That's Grahak completing another lap about 10 seconds in; there aren't many races in which the runners carry umbrellas!
The world's foremost record-setter is here for the birthday festivities. He's currently training to run the fastest mile while dribbling a basketball.
Don't give him any crap for his choice of footwear; with his shin splints and achilles problems, they're the only shoes that feel comfortable to him right now.
Arpan turned 60 today, and he was able to celebrate with a nice accomplishment: his 2000th mile!
By far the oldest competitor this year, he has struggled with injuries throughout the race, but has still managed to average almost 55 miles — more than two marathons — per day. It's an amazing pace for a 60-year-old (or any human), but it's also not quite fast enough for him to complete the race in the time allotted.
He and four other runners are now facing a tough new challenge: continuing to give their all while coming to grips with the ever more certain reality that they won't be able to reach 3100 miles. Of course, there's no prize for achieving that particular number. The reward of this race comes from pushing yourself harder than you thought you could, and surpassing what you thought you were capable of. Such an abstract goal is not magically realized once a certain distance is run, but it's still probably quite difficult to have to recalibrate expectations after so many exhausting, painful miles.
while Ananda-Lahari knocks off another lap. Grahak has less than 500 miles to go! Only one runner, Sopan, has had to drop out so far, but he fought his way through injury to reach 1000 miles before calling it quits.
Here we are at the Self-Transcendence 3100 once again. Sri Chinmoy wrote a short poem (and composed a song) for each day of the race back in 2007, the last year he was alive to see it.
As we've seen before, these new raised subway grates have replaced the standard flush-with-the-sidewalk models in areas with poor street drainage, allowing ventilation while preventing accumulated water from spilling into the subway and flooding the tracks.
They're an attractive (or at least interesting-looking) solution to the problem, and I suppose their wave-like shape does evoke water to some degree, but I think one of their creators went overboard when he claimed that "You’re aware that this is here for storm water . . . It has a didactic purpose." Based on some informal polling, I can tell you that many people on the street have no idea what the hell these things are.
If you're ever feeling unwanted, like your existence on this earth matters to no one, just take a walk down First Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Streets, and glance over at one of these three restaurants as if you might be thinking about stopping for a bite to eat. The barkers stationed outside will kick into high gear, each one fighting over you as if his life depended upon it, forcefully demanding that you — you! — choose his establishment over the others.
The two Indian places at the top are engaged in a long-standing feud over whose cuisine is tastier and who originated the preposterous lighting scheme that they both now employ. And the Bangladeshi newcomer on the bottom floor is no slouch either; on a recent visit, its barker was easily the most aggressive of the bunch.
The classic two-step advertising campaign: start with an SUV parked in the Bronx, then move on to the display window of a Manhattan shipping store.
This playground honors two Peters, Stuyvesant and Cooper, for whom two nearby housing communities are named. I can only assume our old buddy Henry Stern is responsible for the goofy sidewalk plaques paying tribute to other notable Peters, like the two you see here.
I'm walking every street in New York City.
This is the counterpoint to my walk across the US. Instead of seeing a million places for just a minute each, I'm going to spend a million minutes exploring just one place. By the time I finish walking every block of every street in all five boroughs, I'll have traveled more than 8,000 miles on foot — all within a single city. Details!
Email me at matt@imjustwalkin.com
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Maps: Progress | Photos
~9,954 miles walked
Your donations allow me to keep walking full-time. If you think what I'm doing is valuable and you'd like to offer some support, I would be very grateful. On the other hand, if you think I'm a worthless bum, feel free to email me and tell me to get a job, bozo. Both are excellent options!
