Andrea Marcato adjusts his cap and begins a steady jog along the uneven sidewalk next to Thomas A. Edison High School. He’s preparing to share the story of his journey from the outskirts of Venice to this peaceful neighborhood in Queens. But before diving into his tale, he politely asks, “Would you mind if I run on the inside?”

Marcato, hailing from Italy, prefers the inside track as he approaches the first of four right turns. These turns guide him onto 164th Place, continue along Grand Central Parkway, ascend 168th Street, and loop back to 84th Avenue. After passing by a row of portable toilets and tables set up for the event, he finds himself back at the starting line.

Covering just over half a mile takes Marcato approximately seven minutes, but having the inner lane is crucial. Over the course of 52 days this fall, he will traverse this loop an astounding 5,653 times.

This extraordinary endeavor was initiated by Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy. To complete the challenge, participants must average 59.6 miles daily over seven and a half weeks. At such a pace, they could theoretically run from the East Coast to the West, arriving in Los Angeles with five days to spare.

What’s even more astonishing is that each lap includes an ascent of 3.14 meters. By the race’s end, competitors will have climbed a staggering total of 17,750 meters—twice the height of Mount Everest.

No wonder just 52 people have ever completed it. No wonder some have been reduced to ‘zombies’ or had out of body experiences. Athletes must be invited and this year’s cohort includes runners from China, Russia, Slovakia, Poland… and a debutant from the United States. Alex Ramsey, 40, is attempting to become only the third American man to see the finish line.

‘It’s been a dream planted in my soul for about a decade,’ he says. ‘I’m very honored to be here, running this race, representing the United States of America. My appreciation for America has continued to grow with each lap.’

Like everyone else, Ramsey will pause for naps, massages and toilet breaks. Even perhaps a haircut. But there are no days off. Everyone must be on the start line every morning at 6am, knowing 109 laps will keep them on track.

They are fueled by a constant supply of snacks – including pancakes, empanadas, ice cream and potatoes – and supported by a small team of volunteers who are here from 4.30am. Their jobs include counting runners’ laps, doing their laundry and washing their shoes. Marcato used to bring 60 of the same pair.

By the time I join him for four loops, it is day 34. All 10 runners are still shuffling around the block, while a small collection of sneakers air-dry against the fence. Many had been re-designed by the athletes, who cut giant holes to give their swollen feet room to breathe. They have also devised methods for combatting the tedium. Some meditate. Or pray. Or call their family. Or listen to audiobooks.

‘You just really want to do anything to take your mind off going down the hole – thinking about your how tired you are, or thinking about things that are sore,’ explains New Zealander Harita Davies. ‘Because that doesn’t take you to a good place.’

Marcato passes time by adding up the numbers on license plates of passing cars. But there is some variety to the route: every other day, the athletes run the block in reverse. All while sharing the sidewalk with pedestrians and school pupils.

Every now and then, one of the volunteers will update the Velcro leaderboard and, at the time of writing, Marcato leads by nearly 100 miles. He has already finished this race five times and won it five times.

The Italian played soccer as a kid and also competes as a long-distance swimmer. ‘I started to run marathons,’ he explains. ‘But somehow I felt I was not happy and satisfied.’

So, over the next two decades, Marcato began to push himself further – 24-hour races, 10-day events – and eventually he fancied a crack at this. But in 2018, organizers turned him away. Nearly a decade on, he is now based in Switzerland but around this block, he is the man to beat.

Most of the year, Marcato works in a factory, producing meat alternatives. The Italian competes so often that he barely has time to train. 

‘In 2024 and 2023 I was – worldwide – the man with the most racing kilometers,’ he says. His annual total was around 9,000km. ‘I have a minimum wage of running, let’s say,’ Marcato says. Two miles a day. ‘I have a streak of probably 13 years uninterrupted,’ he says. ‘For the past 25 years, I’ve probably missed 10 days or two weeks.’

The Italian will lose around 20lbs over the course of this race and then pile it back on. He isn’t much of a party animal. He prefers to celebrate by heading home and then out for dinner with his family.

‘They bring me everywhere – to every possible restaurant and pizzeria,’ Marcato explains. His favorite dish? Four cheese. Followed by two miles.

‘After the race is over, I still keep up my routine,’ he says. Even the day after reaching mile 3,100, the Italian will hit the road. 

His best time here (42 days, 17 hours, 38 minutes and 38 seconds) is good enough for third on the all-time list. A Finnish postman named Ashprihanal Aalto holds the course record – 40:09:06:21. That is almost a day faster than anyone else.

The prize for those who survive this 3,100-mile slog is a small trophy and a certificate. Thankfully, no one is here for the trinkets.

Many competitors and volunteers are ‘disciples’ of Sri Chinmoy, who died not far from here in 2007. He believed running allowed people to push beyond their ‘pre-conceived limitations’. He called it self-transcendence.

‘Every day, every edition, I see there is a lot to improve as a human being,’ Marcato says. ‘The racing, it’s secondary for me. The performance – okay, if it comes. If it doesn’t come, it’s okay… the feeling that I look for is, at the end of the race, I want just to be a better human being.’

Alex Ramsey can still remember his first training session for this race. ‘My earliest memory of running was probably six years old,’ says the 40-year-old, who grew up in North Canton, Ohio. ‘Running around my block with my grandma behind me in the car. I was just so fascinated by: “Could I do one loop?”‘

That experience should come in handy. The American, an experienced ultra-marathon runner, works as an engineer by day. He has taken unpaid leave to be here and he snacks on grapes as we walk and talk. These athletes reportedly get through around 10,000 calories a day.

The volunteers ensure no one goes go hungry. Unfortunately all the food is vegetarian and Ramsey is a meat eater. So he asks helpers to bring him the odd burger or slice of pizza.

The American’s body is not used to this level of punishment but he remains in better shape than some. Lu-cong Geng – a Chinese record holder across 1,000km and 2,000km – is struggling badly. 

By day 34, the 56-year-old is hobbling along, hunched over to his right. ‘He has been leaning for about 10 days,’ a volunteer says.

A few years ago, meanwhile, another experienced athlete noticed a small issue with his foot. By the time he consulted a doctor, the wound was infected. Had he left it much longer? Major surgery would have been required.

‘There is always something,’ explains Davies, a four-time finisher. Since her debut in 2017, she has battled blisters, shin splints, nerve pain and issues with her Achilles, metatarsals, hips, and stomach.

To minimize the pain, Marcato uses ointments and walks around every corner. Ramsey warms up by dancing.

‘You get into a rhythm and then, from there, the body just starts flying. And before you know it: “Wow, seven hours just went past.”

The American had sore calves early on but now, he says, ‘The biggest source of agony is when my mind wants to start doing mental calculations.’ Every lap, the counters will tell the runners their daily total. Alas, it doesn’t pay to think too far ahead.

Ramsey prefers to marvel at the human body. ‘Something special starts happening around day five,’ he says. ‘Each day, you actually get stronger and stronger. I don’t know what day this is,’ he says. ‘Now I feel just like I did on day one… maybe a little more sleepy.’

Davies, 50, spoke to the Daily Mail after a short nap. She typically begins her breaks by removing her shoes and inspecting the damage. Then she will stretch and have a short massage before catching up on 10 minutes of shut eye. 

At this point of the race, she slips into a deep sleep. ‘You wake up and are like: “Wow, where am I? Is it nighttime?”’

For these athletes, though, the physical suffering is worth it for the other ‘transformational journey’ they enjoy around this block. ‘Many things change within yourself. You’re not the same,’ Marcato says.

‘In normal life… your mind is caught up by many duties.’ Work, taxes, family, whatever. ‘You are not looking for deep answers within yourself.’ Over these 5,000-plus laps, however, ‘you can really dive deep within and ask yourself what you really want from life.’

Davies agrees: ‘I appreciate the opportunity to really connect with your soul.’ She tends to meditate every morning and evening. She will sing or recite mantras. ‘Or just really try to breathe in peace, breathe in light,’ Davies says. ‘I really try to connect more with the deeper, spiritual part of myself.’

It can be nice to allow your mind to wander. ‘I look forward to just lying in my bed,’ Davies says.

‘But, at the same time, you want to just remember that you chose to be here,’ she says. ‘(And) so many things in this race are like life. You feel like “I’ll be free when the race is over… I won’t have anything to worry about.” But that’s not really the case.’ Why? ‘Real freedom is freedom from your mind,’ she explains. ‘If your mind is full of worries or doubts or stresses, then you’re not free.’

And, for all the pain and plodding repetitiveness, life is simple around this block.

‘All you’ve got to do is keep putting one foot in front of the other,’ Davies says. ‘You don’t have to make any decisions. You have people doing everything for you.… (and) you do it for so long that it really becomes normal.’

Then, once the running stops, reality returns. ‘When you’re at this race, everyone’s just like: “You’re amazing!”” Davies says. ‘And the real world is not like that.’

It creates a rather strange paradox: over these 3,100 miles, life is never harder but also never easier. Never better, perhaps.

‘Nothing compares to this high, man,’ Ramsey says. ‘You go through everything… it’s just like a whole lifetime in a day. And to just stop?’ The American wouldn’t go as far as to say he’s dreading the end. ‘But there is a sadness,’ he says.   

Davies lives a five-minute walk from here. She is currently 10th in the standings, having slipped more than 100 miles behind the cutoff. As it stands, she will not see the finish line. But still Davies grinds – every morning, afternoon and night. Even after this is over, she will wander by this block most days.

‘It’s funny,’ the 50-year-old says. ‘Because in one way, it’s precious. It’s a sacred place. It has so many stored memories… but then, in another way, when the race isn’t happening, it doesn’t have the same magic.

‘You’re like: “Oh, wow. It’s disguised as just a regular city block.” And when the race happens, it’s unveiled as this amazing pilgrimage, journey, energy… it’s kind of fun.’