Story posted Monday, December 28, 2009
He Made It! DP Man Walks Route 66 In 209 Days
By DWIGHT ESAU Journal & Topics Reporter
Emery Duick made it, across the entire length of Route 66.
At about 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 28, on the 209th day of his jogging-walking journey from Chicago, the 71-year-old running enthusiast from Des Plaines walked onto the famous Santa Monica pier on the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles.
Covering more than 2,250 miles in nearly seven months, he fought wild dogs, rain, traffic jams, snow, mountainous terrain, heat, and an occasionally sore back to jog and walk his way along the entire length of the legendary highway, which has been made famous in songs, TV shows, and books.
He may be the only person who has actually journeyed on, or next to, the entire 2,200-mile length of the road, starting on Chicago's lakefront on June 2. His daughter, Lauren, followed him in an SUV and served as a travel guide and cheerleader.
"God directed me, because this project worked out so much better than I had planned it," Duick said. He said he undertook the project "to encourage and show how one can stay active and improve the quality of his life."
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