HUBBARD Davis enjoys running in year-long fitness challenge

Challenged by a Web site club, Keith Davis ran more than 2,000 miles last year.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HUBBARD -- Keith Davis of Hubbard Township quit smoking in 2000 at age 40, and began running several days a week.
Then in August 2002, he read somewhere that Mark Courtney of Grove City, Pa., had run every day since 1979.
Courtney operates Runners' High timing service that clocks runners in the Youngstown Peace Race.
Davis, impressed by Courtney's feat, decided right then that he also wanted to run every day, and began doing that at that point.
A few months later in December, Davis was searching the Internet for some runs to enter, and came across the web-site www.2000run.com. sponsored by Odyssey Running (Ken and Cyndi Barber) to promote running and physical fitness.
Odyssey offered runners an opportunity to join an on-line club in which runners logged in their mileage throughout the year on a calendar, as well as notes about each day's workout, while competing with other runners for mileage totals at the end of the year.
Called The Year Long Fitness Challenge, the program offered five distance challenges -- 500, 1000, 2,300 (for the year) and 2,500 miles and 2,003 kilometers -- in its fourth year of existence.
Davis launches bid
Davis decided to enter The 2003 Challenge for $8, and when the year rolled around he began to record his miles daily on the Web site to launch his bid to run 2,003 miles.
Running every day until late in the year, Davis exceeded his goal by racking up 2,140.70 miles to become one of 11 runners to reach or exceed 2,003 for the year,
A total of 217 runners from 31 states, Canada, England and New Zealand were entered overall, and 61 participants met their annual goals with an average of over 1,200 miles.
The highest level, 2,500 miles, was met and exceeded by Kirk Zander of West Jordan, Utah, with 3,400 miles.
Ran every day
Davis, 43, didn't miss a day of running for about 16 straight months from August 2002 until December 2003, and logged in all of his miles on the Website.
"I usually run about 5.9 miles, and average about 4-10 miles a day," said Davis, who ran primarily on country roads but occasionally in Buhl Park.
"I even ran the day my [second] daughter [Amber] was born. She was born Feb. 17 on Presidents Day in 2003, and I came right from the hospital and ran just to keep the streak going. I only went 2 miles but just to keep the streak going."
Davis and wife Helene also have another daughter, Emily, 4.
Davis was so dedicated and consistent in his runs that, "I actually hit my challenge [2,300] miles the first week of October, and then I tailed off."
Actually, he had to end his 16-month, daily-running streak in December to take care of his children when they got sick.
The challenge helped
He said The Year Long Fitness Challenge helped him to run every day.
"It gives you a reason to go every day instead of putting it off," said Davis. "I got different routes that I can run, 4 miles, 6 miles, 8 miles. Then I will add a couple of extra miles because I feel good when I get out."
He also had the incentive to beat the mileage of other runners.
"They list everyone's miles on the web-site, so I like to stay in the top. It is motivation to stay ahead of the other runners," said Davis, the son of Barbara and Raymond Davis, who attended four different high schools in three years because of his father's job transfers.
He was a freshman in Louisville, Ga., a sophomore at St. Mary's in the Gallaway Islands in Ireland; and a junior at Hickory High and then Lakeview High in Cortland before quitting school prior to his senior year.
But shortly after, he got his high school diploma at age 18 through the GED program.
Operates business
Davis is self-employed and operates a home business called Create-A-Color.
"I sell women's shoes and accessories for weddings. The shoes are tinted to match the dresses. I worked at Reyers for a number of years and that's where I got my experience," he explained.
Now Davis is shooting for 2,004 miles in 2004.
"Actually I had pneumonia so I am only at 75 miles right now," he said. But, "I am optimistic I will achieve 2,004. The treadmills will help me."
And so will his determination and persistence.
kovach@vindy.com