In 1970 Robert Kraft came back home to South Beach from Nashville and Las Vegas, where he tried to make it as a songwriter.
He started running with some boxers from the 5th Street Gym and slowly built up to 8 miles He made a New Years resolution to run 8 miles a day for one year starting on January 1st, 1975. He found the benefits mentally, physically and spiritually were all positive so he kept running 8 miles a day on the sands of South Beach
He has ran everyday since. (never missing a day). Over 600 runners ranging in age from 9 to 79, from 54 different countries and 42 states have completed at least one 8 mile run with him
Everyone who completes the 8 miles gets a nickname and is added to The Raven List. This is a run, not a race although many of the Raven Runners train for races, Raven trains to come back tomorrow.
Raven has the longest known world running streak on the sand and in the same location. He has seen every sunset, never been caught in rush hour traffic and turned what was a negative into a positive becoming an inspiration to others. |
Join The Raven any day at::
8 MILE RUN:
5th Street Lifeguard Station
5:00 pm
Miami Beach
1/3 MILE SWIM
5th Street Lifeguard Station
After the run
Miami Beach
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ESPN - The countdown to 100,000 miles begins on Nov 12-13-14 |
ESPN wil be taping the show that will be part of the 100,000 mile countdown. This is a chance for Raven Runners to show their support and be TV stars for a day. Join the run on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Nov 12th, 13th and 14th |
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99,000 miles on November 24th |
Getting closer to the 99,000 mile mark. Make sure to set aside this day and join the Raven for another great milestone. |
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Record Breaking 47 Runners on Raven's Bday Run - OCT 17th 2008 |
A great bday run including 4 new runners, a Cooker flash, lots of pictures and great weather. Followed by a great dinner at Big Pinks... see all the pics here |
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The Lifeguard Murders nears completion, Place your advance order now!! |
Reverend, working in seclusion while in Baltimore, is nearing completion of the much- awaited novel "The Lifeguard Murders." Expect real-life characters very similar to Raven, the runners, the lifeguards, and coaches. Some of the best Raven original songs will be included on an accompanying CD. Also, Miracle will contribute her candid beach shots to complete this collaboration of novel, sound track, and photo album. We are now taking orders for the first autographed copies at $20@. Buy several for Christmas/Hanukkah!! |
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Taxman gets #1000 runs on Raven's Bday |
Only the 2nd runner to get 1000 runs. A very consistant runner, this is a fantastic achivement... |
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Corvette Man gets run #200 |
Hall of Famer Corvette, continues adding to his run totals with a long commute from Spain. 200 runs in October !!! |
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Lulu Lemon reaches top 100 |
A favorite new runner, Lulu reached the top 100 in just over 2 months, including a Halloween run dressed up as Raven !!! |
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Seaside Sparrow reaches top 100 |
A long time beach runner, she finally joined the Raven Run in July and reached the top 100 in October (all while communting from Broward County). Our environmentally dedicated runner is no longer an endagered species. |
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48 Cent makes the top 100 |
Currently training for marathons, 48 cent has slowly climbed up the ranks in the Raven Run. Including a 22 mile run ending with the Raven. |
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NBC aired 1/3 of a century on Sunday May 25th. |
For those of you unable to catch the show, check our media section. |
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10 new runners in October |
| Demolition, K-9, Aqualung, 2-Face, Moonstone, Neon Shoes, Teknic, Connector, Maniac and Cimarron joned the Raven Run in 2008. |
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Wishing a speedy recovery for Abdul |
After finishing chemotherapy to treat a brain cancer, Abdul is on his way to a full recovery as he showed us in July by completing one of his best runs and swims. Our prayers are with him. |
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Raven article on Unrestricted Magazine |
Get your copy of Unrestriced Magazine at Best Buy, Sports Authority, Dunkin Donuts, Quarterdeck and Chilis. Great Raven article this month or see the online article here |
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Miracle swims 8.3 miles !!! |
| Miracle completes a 8.3 mile swim. Longest swim by a runner. Breaking Chapter 11's swim record set 6 years ago. |
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Elvis Run |
Raynbeau Ray ran the 8 miles dressed as Elvis. Thank you, thank you very much. |
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4th of July Flag Run |
Firecracker, Ozark, Creeve, Hollywood Flasher, Tonka, Longhorn and a couple of other runners, carried the US Flag on the Beach for the 4th of July Run |
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Coldest Run at 47 degrees on January 2nd |
Salt Shaker, Poutine, Reunity, Famished, joined the Raven for the coldest run for Raven Runners ever. By 1 degree. |
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Freshman & Salt Shaker combine for a 5 1/2 mile soccer ball run |
Freshman and Salt Shaker kicked a soccer ball to each other for 5 1/2 miles of the run. Surprisingly they did not score a goal |
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Tonka Backpack Soft Sand Run |
Tonka carried a Backpack with over 20 lbs for the full 8 miles on the soft sand. Great start for his goal of completing a 26 hour run. |
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Raven's Streak |
| 33 Years, 8 miles a day. over 97,000 miles . Never missing a single day since January 1st 1975 . |
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Days Raven has not run alone: |
| The Raven has ran alone twice in this century (last time in 2005) let's keep the streak going !!! over 1,200 days. |
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1 new runner every month : |
| At least one new runner has joined the Raven Run every month since April 2003. Keep recruiting, after all it is free. |
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Sgt. Comic turns 40 on November 4th, 2008 |
Borned on the day Nixon was elected, Sgt. Comic has been telling jokes ever since. |
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Warden hits 60 on November 18th, 2008 |
Hall of Fame Runner and still looking good but unfortuantely not running, we hope that at 60 he comes back to the run once again like he did before. |
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Taxman |
| Taxman has his own theme song by Firecracker. He knows the secret handshake and has actually seen and ran with Mortgage Man |
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Chapter 11 |
| Every airline he worked for went out of business. But his constant desire to push himself to the limit of physical stamina did not go banrkrupt |
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Izzy and Gipsy: |
| the first couple to meet on a Raven Run and marry (plus a baby this year). Love Story ! |
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Firecracker |
| Belling dancing, drumming, and your financial expert. Firecracker will do it all and she won't be quiet about it. |
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Sapphire |
| She always runs with no shoes and has become one of the favorite runners in the group She has spent half her live running with Raven. Turned 5 this summer . or is it 35? |
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Gringo |
| Gringo loves everything Latin, thus the nickname. He i s one of the most loveable runners on the Raven Run |
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