The cover of my 2012 Kaaawa Calendar features a pretty dramatic sunrise. A the center of the photo, a man is seen standing int the water just a few feet from the beach, silhouetted against the colors of dawn.
He lives just across the street from this spot in Kaaawa, and starts his typical day, as we do, on the beach. The difference is that he heads right into the water as he helps the sun cross the horizon, while we’re walking along the beach or, at high tide, the shoulder of Kamehameha Highway.
This morning we belatedly learned that he’s in the process of running from Santa Monica to San Francisco, a distance just short of 500 miles. Quite a feat. And he’s doing it running backwards.
Shadrack Anderson calls himself “Backwards Running Man,” for good reason, obviously. You can read more on Shad’s website, on facebook, or follow him on Twitter. He was also featured in a recent MidWeek story.
The only problem is that backwards running man was, by his telling, born in the same year that I was, which means that he’s turning 65 this year. If that’s true, he’s pretty amazing. The problem is that it instantly makes me feel like a decrepit slug.
But it’s Friday. I’ll open a bottle of wine tonight and raise a glass to his backward adventure.
Feeling like a decrepit slug, eh? Instead of ‘raising a glass’ you should be investing in a Y membership.
Anybody with a Beastie Boys song (nearly) sharing his name is okay with me. Go, Shadrack!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEVfHmjKOrM