By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — He had to wear sunglasses when he emerged from 70 days trapped underground, but Chilean miner Edison Pena is ready for the bright lights of New York City.
Before running in the ING New York City Marathon Sunday, the South American hero took in the sights of the Big Apple, including a starring tole on the Late Show with David Letterman.
He talked about his experience of being trapped 2,000 feet underground for more than 70 days, where he kept sane by running through a huge labyrinth of tunnels.
"The first time I walked into a mine, I wanted to turn around and get out," Pena said through a translator.
"But that wasn't really an option, so I kept going deeper and deeper into the mine. And I just kept saying, 'Couldn't we just turn around?'"
"But it didn't work out that way," the joking miner added.
"A lot of people feel the same way about appearing on this show," Letterman quipped in response.
Pena, who also kept morale up by singing in the mine, gave a show finale by performing Elvis' "Suspicious Minds."
Pena continued his tour with a visit to the Empire State building, according to the New York Daily News.
"It was really beautiful," Pena told the News, adding that New York is "really pretty."
While there, the miner took a moment to examine the race's finish line in Central Park, according to the News.
After Pena runs on Sunday, the Elvis-lover plans to continue on to Memphis and Vegas, where he will visit Graceland and the Cirque du Soleil show "Viva Elvis," the News reported.
