ran 51 Miles putting 'ageing' into the corner at 84 years young. We pay tribute to the amazing courage and achievements of all the competitors. Results are posted here, you can find individual split times https://my.raceresult.com/307656/

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About the author:

Tejvan organises short-distance running and cycling races for the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in his home city of Oxford. He is also a very good cyclist, having won the National hill climb championships in 2013 and finished 3rd in the National 100 Mile Time Trials in 2014.

For many years, scientists debated whether a sub-four-minute mile was humanly possible. For decades, the goal remained elusive but on the 6th May 1954, Roger Bannister broke the magic milestone with a time of 3:59:4 on Iffley Track, Oxford. It was one of the most iconic sporting records and achievements. Interestingly after Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile, quite a few other runners started to break the invisible barrier. Australian John Landy lowered the mark to 3 mins 58.0sec just six weeks after Bannister. The current record is held by Hicham El Guerrouj in a time of 3:43.13.

Self-Transcendence

Often things can seem impossible to the mind, but when a pioneer breaks a record or achieves something entirely new, it gives us the confidence to follow in their footsteps.

"If we believe in our own
Self-transcendence-task
Then there can be
No unreachable goal."

- Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy often referred to his philosophy of self-transcendence - the belief and faith that we can try and go beyond self-imposed limits and achieve something new.

70th Anniversary - 6th May 2024

Earlier in the day, there had been public races in Oxford to mark the occasion; including a replica one mile race on the Iffley track. Three runners went under 4 minutes.

Our first two-mile race of the season was on the 6th of May 2024, which happened to be the 70th anniversary of this iconic record.

Video of 2 Mile Race, plus Short Archive footage of Roger Bannister

Sri Chinmoy on the Four-Minute Mile

"One mile in under four minutes was a dream, and Roger Bannister manifested the dream. Now, how many people have run a mile in under four minutes? Someone has run in 3:44. When Roger Bannister ran in just under four minutes, the whole world adored him. Now someone has run two miles in under eight minutes. It is unimaginable! Like that we can do many things."

Excerpt from "My Prophecy"

Related

Results from the race
Quote from "No Unreachable Goal" by Sri Chinmoy

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About the author:

I have a new fitness goal – training for the “Centenarian Decathlon” – i.e be fit when you are really old. The idea is that as we get older, our muscle and fitness declines rapidly. It means we can spend the last 10 years of our life, unable to move properly. The body fails before the heart and brain. The only way to be fit and mobile in the last decade of our life is to start training for it now.

The idea of a Centenarian Decathlon comes from Peter Attia – a doctor and fitness guru, who has spent a lot of time researching how to combat ageing and improve our healthy lifespan. He wrote a good book – “Outlive” which goes into different aspects of things that make a difference in improving life-expectancy and healthy life expectancy. An important conclusion from all his scientific research is that if you did one single thing to improve life and healthy life-expectancy – it is exercise. Exercise is the single most important thing that makes a difference. Try to eat healthy, get good sleep, minimise stress and cultivate happiness. But, if there is a magic bullet, it is exercise – aerobic, VO2 max and core strength.

The great thing about this book is that it really resonated with the philosophy of my spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy. Sri Chinmoy valued physical fitness as it enables us to a have more rounded, fulfilling life.

"Physical fitness is of paramount importance. We are not practising sports to be the world’s greatest runner or athlete. We are praying to God to keep our body physically fit so that early in the morning we can pray and meditate and begin our day’s journey with a prayerful heart. If we do not do sports and take exercise to keep the body fit, then we may become weak and sickly and suffer from all kinds of pains and ailments." Sri Chinmoy answers, part 2, Agni Press, 1995

I remember Sri Chinmoy once said that once you are over 50 you should try and if possible do 2-3 hours of exercise and stretching per day. In this regard, Sri Chinmoy definitely practised what he preached. He himself would take regular exercise and stretching to keep fit.

"Physical fitness is of paramount importance. Do whatever exercise you want to, as long as you do something. I take daily at least two hours' exercise, sometimes two and a half, sometimes three. Usually, I do it at three different times during the day. Even at night, before I go to bed, I have some special exercises that I take." - Sri Chinmoy, Inner Meaning of Sport

When Sri Chinmoy was young, in India he was an excellent sprinter and decathlon champion. When he came to the West, he took up distance running. Unfortunately, as many of us will relate to, he experienced bad knee pain, which forced him to stop running. But, he never used this as an excuse to stop exercising. He would walk or exercise with weights. In his mid-70s, Sri Chinmoy was still active in weightlifting. I remember watching Sri Chinmoy walk painfully to a lifting apparatus and then use the parts of his body which could take the strain. Injury was never an excuse. In fact, in one tv interview, Sri Chinmoy explained his philosophy was to try and inspire people of his generation.

The idea of 2-3 hours per day exercise seems such a long-time. But, now I’m getting closer to 50, I have a goal to do this. And the thing is that to do 2-3 hours of exercise a day, you don't have to spend 2-3 hours in a gym. Try stand on one leg with your eyes closed! It's not as easy as it sounds. When waiting in a queue, you can do single leg exercises and stretches. Passes the time in a constructive way. Also, to create a time, I took to speed walking to the supermarket. Carrying shopping on back, is all good training.

Age is in the mind

In addition to training for old age, it is also worth trying to bear in mind, the philosophy "Age is in the mind - not the body" Sri Chinmoy's approach was always to imagine ourselves as young, not old.

Age is in the mind; age is not in the body. When we think that we are old, that is the end, the very end, of our journey. Every day at every moment only think that you are a seven-year-old or a nine-year-old or ten-year-old, but do not think that you are over thirty." Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy answers, part 35, Agni Press, 2004

Healthy Life-expectancy

Despite improvements in medicine we risk seeing a decline in healthy life expectancy through poor diet and exercise.

By the way, healthy life-expectancy is the age at which we are physically able to live an active life. The way modern medicine and health systems are set up – we focus a lot of effort on treating the symptoms of ill-health (and old age), but do very little on preventative medicine. But, we can definitely start now to improve our strength and fitness which is probably the best preventative medicine.

Vo2 Max

The good news for keen cyclists. VO2 max is one of the most reliable guides to life expectancy. The higher the VO2, there is a very strong correlation for higher life-expectancy. Even small amounts of high intensity training, can boost our VO2 max and our fitness. VO2 max steadily declines with age, but we can partly arrest the decline through training VO2 max specifically. In my own cycling, this year I haven’t done very much VO2 max efforts at all, just pottering around town. So this is a good reminder to make more of an effort in this regard.

Aerobic Base

As you might expect the more you improve your aerobic base, the more good things happen for our health. It improves our cardiovascular health, but also our general mood and feeling of well-being.

The Harvard professor in this video is very good. One of the most interesting things I learnt was when people are unfit, if they exercise they don’t get the same ‘buzz’ / ‘dopamine’ effect that trained athletes do. This is why unfit people don’t like exercise, it is just all suffering, little reward. But, when you get to a certain level of fitness, then increasingly the body is able to send a reward of ‘dopamine’ and exercise becomes much more enjoyable. This is why it can be so hard to get going with exercise; at the start, it is not much fun. But, if you can get a critical mass of fitness then everything becomes easier because exercise itself becomes more enjoyable. I’ve found that in my own exercise cycles. When you’re fit and firing on all cylinders, you can’t wait to get back on the bike and do more training. But, when you get out of the habit, the idea of doing hill intervals or whatever, appears less desirable.

Core strength

Another really important thing about training for old age is general all-round strength. As a cyclist, I have often been guilty of focusing only on cycling and not doing the more ‘boring’ core strength exercises. My body type is perfect for long-seated hill climbs. But, equally, it is unsuited for doing pull-ups and push ups. Yet, when you get really old, this kind of upper-body strength could be the difference between pulling yourself out of bed and being bedridden. I spend some time with a friend with Parkinson’s. When it kicks in, the legs stop working and to get out of bed, it requires pulling on bars to get up. It is touch and go, and this is a real motivation for training for old age. You realise every workout and muscle strength you developed – makes the difference of whether you can get out of bed, and being able to do basic tasks. There are also other exercises you can do in small confined spaces. I’m a big fan of eccentrics. Pretty much all using your body weight. The aim is to try and exercise all 600+ muscles in the body. The exercises seem easy, but the first time I did a 30 minute session, I couldn’t believe how stiff I was the next day! Muscles you don’t use in daily life.

Modern life

In the pandemic period, I got into the habit of online shopping. It’s amazing, you click on your computer and all your heavy shopping gets brought to your door. It saves so much effort. I used to take a rucksack when travelling, but now replace it with mini suitcases on wheels. Rather than take the stairs at the airport, we have lifts and travellators. Everything is geared towards comfort and ease of use. When we put a backpack on, it is a bit uncomfortable, so we seek ways to avoid lifting and carrying. Everything that used to keep the body in shape is being replaced by technology which does the heavy lifting for us. But, actually walking with a heavy backpack, is really good training for the body. It is why the army use this kind of training.

All this is good in the short-term, but it means the modern homeo sapiens is losing strength and the ability to function like we are supposed to. When things go wrong, it’s either too late or we just seek a solution to the problem of a weak body – not address the underlying cause. This is why we have to make so much conscious effort to keep the body active and avoid the comfort delusion. For example, when my 70-year-old mother brings in the shopping, I feel the right thing to do is go and help her carry the heavy shopping bags. But, actually, that weight training of lifting heavy shopping is the best thing she can do. She isn't always convinced at my logic!

On average I spend one hour a day cycling around Oxford, Kennington, mostly on the cycle path. It’s a really efficient way to both get around time, save money and keep fit. So that’s a start, but I need to work on improving upper body strength too.

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The Sri Chinmoy 5km race at Sliverknowes, Edinburgh, lived up to its name as “the fast one” with another amazing show of the strength in the depth of the Scottish club scene.

A fresh breeze coming off the Firth of Forth may have affected the times this year a little, but there was no doubting the usual commitment shown by over 500 club runners from throughout Scotland for the traditional Friday night event.

At the sharp end GB Cross Country international, Scott Stirling, improved on his second place from last year to record an excellent 14:17 (gun time ). He was comfortably clear of Edinburgh University’s Finlay Ross-Davie and Fife AC’s Ben Sandilands. In a photo finish Ross-Davie was given the nod by the officials for 2nd place although they both recorded the same time of 14:25.

In the women’s race, there was a victory for Steph Pennycook, who went sub 16 to record 15:55 (15:52 chip time). The Fife AC athlete is only the second female to go below the 16:00 barrier on the course and narrowly missed Morag Millar’s course record of 15:53 gun time (15:49 chip) ) from 2019. Millar finished second this year in 16:09 with Cambuslang Harrier Stefanie Tucker in third with 16:18.

Throughout the field, as is usual with this event, the strength in depth told with 26 men going under 15 minutes, and 12 women going under 17 minutes. In total there were 186 runners under 17 minutes and 394 breaking 20 minutes.

Special mentions to Fiona and Grant Matheson who claimed a family double by winning Gold and Silver respectively in the Masters V60 category.

Also to Sandra Branney, former GB marathon International and multiple age group record holder who had turned 70 three days before the race. She recorded 21:51 gun time (21:43 chip). If confirmed, this betters the listed GB time for 5km currently held by Yuko Gordon who ran 21:53 in January 2022.

For category and gender results click here to go to Perfect Timing:

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SRI CHINMOY 5KM RACE, EDINBURGH, Friday 3 May 2024.

INCORPORATING THE SCOTTISH 5KM ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS

by Tarit Adrian Stott

The Edinburgh Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, was again asked to organise the Scottish 5km Road championships. We hold our annual event on a beautiful flat out and back course on a wide esplanade by the River Forth. Although there can often be a breeze by the river, our course is renowned for fast times and over the years for its strength in depth.

We organised our first race there, a five miler, in 1981. Somewhere along the way, with the popularity of the 5km distance in the UK, we developed the 5km event.

Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the Marathon Team, ran and walked on the course on a visit to Edinburgh in 1983, when we staged a 5 mile event. My memory recalls him commenting to us afterwards “You have so many fast runners at your races. Very Good!”

This year it once again lived up to its name as “the fast one” with another amazing show of the strength in depth of the Scottish club scene.

A fresh breeze coming off the Firth of Forth, may have affected the times a little this year, but there was no doubting the usual commitment shown by over 500 club runners from throughout Scotland for the traditional Friday night event.

At the sharp end Great Britain Cross Country international, Scott Stirling, improved on his second place from last year to record an excellent 14:17 (gun time). He was comfortably clear of Edinburgh University’s Finlay Ross-Davie and Fife AC’s, Ben Sandilands. In a photo finish Ross-Davie was given the nod by the officials for 2nd place although they both recorded the same time of 14:25.

In the women’s race, there was victory for Steph Pennycook, who went sub 16 to record 15:55 (15:52 chip time). The Fife AC athlete is only the second female to go below the 16:00 barrier on the course and narrowly missed Morag Millar’s course record of 15:53 from 2019. Millar finished second this year in 16:09 with Cambuslang Harrier Stefanie Tucker in third with 16:18.

Throughout the field, as is usual with this event, the strength in depth told with 26 men going under 15 minutes, and 12 women going under 17 minutes.

In total there were 186 runners under 17 minutes and 394 breaking 20 minutes. Just over 500 runners ran the event.

Special mentions to Fiona and Grant Matheson who claimed a family double by winning gold and silver medals in their respective Masters V60 category.

Also to Sandra Branney, former GB Marathon International and multiple age group record holder who had turned 70 three days before the race. She recorded 21:51. If confirmed, this betters the listed Great Britain time for 5km currently held by Yuko Gordon who ran 21:53 in January 2022.

We are just a small group in Edinburgh, and as the race has grown over the years, we have enlisted the help of runners from the local Edinburgh clubs to make the event run smoothly. The Marathon Team, and the races we have promoted for over 40 years now, are very much a part of the local running community, which really appreciates the efforts we have made with our events.

Selflessly giving up our time to help with projects is so much at the heart of Sri Chinmoy’s philosophy and we are lucky that our local running community also embrace a commitment to helping at each others events whenever asked.

This year we needed over 50 volunteers to make the race work, and they are all blown away with the whole atmosphere this event creates.

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Sarah Webster and Dougie Selman take UKA 100km titles as Webster sets a new European women’s 100km record.

Ronnie Richmond sets a new British 50km mens road record in taking the UKA 50km title. Jennifer Wetton lands the UKA Women's 50km crown.

Full Results HERE

In near-perfect conditions, the Sri Chinmoy 100km and 50km races produced some outstanding performances in Perth on Sunday 24th March. The 1.5 mile /2.831 km course, at the North Inch Park is known for fast times and this year was no exception.

Women's 100km race

Sarah Webster ( Northern IOM AC) broke the European women’s 100km record (subject to confirmation ) with a new time of 7 hours, 3 minutes and 48 seconds. It bettered the previous time, of 7:04:03, set by Florianne Hot of France, in August 2022 by a mere 15 seconds.

Webster, the defending champion, had run a faster 7:03:40 to win the 2023 championship in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, which set a new GB mark. However, due to a technicality, it was not ratified as a European record.

This time Webster went through 50km in 3:26:01 with Melissa Gibson, Ealing, just 40 seconds back. Julia Davis, Newquay, was a further 4 minutes back on 3:30:46. Webster powered on to run remarkably even splits with a second 50k of 3:27:39. It was an extraordinary performance from Webster who now has the 5th and 6th women’s global best tomes for 100km.

Gibson and Davies times, now move to 2nd and 3rd on the GB all-time women’s 100km rankings behind Webster.

Gibson took the silver medal in 7:13:23 and Davies the bronze medal in 7:25:48 It made for a clean sweep for England in the women's Home Countries team competition, with all 3 runners well inside the previous course record of 7:41:12 set by Jo Murphy in 2002.

Mens 100km race

In a very exciting finish to the men’s race, just over a minute separated the first three runners. Once the race had settled down a solid group of around seven runners seemed to be working together, then after the 50 miles the group started breaking up with James Turner, Brighton, leading the charge, Scotland's Dougie Selman, Corstorphine, and Joe Turner, Cambridge, were the only ones to respond and although working hard, were still very much in touch.

Going into the last lap Turner (Brighton ) held a slim 9-second lead over the local favourite Dougie Selman, with Joe Turner ( Cambridge) a further 35 seconds back.

In a storming last lap, Selman was to overhaul Turner, to take the tape in 6:34:28 and raise a huge cheer from the local crowd, James Turner taking second in 6:34:38just 10 seconds behind and Joe Turner 3rd in 6:35:37

All three runners were inside the course record of 6:39:34 set by Matt Dickenson in 2022. And are now the 7th, 8th and 9th ranked All time Gb men at 100km

In the Scottish Championship for the Don Ritchie cups, Selman took the men's title from Chris Richardson (Metro Aberdeen ), who finished 4th overall in the race in a new PB of 6:40:44. Sage Pearce-Higgins, running his first road 100km (Edinburgh AC)took the bronze dipping under 7 hours with 6:56:14.

Sheena Logan ( Fife AC), running her first 100km race, took the women's Don Ritchie trophy, finishing in 6th overall in 8:19:26. Catherine Cowie of Portobello took the Scottish silver medal in 8:26:31 and Fiona Gibson Dundee Hawkhill the Bronze in 10:22:05

The Anglo Celtic Plate Team Competition.

Selman backed up by Richardson and Michael Deason (Shettleston) took the men's Plate ahead of England, Northern Ireland and Ulster.

In the women's Team competition, England with their clean sweep of the podium took the honours, with Ireland in second and Northern Ireland & Ulster third.

In other notable record performances, Ciaran McGonagle set a new Irish 100km record of 6:50:28 finishing in 6th place and first V/40.

Shettlston Harrier, John Duffy, who turned 60 on Friday 22nd March, set a new Scottish V/60 100km record of 8:50:59, TBC, bettering the 8:58:51 recorded by Bill Hutchison (Anster Haddies) at Perth in 2016.

UKA and SCOTTISH 50 KM CHAMPIONSHIP

Mens Championship

In a day of records, Ronnie Richmond, Bideford, and Andy Davies, Mercia Fell Runners, both GB internationals at the distance, ran together for practically the whole race, helping each other to exceptional times. At the end of lap 19 of the 21 laps, they were locked together at 2:32:16

At the bell, Davies had broken clear to have a narrow lead of 10 seconds.

On the last 2.382 km lap, Richmond turned that around to take the UKA 50km title in 2:48:25, just eight seconds clear of Davies with 2:48:33.

They were both under the previous GB road record of 2:49:01 set by Dan Nash in 2019. And just outside the long-held British track 50km of former Olympic marathoner Geoff Norman's 2:48:06, set in 1980. Tom Charles, Chorlton Runners, took the bronze dipping under 3 hours with 2:57:45.

Womens 50km Championships

The Women’s 50km Championship, also doubled as the Scottish 50km championship. This race was more clear cut with Central AC’s Jen Wetton in her first foray beyond the Marathon, leading from the start and recording an excellent 3:29:03 less than a minute outside the course record of 3:28:07 set by Hannah Oldroyd in 2019. Alison McGill (Fife AC), using the race as a stepping stone, as she builds to defending her West Highland Way title in June, took the silver while Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin (Portobello), the bronze in 4:03:18.

Men's Scottish Championship,

John Spiers of Cambuslang took the honours in 3:21:21, with Tony Golabek, Inverness in second, 3:24:11 and Martin Heggie 3rd in 3:24:27.

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On a beautiful summer's morning, Charlie Sandison ran a scorching 31:11 to win the race. Charlotte Taylor was the first woman in 34:13.

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About the author:

Nirbhasa is from Ireland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.

Hill climbs are one of the two main disciplines in the UK amateur cycling calendar (the other being time trials). To mark the 2021 British National Hill Climb championships at the beginning of October, a new documentary by Maciek Tomiczek celebrating the world of hill climbing was released called Surfing The Line. Among other cycling luminaries, the documentary features extensive interview and cycling footage of our very own Tejvan Pettinger, the 2013 winner of the British National Hill Climb championships. Here is an excerpt from Tejvan's interview:

The way i think of it is, we are much more than the body. The mind, the body, the heart and the soul. The mind and the body can be suffering, but there is another part of you, the soul, or whatever you want to call it, that is getting great joy… And for me, its also a way to experience some kind of self-enquiry, to learn more about this deeper part of ourself.

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About the author:

Nirbhasa is from Ireland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.

For a 24-hour race, 100 miles is considered a very respectable result for the average runner! Author and ultrarunner Adharanand Finn set out to do just that in our 24 hour race, held in Battersea, London. His story of perseverance makes for very inspiring reading, regardless of whether you are a top-level ultrarunner or just a beginner. Here is a small extract:

As the hours ticked by I started to make calculations in my head. I hadn’t set out with a pace plan. I had just trusted that if I got into my zone and kept running, I’d make it to 100 miles. I felt that as long as I kept my head together, then I’d do it.

But around 17 hours in I could feel it slipping away. I was just about making four miles per hour at that point. Some hours were better than others, as I rode the moments of doubt, just about managing to stop myself tipping over the edge of the cliff. I could see other people gone. Just like me last time, they had their jackets on and were making their way around at a painful shuffle. Others were lapping like machines, incessantly strong, passing me again and again. How were they doing it? It seemed impossible to be that focussed, that physically capable after so many hours.

I had moments of uplift too. Out of nowhere I adopted a mantra: “I feel no pain. I feel only joy.” It sounds cheesy now, perhaps, but in the heat of the moment, it was incredibly powerful. I’d look up at the city skyline and repeat it over and over, and the pain went. It really did. And for a few laps - sometimes even four or five laps - I’d feel almost euphoric. I was still only shuffling along, but I was running.

Read the rest of the story here »

Adharanand has written three great books on ultrarunning, contributed numerous articles to the Guardian and other publications, and hosts his own podcast called The Way of the Runner. You can find out more on his website...

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At our new home of Millennium Stadium Track in Battersea Park, 45 runners pushed themselves to their limits and wowed us all. Pat Seabrook set a raft of Vet 80 records, including World Age Bests for 6, 12 and 24 hours, and British World Age Bests for 50K, 50 and 100 Miles. Hristo Tsvetkow broke two Bulgarian records during the race, setting a 12 hour record of 141.3K and a 100 Mile record of 14:41:26. Peter Abrahams' consistent pace through the race saw him claim first place with 143.5 Miles, whilst Jen Coleman was close on his heels with 141.9 Miles.

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I remember my first ultra-run. It was with a group of friends who had decided to run from London to Brighton. Our course was about 50 miles. The furthest I had ever run before that was a marathon. It felt like a big jump - almost double the distance. It was a step into the unknown. I had no idea if I would be able to do it or what I would experience.

I was fortunate that the group contained some experienced ultra-runners who had already covered this kind of distance (and much longer) many times. But the other half of the group were newbies, like me. Looking back on it, it was the perfect introduction. It was not a race, it was relaxed. There was no pressure to keep to a particular pace, we had lots of breaks (including a picnic!), it was a beautiful route through some charming villages, and most importantly it was a lot of fun! Of course it did get more and more difficult, but we all pulled together and everyone finished.

I felt a real sense of achievement because I wasn't sure whether I would be able to complete it. Afterwards, travelling back in the car it suddenly hit me. This was a really long way - it was even taking a long time by car on the motorway! We ran that whole way. Wow!

This is the thrill of ultra-running. You can do so much more than you think you can. You can go beyond your limits. We all limit ourselves. We tell ourselves that we can do this and can't do that. We create boundaries for ourselves. But the reality is that we can do far more than we think. My meditation teacher, Sri Chinmoy, takes it one step further: "We are all truly unlimited, if we only dare to try and have faith". So, there are actually no boundaries to what we can do. Just consider that!

This process of going beyond your limits Sri Chinmoy called "self-transcendence". He was, himself, the very embodiment of self-transcendence - endlessly creating. He drew millions of bird drawings, created over 100,000 poems, composed over 23,000 songs, gave 700 peace concerts around the world as well as excelling in weightlifting and many other diverse activities. Self-transcendence in the ultra-running world took the form of multi-day races which over time would increase in length from 6-day to 10-day, 700 miles to 1000 miles and then 1300 miles. Eventually it would culminate in the 3100 mile race - the world's longest running race, which is now held annually.

Self-transcendence is an inspiring goal but we all know in practice it can be very hard. Our muscles become very stiff so it is difficult to move, we get blisters, injuries assail us, our energy levels can crash and our stomach can find it difficult to digest everything we are taking in. However, I came to realise that although these were difficult experiences, they were not the hardest thing to overcome.

After running a marathon in one of my best times, I was talking to an ultra-running friend. He also ran the marathon but was inspired to run in a 47-mile race only 3 days later. To me this seemed crazy. It would normally take me a few weeks to really recover from a fast marathon and I would definitely leave it a few months before running another long race. The idea was unthinkable and so I didn't even consider it.

However, I met a few other people who also wanted to run this race and somehow I got caught up in the inspiration. That tiny mental shift from thinking something is impossible to entertaining it as a possibility allowed things to change... fast! The idea kept gnawing away at me until I felt that I should, in Sri Chinmoy's words, "dare to try" - for the experience if nothing else!

The start of the race felt odd. Normally I would find this part very easy - I would just have to control myself not to run too fast - but this time I was running slowly because I had no choice! I was still very stiff from the marathon. I was laughing because the idea of running 47 miles when I was already struggling in the first few miles felt crazy. But slowly things started to loosen up and I began moving quite well.

However, just after the half way point things started to get difficult. Very difficult. My energy really dipped. Instead of being one of the faster runners on the course I was now one of the slowest. Many people were passing me - even some old, non-runners. I had nothing left, I was finished. My thoughts compounded the problem: of course I couldn't do this; I was never any good at endurance events; what was I thinking? I should just quit the race and spend my time doing other things that I enjoyed more etc... When everything is hurting it is very easy to convince yourself to stop.

After a few miles in this sorry state I bumped into my friend Karteek (an experienced multi-day runner and English Channel swimmer) who was also running the race. I told him all my problems and that I really just wanted to give up. He encouraged me like anything to continue... but I was stuck in my own mental space and didn't want to listen to him.

But then I realised that he was also moving very slowly. I expect he had many more problems of his own, maybe they were worse than mine - but he was in a very cheerful, positive mood and had never countenanced the idea of pulling out. And this was the big difference between us. It was this difference that meant that he would finish the race while I would give up.

So - I decided to continue! It was very difficult but the energy crash did eventually go. Maybe it only lasted for 45 minutes or so but it felt like an eternity. However, it did go and I did finish. It was an important lesson. The difficult times will pass.

My main obstacle to finishing the race was not my physical suffering or even the energy crash. It was my own thoughts. I had let my thoughts run wild and they had convinced me to stop.

Our thoughts are incredibly powerful. They can control and bind us. How many thoughts we have at every moment! Thoughts about the past - regrets and problems, thoughts about what could happen in the future, worries and anxieties. Most of these thoughts are unnecessary and can often affect us in a negative way.

If we can learn to still our minds and focus on the present moment then we can simplify our lives and are able concentrate on what is important. We can harness the power of positive thoughts. This is the art of meditation. Meditation can have a positive influence on our lives and on all our activities - including ultra-running.

A few days later I had my third lesson in ultra-running. An experienced multi-day and 3100-mile runner, Ushika, invited me to join him on a 7-mile run. However, after completing both races my body was depleted and was horrendously stiff. I was struggling to walk around, so I declined his invitation. However, he wasn't giving-up on me that easily! So, I thought I would give it a try...

I have to say he was very patient with me. I was a series of complaints and problems but Ushika always had an answer. My Achilles is hurting so much. "Well, try doing this stretch". I have a sharp pain in my hamstrings. "OK, we will walk for a bit". I am feeling tired. "OK, let's stop for a few moments". Like this, eventually we covered 7 miles and for periods I was jogging fairly comfortably, albeit slowly.

How is that possible? This really blew my mind. When I was running with Ushika I felt like there really were no limits to how far you could run. You just had to find solutions. Again, it was a difference in attitude. I was always focusing on my problems and finding reasons why I should stop, but Ushika was always finding solutions so we could continue. Maybe this was the "faith" part of Sri Chinmoy's aphorism. Ushika had such belief that he would complete the distance that problems were just temporary setbacks and not insurmountable obstacles.

So, these are three things that I have learnt about ultra-running: you can do much more than you think you can; don't let negative thoughts control you and force you stop; when you have a problem, don't give up but look for a solution - there will always be one, you just have to keep trying!

Or, as Sri Chinmoy says: "We are all truly unlimited, if we only dare to try and have faith".

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Unfortunately, we have not been able to hold our Portishead Triathlon as usual. However Garga, our race organiser has put together this guide to how to train while staying withing guidelines.

Training tips 2021 (pdf)

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About the author:

Nirbhasa is from Ireland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.

In 2013, after many years of trying and some very near podium misses, Tejvan Pettinger from the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team won the national cycling hill-climb title, one of the top races on the UK national cycling calendar. Tejvan began cycling in earnest in 2005, but despite being a promising rider the prospect of a national title seemed very much like a faraway dream.

In the year before his passing in 2007, Tejvan's Guru (or spiritual teacher), Sri Chinmoy, made quite a few references to Tejvan being 'our cycling champion'. Sri Chinmoy preferred to teach his students through silent meditation, and was not one for frivolous comment; often these seemingly offhand remarks had a way of awakening his students to new possibilities. (For example, also in 2006-7, Sri Chinmoy repeatedly and seemingly offhandely asked another student, Grahak Cunningham, whether he had done our longest race, meaning the 3100 Mile race. Even though up until then he had very little ultrarunning experience, Grahak was inspired to start that race and see what happens - he went on to finish the race on his first attempt, and later won the race in 2012).

As the years went past, Tejvan realised that the goal of a national title was indeed possible and put more and more focus on it, both physically in terms of being in the best shape and having the right equipment and approach, but also inwardly in terms of being receptive to divine Grace - a journey which culminated in everything coming together in 2013 for the ultimate prize.

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About the author:

Petra Kasperova from the Czech Republic, the winner of our Sri Chinmoy Six Day Race which took place this year in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York, was recently featured in a new inspirational book called Superhuman, by Rowan Hooper. The book looks at people who have achieved notable features of self-transcendence, and tries to answer what motivates them to reach for these goals. Petra finished this year's race with a total of 370 miles, at only her second attempt at running a multi-day event.

During the 6 day race, the runners can be out on the course for many hours at a time, and have to deal with numerous physical issues. Petra credits meditation with giving her the inner strength to overcome these obstacles.

I am certain I would never do so well in running if it wasn't for meditation and spiritual techniques that I have learned and applied during training and racing. The techniques can change from race to race and even during a race. I like to repeat mantras, qualities and prayers - that seems to help keeping my mind calm and focused. I try not to think at all, just to be focused. Repeating qualities like gratitude seem to keep my mind clear and make me more aware of what is going on inside of me and also outside of me.

Running is an integral part of Petra's life - she works in the specialist running shop Run and Become in London, where she advises runners on all manner of running issues. She often trains by running to work and back.

"I find that running has made me stronger, not just physically but on many different levels. It is always when we go outside our comfort zones, outside what we think is possible, when we transcend ourselves in any field of life (not just running), that's the time where we need to dig deep, and when we do, we get glimpses of who we truly are and who we really want to be – for a happy self and a happy world."

The winners of the 2018 Sri Chinmoy 6 and 10 Day Races: (l-r) Asprihanal Aalto, John Geesler, Ilvaka Nemcova and Petra

Petra's Victory in the Six-Day Race 2018 at Run and Become
Six-Day Race at Sri Chinmoy Races
Superhuman by Rowan Hooper at Amazon

Photos: Utpal Marshall. Perfection Journey

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43 athletes took to the pool and the park to complete the GO TRI Swim-Run at Filton Leisure Centre / Elm Park.

Thanks to all the athletes who braved the chilly conditions and the marshals who got out there to make the race happen!

In the womens' race, Rebecca Hayward (The Triathlon Shop Racing Team) took top spot and an impressive second place overall, finishing in 16:56.

Fastest man was Raf Leszczynski, who started in the final wave and tore through the field to clock 15:31.

Photos will all be in our online gallery within a couple of days - some are uploaded already. Full results are in the attached PDF.

Our next race is the 2-Miler in Eastville Park - that's Tuesday May 15th.

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43 athletes took to the pool and the park to complete the GO TRI Swim-Run at Filton Leisure Centre / Elm Park.

Thanks to all the athletes who braved the chilly conditions and the marshals who got out there to make the race happen!

In the womens' race, Rebecca Hayward (The Triathlon Shop Racing Team) took top spot and an impressive second place overall, finishing in 16:56.

Fastest man was Raf Leszczynski, who started in the final wave and tore through the field to clock 15:31.

Photos will all be in our online gallery within a couple of days - some are uploaded already. Full results are in the attached PDF.

Our next race is the 2-Miler in Eastville Park - that's Tuesday May 15th.

View full article »

About the author:

Vilas Silverton of the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team recently completed a 5,474km cycle ride across Australia - as part of the Indian Pacific Wheel Race.

Vilas from Bristol, England started in Perth on 17 March and finished in Sydney nearly four weeks later. The route crossed the wide uninhabited plains of Western Australia before passing through the cities of Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. During the race, Vilas rode mostly unsupported, often sleeping in make-shift shelters and buying his food on the way. For over 3,000 miles Vilas had to contend with heat, traffic, fatigue, long straight sections of headwind, the weight of his equipment, and the occasional temperamental kangaroo.

Vilas got inspired to do the ride after following the race in previous years and seeking a new personal target for self-transcendence in cycling.

In preparing for the race, Vilas attempted a few long audax rides through Great Britain, including a ride from Bristol to Glasgow and back. Over the cold English winter, Vilas completed several weeks of high mileage. However, his preparation was hampered by a knee injury from January to March, which meant little training in the final months. But, after an eventful few weeks, Vilas was able to complete the full distance finishing in Sydney.

Interview with Tejvan Pettinger

Q. What inspired you to do the race?

I followed the race closely last year, and I felt great joy in the heart at the prospect of entering the race.

Q. How did you prepare?

I rode the bike a lot! I built up over the year and completed some periods of high mileage. Though in Jan I injured my knee - so from Jan to Feb - I didn't ride much. And I needed to calm fears about not being able to train and even whether I would even be able to enter. But, after the good training in Dec, I felt I would be OK.

Q. How did you find ride itself?

Riding on the narrow roads was quite challenging. With cars passing close by, I found I was frequently inspired to pray for protection while cycling!

There were many challenges which made the ride more testing. On the first day, I was sick and this continued for much of the first week; as a result, I had to recalibrate my timescale. I just tried to ride as much or little as I could without worrying about time. The main objective was to finish. The fact I was sick meant I didn't physically push too much - it was an effort just to complete what seemed like the minimum.

During the ride, I learnt to be more tolerant and understanding of myself and other people. The various tests highlighted the importance of patience and resilience.

During the ride, I tried to be grateful for the moment and enjoy. When cycling I turned my phone off to avoid being distracted and gain an excuse to stop and break my rhythm.

Q. What did you enjoy about the event?

Meeting people by the side of the road who were following the ride on GPS tracking. For example, when I reached Adelaide, I found people were there to support and offer encouragement - I was grateful to meet people who were handing out food, and on some occasions putting me up for the night. Special thanks to friends in the Sri Chinmoy Centres in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.

Q. How did you feel about finishing?

I felt relieved, somewhat elated while also being quite tired. When I finished, I discovered a group of riders who had finished earlier were waiting at the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Very unexpected and beautiful. I was also happy not to be riding anymore!

Q. How do feel a week after the race has finished?

It's a really long way! But it is nice to hear people were inspired by the event.

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