MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Wavy-haired and usually bare-chested, Miami Beach resident Robert Kraft is known to his following simply as the Raven.
Kraft has run eight miles on the beach every single day for the last four decades, even during hurricanes. To date, he's logged more than 116,000 miles.
"Here I am, the guy who hates change, and I live in the place that's changed more in 40 years than any place in the country," Kraft said.
Kraft remembers Miami Beach during its glamorous years, when it was a playground for celebrities like the Rat Pack. In fact, he got a taste of fame at an early age.
"I saw Frank Sinatra make a movie in the '60s. I got in as an extra in "Tony Rome," he said.
It wasn't movies that inspired him, though. The cerebral young man realized he had a passion for music, and moved to Nashville to pursue his dream of songwriting.
But Kraft said that's when he experienced heartbreak -- someone stole a song of his that later became a hit, he said. He doesn't want to identify the thief, but said the song was a success on the country charts.
Frustrated, Kraft moved back to Miami Beach and worked several odd jobs, trying to re-focus.
"I struggled," he admitted.
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, it's like being out there with God at this point in my life," he said.
The run begins every day at the 5th 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.
For more information on the daily run and the documentary, visit ravenrun.net.
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