MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A South Beach legend just reached another milestone.
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Robert Kraft, known as "The Raven," has run eight miles on the beach every single day for the last four decades, even during hurricanes.
On Monday, the Raven completed his 15,000th run.
The Raven posted on Facebook, "15,000 days today."
One day, to clear his head, he started running. Soon, it became a routine. Maybe an obsession.
"Pneumonia, food poisoning, stepped on a nail, shin splints, I made it through the first year. and I didn't quit. And by the second year I was hooked," he said.
At first, he was just another spectacle on the beach. But soon, other runners were curious and joined him. As the months and years went by, he gained a following of locals and the occasional company of tourists and politicians.
His story has been featured in newspapers and magazines through the years and his life story is the focus of a recently-released documentary.
"Now it's spiritual to me," he said. "It's like being out there with God at this point in my life."
The run begins every day at the Fifth Street lifeguard stand at 4:30p.m., and at 5:30p.m. during daylight savings time.
Join a run and Kraft will give an oral history of the beach as he knows it. If you make it for the entire eight miles, he'll give you a nickname.
"It's my nature. I've got to be an inspiration and motivate people, so I don't quit," he said.