A Kiwi endurance athlete has made history in the United States, finishing a 5000km run across the country.
The 60-year-old from Feilding ran from New York City to Los Angeles and in the process set a new world record.
Perry Newburn finished on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall, just 52 days after leaving New York City with only his legs and his lungs to carry him.
"It was a huge journey, and it certainly wasn't an easy one," he says. "It was tough going at times. There was one day towards the end [where] the heat was bad. I felt as though I was just going to fall over on the side of the road."
Newburn ran for as many as 15 hours a day, including 97 kilometres on his 60th birthday, enduring pain, the elements and some unwelcome companions.
"There were two or three times when we almost stood on some rattlers. Once at night time I remember looking down the side of a bank and seeing three pairs of eyes, and they didn't look like small animals. It looked as though they were stalking us."
He set out from New York on September 1, covering the 5000km to Los Angeles, running at a rate of more than two marathons a day.
He's the fastest man over 40 to complete that feat, claiming the world masters record from American ultra-marathon runner Marshall Ulrich.
He's taking a couple of days to catch his breath now, but is already wondering about where he'll run next.
3 News
source: newshub archive
