CINCINNATI — Thousands of runners hit the streets of Cincinnati for the annual Flying Pig Marathon, but some of those runners did the run despite having active seizures.

What You Need To Know

  • A group of 26 runners with epilepsy will each run one mile to complete the 26-mile Flying Pig Marathon 

  • Each runner with epilepsy will be running with a caregiver to help should anyone have a seizure 

  • Epilepsy Alliance Ohio helped organize the group to bring awareness to the illness and let people know epilepsy doesn't have to stop you 

Former airline pilot Scott Badzik was training for a marathon when it happened.

“I had had two seizures that day, and they found a lesion in my brain," Badzik said. 

He was diagnosed with epilepsy. The illness causes random seizures.

“It was very disorienting. I had vision problems," he said. "I would repeat myself. My family would say it was sort of like my brain would go into a loop."

But that didn’t stop him. With treatments for more than two decades, he’s at it again.

“I found that exercise is one of the most therapeutic things for my epilepsy," he said. "It reduces my stress."

This time, he’s not alone. He’s training alongside runner and father, Rick Mullins.

“In 2021, my son was diagnosed with epilepsy," Mullins said. “He would kind of have these staring spells."

His 17-year old son recently had brain surgery that removed 20% of his brain to stop the seizures.

“That fear was mitigated by this sort of like admiration for his strength and his bravery to to want to face this," Mullins said.

That’s when he says he got the idea to start the 26.

“While I was running, I read a sign that said that one in 26 people have epilepsy," he said, "and really made the connection of, 'hey, one in 26 and 26 miles on the marathon and could we have a relay where we have 26 runners with epilepsy each running one mile."

That’s exactly what they’re about to do during Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon.

He teamed up with the Epilepsy Alliance of Ohio to make it happen.

“We were like, okay, will it be hard to get 26 people? And we had absolutely no problem. Everybody's really super excited, and we hope to kind of grow this every year and have as many people run in purple," said Epilepsy Alliance Ohio Executive Director Kathy Schrag. 

Each runner in the group will be running with a partner or caregiver to help show their support and determination.

“They get to do something like this and they realize that I can do this and I have people that are willing to support me in this, in this cause, and it just makes me feel good," Badzik said.