Want to see the world? Be a distance runner. It worked for Lee DiPietro, a world-class runner who has competed in marathons from New York to Bermuda to France and England. She even took on the infamous and grueling Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. And all of it before she turned 30.

But now DiPietro, who lives in Towson, is staying closer to home to run, at least this Saturday, as the 49-year-old married mother of two college-aged sons tackles the Baltimore Running Festival’s Marathon, which begins this morning at 8 at Camden Yards.

“I still get extremely nervous before a race,” DiPietro said. “I usually arrive early so I can just have my own time to mentally prepare. I need to focus. Marathons require both mental and physical endurance.”

For DiPietro, who runs between 80 and 100 miles a week and whose personal best in the 26.2-mile race is 2:47, her running journey has had its focus squarely on family.

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Her inspiration to run came from her sister, Kitty Cushing, a recovering alcoholic who turned to running as a means to beat her addiction. While running to support her sister, DiPietro began to win races.

“I ran with my sister at a Boston Marathon,” she said. “The entire experience was so positive that I got involved in the New York Marathon as well.”

DiPietro’s mother, Nina Jennings — a breast cancer survivor — said her daughter has been a great inspiration.

“She has always been a very dedicated athlete,” Jennings, said. “[During my recovery] she would push me. And now I run three miles six days a week.”

At 29, DiPietro was introduced to triathlons, and her running became daily three-hour journeys, not to mention training on the bike and in the pool. By the time she hit her late 30s, she was a professional.

“I was sponsored by Saucony Footwear, and they were wonderful to me, even at my age,” DiPietro said. “I still wear their shoes.”

DiPietro, whose race-day ritual includes a warm-up run to calm her nerves and a cup of coffee, said she had no idea what she was getting into when she started racing alongside her sister. Running used to be a release after a long workday. But her mother’s battle with breast cancer and her sister’s battle with addiction has left DiPietro with a deep appreciation for family.

“I just want to keep a healthy lifestyle for myself and my family,” DiPietro said. “I never want to let them down.”

lduffy@baltimoreexaminer.com