Watch CBS News

Man Runs From San Francisco To New York In Record Time

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A 29-year-old man has completed a cross-country run from San Francisco to New York City in 42 days, 6 hours and 30 minutes, crushing a record that has stood for more than three decades.

According to Runner's World magazine, Pete Kostelnick finished his 3,067 mile trek at City Hall in New York City on Monday. Kostelnick began the journey from San Francisco City Hall on September 12th.

"The chances of going through something like this without a serious injury taking you out is very slim, so I was very lucky," Kostelnick told CBSN.

The magazine reported Kostelnick ran 72 miles per day on average, spending upwards of 14 hours a day running for six weeks straight.

Aided by a four-person crew, Kostelnick encountered numerous challenges, including snowstorms and high winds.

"Just trying to survive each day, because the first step is always the hardest," Kostelnick said.

His support vehicle was totaled in a crash on October 16th, but no one was injured and he was able to run more than 70 miles that day. Kostelnick also did not see his wife during the run and missed their anniversary.

When asked about nutrition, Kostelnick told CBSN that he ate normal foods and not gels common among marathoners.

His diet consisted of protein bars and trail mix while running, lots of protein, meat and potatoes. Kostelnick splurged by having a pint of ice cream at night.

Kostelnick said he took up running a few years ago to lose weight.

The previous record, according to Runners World, was 46 days, 8 hours and 36 minutes set by Frank Giannino Jr. in 1980. Giannino also ran the same San Francisco-to-New York route.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.