This Texas woman finished her 1,000th marathon — then ran another a week later

Angela Tortorice says the day she completed her 1,000th marathon was one of the most amazing days of her life.

The Texas accountant reached the milestone on April 2 in Irving, Texas, surrounded by family and friends.

"It was just so amazing," Tortorice, 54, told As It Happens guest host Dave Seglins.

"I had a lot of friends and family there supporting me, and just didn't know that it was going to be as great as it actually was."

Running as a coping mechanism

Tortorice first took up running about 25 years ago. Her husband at the time had just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and she needed something to help relieve the stress.

"It was just a way for me to try to work on my health and kind of deal with what was going on in our lives and the challenges that we faced. And running, it just kind of takes you away from all of that," she said.

"You get these endorphins and it just helps you cope with things that are going on .... because you just become a lot more clear-headed."

In the years since, she's often used her running to raise money for MS-related charities.

And she's done a lot of running. In order to reach her goal of hitting 1,000 marathons, she's run an average of 40 marathons a year since she began. She says she started off running less than that, then ramped it up over time. 

But she insists it's not as extreme as it sounds. 

"We're also not pushing our upper limits. We're taking it easy," she said. "We're just at the back of the pack having a good time."

Tortorice also holds the Guinness World Record for most marathons run in a calendar year by a woman, a title she earned by running 129 marathons between September 2012 and August 2013.

Now she also lays claim the title of first American woman to run 1,000 marathons, according to the Mega Marathon List.

The website, which updates its rankings twice annually, tracks marathons across the world, with the caveat: "While we don't pretend that this is the complete and definitive list of runners that have achieved this milestone, we strive to make the list as accurate as possible, and rely on the good faith and integrity of each runner to present a true accounting of his or her achievements."

Heck, maybe I'll come to Canada and run. I have friends that have done a lot of races up in that area, and I know it's absolutely beautiful.- Angela Tortorice, marathoner

Tortorice encourages anyone who's interested in running to give it a try.

"You can get out there and do anything you set your mind to if this is something you want to do. I started out with a mile," she said. "Just start out slowly. Don't set some huge goal. Just set something that's attainable. Make it a habit."

It's a habit she plans to keep. Since her 1,000th finish line earlier this month, she's already completed another marathon in Arizona over the weekend — and she has no plans to stop any time soon.

"Heck, maybe I'll come to Canada and run. I have friends that have done a lot of races up in that area, and I know it's absolutely beautiful," she said.

Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview produced by Niza Lyapa Nondo.