HARRISVILLE — Mark Bowman has always been into running. Only now, he's taking it to extremes.

The 35-year-old Harrisville man is preparing to do a 32.6-mile run/walk from his house to the home of brother-in-law Jason Ellison in Winfield Township.

It's not a race or any type of competition.

He's doing it, well ... just to do it.

"I started running when I was 18, primarily for physical fitness," Bowman said. "I was laid off from work in April and began running a lot more."

His mother-in-law lives in Butler. Bowman tried a run/walk to her house, 18.5 miles from his, and said "it wasn't that hard."

"Tha's what made me think about increasing the distance," he said.

Bowman's increased interest in distance running is steering him toward marathon and ultra-marathon events. He is already entered in the State College Half-Marathon, a 13.1-mile run scheduled for Dec. 5.

He's already run the Grove City 5K as well.

"Ultimately, I want to be able to do an ultra-marathon (100 miles)," Bowman said. "It won't be all about the time for me. My goal would be to finish and that's it.

"It's just a matter of doing it. I'm treating this as a personal challenge."

Bowman estimates he completes a mile in 13.5 minutes. His speed varies, depending on the load he carries.

He anticipates carrying a pack weighing 10 pounds or more on his back when he walks to Winfield Township.

"Absolutely ... I carry my food, drink and supplies with me so I don't have to stop anywhere," he said. "I'll start out early in the morning — around 5 a.m. — when it's cooler and there's not as much traffic. Bowman stands 5-foot-11 and weighs approximately 200 pounds.

"I'm in shape," he said. "I dropped six pounds when I made the 18-mile trek to Butler."

Bowman trains five days a week, often running on a treadmill at the YMCA for an hour at a time.

Once he completes his 32-mile venture, his next goal is 50.

"It's hard to say when that will be," he said. "I haven't had any injuries. It's gone well so far."