Young phenoms like the Skaggs brothers, Anton Krupicka, and Jenn Shelton have all moved there to train with-and often work for-Koerner, hoping to soak up the secrets of a man who has stayed competitive for nearly two decades. He’s turned that passion into a career, opening a retail store, Rogue Valley Runners, in 2006, that has helped make the tiny town of Ashland, Oregon, a training epicenter for the booming sport of ultrarunning. He speaks in meandering run-on sentences that defy the normal rules of grammar yet somehow always cross the finish line, concluding with the same, infectious takeaway: I love to run! And you should, too! Indeed, an image search on Google yields hundreds of photos of the 37-year-old flashing his hundred-tooth grin while suffering through grueling races like the Hardrock 100 (2012 winner) and the Western States 100 (champ in 20). What makes Hal Koerner so damn happy? Ask him that-or any question, really-and you’ll get an answer that betrays the simple truth.

Download hal koerner