Sri Chinmoy Marathon
September 13, 1981
Plainsboro, N.J.
A two-year search by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team for a perfect “flat and fast” marathon course was realized when the first annual Sri Chinmoy Marathon was held in Plainsboro, N.J.
Plainsboro, a bucolic community located next to Princeton and near Trenton and New Brunswick, offered to the duly appreciative runners well-paved, well-shaded country roads winding past fields of ripened corn. The marathon route — certified and sanctioned by the RRCA — consisted of two loops through this setting, the second loop slightly longer than the first.
The 144 participating runners were generous with their praise of the race, many having taken as much as twenty minutes off their usual time!
“Never have I been to a race that was organized and executed in such a professional manner,” stated overall winner Larry Friedman of the Sneaker Factory. “Course management, traffic control, mile markers, split times, aid stations all surpassed a marathoner’s dreams. You have spoiled me.” Larry was clocked in at 2:31:41.
Women’s winner Diana Berner of Scarsdale, N.Y., who has been training hard for a full year, was also well-pleased with her performance, taking more than twenty-five minutes off her previous marathon best and coming in at 3:06:26.
Among the large number of ultramarathoners participating in the event was New Jersey’s great Bill Lawder, who ran 2:39:52.
Helping the runners were Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team members from around the world, who had been at the Team’s New York headquarters since a summer get-together. Japanese, German, French, Italian and Spanish helpers used their best English while serving the thirsty runners along the route.
Captions:
Left: Sri Chinmoy with Cahit Yeter (4th) and daughter. Lloyd Hart Photo
Top right: Larry Friedman. Lloyd Hart Photo
Published in RUNNING NEW JERSEY, Dec. 1981