On the 31 of June 2004, Kuranga Peel from Austria, finished a 3100 mile race in New York. You have perfectly read correct, a 3100 mile race, organised by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. That is about 5000 km or the distance between the east and the west coast of the USA.
“Running is the most natural thing on earth, it is part of my life.“
Kuranga Peel
Twelve runners from The USA, Ukraine, Australia, Wales, Finnland Germany and Austria dared to line up at the starting line to challenge their endurance.
For 51 days a half mile loop, in the heart of New York , was their home.
To finish the distance in the given time they had to run a minimum of 60.8 miles (97 km)per day.
Smarana Puntigam made an interview with Kuranga Peel in the beginning of 2005.
SP: I just want to congratulate you once more for this marvellous achievement at the 3100 miles race. For an average sportsman this is a task far beyond the mental comprehension .
Can you say something about your sports career?
Peel: Sine I am eight I have always been running and since I am 12 I started training consciously. I also really love the change, so I like to go for climbs, paddling, soccer playing, tennis playing , triathlons and skiing tours. In this way I also have the feeling that my whole body is trained.
SP: How did you get inspired for ultra-running?
Peel: After my first Marathon I was lying on my bed and I said to myself that actually I would have had the capacity to run further. So I took a running magazine in my hands and flipped the pages. There I saw a 100 km race in Austria that would take place in 3 weeks.
I just tried this race and I realised that I still had capacity to go further. By coincidence I heard from a 1000 km race in Australia and I was fascinated. I realized the wish to complete 1000km in 2002 in a 700 miles race organized from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon team in New York. Before that I was running a few 100 km and 24 hour races.
SP: What does your training schedule look like?
Peel: I was running my first marathon in 1987 and at that time I did not do more than one competition per year. Meanwhile I am training up to 170 km per week. If I have the feeling that I do need a recovery week I go for 80 km and when I am in my normal training it is between 100 and 150 km a week. My goal is to go up to 200 km a week, so that I will get also faster on the ultra distances.
What does running mean for you? How do you motivate yourself every time to go out for training?
Peel: To be frank I have never thought so much about it. To run in the nature is the most natural thon for me in the world. It means life, breathing, dynamism, and poise.
It does not really matter for me if the sun is shining or if it is raining or snowing, I just enjoy it to be outside in the nature and feel the environment.
SP: Last year you have become Austrian Champion for 24 hours. The race was just a month before your 3100 mile race. Was this race scheduled as a training or did you go there with the intention to win?
Peel: I have just applied three days before the race and actually it should just be a test run for me , but after a few kilometres I just felt that this would be my day and that I would just have to keep up my pace.
SP: Can you tell us something about the 3100 miles race? It is just amazing that somebody is able to run such a distance by keeping up apace of 100 kilometres a day.
Peel: To be frank, I had total different expectations before the race. After a few days my mind started to revolt. I was painting dreaming before how everything would be at the race and then everything was different. It took me twelve days to get rid of my rebellious thoughts and then I really started to enjoy the race. The longer the distance is the more important is the mind. Every day is like a tiny victory.
SP: You are also meditating, did this help you for your running?
Peel: Absolutely! If you go for 100 km a day and you are 18 hours per day on your legs, it is very important to be focused and your mind has to be positive otherwise every lap is torture. If your mind is negative then a 800 metre lap can feel like running a marathon and every minute seems to be an eternity. If you are happy , then you can hardly feel the lap. The diffenence lies in the mind.
It is really important , that you divide your day into smaller units. I personally divided the day into four parts: Breakfast, lunch, break and dinner. So you can break your day into pieces and it is easier to handle it for the mind.
SP: The duration of the race is seven weeks. Did you have any physic pains or problems during the race
Peel: From time to time I felt something here or there but in the whole I have to say that I was spared. I just got three blisters during the race.
What I do is to listen to the signals of the body already during the training. So, my body tells me when he needs fruits or an isotonic drink and I really do give it to him. Previously I have often felt during eating, that a certain food would not do me a good but I just ate it.
I don´t do this anymore. I am now a vegetarian because I have the feeling, that it is better for me and that I feel much lighter.
SP: The race was nearly going for two month. How was it for you to be in a close company with the same runners for 48 days? Do you get close to the others or is it that after some time you are just getting sick of one another?
Peel: There were 12 runners at the race and with some I really got an intimate contact that will last forever. For example with Madhupran Schwerk, a German runner and also the current world record holder for the 3100, I am still in contact. With others you share some time and some miles and then you go your own ways.
I also got a very good lesson about energy at this race. Normally I always run alone but at this race you tend to form small groups to talk and help one another during the many hours of the day. Here I recognised that everybody has a field of energy around himself and some runners have the tendency to take energy from you while others give and exchange energy. If there is a positive exchange of energy both of the runners benefit. This I have also realised in my day to day life. If I am together with people that are not in tune with me then after a while I might feel exhausted. In this race I learned to say to myself that maybe one is a nice guy but right now it is better to stay away.
SP: At the 3100 mile race, were you competitors or are the runners helping each other?
Peel: Of course there is a little bit of competition, since it is a race, but the distance is just too far, so you try too share and help. I am really happy about everybody who finishes this race, because I know how difficult it is. Everybody can be in front of me, my only goal is to transcend myself, to go one step further than I did before and that gives me real satisfaction.
One thing I have to mention that the organisation is very important. The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team did an outstanding job. The spirit and the willingness to help you with everything that you need helps you to focus on the running and let go from all the other stress besides running.
SP: For 48 day you had to overcome mental and physical obstacles so I guess that such a race leaves marks in your life. In our daily life we are also confronted with many decisions and problems. Do you think that you are now able to handle difficult situations easier?
Peel: What I really learned there was that with determination and patience you are able to achieve your goals. Patience is of paramount importance at this ultra ultra race. In the beginning you hit boarders and limitations and then you just continue and continue and finally you did it. These experiences happens very often and finally you realise that these obstacles are not obstacles any more, it is just you have to do it. It really showed me that the body and the mind can take much more than I thought before.
In this race everything is much more intense and it seems that you can learn many things in a short time. If you are confronted in such a race with a problem, you can not run away, it will stick with you so you have to find a solution. In normal life if you have a problem you can back off and do something else watch a movie but here you have to face it.
SP: How did your kids, your wife and your environment react?
Peel: My kids and my wife were proud of me, because they do know that it is something special. I phoned them every day from the race.
5000 km is for most of my friends just too far to grasp it. Just a few runner friends of mine who have run a marathon or more can really value it.
SP: Is doping a topic for you?
Peel: No, I would not even know with what.
SP: Many people think that nowadays you are not able to achieve something in the sports world if you do not use doping. What is your opinion?
Peel: In the league where I am playing it is not a topic and I also do not have to earn my money with it. It is just a pity for the people who do it, because many of them have no clue about the consequences that doping is bringing about. I do not know how the athletes can be happy if they win with treachery.
In the ultra-races doping can just cover a very limited part, because it is a lot in the mind. The longer the distances the stronger you have to be in the mind. Here meditation can help you and it is a very good complement to achieve inner poise.
SP: What suggestions would you give a runner that is preparing for a multiday race ?
Peel: Without training it does not work; that is the first step. It is very important to prepare your mind and body very well, so that you will be able to understand your body better. It is advisable to run 100 km, 12 hours and 24 hours prior to a multiday race, then you will get a feeling for the distance and the rest is mental preparation.
We really have tremendous resources in our mind.