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Running With Raven...Again


Bruce completed another 8 mile run with Raven on beautiful South Beach.  He remembered Bruce, sort of, after they started talking.  Bruce wore his Raven T-Shirt that Raven mailed to him after he completed his first run with him.


Two years ago, Bruce was runner number 1,942. Now that Bruce has run with him twice, he is among 1,500 people who have run with Raven more than once.  If Bruce could run with Raven three times, he'd be among 1,000 people out of the 2,500 people who have run with Raven over the past 41 years.  We have noticed that Bruce, or nicknamed "Permission" by Raven, is now listed in Raven's website on the map as one of the runners from all over the world who have run with Raven. He is tagged as a runner from Idaho since that's where we lived during Bruce's first run. Bruce does not feel nearly as sore this time as he did two years ago after the run.  Back then, he could barely walk since he usually only runs 2-3 miles at a time.  Today, there were two other men running with Raven; Tax Man and Termite.


A fourth man joined for awhile and then dropped off, his name was Chapter 11.  When they first started running, Raven introduced them each to the other with a boxer announcer imitation describing each with a 2-3 line format explaining how they got their nickname.  "And next to Tax Man is Permission, in town for a cruise, who needed permission from his wife to run..." His voice sounds like a disc jockey voice when he speaks, very deep and clear.  I met them at the end of the run at the guard house to pick up Bruce.  We had a short little visit on the beach before he went swimming after his run.  He will often swim 1/3 mile after running his 8 miles.  Bruce was the only person left in the group by the end of the run today. Bruce said they talked about all sorts of things, including baseball - he's a big baseball fan and threw out the first pitch for a Marlins vs Braves game in 2012.  They talked about his nutrition, his painful back which is his body's one failing area, about the 8+ month pregnant runner who ran with him on a Saturday and then had her baby on the following Wednesday, about his condo he lives in across the street from 2 million dollar condos, etc.  Bruce said they just talked constantly the whole time.  I think the 2,500 people who run with Raven are more than just a group of people who accomplished an 8 mile run.  It's more of a deep, inner connection with someone who is dedicated not to stop.  Bruce asked him who will carry on for him when he does stop?  He said, he hopes he will never know that because he hopes to be dead then.  As long as he's alive, he will run.   




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