Shadrack Anderson prepares for his morning run.
Each move is precise and has a purpose.
"I do take out what the shoe is made with and insert my own. No one has made the kind of things I need," he said.
He hits the road as the sun rises, it's way of getting a heavy dose of Vitamin D.
"A lot of people stretch before they run, I don't do that."
Then again Shadrack Anderson doesn't run like most runners.
Anderson is a backwards runner and has been doing it since 1966.
"It just happened to me."
He was a platoon leader training in Louisiana. He recalls being in a trance in the 104 degree heat.
"I heard somebody say that cat is crazy and I kind of like woke up and I had my weapon like up like this and all the back-pack and everything and I was running backwards," said Anderson.
He hasn't stopped since.
"More vibrational. I mean spiritual is an easy word but it's not good enough," said Anderson .
"I vibrate so high, it takes a hours and hours sometimes to come back down like a decompression. Sometimes days, sometimes days," said Anderson.
"He's incredible, he blows my mind!"
"He's amazing running backwards right , nobody does that," said a Hawaii Kai resident.
"I get all kinds of reactions some people call me a hero, some people say you inspire me, and some people call me crazy and then some people do tell me get off the road I mean all kinds of reactions," said Anderson.
In 40 years, he's fallen four times.
He's competed in dozens of marathons all but one backwards.
His best time 4 hours and 30 minutes.
"Backwards running is not a speed thing. It's a completion thing, a will, determination kind of thing."
His run takes him to Makapu'u and back to Koko Crater Park where he climbs the stairs backwards of course.
When he's not running Anderson is a writer and musician.
He's certainly in tune with his body.
"Yeah I'm 63 man, I do more now than I did 30 years ago, I do 100 percent more, a hundred percent," said Anderson. "I feel so good, I feel like my head is touching the sky and the sky has no ceiling."
If you want to get a taste of Shadrack Anderson's music visit his website: http://www.onesoulrocks.com/OSR/Home.html.
