The Runner’s Book of Haiku

About the Book

This year marks the fiftieth year of my involvement in the sport of long-distance running. Looking back, I guess it started with a present under the Christmas tree in 1967. I was twelve years old. And inside a brightly wrapped box with ribbon and bow was a pair of Onitsuka Tiger training shoes. My parents found them on sale at the local weed and feed store, which just happened to carry shoes, for twelve dollars. They were white with blue and red piping. At the time, they were the fanciest pair of sneakers I’d ever seen. I slipped them on my feet and found the shoes to my liking. Somewhere between presents and turkey dinner, I got the notion in my head to try the shoes out. I decided to run twelve times around our block, one loop for every year I was old. Thus began my running career. I never looked back. Little did I know, at the time, that the sport of distance running would take me around the world as an athlete and a coach. At the time, I also didn’t realize the personal journey I would undergo. It has become a journey of mind, body, and spirit. Like life, it has been a journey of setbacks and successes. And somewhere along the way, my passion for running and writing merged. The late Dr. George Sheehan, author of Running & Being, stated, “There are times when I am not sure whether I am a runner who writes, or a writer who runs.” Either way, writing has become my way of preserving and making sense of running experiences. Each daily journey—whether it be running the forests, mountains, beaches, farmlands, deserts, towns, or rural neighborhoods—has provided inspiration for my writing. Other passions in my life have come and gone, but the pure joy of my breath, heartbeat, and footfall intermingling with the landscape has remained. I am now, and will always be, a runner. In their own way, this collection of over one thousand haiku tells a bit about myself, my life, and what I have come to know through the sport. There is something here for everyone passionate about long-distance running.

About the Author

Steve K. Bertrand is an award-winning poet, historian and photographer. For over thirty-five years, he has also worked as a free-lance photojournalist. His poems, stories and articles have appeared in numerous publications locally, nationally and internationally. In addition, Steve has had a long career as a teacher/coach in the Everett School District. A member of the Washington State Cross-Country Coaches’ Hall of Fame, Steve is also a USAT&F Pacific Northwest Road Racing Champion, a nationally-ranked marathoner, a USAT&F Master’s All-American in long distance running, as well as a USAT&F Master’s Club Cross-Country National Champion. Steve has been very involved in lectures and poetry readings throughout the Pacific Northwest. The author of over twenty books, Steve lives in Mukilteo, Washington. In his free time, he enjoys family, friends and the wonders of Washington. This book is a celebration of fifty years as a long distance runner.