Aged 31, Vajin works as a manager of a Gandharva Loka music store. But, in his spare time he is able to train for marathons and ultra distance races. Previously Vajin won his first 47 mile ultra race in a time of 5 hours 27 minutes. In 2010 he finished 1st in New Zealand’s Kepler Challenge (60km trail race) .

Vajin wrote of his experience racing in the Commonwealth ultra races.

“It has been a inspiring and uplifting experience, and a true demonstration of the power of sport to bring people together in a spirit of oneness and understanding. Spending time surrounded by fellow athletes who all share your love of the mountains and are all aspiring to transcend themselves was a wonderful experience.”

Related

• Sri Chinmoy Races
• Members of Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team

On 11 July 2011,, Abhejali Bernardováb from the Czech Republic became the 27th  member of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team  to successfully swim the English channel. ( making a total of 42 successful crossing). She completed the swim in a time of 14 hours and 37 minutes.

This video gives an insight into the experience of swimming the English channel, one of the toughest endurance tests in swimming. It is said fewer people have swum the channel than have climbed Mount Everest.

Intrinsic to a successful channel swim is a good support crew who need to help feed and guide the swimmer through the potentially dangerous lanes of the English channel. Abhejali was assisted by support crew Jayalata Dadkovicova, Ritadyumna Tobolkova, Lenka Svecova, Jana Bernardova (Abhejali’s sister) from Czech Republic and Dhavala Stott from Scotland, on the Seafarer II boat piloted by Chris Osmond.

Source: Sri Chinmoy TV

• List of Channel Swims by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team
• Two New channel swims from 2010
• Other experience of swimming the channel

What gives life its value,
If not its inner cry
For self-transcendence?

- Sri Chinmoy ¹

Through his various prolific activities in fields such as sport, weightlifting, music and writing, Sri Chinmoy is an exampel of how a life of prayer and meditation can increase our inner and outer capacities.

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

Sri Chinmoy, ²

Self-transcendence-joy
Unmistakably knows
No equal.

- Sri Chinmoy, ³

Related

• Quotes on Self-Transcendence

Angikar and his helper Ayojan at Shakespeare beach, Dover, by the famous white cliffs.

Angikar completed the swim in 19hrs 24mins on the 8th August, becoming the first Serbian to successfully complete the swim.

Vasanti Niemz

Vasanti Niemz completed her swim on 03/09/2010 in a time of 16 hours 50 mins – 25 years after her first successful crossing in 1985.

After completing her epic swim across the channel, Vasanti proceeded to embark on the next leg of her epic triathlon feat. Running two marathons and cycling 300km to finish in the German town of Aachen. Vasanti’s blog

Channel Triathlon – Vasanti’s blog

List of successful channel swims at Sri Chinmoy Races

Articles on Channel Swims at Sri Chinmoy Races

Trophy winners from the 2010 edition.

Set in the idyllic surrounds of Lake Jindabyne in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, the race is organised by the Australian Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. It combines water and land-based sports over 12 legs, ranging in difficulty from mild to strenuous. Participants can either form a team for the different stages or aim for a solo effort for all legs.

Sri Chinmoy Multi-Sport Classic, Jindabyne at Sri Chinmoy Races

The Sri Chinmoy Multi-Sport Classic in Jindabyne is one of many different athletic events organised by the global Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. You can see other events that have been organised at the global site – Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team

Held November 14 at Auckland’s Trusts Stadium, the first time the impossibility challenging festival has been staged in New Zealand, the event saw two Guinness Records set by Swiss strongman and weightlifter Albert Walter, who first tore a 1440 page phone book in two and then snapped a 30cm long carpenter’s nail, with nothing more than bare hands and steely determination employed.

New Zealander Alistair Galpin, one of the top Guinness World Record breakers of the past decade, set nine new records on the day, including the most lit candles in the mouth, and the fastest time to shell a boiled egg. To celebrate, Galpin broke the record for the most high-fives in a minute.

Other impossible feats made possible included the fastest car tyre change by four employees of tyre company Frank Allen Tyres, the world’s longest balloon chain, the largest dot to dot drawing, and the fastest mile pushing a person in a shopping trolley.

The 16th staging of the event, Impossibility-Challenger was founded in 1982 by accomplished weightlifter and peace-visionary Sri Chinmoy, upon the ideals of self-transcendence and challenging limits, and was staged by the Sri Chinmoy Centre, a prolific non-profit organisation also responsible for the World Harmony Run—the world’s largest participant torch relay—and The Oneness-Heart Tears and Smiles humanitarian aid programme.

Related

• Impossibility-Challenger website

Jumped, thrown and run successfully in Zurich, Switzerland and Munich, Germany since the 1980s, the Impossibility-Challenger festival of record smashing is being staged in New Zealand for the first time, and Director Budhsamudra Knox is confident that success will not be impossible—“We think Kiwis have what it takes to step up to the mark.”

Attempting to cross that mark, and in world record time, is an international field of participants including Alistair Galpin, the New Zealander with the most Guinness World Records, Albert Walter of Switzerland, a bench press champion who tears phone books better than anybody else, and a team of mechanics who will attempt the 4-man car wheel change world record.

The impossibility challenging event also encompasses the Self-Transcendence Games, where hundreds of school children will compete together with celebrities in just for fun events like hula-hoop racing and catching an egg thrown the greatest distance.

The Impossibility-Challenger games were founded in 1982 by the late peace visionary Sri Chinmoy, upon the premise that challenging limitations and the seemingly impossible not only brings the individual joy, but inspires others to transcend that which is challenging in their lives as well.

The event is organised by the Sri Chinmoy Centre, a prolific non-profit organisation also responsible for the world’s largest participant torch relay, the World Harmony Run, and The Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles humanitarian aid programme.

Related

• Impossibility-Challenger website
• Impossibility-Challenger video at SriChinmoy.tv

Karteek Looking across the Channel before his crossing

Karteek completed his first successful channel swim in 1997. Since that year, despite the many challenges of channel swimming, he has been repeatedly drawn back to try another channel crossing. He joins an elite group of people who have managed more than one crossing. In total, only around 1,000 people have successfully swum the English Channel – compared to around 4,000 people who have climbed Mount Everest.

Interviewed by the Scotsman, Karteek said his practice of yoga and meditation, under the tutelage of his teacher Sri Chinmoy, helped give the inner strength necessary for such a difficult endeavour.

“…I keep going back to hone my meditation skills as our Sri Chinmoy teacher encourages us to undertake these tasks to promote self-discipline. Like most brands of yoga, the aim is to silence the restless mind and purge it of negative thoughts. After about six hours in the water, you’re cold, wet and miserable, but it starts to become quite exhilarating…”

Related

• Channel Swimming Page at Sri Chinmoy Races
• Article at Edinburg Evening News

Ripping Telephone Book

Milan Roskopf juggling with three chainsaws - Don't Try this at Home...

Chasing record for Skipping on Stilts

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

- Sri Chinmoy

• Quotes on Self Transcendence

• Impossibility Challenger at Sri Chinmoy Races

A study by Stanford University Medical Center found that elderly joggers were half as likely to die prematurely from conditions like cancer than non-runners. They also found that runners were more likely to lead healthy lifestyles and suffer less disabilities.

According to lead author Professor James Fries:

If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise

Source: BBC

This will come as welcome news for the 11 runners who recently finished the ultimate ultra – 3100 Mile Race.

Sri Chinmoy often spoke of the physical and spiritual benefits of running – View: The inner and outer running at Sri Chinmoy Library