Ultra-runner Pete Kostelnick hit the road on September 12th, his 29th birthday, commencing his journey from San Francisco City Hall to run across America. His goal? To break Frank Giannino’s 36-year-old trans-America record of 46 days 8 hours 36 minutes (recognized by Guinness World Records) for the fastest crossing of the United States by foot. Some forty days later, Pete has chipped away at the expedition of 3,100 miles with consistency, and if he keeps at his incredible 72+-mile-a-day average, he should arrive at New York City Hall by Monday, October 24th, days ahead of the standing record.
Forrest Gump Lives
Pete’s running resume is filled with great feats: to put his speed in perspective, Pete’s marathon best is a time of 2:41:06 in 2015 at the Lincoln, NE Marathon. Regarding his ultramarathon achievements, in 2013 he ran 423 miles in seven days across Iowa at the Ragbrai, and in 2015, he won Badwater 135. In December of that year he went on to run 163 miles in 24 hours at the Desert Solstice 24 hour, and in 2016, he broke the course record at Badwater 135, running the challenging race in an incredibly fast 21:56:32. But running wasn’t always Pete’s forte; in fact, his running journey commenced years back, when he weighed 200 pounds and entered the Marine Corps Marathon to shed some weight. In addition to trimming down, over the next few years, Pete discovered his natural talent and fervor for running far and fast.
Accountability
Pete is not taking any chances as he traverses the country with a world record in mind. He runs with a satellite transceiver which records his every move so that his progress is trackable. In addition, Pete wears two GPS watches at all times—in case one fails—and his support team gathers witness signatures, takes videos and photos, and assembles media reports daily. While running across the country is typically a lonely endeavor, Pete has had a host of running companions across various states, which makes his progress easy to follow on social media. His journey is one of discipline and numbers which serve to validate his record-breaking attempt.