Local sergeant wins race and fiance

DEPEW, N.Y. (WIVB) - An Army Reserves Sergeant from Depew raised money for the American Liver Foundation today at his own version of the NYC Marathon in his Buffalo hometown.

Eric Janikowski was all ready for the weekend race after training for 6 months prior to the big day.

"We got part of the way there and we had to turn around because they canceled it. And he said, I went through all this training, and darn it I'm going to run a marathon," his mother Laura Janikowski said.

The Sergeant raised more than 4-thousand dollars for the American Liver Foundation; it's a cause close to his heart after his girlfriend Krista received a life saving liver transplant in 2007.

It was even more important for Eric's family, including his mothe,r to cheer her son on starting in Depew and ending at the Niagara Falls Army Reserve Center.

Eric did not just make his mother proud because he continued a marathon of his own, or collected clothes and other donations for New York City storm victims, but also because she knew what he had in store once he crossed the finish line.

The sergeant was not only running for the American Liver Foundation, but also to propose to his girlfriend at the end of the race.

The runner succeeded in both events.