Roller coaster fan, 82, notches 5,000th ride
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. - An 82-year-old fan of a historic Pennsylvania roller coaster celebrated his 5,000th ride on it over the holiday weekend - sitting for more than eight hours straight and logging 95 spins around the wooden ride in a single day.
Vic Kleman, 82, marked the milestone Sunday on the Jack Rabbit at Kennywood in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Mifflin. His number of rides honored the roller coaster's 95th birthday this season.
"I feel great!" said Kleman, a retired general manager of a wholesale grocery firm and a local actor. "I made sure to move my legs throughout the day to keep from getting stiff after sitting so long."
In 2010, Kleman also said he felt "great" after notching his 4,000th ride on the wooden coaster, which dates back to 1920 and has an 85-foot double-dip drop. He rode the coaster 90 times that day and rode it 80 times to mark his own 80th birthday.
Kleman said he's been riding the world's fifth-oldest coaster since 1959, when he moved to Pittsburgh, and on that first ride friends tricked him into taking his eyes off the track just before the cars plummeted.
"We laughed so hard as we came out we were falling all over each other," Kleman said. "I thought, OK, well, maybe I'll ride some more."
Throughout the day Sunday, Kleman was joined in his cart by fellow coaster aficionados, friends and park staffers.
"The people on all the different rides seemed to make it go faster, when everyone around you is so joyful," he said. "I felt pretty good afterward . Of course, there's no telling how I'll feel tomorrow morning."
Kleman said he drank and ate very little to prepare for the feat, since he hoped to ride without stopping for even a bathroom break. Friends from the American Coaster Enthusiasts offered him water between rides. A paramedic was on standby, just in case.
He told CBS Pittsburgh he loves the coaster for a simple reason.
"It's just fast and a little bit scary," Kleman said. "And I like that."
Kennywood spokesman Nick Paradise said that after Kleman's marathon session, he walked off under his power, although using his cane.
Kleman offers one tip for fellow coaster lovers: he always chooses the fifth seat in the train, maintaining that it offers a smoother ride in the middle away from the wheels.
"If you're gonna ride over the wheels for a length of time, you're gonna hurt," Kleman said.
He told CBS Pittsburgh he intends on riding the roller coaster some more, but he will no longer keep count each time.