For 13 seasons, Alan Faneca provided lanes for backs to run through as a left guard, but this past Sunday, it was the former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman doing the running as he completed his first marathon.
Faneca, who as you can see in the picture below that was tweeted out on Sunday, has lost more than 100 pounds since calling it career after the 2010 season. He finished the New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in 3:56:17 and afterwards had himself a beer to celebrate, according to Hannah McGoldrick of RunnersWorld.com.
“A lot of people ask me, do I miss football? I don’t miss football but what I do miss is that first beer after a game,” he said. “I had the same feeling after the race.”
As far as all of the weight that Faneca has lost, he said that he accomplished that by watching his calorie intake and sticking to a six-days-a-week cardio plan.
For now, Faneca doesn’t have any more marathons currently on his calendar, but that he is considering running a duathlon, which incorporates cycling in with running.
Faneca isn’t the only former Steelers player to take up such a grueling hobby, however, as former wide receiver Hines Ward completed his first triathlon just last year.
Faneca played 10 seasons in Pittsburgh after being drafted by the Steelers in the first-round of the 1998 NFL Draft out of LSU. He finished his career with the Arizona Cardinals after playing two seasons with the New York Jets from 2008-09.
Alan Faneca crossed the New Orleans Rock & Roll Marathon finish line with a time of 03:56:17. Congrats, @afan66 !! pic.twitter.com/WCxjWcSuJ8
— Liane Faneca (@LianeFaneca) February 2, 2014
