Among the 43,000 people running the Flying Pig Marathon Saturday and Sunday is Steve Brandstetter, a City of Wyoming man, who has run marathons in 49 states and will run his 50th in Alaska in June.
Brandstetter said originally he was "tricked" into running but now loves it.
"One day I was walking down the stairs at work and I had only been there a couple months and I heard a gentleman say 'Steve will do it.' And I said 'what is Steve doing?' And he said, 'Got a team. You're running the Heart Mini Marathon.' And I said 'Oh, heck!'"
But, as Brandstetter explains it, "I started and I finished and I didn't die....and I'm going to do this again."
Originally his brother-in-law encouraged him to try marathoning to recharge his caregiver batteries. For years Steve's wife, now deceased, suffered from MS and he treated the marathons as mini-vacations.
Brandstetter's daughters and his mother will be cheering him on in Anchorage in June.
This is the Flying Pig's 20th anniversary, featuring runners from all over the world. Spokeswoman Jackie Reau says it has become so popular because Runners World has given it plenty of accolades.
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