Chad Caruso, of East Farmingdale. aims to skateboard across the U.S. in 30 days, breaking his own record

Chad Caruso is hitting the pavement — again. 

The 39-year-old East Farmingdale man, who skated across the United States in 57 days to bring awareness to addiction and mental health in 2023, is attempting to beat his own record, aiming to skate from coast to coast in 30 days.

"I just enjoy pushing my limits," said Caruso, who holds the holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest male crossing of America (USA) on a skateboard.

He will leave Venice Beach, California, on May 1, with the goal of reaching Jacksonville, Florida, on the evening of May 30.

After skating 3,162 miles from Venice Beach to Virginia Beach, Virginia, three years ago, Caruso said he never intended to repeat the trek.

But as time moved on, he realized his ability to skate would be limited as he got older. He also underwent knee surgery last fall to repair a torn meniscus.

"As I'm starting to get older, I just missed being out on the road and realized my body might not hold up that long to do something like this again," he said.

Caruso, who in his day job works for Swell Taco in Babylon, quickly gained national attention on his 2023 trek while posting daily vlogs of his travels. Some commented online that they were skeptical of his account of the trip. 

"They couldn't believe I did it in 57 days," Caruso said. They thought it was fake. And in my mind, I'm just thinking, I feel like I could do it in 30 and so, yeah, why not bring it to life?"

The vlogs allowed viewers to feel like they were a part of the journey, and many — especially those who related to his cause — opted to skate with him for portions at a time.

Caruso raised about $15,000 for Natural High, a nonprofit that helps kids find activities to help them fight substance abuse.

His videos were later incorporated into "Across America," a YouTube documentary about his trip. Caruso was also featured on professional skater Tony Hawk’s podcast, "Hawk vs. Wolf." 

This time around, Caruso said he will be livestreaming his entire journey on his YouTube channel from the moment his feet touch his skateboard in the morning to when he dismounts for the last time at night.

"I realized the best part of it [the trek] was all the people I met," he said. "I thought, why not expand on that and have people along for the whole ride? You get to see everyone I meet and see what it's really like to do it."

In 2023, Caruso rode solo, skating 50 to 80 miles a day before settling into a hotel for the night. 

He would edit and post his daily video, sleep and wake up to do it all over again, carrying only a knapsack filled with basic items like a change of clothes, an extra set of wheels and a hydration backpack.

Each day he pushed on through blistering sun and torrential downpours, both uphill and downhill, battling shin splints and previous injuries, and even wore out a pair of shoes.

This time around, Caruso will be accompanied by two friends who will drive an RV sponsored by Storyteller Overland, a company that makes "adventure-ready" vehicles.

The three will sleep in the RV each night — a way to save time, Caruso said, as he must skate at least 100 miles per day to make his deadline. 

"Last time I had to skate to the hotel and skate back [to the road]," he said. "It was a lot of extra energy. So having them will be a huge help."

The RV will also make it easier to store supplies like water, food and extra sets of wheels.

In 2023, Caruso was able to skate across the U.S. without changing his wheels once. But he doesn’t expect that to happen again.

"I learned a ton since the last trip. I realized I was pretty unprepared last time," Caruso said. "I didn't drink enough water; I didn't know what electrolytes were."

Instead of skating across the Appalachian Mountains, Caruso will head south toward Texas to avoid hills.

Caruso said he aims to raise $100,000 for Natural High and is grateful that he can do it through his passion for skateboarding.

"Skating is my life, it has kept me out of so much trouble throughout my whole life," he said. "The older I get, the more appreciative I am that I could do it ... just going to keep going, as long as my body holds up."