78-year-old man running across the U.S. makes a stop in Phoenix

Runner making cross-country trip makes stop in Phoenix

FOX 10's Bailey Miller reports.

PHOENIX - Step-by-step, 78-year-old Stan Cottrell is putting in the miles - thousands of them to be exact. He's running from one end of the contiguous United States to the other.

"This run is to promote the spirit of friendship, literally to bring a message of hope," said Cottrell.

Every day he runs 30 miles. He started in Los Angeles last week and has made it all the way to Phoenix - his first stop of the trip.

His entire team is behind him, including his doctor, who tracks his heart rate and even his sleep on his AmnioFit watch.

"He monitors me all the time," Cottrell said. "I have an emergency room on my arm, if he sees anything he says, ‘Whoa.’ "

This is not the first time he has completed a run like this. Some might call it crazy, but this will be his third time running across the United States.

"I have run over 266,000 miles run across 49 different countries," the 78-year-old said.

He hopes through his journey that he can encourage others to get up and move, helping others realize that you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

"It's been a great adventure and I love life," he said.

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