Pa. man, 78, rides roller coaster 90 times in day

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) - August 16, 2010

A 78-year-old man rode a Pittsburgh-area roller coaster 90 times in one day - bringing his lifetime total to 4,000 rides.

Vic Kleman, of Knoxville, Pa., spent about five hours on the Jack Rabbit roller coaster at Kennywood Park in nearby West Mifflin.

"I feel great! I don't know if I could do another 90, but I bet I could do another 50," Kleman said.

The wooden coaster is no spring chicken, either. It's celebrating its 90th anniversary - the number that prompted Kleman's marathon riding session on Sunday. He said he never got bored because there were always new riders to talk with.

"It goes faster than you think," Kleman said.

Officials at Kennywood presented Kleman with a certificate to verify his 4,000 trips on the coaster, which has an 85-foot, double-dip drop. He took his 3,000th ride on the Jack Rabbit in 1998.

Kleman, a member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, said he's been riding the Jack Rabbit since 1959. He usually rides it about 20 times per visit.

"It's just fun," he said.

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