Diabetic runs cross country -- literally

NEW YORK, June 26 (UPI) -- A 64-year-old New York man has completed a run across the United States aimed at raising awareness of diabetes.

Yi-joo Kwon, who lives in the Flushing neighborhood in Queens, was joined by a pack of 25 other runners Friday for the last few miles through Manhattan, the New York Daily News reported. He reached the finish line in front of the U.N. building at 3 p.m.

Many other runners spent a few miles in his company during Kwon's 3,100-mile journey from the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles.

"I was amazed at the fact that it was very simple for him," said Mike Fohner, an engineer who joined Kwon for 31 miles in Pennsylvania. "There wasn't a GPS or a crew there with him -- he had a piece of paper in his hand that told him where he had to turn."

Kwon said he ran his way through seven pairs of running shoes and lost 15 pounds in his 95 days on the road.

The retiree almost died of diabetes in 1996.

"The reason I was able to finish this cross-country run is because I was thinking of everyone here supporting me," Kwon said at journey's end.