Raven Run

Raven is a great man. He leads and motivates novice to expert runners every day in his 8 mile beach run. This free run that has been happening every day for over 40 years. This is more than a chance to exercise outdoors, its your chance to meet a local legend, the Raven. Raven is an amazing storyteller with a memory and knack for details that is unparalleled. His stories are funny and gritty and real. If you want to hear some great South Beach history run with Raven.

An absolute must if you’re in the Miami area. Running with Raven is a great experience for all levels of runners. You have a chance to hear Raven’s interesting and amusing stories, meet other runners who have been doing this for years, and be amazed by the colorful sky and gorgeous clouds of South Beach. What more can you ask for! And on top of it all, you get a nickname at the end of the run. Guaranteed highlight of your trip.

first impression will be positive, but stick around and you will find that Raven loves to talk behind other runners backs and is actually very negative. Its sad that the leader of the running group is such a bad gossip willing to believe negative stuff without investigation to find the truth or better yet — refusing to gossip and following the simple rule «judge not’ — well Raven ‘least you be judged»

If you want a truly unique South Beach experience, you must go for an 8 mile run with the legendary ‘Raven’ who has run 8 miles EVERY SINGLE DAY since January 1975. When you complete the run, you earn a nickname and you become part of this incredible running community. Every run is a special experience because you are side by side with a hero– an unstoppable man who has more stories about South Beach than anyone around! Do this run! You won’t be sorry!

Raven is a South Beach institution. His daily beach runs are legendary and it’s unfathomable how he could possibly keep up the streak for so long. Somehow he does though.
Meeting at lifeguard station 5 on the beach. Just East of Ocean and 5^th street, the run starts 5pm in summer months. 4pm during winter months, due to daylight hours.
It’s an 8 mile run, but the pace is mild. You can run ahead, and no one will give you a hard time about it. Also, it’s a very forgiving 8 miles, because most of the run is on the hard pack of the sand road that runs down the beach. Softer than running on concrete, but more firm than running on pure sand. So it’s not like your slipping or running out of sinking sand. It’s always fun to run with Raven because you never know what you’re going to see. Maybe a few cruise ships setting out to sea as you run to the very end of south beach where it meets the Miami port, or a pair of wild silicone Sobe babes running in matching outfits. Never a dull moment. Just be prepared to have a good time.

Robert Kraft aka the Raven has run 8 miles every day for the last 35 years on South Beach since 1975 for a total of over 100,000 miles.
He invites anyone and everyone to run along with him. I decided to try and do it myself a week ago in efforts to start training for upcoming Boston Marathon and St. Anthony’s Triathlon.
He is really fun to run with and everyone gets a nickname and he has a photographic memory. He remembers everyone’s name and birthday !!! I heard some walk up that ran 8 years ago from Germany — ask Raven ” Do you remember me? «He did after he told him his name, Raven told him his nickname and birthday !! Incredible !!
If you are a first time runner he waits for you to finish no matter how long it takes and gives you your nickname — if you run with him he full of fun stories and history of Miami Beach.
Two people who have met on the run even go married on the run !!!
Running in the sand was no joke and but I did finish and there in the dark was the Raven waiting.
By the way my nickname is Stair Climber why ?
because I do this: