Kings Island

Ashton Young (seated left in the photo) of Bowling Green, Kentucky became the 55 millionth rider to board The Beast roller coaster Monday at Kings Island. She was awarded a behind-the-scenes tour of the legendary coaster immediately following the milestone ride.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary season, The Beast first opened to the public April 14, 1979, breaking all existing records as the longest and fastest ride in the world. It is still listed in the prestigious “Guinness Book of World Records” as the longest wooden roller coaster in the world at 7,359 feet.

Features of The Beast include a ride time of more than four minutes; vertical drops of 135 feet (at a 45-degree angle) and 141 feet (at an 18-degree angle); a 125-foot long underground tunnel at the bottom of the 135-foot drop; eight banked turns – some to 45 degrees; 540-degree helix tunnel and speeds up to 65 mph.

The Beast’s 55 million rides are the third-most given in Kings Island’s history behind The Racer (105 million) and K.I. & Miami Valley Railroad (56 million).