Two exhausted skateboarders rolled into Times Square on Saturday, completing an arduous 76-day journey across the United States.
An enthusiastic crowd greeted Jay Vanpolpal and Orio Ramírez at the tourist attraction, celebrating their great philanthropic feat.
“Thank you, God!” Fanpol Pal shouted as supporters flocked to the pair.
“And we are no better than any of you. We all came out of the womb!”
Van Polpal and Ramirez, both 25 years old, have been skating since leaving Los Angeles on September 30, often logging 20 miles a day in all weather and terrain.
“Push to New York” was brainstormed earlier this year as a passion project for the pair, both lifelong skaters, but quickly evolved into a way to share their love of the sport.
The pair, who boast a combined 500,000 Instagram followers, tapped into the thousands of people who tuned in to follow their daily vlog posts about their travels. We raise money along the way, and 100% of the money goes to donating to kids who can't afford skateboards.
Vanpolpal and Ramirez also drew inspiration from Chad Caruso, who set the world record for skateboarding across the continent in 57 days in 2023. The two initially expected their trip to be much like Caruso's, but soon realized the feat would be much more grueling.
In recent weeks, the pair have been exposed to heavy rainstorms and sub-zero temperatures across the Northwest.
Often exhausted, the pair would take breaks on the side of the road and inevitably hop on their boards to log more miles.
I also had to replace a wheel that had broken and cracked from extreme use.
“I'm tired, I'm tired. I've been through so many emotions. The cold and the dark woods and the cold and the rain and the snow and the hail and the heat and everything else, brother,” Vanpopal says just before coasting toward the Big Apple. said.
“Thank you everyone for the amazing journey. Thank you everyone for changing my life. Thank you so much for showing me — I just got to see the world and how beautiful it is and all of it. , brother. You can come here and travel around the country on your skateboard.”
