Shirtless Florida man risks it all, running during Hurricane Milton

As Category 3 Hurricane Milton slammed into the southern coast of Florida on Wednesday night, the U.S. government issued an urgent plea for all residents to evacuate the storm’s deadly path. But for one Tampa runner, no storm—even one as powerful as Milton—could derail his marathon training.

In a moment that left reporters and viewers baffled during a live News Nation broadcast, a shirtless runner was spotted casually jogging through the hurricane’s fierce winds and torrential rain. The runner quickly went viral on Instagram and X, with many shocked at his audacity—or perhaps his madness. This moment reminds us of the running video from a 2015 snowstormin Portland.

He even flashed a smile and waved at News Nation field correspondent Brian Entin, who was reporting live from the storm’s chaos. Stunned, Entin remarked, “That’s a Florida man for ya, right there. Jogging in the hurricane!”

Meanwhile, the camera operator couldn’t help but follow the runner as he sprinted through the storm, seemingly unfazed by the hurricane’s wrath. Clad only in athletic shorts and sneakers, the runner acted as though he were out for a leisurely jog on a sunny day, rather than in the midst of a life-threatening storm surge.

Hurricane Milton brought devastating winds and catastrophic flooding to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast, leaving 3,000,000 people without power. With warnings as dire as, “If you stay, you will die,” the runner remained undeterred—Florida’s own real-life Forrest Gump—determined to hit his mileage goals. Because, after all, when you’ve got a race coming up, even a Category 3 hurricane can’t stop you.

Marathon training waits for nothing apparently—not even Hurricane Milton.

posted Saturday October 12th
by Running Magazine