Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the World Harmony Run, was internationally renowned for his many initiatives towards a more harmonious world.

Born in East Bengal on 27 August 1931, he was an avid sportsman and athlete throughout his life. In his youth, he excelled in sprinting, decathlon, football and volleyball. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was  keen long-distance runner, completing many marathons, ultramarathons nd shorter races. Taking up weightlifting at age 54, he ould set several weightlifting records over the following years.

In 1977 he founded the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, which is today he world’s largest organiser of ultramarathon events. His belief in our own limitless potential led him to devise endurance events that eemed beyond the realms of human possibility – the prime example being the 3,100-Mile Self-Transcendence Race, first held in 1997,
which remains the longest certified road race in the world.

Sri Chinmoy saw sport as a powerful vehicle to promote global harmony. The Peace Run, later renamed the World Harmony Run, was created to promote the cause of greater world harmony and friendship. Over the past two decades, the World Harmony Run has manifested the timeless ideal of bringing people together, looking for hings that unite rather than divide us.

Sri Chinmoy passed behind the curtain of Eternity on 11 October 2007, aged 76, but his inspiration lives on. Through his many events, nd his own achievements, he vividly demonstrated how sports can e a powerful way to unlock the true potential of the human spirit.

The World Harmony Run was initiated by Sri Chinmoy as an opportunity to give citizens a dynamic way to express their own hopes and dreams for a more harmonious world. An athlete, philosopher, artist, musician and poet, Sri Chinmoy dedicated his
life to advancing the ideals of world harmony and said, “If we have perseverance, then that is our first step towards world harmony.”

 

---

Sri Chinmoy, Founder, with the Harmony Run torch.

---

Shambhu Vineberg (centre), the first Executive Director of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, created the Peace Run for founder Sri Chinmoy and managed the program for 15 years. With the three superstars who helped launch the Peace Run at a February 1987 press conference (left to right): Grammy Award-winning
producer Narada Michael Walden, E-Street Band saxophonist Mokshagun Clarence Clemons and Olympic gold medalist Sudhahota Carl Lewis. In 2005 the Peace Run was renamed the World Harmony Run.

 

---

The first-ever Peace Run launch ceremony, at New York’s  World Trade Centre in 1987. The launch of the run was televised live around America by the Today Show.

---

Millennium Bridge in London

 

---

 Organisation

The World Harmony Run is arranged by an international network of volunteers, inspired by Sri Chinmoy’s vision of a more peaceful world. Coordinators in each country
partner locally with schools, community groups, sporting organisations, and city and state government departments, to bring the Run to their community, encouraging friendship and understanding.

Team

The World Harmony Run relay teams in each participating country are made up of runners from all walks of life, who have dedicated their time and energy to bringing the Run to communities around the globe.

The Run has been made possible due to the kind support of many organisations and volunteers. They feel that the World Harmony Run is a fantastic opportunity to learn about themselves and the world. Along the relay, the team members encourage children and adults to strive for peace within themselves, in their families and in the world, at events sponsored in schools, city halls, and other institutions; file
online reports; share in housekeeping tasks; and most of all, have fun together.