by Calvin Ishee
Along with a contingent of local and national supporters, on Monday, January 21, 2020, Coast to Coast runner Ernie Andrus easily finished the Pass Christian leg of his East to West trek across the nation. When asked if he had a special diet for handling the grueling task of running across America, the 96 year old simply stated, “I eat whatever I want”. In fact, after crossing the Pass Christian finish line at Henderson Ave, Ernie was headed to a local Waffle House for a quick “recharge”.
Ernest Andrus, affectionately known across the nation simply as “Ernie”, broke the world record in 2013 for being “the oldest runner to run Coast to Coast.“
So why you ask would a 90 plus year old take on such a daunting task? Simple. “The feat was undertaken to raise money for the LST 325 Ship Memorial Inc. I was one of the crew that brought the LST back from the Isle of Crete, Greece to the U.S. as seen on the a History Channel.”
Ernie was assisted locally by Pass Christian Police Sergeant Kyle Craig, Police Officer Sara Reynolds who provided a police escort, local resident Lisa Forshag and her grandkids Caroline, age 7 and Patrick, age 5, who walked with Ernie to the finish line and Pass Christian Mayor Leo “Chipper” McDermott who personally thanked Ernie for his service as well as for his fund raising efforts.
When asked what he liked most about the support he’s received from Mississippians, Ernie smiled and said “everything”.
If you want to learn more about Ernie’s story and how you can directly support his effort, you can buy his book titled “Bare Feet to Running Shoes”, available at Amazon in Kindle or Paperback, email him at coast2coastruns@gmail.com, call him at 928-308-5478 or you can visit his website at www.coast2coasts.com. Ernie is very passionate about what he’s doing and he’d love to hear from you.
