A man, a bag, a board: 57 days skateboarding across America

For 3,162 miles, Chad Caruso (USA) kept one foot planted on his skateboard, the other pushing against the American pavement. Cars would whizz past, bugs would fly into his face and the soles of his sneakers would wear out, but still he trekked east towards the Atlantic. Virginia Beach, VA would come into view, and then the ocean. Once he got there, he would rest.
Skateboarding is definitely not the fastest method of travelling domestically, but Chad was determined to win the title for the fastest crossing of America on a skateboard (male). For 57 days, 6 hours and 56 minutes, he travelled from Venice Beach, CA to Virginia Beach, VA with nothing but a backpack and his board. Once he got there, he jubilantly flipped his board into the ocean.
“As I skated up to the finish line in Virginia Beach with hundreds of people cheering me on, police escorts, and local skaters pushing alongside me, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with emotion,” said Chad.
“I kept thinking back to the teenage version of myself who dropped out of school to pursue skating and fought through all the voices telling him to quit over the years,” he continued.
“Hearing from viewers that this skate helped them leave behind drugs and alcohol and turn their lives around made every bit of foot pain I had ever felt worth it.”
A skateboarder for 25 years, Chad completed the trek to raise awareness for addiction and mental health problems, and he credits the sport with giving him an outlet for his own struggles. Although he’s been sober for nine years now, he compares his journey with sobriety to his journey across America – not easy, but worth every step.
“Sobriety helped me turn my entire life around and brought me back to what I truly love to do,” Chad said. “I also believe that introspection and silence are essential for improving mental health, which was part of the reason I chose to do [the attempt] alone.”
Although other skaters like Jack Smith have made their way across America before, Chad is the first recorded man to do the mission by himself – a la Forrest Gump. And when we say unaided, we mean unaided – besides his board, all he brought was a small black backpack.
“I knew that carrying something heavy on my back for 10 hours a day, two months straight, would take a toll on me,” he said. “Funnily enough, as the trip went on, I realized I needed even less than I thought. I started shedding clothes and gear as the journey progressed.”
Although he spent ages planning out his route and tracking his movements, he knew there was only so much he could do before the journey. He practised building up his stamina by going for long skates in the six months leading up to his attempt, and focused on his health and flexibility (particularly his knees, as he’s torn just about every ligament we’ve got).
He also rarely knew where he’d be sleeping that night until he chose a hotel on the road, and he had to refuel and recharge by accepting food and conversation from friendly strangers. “Those short but meaningful conversations were incredibly impactful,” he said, perhaps also because they’d provide him with some warm food instead of Slim Jims and granola bars.
Once he was prepared, he confidently started his journey in California, pushing off from Venice Beach on 24 March and working his way eastwards through the scalding heat of the desert. From there, he made his way across miles of rolling plains in middle America, through the crush of the wilderness in Appalachia, down dirt roads and paved highways and the tiny communities that make up America’s heartland.
He averaged 55 miles a day by skating for 10 hours, pushing himself to the absolute limit. His shoes wore out, he washed his (one) pair of clothes dozens of times, he got chased by a coyote and he ran out of water in the desert and lost his way and had to turn back around again. His body took a beating – he battled shin splints, chafing, pinched nerves and a chipped tooth and even a moth flying into his ear.
But he never once got bored. Despite the constant routine and the slow roll of the scenery, Chad appreciated the solitude, and the thought of the adventure kept him going.
“I felt more engaged doing this than with anything else I’d ever attempted,” Chad said. “I became completely obsessed.”
By the time he rolled into Virginia Beach, Chad had become one with the road – he stayed pushing calmly as cars whizzed past him, could check Instagram as he rolled down the highway and his body became so used to the exhaustion that he could get up and go without stretching or icing first.
And when he entered the town, crowds of skaters came out to tag along with him for the final 10 miles down to the beach. Groups of photographers took his photo and his statements, in part for use in his book Pushing Through America about his adventure. The mayor of Virginia Beach, Robert M. Dyer, gave a speech proclaiming 19 May to be Chad Caruso Day, and Chad celebrated by the ocean with his proud wife.
“If you have a vision, believe in bringing it to life, and don’t let the thoughts or opinions of others waver your resolve,” Chad recommended.
And who knows, maybe one day you’ll also get a holiday named after your accomplishment!