'I wish it wasn't over,' says Ernie Andrus, reaching St. Simon's Island in Georgia almost three years after starting his run in San Diego on 7 October, 2013 After two years and 10 months, 93-year-old Ernie Andrus has made it across America. The second world war veteran dipped his toes in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday morning, ending a cross-country run that started in San Diego.