Barefoot Dutchman ends 5,100 km walk across US in New York

THE HAGUE, November 2. /TASS/. Dutch war veteran Anton Nootenboom, also known as the Barefoot Dutchman, on Saturday completed his trek from the US West Coast to the East Coast, covering more than 5,100 kilometers over 8 1/2 months, the NL Times news website reported.
The Dutchman finished in New York’s Times Square, accompanied by a group of fans.
He started his barefoot walk in California’s Santa Monica Beach on February 17 in a bid to raise awareness of men’s mental health. The issue is very close to his heart, partly because of his deployment in Afghanistan.
The walk helped raise more than 86,000 euros, which will go to organizations that help men with mental problems.
The Dutchman walked an average of 25 to 30 kilometers every day. Leaving behind a distance of more than 3,400 kilometers, Nootenboom set a new Guinness World Record in Saint Louis in August of this year. Before then, the record – set by the Pole Pawel Durakiewicz for walking across France and Spain – was 3409.75 kilometers.