68 Days. Runner beans are originally from the highlands of Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years by the indigenous people. They first entered post contact North America in the 1700s. They grow large climbing vines with multicolor blooms which were noted to attract beautiful butterfly moths. They're used for decoration and food. Haudenosaunee people often use it for soups and in traditional forms of cornbread.