About Me

About Me

Hi, my name is Keith Hauser. I began running in 1975 in the heady atmosphere of Gainesville, Florida. Back then, the Florida Track Club was full of world-class runners (olympian Marty Liquori was seen zipping around town back then), and my neighbor was a member. The whole pack would stop by to pick him up for their runs, and I was awed by the way they just radiated confidence and energy. I felt shamed, like a pot-bellied nerd, in their presence. So I was simply inspired to give it a try. I soon grew into road-running, doing races in the 5-km to half-marathon range. Then, in 1982, I moved to the Hamburg area in Germany, and began training for my first marathon. I ran about 5 marathons in Berlin and Hamburg in the 1980s, before my knees became ever-more injury-prone. See the descriptions of my first roadrace and first marathon.

This image shows me, a little worse for wear, but happy enough, after countless miles running/jogging our beautiful world.

Around that time, I began intensive traveling with my work. For me, this meant, of course, packing up the running shoes and shorts with every trip. With nothing better to do in the evenings, and driven by my passion for exploring wherever I find myself, I went out running almost every evening. It wasn't uncommon to jog for 2 hours or more, if the surroundings were interesting enough, continuing on to discover what it was like just over the next hill or around the next corner. 

Way back in early 2011, I tried to add up about how many runs I had done over the years: I calculated that I must have passed the 10,000 mark at the time, and it was definitely time to celebrate that with a nice run! Since then, I've lost count...

My Attitude

I've always tried to keep a flexible attitude to my running: I always give myself permission to run however my mood desires: running hard or relaxed, stopping to look at inspiring sights, or competing against the other runners in front or behind me. Whatever I do, is fine with me. As long as I'm outdoors and moving, I'm happy.

I guess I am, at heart, the ultimate trail runner. I love, above all else, exploring some trail far out from urban hectic. My dream route is running a hilly trail, with a woods to one side and a meadow stretching out below me. Those are the perfect moments that I seek.

That said, I easily get excited by any outdoor sports: bicycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, swimming, sailing (I've got a little dinghy), windsurfing, paddling, etc. Any way of getting around in man- or nature-powered technology is sure to grab my imagination.

And, as I also love writing, somehow this blog just seemed like the right idea to me and my frustrated journalist-heart. Hope you enjoy it!