Jared Beasley

Why I run

I don't know what "meaning" running has in my life, but I know that I feel more alive when I do it. I run because someone, at the toughest point in my life, told me it was an answer to my anxiety and depression. And they were right. Short of hardcore drugs, it's the only thing that works. It takes the devil's horn out of your side. The hardest part? Making the decision to put on your shoes.

My favorite place to run

My favorite place to run is a quaint 200-meter cinder track on the west side of Manhattan. Overlooking the Hudson and tucked under maples and lined with crab apple trees, it is an oasis in a metropolis of concrete. It always amazes me how alone, in a good way, I can feel there.

What I hope to convey with my writing

There is an inherent power in stories and telling them. From the wacky to the wild to the unbelievable, there are too many of them that never get told. To the ones about to slip between the cracks, be overlooked, or lost: I'm looking for you.

More about Jared

I'm a New York-based author and journalist. I spent two years tracking down an ultrarunning enigma named Al Howie. I found him in a care home, and we began a two-year conversation. My 2019 book on his story, In Search of Al Howie, was awarded the Kirkus Star for literary merit and was chosen by Kirkus as one of the best indie books of the year. I've written for numerous running magazines, national newspapers, and the German Historical Magazine Eberbach Geschichtsblatt.

My obsessions: D.B. Cooper, Banana pudding, and TCM classic movies.

Website: jaredbeasleyny.com

Twitter: @DBJared

Instagram: @jaredbnewyork