Lynn Bieswanger runs at 5:30 a.m.

He and his running group start out at the YMCA, run south along Washington Street to Expressway, cross the Expressway Bridge into Mandan, and come back into Bismarck over Memorial Bridge.

Sometimes Bieswanger tells his group to slow down and enjoy the sunrise reflected on the Missouri, or peeking out behind the Capitol as they approach the Tom O'Leary golf course.

"I really appreciate the simple things in life," he said.

Bieswanger ran his first road race in 1998. In 2000, he was diagnosed with hepatitis C, which he contracted from a blood transfusion years earlier, and he began running for his life.

It was about keeping his immune system active no matter how he felt. And it was about the money he could raise for liver research as he ran marathons.

This year, he and the other 254 people on the American Liver Foundation's Run for Research team raised about $1.1 million for liver research. Bieswanger is the only member of the team from the Bismarck area.

"You never know how life is going to turn or twist until something hits you or your family," he said. "It's not even a matter of whether or not you want to help. It's, 'How do I help?'"

There was no support group in Bismarck for hepatitis C when Bieswanger was diagnosed. He educated himself and began a support group that meets monthly at Medcenter One's outpatient clinic.

Bieswanger ran marathons even during treatment. He's now effectively cured of the disease, but he stays involved with the marathons and the support group.

He hopes his example will help people avoid life-threatening diseases themselves.

"It's a message I try to send without even saying it," he said. "Don't wait until something major happens to change your lifestyle."