He ascended from darkness to the brightest lights of ’em all.
Freed Chilean miner Edison Peña rocked the Big Apple today in a trio of high-profile appearances before his dream dash in the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday.
Three weeks ago the 34-year-old Elvis-loving miner was running endless laps along a 1,000-yard tunnel just to keep his sanity while trapped 2,300 feet below the surface in a collapsed Copiapo gold and copper mine.
And now that tireless love of running brought the 5-foot-5, 145-pound Peña into the spotlight.
The indomitable Peña charmed the audience at the “Late Show with David Letterman.”
He treated them to an impromptu version of “Suspicious Minds” – joined by Paul Shaffer and band — between talking about the harrowing days through an interpreter.
VIDEO: PENA MEETS WITH THE PRESS
PHOTOS: PENA TRAINS WHILE TRAPPED IN MINE
He talked about finding solace in listening to Elvis on a specially-delivered MP3 player while being stuck for 69 days.
Being stuck with 33 men for 69 days was no picnic, he told Letterman.
“Thirty-three minds and opinions going in different directions … and always one bad apple,” he said, adding, “[we] all worked together. All of us pulled through.”
Peña confessed that on first time entering the mine he had an urge to immediately flee.
Letterman deadpanned, “That’s how people feel when they come to my show.”
“It was excellent, fabulous. He was open, honest, and he had everyone laughing. He was funny in his responses.” said audience member Joanne Meluzio from Philadelphia. “He was a real character.”
The Chilean miner said today that “it’s a dream come true” to be able to run in the world’s biggest race.
“The first dream come true was seeing the light of day again, and I had to go through all of this to be here today. And I did!” he said a Central Park press conference.
Peña’s nightmare turned into a dream on Oct. 13, when he and the other 32 miners were rescued.
“What I thought as I ran in the mine was that I was going to beat destiny — that I was going to turn the tables on destiny,” he said. “I was saying to the mine, ‘I can out run you. I can run until you are bored.'”
Peña earned his nickname, The Runner, because he logged up to six miles a day through the underground tunnels, killing time during his ordeal.
“It was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face,” he said. “But as you know miners have miner lamps. I ran with my miner lamp on my helmet and that allowed me to see where I was going.”
Peña will be one of a record 45,000 runners who will hit the pavement on Sunday morning in the marathon.
“[I am] the first person to train for the marathon underground,” he joked.
Peña, 34, was one of the most depressed of the trapped men, asking rescuers for Elvis music and a picture of the sun.
“The first thing I asked for was an iPod with Elvis tunes,” he said. “I thought I would never hear him again.”
Peña said he hasn’t run a race in a long time.
“I haven’t run in a race in a long time, but I have been amateur running for a very long time,” he said. “In my hometown I run all the time.”
Peña arrived at Kennedy Airport this morning to loud cheers, saying he is thrilled to be in New York.
“I’m overwhelmed and tired. I always wanted to be here,” Peña had said through a translator after his flight from Santiago landed at JFK in Queens.
Just weeks after being rescued from a Chilean mine, Peña, who survived 69 days underground, was greeted by world-class runners Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia and Henrik Ramala of South Africa.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Peña, after the two runners handed him a bouquet of flowers, an honor usually reserved for race winners.
“I almost died,” he added in disbelief.
Peña reiterated his enthusiasm to run in the marathon during a news conference this afternoon in Central Park.
Tomorrow he’s scheduled to visit the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty.
Although he’s scheduled to fly home Monday, Peña will be back to the US soon.
Elvis Presley Enterprises said he’ll be a guest of honor at Graceland from Jan. 6 – 9 for celebrations of what would have been The King’s 76th birthday.