Four years ago, at 380 pounds, Jake McCluskey could barely walk a single block without catching his breath.

This month marks the completion of a challenge he can hardly believe himself: he's run on every single street of San Jose — down all the long, rural stretches, around each crevice of the city's many cul-de-sacs. Running from three to five hours every day, he completed the 2,411.37 miles in 452 days.

The regimen was markedly different from how he used to spend his days, when he lived in an a now-unrecognizable skin.

"There was a period where I worked right next door to where I lived, and I would not leave that corner for months at a time," McCluskey said. "I really felt like a prisoner to that area. It was just too hard for me to get around."

The daily anxieties of living in his body began to be too much for him. He'd tried a number of times to lose the weight, but found he spent more time talking about his plans than putting anything into action. So he set out on his first real run, starting with a single block. He ran at night to avoid embarrassment. Eventually, he built up his endurance to 15 miles. Within time, he had completed a 100-mile run.

His idea to run on every one of San Jose's streets was a borrowed one; his friend had done the same, only in Livermore. McCluskey thought he might be the first to try it in San Jose.

"I'd lived in San Jose for 18 years," he said. "So I thought, what other way to learn about [the city] then to run down every street?"

He started in his own neighborhood, Japantown, and branched out from there. He used the Nike Plus app as well as a GPS tracker to make sure he hit every street. The live map of his travels can be viewed here.

At night, McCluskey works as a "beertender" at Market Beer Co. in San Pedro Market. His runs would take place during the day time.

When he first decided to get fit, he gave away his car to force himself to bike or walk wherever he needed to go. But during this challenge, not having a car made getting around San Jose's massive sprawl tougher. At first, he'd bike to the farther areas, but quickly switched to public transportation, which could still take up to two hours or more simply to arrive at his next spot.

To keep himself interested in the runs, he would make sure to research his running spots the night before. He wanted to know the namesakes for streets and parks, and the history of the neighborhoods.

"That provided Easter eggs for me when I'd actually see [the landmarks]," he said.

Several things surprised him as he absorbed the city by foot. For one, there were parts of San Jose that were so rural, he couldn't believe he was still within city limits. During one of his runs, he literally stumbled upon a neighborhood that captivated him.

"It looks like Beverly Hills, you wouldn't believe it," he said.

The halcyon Palm Haven was at one point incorporated as its own city. Perched on the southern edge of San Jose, the palm-tree-lined streets imitated the sunny "residence parks" of the early-to-mid 20th century. The neighborhood is designated as a Historic Conservation Area today.

Not all of his run spots had as cheery a disposition as Palm Haven. McCluskey said he was followed on two separate occasions; once for a half hour by a two whistling carloads of quasi-neighborhood patrol, and the other by a blacked-out Mercedes Benz —for two hours.

Though an "excessive" response, McCluskey said he realizes his behavior might have looked erratic. After all, he was running down every single dead-end, no matter the neighborhood's social topography. He was determined to complete his challenge.

And though his will to physically persevere has grown exponentially, McCluskey said he's still "catching up mentally." Despite his transformation, he still struggles to remind himself it's real. Like when he and his friend get in her car, and he instinctively waits for her to pull out, thinking he won't fit into the door. Or realizing he's still calculating whether or not a new chair will be strong enough to hold him.

"On top of being heavy, I was a heavy smoker. I was waiting to die in some regards," he said. "I feel blessed with a very good situation where I'm coming back to my health. I'm getting a second chance."

Next on his list of goals is to raise money for a new set of teeth. According to his GoFundMe, McCluskey has advanced gum disease and severe tooth decay, so much so that he wants to get all of them removed and replaced. He's also beginning to train to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Read Annie Vainshtein's latest stories here. Send her news tips at avainshtein@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @annievain

