The race is called “The  Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race” and to run that distance in 52 days says it all. I can personally attest to witnessing the runners in action with my own  four eyes (yes I wear glasses) on several occasions during the last 15 years that this race has been held in Queens, New York.

The notion of running 2 marathons a day from 6 am to midnight for seven weeks leads one to imagine that the participants must be superheroes who have secretly leapt off the screen of the Captain America film opening today in the U.S. or perhaps they snuck out the back door of the Comic-Con Convention going on in California.

As a fellow female, I derive the greatest inspiration from following Surasa Mairer, the only woman in the field of runners this year, now back for her second attempt at reaching the 3100 distance before the end of the race on August 3rd.

Talk about improving with practice! On Day 40, July 22nd, she is 336 miles further along than she was a year ago on day 40 of the race.

A little more than a week ago, blogger Utpal Marshall interviewed Surasa while she was out on the course and compared her achievement to Derek Jeter with his 3,000 hit over the course of his baseball career. Utpal blogs most every day during the 3100 mile race, sharing photos, interviews and quotes from conversations he engages in with the runners, helpers and observers of the race.

Read and listen to Utpal’s post on Surasa here: “July 13: Just a Dream”

Read my post about Surasa from a year ago here: “Surasa Mairer: Ultra-Running Pioneer”

With only 12 days of the race left, it will be a special day indeed if Surasa reaches the 3100 mile distance by the race’s end (last year she achieved the amazing distance of 2760 miles).