Skateboarding across the nation, Long Island man completes 2nd cross-country journey

An East Farmingdale man successfully broke his Guinness World Record last month after skateboarding across the country for the second time — in 39 days.

Chad Caruso, 39, completed his journey from Venice Beach, California, to Florida on June 8, traveling 2,809 miles.

"It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, hands down," Caruso said of his second cross-country attempt.

Every day Caruso and his friend Danny Torres, 30, woke up in their Storyteller Overland RV around 3:30 a.m. for Caruso to turn on a livestream camera worn on his body and hit the pavement. By 7 or 8 p.m., Torres, of Ridgewood, Queens, would meet up with Caruso and the two would grab dinner at a fast-food spot and park the van for the night.

Originally attempting to break his own record of skateboarding across the country in 57 days in 2023 by doing so in 30 days, Caruso said he aimed to skate 80 miles each day.

But early into the trip, Caruso said he woke up "experiencing different pain every single day," rotating between his Achilles tendon and knees.

"I remember waking up in the morning every day, and just being like, ‘I don't see how I could finish today,’ ” he said. "At the end of the day, I remember thinking that was the hardest day in my life."

Just seven months before starting the trip on May 1, Caruso had knee surgery to fix a torn meniscus. He tore it again twice before embarking on his trip.

About two weeks into the trip, after entering Texas, the stress of advancing more than 600 miles caused Caruso’s meniscus and knee to flare up and swell.

In addition, the Texas portion was mostly on chipseal, a type of pavement that combines liquid asphalt with crushed rock, leading to an uncomfortable ride.

"You're essentially skateboarding on rocks that have been glued to the ground. ... You have to push hard," said Torres, who attempted skating with him on the chipseal. "You don't even get the relief of going downhill, because you have to push downhill."

Caruso said during this time his goal changed from completing the trek in 30 days to finishing it at all, as he was able to do only about 50 miles per day. The pain became so severe that often he felt like quitting.

"That was the biggest moment of doubt for me," Caruso said.

But despite the pain, he said his personal motto — "just roll" — motivated him to keep going.

"I just made it a part of my overall outlook, like I just enjoy doing difficult things," Caruso said. "I set out for a goal and just wanted to see what I was capable of, and I wasn't going to let anything stop me."

Caruso said his sharing his journey on the livestream resonated with an overwhelming number of people. On both treks, he raised money and awareness for Natural High, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and empowering youth to live drug-free by finding their natural highs.

Guinness has not yet approved this year's feat.

He said he raised more than $34,000 for Natural High, an amount the organization confirmed.

Torres said at least 200 people would almost immediately log on to the 4 a.m. livestream each morning to watch Caruso begin his 12-hour day of skating. An average of at least 20,000 people would log on in one day, Torres said.

Similar to the 2023 trip, numerous people would stop and hand out a drink or a snack to Caruso, while many others skated or cycled with him. This year, he planned to end the trip in Jacksonville, Florida, but he finished in Neptune Beach, an addition of nearly 20 miles.

On the last day of his journey, Caruso said hundreds people lined up for 5 miles up until he reached Neptune Beach, holding signs and cheering him on.

“Welcome to the Beaches," Neptune Beach Mayor Cori Bylund said on Caruso’s livestream as he reached his destination.

Bylund then read a proclamation to the crowd, stating that Caruso’s “tenacity and his sheer grit has led him to conclude his journey in Neptune Beach, Florida, in 39 days, breaking his former record by 18 days," proclaiming June 8 as “Chad Caruso Day."

"What I felt was an overwhelming emotion," Caruso said. "All these people there were there for something greater than just the accomplishment. It was like what it represented, the sobriety, and trying to better their own lives, people being kind to other people."