To most, a lunch hour is about taking a break in the day, but for others it's about feeding an addiction.

For the past 10 years on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between March and November, several men (and a few women) have been running up and down a field chasing a flying white disc.

Three days a week, a dozen or more people from around the county spend their lunch hour playing ultimate Frisbee in American Fork. They range in age from 17 to mid-50s. Some are athletic but most are not, and they're there because they can't imagine being anywhere else.

"Lunch meetings don't tempt me anymore," said Brian Christensen, 33, who works at Horrocks Engineers in American Fork.

The game has two end zones like in football but is scored like soccer. Players aren't allowed to run with the disc; it has to be passed. They usually play a set of three games -- the first to the score of 7, the second to 5 and the third depends on how tired the players are.

"You don't have to have skills," said Garth Haslem, 48, admitting that he has a vertical jump of 1.5 inches. "The game is appealing to us old farts because it's a mind game rather than just pure athleticism."

The pickup games in American Fork started a decade ago with a group from Intel playing twice a week. Soon, people from Semantek and Wavetronics joined in, and it's been growing ever since.

They all believe in upholding the spirit of the game: The players keep each other in line, and they call their own fouls.

"It's a gentleman's game," said Russ Clark, one of the original members. "There are no referees even in the competition. We're here to have fun, not to harp on the rules."

By the end of the second game most of the players are pretty exhausted. The time between plays lengthens and the chatter on the field shortens to fit between their heavy breathing.

"It's a way to get exercise without thinking about the pain," Christensen said. "It's mind diverting to be chasing a plastic Frisbee than running on a treadmill and counting the minutes go by."

But, it's the addiction -- the thrill of victory -- that keeps them coming back day after day.

"A huck into the end zone on a great play is euphoric," said Christensen.

For more information on the game, visit www.afultimate.com.