Feb 17, 2017

Photos and text by Patrick Smith, Getty Images

: Keith Boissiere runs on Harlem Avenue on November 2, 2016. After being attacked in November 2014, and to help avoid those types of circumstances, Boissiere says that’s the reason he only navigates the city in broad daylight. The aging ‘Running Man’ is still accumulating the miles almost daily. While he no longer has a daily streak because of his ailing health, he takes to the streets whenever he is able. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere puts on his hooded winter mask before running on September 7, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. An iconic figure, the ‘Running Man’ has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – for his health. “Some call me black Jesus – and some people take that really serious to the point where they think I am a God – and that I am not human,” Boissiere said. “I don’t approve of that; I come from a country where we don’t worship people, we worship a God.” (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere exchanges a friendly gesture with a Baltimore Police officer driving on Belair Road on November 2, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. “I always try to be friendly with the police,” Boissiere said. “I don’t support the negative attitude towards them.” In 2015, Baltimore was subject to national news following the death of citizen Freddie Gray. Public response was evident as unrest and riots followed Gray’s passing. A trial was brought against officers in the Gray case, but the trial was eventually closed with: one mistrial, a not guilty verdict for three of the officers, and charges being dropped on the remaining police involved. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere eats honey before a run on September 7, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. The ‘Running Man’ says multiple spoonfuls of the nectar makes him feel full so that he can run without eating a heavy breakfast. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: A child gazes at Keith Boissiere as he runs on the sidewalk south on York Road in the Mid-Govans community on November 2, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. The ‘Running Man’ isn’t one to brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status. Every time he runs he is constantly acknowledged by passerby: from children being let out of school staring, to auto drivers honking, and exchanging friendly hand-waves with all passing law enforcement. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere bench presses in his bedroom on November 2, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. The ‘Running Man’ lives in solitude in a small West Baltimore apartment where his bedroom functions as his: dining area, weight room and sleeping quarters. Fitness model posters line the walls that serve as daily inspiration. “I admire them and the way they take care of their bodies,” Boissiere said. He says running doesn’t support all the muscles in the body, so he routinely weight lifts. “It’s about having overall fitness, not concentrating on this while you neglect that,” Boissiere said. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere completes a vertigo therapy exercise with Physical Therapist Domingo ‘Jun’ Cioco Jr., at The University of Maryland Medical Center on November 14, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2008, the distance of ‘Running Man’ dramatically shortened. “I couldn’t breathe, I didn’t know what was going on,” Boissiere said. “I was going down – it got to the point where I couldn’t walk half a block.” With no health insurance, he lived with the worsening symptoms until, “I reached the point I was near dead,” Boissiere explained. He eventually walked to the University of Maryland Medical Center where he was given the detrimental news that was suffering from severe benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, which is an enlargement of the prostate gland. Because the BPH complications went untreated, this caused urinary retention which had a domino effect on his health, and led to grave heart and kidney conditions. He is frequently treated at UMMC for many health issues that stemmed from the BPH diagnosis. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Inside the urology clinic, Keith Boissiere (R) has his dialysis fistula inspected by Andrew C. Kramer, MD, associate professor of surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine and urologist (C) as Meagan Dunne, MD, Urology Resident (L) looks on at University of Maryland Medical Center on November 22, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. The ‘Running Man’ has suffered from obstructive uropathy, essential hypertension, bradycardia, nonischemic cardiomyopathy, and vertigo, among other symptoms – all which started with a benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, diagnosis. Many of these played a role in his kidneys only functioning at thirty percent – and was diagnosed with Stage 4 of Chronic Kidney Disease. He underwent a procedure to install an arteriovenous fistula so that he could receive his first – and only round of dialysis – to date. Additionally, he was also placed on a kidney donor recipient list. His visit with Dr. Kramer was a followup prescribed by his primary physician regarding past surgery on his prostate. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere (front) bags his items, including tofu, after paying cashier Sam Kipnes at the OK Natural Foods store on November 22, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. To further prevent himself from deteriorating, the ‘Running Man’ lives a clean, healthy life – including eating mainly as a vegan. “He’s been such an important part of our lives,” Curtis Meads said, who shopped alongside Boissiere in the OK Natural Foods market on the same November day. “In those moments when we feel tired, doubt, or relent, when we see him running, he reinvigorates us,” Meads continued. “If you ever begin to forget, when you look to the roadside, he’ll remind you.” (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere unbraids the back portion of his hair before running on November 28, 2016. Boissiere says his hair isn’t styled to remind him of his native land of Trinidad and Tobago, rather he simply hasn’t cut his hair in a long time. While many may argue his appearance stands out, he says that passerby still don’t alway recognize him. “Some people will still stop me and say ‘Is that the ‘Running Man?” Boissiere said. “And they still aren’t sure – some of them have doubts.” Keith Boissiere has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – for his health. Many residents only know the enigmatic figure by his nickname of the ‘Running Man’ – but Boissiere, 64, is a green-card-carrying Trinidad and Tobago native living in Baltimore. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere poses for a portrait after a run outside of his apartment on September 15, 2016. Baltimore resident L’Oreal R. Hunter says she grew up seeing the ‘Running Man’ but never had a chance to meet him until May 2016. “Our ideas and scenarios we create about why he’s running is what makes him and has kept him relevant over the years,” Hunter said. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere runs on Benson Avenue, a rural suburb of Baltimore City, on September 15, 2016 in Halethorpe, Maryland. The juxtaposition from rural to city is often noticed by the ‘Running Man’ during some of his favorite routes. This route through Halethorpe and Violetville is much quieter despite this same route bookending in community that faces many crime related challenges. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere runs past a tire and wheel shop on Belair Road on November 2, 2016. With more than 15 different routes, and at his prime burning through sneakers every two to three months, he held a daily streak of twelve and a half years which helped him earn the nickname of the ‘Running Man’ by residents. “I’ve been through blizzards, ice storms, heat waves, everything just to keep the streak,” Boissiere said. “It was all about the streak.” His fascination with ultra running, which is training at distances longer than a marathon, has even on occasion taken him on a more than seven hour journey one way from Baltimore to Washington, DC. Keith Boissiere has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – for his health. Many residents only know the enigmatic figure by his nickname of the ‘Running Man.’ (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere looks out his window of his studio apartment on September 7, 2016. While he no longer has a daily streak because of his ailing health, he takes to the streets whenever he is able. These days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. Nonetheless, the people of Baltimore can still spot the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with himself to stay upright each by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. Like the heroin epidemic that afflict so many in Baltimore City, Boissiere says he can’t quit his own addiction of running. “That’s what ultra running teaches you – you set out to do this distance: do it, make it, don’t quit,” Boissiere said. “You can’t quit now, you can’t quit ever – you just have to keep going despite the obstacles around you.” Keith Boissiere has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – for his health. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere runs on Dundalk Avenue on November 28, 2016 in Dundalk, Maryland. Despite living in West Baltimore, the ‘Running Man’ often runs into Baltimore County where there is far less foot traffic, cars and crime. “When I am running through those bad neighborhoods, I have to keep an eye out,” Boissiere said. “But when I am in a good neighborhood I don’t have to worry about [crime].” But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Reflected on the glass of a hutch, Keith Boissiere puts on his pants after as he prepares to leave his apartment for a hospital appointment on December 20, 2016. Pictures of family, gifts from passerby, posters of women fitness models, a small television, a stereo, and other collections, such as pottery by one of his favorite artists Deborah Tinsman, decorate his apartment. From daily chores, to running and hospital appointments, the ‘Running Man’ is regularly alone in solitude. His family is deceased, scattered across the United States, or living in the Caribbean. He isn’t married, nor does he have any children. “I have some friends, but I am mostly alone,” Boissiere said. Keith Boissiere has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – for his health. Many residents only know the enigmatic figure by his nickname of the ‘Running Man.’ (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere leaves his house before going to the University of Maryland Medical Center on October 26, 2016. While the ‘Running Man’ would love to be accumulating miles every day, hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere adjusts his stereo as he takes a break from lacing up a new pair of New Balance sneakers on September 7, 2016. The routine of the ‘Running Man’ is regimented which often includes music before taking to the streets. Once on the road, he carries only small necessities: his keys, a flip style cell phone, and a legal sized knife for protection. Although he says he loves rock-and-roll, he doesn’t listen to music while running and travels by himself. “Most dedicated runners prefer running alone,” Boissiere said. Keith Boissiere has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – for his health. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere turns the pages of a book as he searches through a trunk of literature in his apartment on October 26, 2016. The ‘Running Man’ lives a simple life in solitude. His routine is regimented as he doesn’t own a car, doesn’t do drugs, drinks alcohol only on rare occasion, isn’t religious, and doesn’t have a computer, nor smart phone. Other than running, which takes him four hours daily, the Howard University mechanical engineering graduate regularly reads in his studio apartment, which is lined with multiple trunks that stockpiles what he estimates is thousands of books on every topic. He says one should not concentrate only on physical fitness while neglecting the brain. What is important is, “Fitness of the body, fitness of the mind, and understanding and learning what the whole world is about,” Boissiere said. Keith Boissiere has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – for his health. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: An onlooker adjusts her hair, as Keith Boissiere (r) briefly stops his run to chat, in East Baltimore on November 2, 2016. The ‘Running Man’ has an allure on the street and many are often hesitant to bother him. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere reaches for aromatherapy jars on his windowsill on November 30, 2016. The ‘Running Man’ has always been in tune with his body and says homeopathic treatments such as aromatherapy help his sore muscles after running. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: A detailed view of a Keith Boissiere’s running journal dated Tuesday, June 6, 2000 is seen on December 5, 2016. In the form of yearly journals, the ‘Running Man’ writes short descriptions of his runs in small spiral notebooks which include: the weather, location, and other types of exercise. Whether hot or cold, in the tranquil streets of the county or a problematic block of West Baltimore, it’s jotted down in ink. However, there is one traumatic situation he cannot erase from his memory. In November 2014, Boissiere was attacked during a run that left him with a cut and bruise on his face. Keith Boissiere has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – for his health. Many residents only know the enigmatic figure by his nickname of the ‘Running Man.’ (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere walks on Park Ave., in front of a sign that reads quotes of Mahatma Gandhi and Muhammad Ali on November 22, 2016. One of the quotes by Gandhi reads, “Be the change that you wish to see…” Boissiere says he is sometimes compared to other historical figures. “A lady told me…she said the children revere you,” Boissiere said. “And then she said, you remind me of Gandhi.” But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere looks up the street from his front steps on September 15, 2016. Acts of violence are unfortunately what Boissiere ponders when nothing positive will come to mind on his more than 20 mile excursions, “After they beat me up, I have time to think about and understand what the whole plan was,” Boissiere said. Fearful of the situations such as these occurring again, but not deterred, the ‘Running Man’ still peacefully sits out front of his house and runs across the city alone. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere is nowhere to be found as competitors run during the Baltimore Running Festival on October 15, 2016. According to data supplied by Corrigan Sports Enterprises, their annual Baltimore Running Festival, which includes five different race lengths, including a marathon, attracts more than 25,000 participants each year. His ease of training at distances over 20 miles would make him an ideal professional athlete who could easily achieve the highest accolades. But the ‘Running Man’ has never once competed, nor has a desire to do so. He’s not out to emerge as the next best Olympian, become sponsored, or even have others run alongside him. “I just don’t feel that there is any reason why I have to beat anybody,” Boissiere said. “When you’re competing you’re trying to impress people, I have nobody to impress but myself.” (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere drinks juice on the side of the Quick Mart on Belair Road on November 2, 2016. The pace of the ‘Running Man’ has slowed over the years and is now around the 12 minute mile mark, which typically includes one quick stop for a jug of iced tea or juice and multiple bathroom breaks during his more than 20-mile treks around Baltimore. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere steps out of portable toilet on Fulton Avenue on September 15, 2016. Frequent urination is only one of the many side effects he suffers from after being diagnosed with Stage 4 of Chronic Kidney Disease. Through all of his health troubles, the ‘Running Man’ copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. “I was always the type that liked to be improving and I figured if I stopped that I would rust,” Boissiere said. Keith Boissiere has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – for his health. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere runs east on North Avenue on December 1, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. The ‘Running Man’ has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day. Measuring 92.28 square miles and with a population of more than 620,000, the ‘Running Man’ often blends into the Baltimore City skyline on his daily solo journey on foot through all neighborhoods of the city. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere (r) runs past a man holding a sign that reads ‘Homeless…Type 1 Diabetes… Anything Helps…God Bless!!’ on Martin Luther King Boulevard on September 15, 2016. According to data provided by The City of Baltimore and the Mayor’s Office of Human Services, there are an estimated 2,800 homeless in Baltimore. Though only a rumor, the ‘Running Man’ is not homeless, but does collect government assistance in the form of: Supplemental Security Income, the Food Supplement Program, and Medicaid. He was deemed unfit to work because of his serious health conditions, which include problems with his heart and kidneys. Keith Boissiere has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – for his health. Many residents only know the enigmatic figure by his nickname of the ‘Running Man’ – but Boissiere, 64, is a green-card-carrying Trinidad and Tobago native living in Baltimore. Having never competed, nor having a desire to do so, the ‘Running Man’ held a daily streak of 12 and a half years which helped him earn his alias. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere runs on Eastern Avenue on November 28, 2016. Many passerby only witness the ‘Running Man’ through a car window on a daily occurrence. Most acknowledgements he receives are in the form of honking cars. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere retrieves a book bag from his closet before leaving his house on October 28, 2016. The ‘Running Man’ is often making a commute to the hospital rather than running on the street – both which help his failing body. “The running helps my health – it really does,” Boissiere said. “Without that I think I would just waste away.” But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere walks past a construction site on November 22, 2016. The ‘Running Man’ was at a low point in life with serious health issues in 2008, but continues to run, and regularly frequents the hospital, to help slowly restore, build his health. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere looks on in his bedroom on November 30, 2016. The studio apartment the ‘Running Man’ lives in only has a few lights to help keep it illuminated at night. A small television helps him stay informed on weather and news, too. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

: Keith Boissiere runs in the Union Square community of West Baltimore on September 15, 2016. Baltimore City is no different to any major city in the world – it can be chaotic with lots of moving traffic. The ‘Running Man’ often runs against traffic and switches between sidewalks and the street to help keep himself in motion and visible to motorists. But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 – the streak ended – as his life almost did, too. Through all of his troubles, which includes being on a kidney donor recipient list, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. He doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status despite being constantly acknowledged – and these days barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents in the city, and the people of Baltimore still witness the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with only himself to stay upright by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

It’s mid-morning in Baltimore, and surrounded by a single burned out ‘Our Lady of Guadalupe’ candle, nearly 50 liquor bottles perfectly line a staircase stoop. Black spray paint reading ‘RIP Keith’ contrasts red paint that covers boarded up windows as water, trash flows into the street in small streams that resemble the legs of a passing man’s frail-skinny-legs. This passing gentleman wears bright green gloves, two winter hats, one held together by safety pins, two shirts, sunglasses, and shorts despite the chill in the air. He’s isn’t sprinting, nor is he walking, but he’s moving at a pace that gets him recognized everywhere in the city, but not by his name which matches this roadside memorial of Keith.

Each and every year, people around the world make sacrifices so that they can train by running long distances with an end goal of achieving an Olympic Medal. Keith Boissiere has been running nearly every day for the past three decades – averaging more than 20 miles per day – simply because he cares for his health. His drive is what makes him known as the ‘Running Man’ and he isn’t trying to prove anything to anyone.

In Baltimore, Maryland, the skinny, bearded, soft-spoken man with the green hooded mask running on the pavement daily is enigmatic. Many residents only know him by his nickname of the ‘Running Man’ – but Boissiere, 64, is a green-card-carrying Trinidad and Tobago native living in West Baltimore. He has resided in the United States since 1974 where he attended Howard University and received a mechanical engineer degree.

It was around that time in his life that he believed that his body was weakening, so he became motivated to run as a way of getting fit. Much like the motion picture ‘Forrest Gump’ – he kept running further distances, as the exercise got easier.

With more than 15 different routes, and at his prime burning through sneakers every two to three months, Boissiere held a daily streak of twelve and a half years, which helped him earn the nickname of the ‘Running Man’ by residents.

“I’ve been through blizzards, ice storms, heat waves, everything just to keep the streak,” Boissiere said. “It was all about the streak.”

His fascination with ultra running, which is training at distances longer than a marathon, has even on occasion taken him on a more than seven hour journey one way from Baltimore to Washington, DC.

But in 2008, his distance dramatically shortened. “I couldn’t breathe, I didn’t know what was going on,” Boissiere said. “I was going down – it got to the point where I couldn’t walk half a block.”With no health insurance, he lived with the worsening symptoms until, “I reached the point I was near dead,”Boissiere explained.

Broken down and falling apart like the tens of thousands of infamous abandoned row-homes in the city, Boissiere eventually walked to the University of Maryland Medical Center where he was given the detrimental news that was suffering from severe benign prostatic hyperplasia, which is an enlargement of the prostate gland. Because the BPH complications went untreated, this caused urinary retention that had a domino effect on his health, and led to grave conditions, which comprised of congestive heart failure, aortic aneurysms, and an extensive list of other serious health related issues. Despite being discharged after a week, the carpenter, was deemed unfit to work and began collecting government assistance in the form of: Supplemental Security Income, the Food Supplement Program, and Medicaid.

When Boissiere thought nothing else could go wrong in his life, he battled worsening health conditions. He suffered with obstructive uropathy, essential hypertension, bradycardia, nonischemic cardiomyopathy, and vertigo, among other symptoms. Many of these played a role in his kidneys only functioning at thirty percent – and was diagnosed with Stage 4 of Chronic Kidney Disease. He underwent a procedure to install an arteriovenous fistula so that he could receive his first – and only round of dialysis – to date. Additionally, he was also placed on a kidney donor recipient list.

Through all of these troubles, Boissiere copes the only way he knows how – he continues to run – as the hospital encouraged him to do in order to aid his failing health. “I was always the type that liked to be improving and I figured if I stopped that I would rust,”Boissiere said.

To further prevent himself from deteriorating, Boissiere lives a simple, clean life. He doesn’t own a car, doesn’t do drugs, drinks alcohol only on rare occasion, isn’t religious, eats mainly as a vegan, and doesn’t have a computer, nor smart phone. Other than running, which takes him four hours daily, he regularly reads in his studio apartment, which is lined with multiple trunks that stockpiles what he estimates is thousands of books on every topic.

He says one should not concentrate only on physical fitness while neglecting the brain. What is important is, “Fitness of the body, fitness of the mind, and understanding and leaning what the whole world is about,”Boissiere said.

Alas, these goals of keeping his himself healthy are done in solitude. He has never been married, had any children, and his family members either deceased, scattered across the United States, or living in the Caribbean.

With zero support at home, most would assume Boissiere would be racing in marathons such as The Baltimore Running Festival, which attracts more than 25,000 participants each year according to Corrigan Sports Enterprises. His ease of training at long distances would make him ideal to have a successful professional runners lifestyle and easily achieve the highest accolades.

But the ‘Running Man’ has never once competed, nor has a desire to do so. He’s not out to emerge as the next the next best Olympian, become sponsored, or even have others run alongside him.

“I just don’t feel that there is any reason why I have to beat anybody,”Boissiere said. “When you’re competing you’re trying to impress people, I have nobody to impress but myself.”

And because he doesn’t adorn medals, that’s why many don’t know much about him when they see him grinding through the toughest weather conditions on the street.

“There’s a man who runs for the fun of it about 20 miles a day in Baltimore,”Ginnie Welsh said, as she described what she believes what most people know about him. Welsh, a Baltimore resident is one of the lead coaches for the Baltimore Road Runners Club, and says she doesn’t even know his name, and only recently learned of him despite being involved in a running club. Others who do know his real name recall him from their youth. “I remember seeing Keith when I was teenager,” Garry O’Neal of Northeast Baltimore said. “I thought he was homeless at first, until I kept seeing him.”

These generic comments are typically what the normal passerby knows about him – not much at all. While many only know the ‘Running Man’ by his nickname, the thin, muscular human that is always seen moving through ‘Charm City’ has more than one alias.

“Some call me black Jesus – and some people take that really serious to the point where they think I am a God – and that I am not human,”Boissiere said. “I don’t approve of that; I come from a country where we don’t worship people, we worship a God.”

Boissiere says many American’s praise sports figures and he’d rather not be idolized. So to help with that, no matter what the temperature, he always wears a green hooded winter mask to help discourage people from taking his picture and posting it to the Internet.

Conversely, what Boissiere doesn’t always understand is that people don’t revere him in that specific way. His drive and passion for his own health is often described as bringing positivity and strength to residents who coexist in a city where violence is often highlighted in the news.

“He’s been such an important part of our lives,” Curtis Meads said, who shopped alongside Boissiere in the OK Natural Foods store on a chilly November day. “In those moments when we feel tired, doubt, or relent, when we see him running, he reinvigorates us,” Meads continued. “If you ever begin to forget, when you look to the roadside, he’ll remind you.”

Yet the ‘Running Man’ isn’t one to brag about his accomplishments or mention his celebrity-like status. Every time he runs he is constantly acknowledged by passerby: Running down York Road in the Mid-Govans community school children stare at him, making the trek on Wilkins Avenue auto drivers honk, and on Belair Road he exchanges friendly hand-waves with all passing law enforcement.

“I always try to be friendly with the police,”Boissiere said. “I don’t support the negative attitude towards them.”

And maybe there is a reason for him being peaceful with all. He lives on the border of Harlem Park and Sandtown-Winchester: two menacing neighborhoods in Baltimore City. In 2015, these areas were the center of national news as riots and unrest occurred in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray. And recently, on December 4, three bodies were found shot to death less than a half-mile from Boissiere’s home.

“I look the other way,”Boissiere said, in speaking about the crime and violence he passes all over the city while on foot. “I just go on the assumption that if I don’t bother them, they won’t bother me.”

Behind St.Louis, Baltimore has the second highest murder rate in the country, per capita, and many believe has a far more significant problem. These challenges the city faces often stem on the very corners the ‘Running Man’ has the courage to run by.

“As far as him being a victim of crime, I think a lot of the crime is targeted,” Baltimore Sun crime reporter Justin Fenton said. Fenton says stray bullets should be of a main safety concern for Boissiere. “When someone opens fire on a street, those bullets are not always hitting the intended target, and there have been a lot of people hit in the cross fire by stray bullets including elderly women and children,” Fenton said.

According to data in 2016 from the Baltimore Police Department, there have been more than 900 shootings, which includes fatal and non-fatal gunfire. In addition, the city surpassed 300 murders for the second straight year.

These incidents happen daily, not only where Boissiere lives, but all across he city, and is the reason Baltimore is dealing with continually dealing with staggering crime statistics.

“Baltimore is currently in its highest murder rate of all time – 1 out of every 2000 people in the city have been killed this year,” Fenton said. “That rate is obviously far higher in places like West Baltimore given that there are so many neighborhoods that do not experience shootings and homicides.”

These reported figures are often disclosed by police for contextual purposes, to help build public trust and to guide city official and law enforcement on how to bring change. While Boissiere ignores these and other issues in Baltimore, he does keep his own record of one thing: number of days run.

In the form of yearly journals, he writes short descriptions of his roughly every day runs in small spiral notebooks which include: the weather, location, and other types of exercise. Whether hot or cold, in the peaceful streets of the county or a problematic block of West Baltimore, it’s jotted down in ink.

However, there is one traumatic situation he cannot erase. In November 2014, Boissiere was attacked during a run that left him with a cut and bruise on his face.

“It was down right nasty, they jumped out of the car [and beat me up],”Boissiere said.

Baltimore native L’Oreal R. Hunter, who got a rare selfie picture with the ‘Running Man’ in May 2016 was angry and upset when she learned about the attack. “Everyone here knows who he is, and in all of his years of running, he’s never ever bothered anyone,” Hunter said. “It was obvious who ever did it were [criminals] because this city has always respected his devotion to running.”

The attack, which was highly publicized by local news outlets, is the main reason Boissiere has always only navigated the city in broad daylight.

This and other acts of violence are unfortunately what he ponders when nothing positive will come to mind on his more than 20 mile excursions, “After they beat me up, I have time to think about and understand what the whole plan was,” Boissiere said.

Fearful of possible similar situations occurring again, the aging Boissiere is not deterred, as he still tries to accumulate miles every day of the week. While he no longer has a daily streak because of his ailing health, and his pace has slowed, he takes to the streets whenever he is able.

Barriers such as rain, snow and hospital appointments often dictate his running schedule these days. Nonetheless, onlookers can still spot the ‘Running Man’ from West to East, and North to South, as he competes with himself to stay upright each and everyday by staying fit in a city plagued by: drugs, guns, crime, and violence.

Like the heroin epidemic that afflicts so many in Baltimore, Boissiere says he can’t quit his own addiction of running. “That’s what ultra running teaches you – you set out to do this distance: do it, make it, don’t quit,”Boissiere said. “You can’t quit now, you can’t quit ever – you just have to keep going despite the obstacles around you.”

Baltimore’s running man

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