WWII vet is on 2nd walk across U.S.

World War II Navy veteran Ernest Andrus will be 97 years old on Aug. 19 and is on his second coast to coast run across the United States.
On May 19, he made his way through Basile, being escorted down Highway 190 by Earline Fruge, local sheriff’s deputy.
According to Andrus, he holds the world’s record for the oldest person to make the coast to coast run when he completed his first journey one day after his 93rd birthday on Aug. 20, 2016. That first run began in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on Oct. 7, 2013, and ended at the Atlantic Ocean, Saint Simons Island, Georgia. The run took 999 hours, 32 minutes, and one second.
The run was achieved in 429 legs that covered 2,631.8 miles. His average pace 22:47 per mile, and his average leg was 6.13 miles. He ran an average of 18.4 miles per week.
His present run began on March 16, 2019, and is taking the same course but in reverse. He said, “I am only running 13 miles a week now so it will take me five years. I’ll be 100 years old, should I live that long.”
According to his website, coast2coastruns.com, his feat is being undertaken to raise money for the LST 325 Ship Memorial. The LST 325 is a World War II era ship used to land equipment and troops on hostile shores.
Andrus was one of the crew that brought the ship back from the Isle of Crete, Greece to the U.S. in 2000/2001, as aired on the History Channel as “The Return of LST 325.” One thousand fifty-one LST’s were built during World War II. The 325 is the only one left that is restored and operational.
It is Andrus’s dream to take the ship back to Normandy for a D-Day Memorial.
He said, “I didn’t raise near enough money on my first run so I’m trying again.”
Donations to this cause can be made to LST 325 Ship Memorial and are tax deductible. The mailing address is
Coast to Coast Runs, 5010 North Tiara Court, Otis Orchard, WA 99027.
Andrus’s autobiography Bare Feet to Running Shoes and his t-shirts are available on the above mentioned website.
You can also follow him on Facebook (Ernest Andrus) and/or on Youtube.com (Coast2CoastRun2019).
Among the Basile residents who greeted him as he made his way through town were Elliana Ramos, Joaquin Ramos, Terri Ramos, Ernie Andrus, Jena Roy, Isabel Ramos, Lettie Roy, and Mia Roy.