Ernie Andrus is a World War II veteran, 91 years old and he wants to be the oldest person ever to run all the way across the country.

He’s well on his way already, and he’s not doing it to get into the record books or to prove what someone his age can do it. No, his true motivation is even more interesting than that — he’s running to preserve history.

After 136 legs — and 820 miles! — Ernie checks in with us from New Mexico after starting in San Diego on his coast-to-coast trip. He explains his running technique and reveals his ideal finish date.

So why is he running? A few years ago, Ernie and some friends bought a World War II ship and brought it from Greece to the United States. Now, they’re trying to raise money to bring this historic ship back to Normandy, where it was used on D-Day.

Ernie explains the historic significance of the LST 325 ship and why both Eisenhower and Churchill believed it was the ship that won World War II.

If you’d like to help Ernie with his mission, click here to visit his website. You can donate to his LST 325 project and keep up with his progress across country.