Loopy! Man spends £33,000 riding 1,099 rollercoasters
A theme park 'addict' has spent an eye-watering £33,000 on riding 1,099 rollercoasters.
Marcus Gaines, 36, a TV cameraman, has spent the money on flights, hotels and entry fees to 251 parks on 46 trips to 19 countries.
Mr Gaines has a partner Susie, who is said to "tolerate" his hobby, and a two-year-old son Thomas.
He told the Daily Mail: "I'm like a little child who still gets incredibly excited at the sight of a new rollercoaster
"I tend to ride each rollercoaster several times in a bid to find the best seat, because the experience varies massively depending on where you sit."
He adds that it's a "form of escapism, which allows me to forget the stresses of everyday life and lose myself in the moment".
According to the Daily Star, Marcus says various nationalities react differently on rides. He said: "The Japanese and Chinese keep their heads down, terrified of what's to come, whereas the Germans go wild and shout and scream. In Spain, queue-jumping is rife."
Marcus himself prefers to whoop and punch the air rather than scream.
On his most recent trip to China, Marcus managed to "whoop" his way around 70 rollercoasters in 26 parks over three weeks. Impressive.
He has tackled some of the biggest rides in the world, including the world's tallest steel coaster, the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson New Jersey, which is 456ft tall, as well as the world's longest steel coaster, the Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land, Japan, which is 8,133ft long.
He has already booked his next trip to Denmark in August.
But, of course, he's not the only roller coaster addict in the world. He has a way to go until he catches up with Dennis Bloor, 74, and wife Sylvia, 64, who have spent over £60,000 on trips to more than 40 amusement parks, even riding Nemesis at Alton Tower 4,000 times.
Dennis told This Is Cornwall: "Who needs booze or anything like that when you have this? It's all about the exhilaration, the fresh air, and above all, the fun. We love it."
Back in August 2010, a 78-year-old man rode a rollercoaster 90 times in one day.
Vici Kleman conquered the Jack Rabbit at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, to help celebrate the wooden coaster's 90th anniversary.
But things don't always go as planned. Back in July 2012, a 12-year-old boy from New Jersey was hit in the face by a pigeon while riding on the the world's tallest rollercoaster.
Shane Matus, of Howell Township, was riding in the front car of the Kingda Ka rollercoaster at the Six Flags amusement park (yep, Marcus has ridden that one) when the bird crashed into his face.
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