Gene Bandler, a 74-year-old East Meadow resident, is a man with a two-part mission: to compete in a marathon in every state in the nation and to complete 100 marathons. Last Sunday, he completed his 81st marathon when he crossed the finish line in the New York City Marathon.

To say that Bandler is unusual is an understatement. For one thing, he walks the marathons in about six hours which means he averages about 14 minutes per mile. And he does it with a pacemaker.

Bandler, a retired accountant, didn't officially start entering marathons until 1996 when he was 67 years old. A year later he had a pacemaker implanted after he collapsed on mile 21 of the 1997 New York City Marathon. His heartbeat dropped and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"I felt no pain," Bandler said in a recent interview. "I woke up in the hospital. I must've fallen forward on my head." When the doctors explained what happened, Bandler just wanted to finish the race. "I told them that I had to finish my last five miles. Really, I felt fine."

Bandler couldn't wait to get back to walking. He even finished one marathon with the staples from his pacemaker surgery still in his heart.

Since the pacemaker was put in, Bandler has completed 77 marathons.

On Sunday, Bandler finished the marathon with a time of 6 hours and 15 minutes. "Everything was great, everything was perfect. There's nothing like the New York City Marathon," Bandler said. His brother, sister-in-law and his cousins were there at mile 17 to cheer him on.

Even after the race, the cheers continued. "When it was all over and I was on the subway, one of the marathon volunteers saw me and she offered me her seat," Bandler said laughingly. And he can't wait to do it again next year.

Bandler, a member of the New York City Road Runners Club, has traveled all over the country to fulfill his two goals. He hopes his dream to compete in each state will be realized later this month in Tulsa, Okla. He plans on walking his 100th marathon by the middle of next year, he said.

Bandler began his marathon career shortly after retiring from his job as an accountant and general manager for a national liquor distribution company. "It would be almost impossible if you had a full-time job," he said in a recent interview.

When he walked in the Long Island Marathon unofficially in 1995, "I thought to myself, 'I can do this, I wasn't last.'" He's been walking in marathons every year since.

"The last time I ran I was in high school," he said. "Running would be a problem for me."

To support him step by step, Bandler's family has been involved in his walking. His wife, Claire, has even helped him train. "My wife would take me in the car and drive out to exit 62 on the Long Island Expressway and I'd walk back home," he said. That's almost 30 miles.

His enthusiasm has inspired another generation of Bandlers. On Nov. 16, Bandler and one of his grandsons will walk their first marathon together in Richmond, Va. His grandson, Greg Raiffa, 14, will wear a shirt that says, "I'm Greg, Gene's Grandson" and Bandler will wear his traditional marathon shirt that says, "I'm Gene, 73+."

"I get a lot of attention because of that shirt," Bandler said. "They want to cheer somebody."

Bandler hopes that his other grandson, Matthew Minches, 13, will join him the following year. "Next year the three of us will do it together," Bandler said.