On a cold December morning, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee began his long campaign day a bit differently from other presidential contenders -- he ran eight miles to prepare for the Boston Marathon.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first installment in "On the Trail," a series profiling the major candidates as they campaign across the state in the final weeks before the New Hampshire primary.)
On a cold December morning, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee began his long campaign day a bit differently from other presidential contenders -- he ran eight miles to prepare for the Boston Marathon.
"It was cold. I think it was about 20 (degrees) outside," he said, standing outside a campaign stop in Keene on a day when freezing winds forced the cancellation of a parade in Manchester.
Leaning in close to hear questions, a shivering Huckabee offered terse answers.
"Mind if we take this inside?" he asked, blaming his "Southern blood."
The crowd waiting inside was anything but cold, with recent polls in Iowa showing the candidate gaining traction in a race that feels like a marathon of a different sort.
"There are more people in this house than voted Republican in the first 135 years of Arkansas' history," Huckabee joked to a packed house in Bedford later that morning.
The news from Iowa gave a boost to supporters and increased the media's interest.
Despite the crowds, Huckabee took almost as much time to meet and speak with people individually as he did speaking to entire groups.
"He seems like a real warm, genuine guy," said Danny Schmidt, a 28-year-old graduate of Bob Jones University.
Schmidt, who recently began looking at Huckabee's candidacy and his Christian values, watched closely as the governor worked the room.
"He's more important than I am and the fact he'd ask a question about how I'm doing "" that's something," Schmidt said.
As newcomers find out who Huckabee is, people following his every move have grown more excited with the mounting attention.
"He's had a respectable turnout but now it's really extraordinary," said Jim Coburn, a former Republican candidate for New Hampshire governor. "He knows how to get out and talk to the people, and he's done an excellent job. He's earned his media."
Coburn first backed Huckabee in April and has watched the candidate's star rise following standout television interviews and debates.
Southern New Hampshire University professor Andreas Reif, another early fan of Huckabee's candidacy, was excited to see a Bedford home swarming with people and video cameras just days after the governor learned of his lead in Iowa.
"I remember going to see him in the spring and there were probably less than 30 people there," Reif said. "To see this much support, it's just incredible."
Reif became interested in Huckabee when he read about his marathon running, his experience as an ordained minister and how he successfully shed 100 pounds.
It's Huckabee's humor that shines, according to Reif, with each joke perfectly timed and polished for delivery during pulpit-powered stump speeches as well as one-on-one interaction.
Just ask Jason Kowalski. In Bedford, he asked Huckabee about opportunities for wind farming and then listed off some potential locations such as Nebraska and his hometown of Buffalo.
Huckabee quickly offered his own windy city: "Washington, D.C."
Meeting Rick Reeve, 62, outside his Hudson home that same day, Huckabee followed through on an invitation to wish Reeve's mother Beryl -- a lifelong Republican -- a happy 90th birthday.
"They're not likely to change parties at that age," Huckabee said.
As Reeve told his mother about the surprise visit from his favorite candidate, her eyes lit up.
"I remember his name. I've seen him on TV," she said.
Although more recognition has come with his recent success, Huckabee knows it's an uphill battle in New Hampshire, where Mitt Romney has led the pack for months.
But political momentum changes quickly in campaigns and now, with less than a month to go until the primary, Huckabee is regularly reminded about a former Arkansas governor who finished a surprising second to another Massachusetts politician, Paul Tsongas, in New Hampshire in 1992.
"If it works out for me the same way then sure," Huckabee said of Bill Clinton's campaign. "Nobody expects me to do well in New Hampshire. Everybody expected me to fall flat on my face."