NEW YORK, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. businessman Tellman Knudson hopes to raise $100 million for charity by emulating Forrest Gump and running across the United States, and doing it without his shoes, local media said.

The 32-year-old entrepreneur is set to start his 5,000-kilometer (3,100-mile) barefoot run in New York on Wednesday. He intends to give the money collected during the run to nonprofit organizations and programs across the country involved in rebuilding the lives of homeless and at-risk youth, the Brattleboro Reformer said.

Knudson's route is expected to pass through Cleveland (Ohio), Chicago (Illinois), Oklahoma City (Oklahoma), Saint Louis (Missouri), Houston (Texas), and to end in Santa Monica, California. To cover the distance, he plans to run 30-40 kilometers (20-25 miles) a day, the newspaper said.

According to official statistics, about 100,000 young people stay homeless up to half a year in the United States, and some 2 million have tried to live on the streets at least once in their life.