Discounting two years of high school track which were eventful but far from spectacular, most of my early racing was around shorter distance stuff such as the 5 or 10k. Ironically, I didn’t venture out of this realm even though I had known for a long time I did not possess a fast enough turnover to do every well in those distances.

 

3. How did you get the idea of running 52 marathons in 2006?
I do not know the exact “a-ha!” moment when I decided to run 52 consecutive weekly marathons. It was around the time, slightly over 8 months before I started the feat that I realized I was good at running with very little recovery time.  Very quickly thereafter, I was planning the endeavor.

 

4. How did you prepare for this feat?
Unlike today where it appears many people are trying similar feats in 2006, there was very little information available to me on how to complete the task. Facebook wasn’t available to anyone outside of schools and marathoning had not hit the sonic boom it has now.

 

5. Had you done anything else like it before?
Not even close.  I had 8 marathons under my belt when the idea really came to life

6. How did your body handle running that many marathons in one year?
This is a question I get all the time and I am never really sure how to answer it.   If the meaning of the question is, how was I able to get out and week after week do what I did, for the most part, at the time, I had no clue.  I can tell you what I did and then tell you what happened at the end but drawing a direct correlation between the two might be a faulty cause-effect analysis.

7. Did you just finish the marathons or did you push yourself?
Simply completing the marathons would not be sufficient for me.  It might be for others and that is their own prerogative.  However, simply crossing the finish line to collect shiny non-precious medal was not my goal. For me, trying my hardest to run as fast as possible each week is what presented the biggest challenge.  There were definitely weeks where somewhere in the race I had to think about the goal and scale back my efforts when things did not look so pretty.  But, what made what I did a little different was that there were no make-up dates, no made-up races and no excuses.  Each weekend for 52 consecutive weekends, I had to toe the line of an actual certified course and run against other competitors. I surprisingly set a huge PR in the 42^nd week of the year which I think shows how hard I was trying all year long.

8. How did you decide what marathons to run?
For the most part, as I was paying for the entire endeavor out of my own pocket, most races were done on a strictly unromantic dollars and cents routine. I was working a full-time job in a patent licensing firm at the same time and had to make decisions that allowed me to get back to work in my office every Monday morning.

9. Did you have any sponsors?
I definitely was grateful to have a few companies give me some products or support but as far as financial help, the entire endeavor came out of my own pocket.

10. Tell us about your book See Dane Run. 
My book chronicles the entire year. I didn’t write it until two years after as I never really thought anyone would care.  But then I realized that not only could I inspire others to challenge themselves but also could continue to raise awareness for L’Arche Mobile, the charity I raised over $43,000 for through my running efforts. The book is written from a non-runner’s perspective, something I still think of myself as.  I love so many sports and running is now one of them but it does not define me.  So I wanted to write a book that was low on running jargon to make it more appealing to all readers but definitely would allure those who desire to chase their own dreams.  The point of the book was to show how I, a guy whose first marathon was a 4:12, ended up doing 52 in one year. As such, who knows what anyone else can do unless they went out and pushed themselves.

I do like to thrill seek but I enjoy sitting at home and reading a good book as well.  I read all the time. Running books and non running books.  When I can find time, I like to paint. I am always trying to improve myself and make my own limited knowledge about everything slightly less limited.  But do I enjoy pushing my boundaries? Absolutely.

 

The most notable ultra feat to date would be my solo running of the 202 mile American Odyssey Relay. Usually reserved for teams of 12, I was approached by the RD about the idea of running it by myself. Starting earlier than every other team (for obvious reasons) I set out to run from Gettysburg, PA to Washington, DC. Just a hair over 50 hours after I started I finished in our nation’s capitol far faster than I thought possible for myself. It was a wonderful adventure and one which was caught on film. We hope to be releasing the short film to the public this Spring.

 

More things than I can even talk about.  As with most of my ventures, it now depends on funding. Imagination and desire to strive to accomplish things I have never done are not lacking. I also do not care if something has been done before or not.  To me, the only real question is have *I* done it.  If I haven’t then chances are I want to give it a try.

 

I have been given many titles by the media and interview and Wikipedia and I often wonder how I have earned those. Wit regards to race promoting, I was briefly working with a company that put on long-distance relays but that was four years ago. However, having run nearly 140 marathons, direct more than handful, designed courses for races of all ends and been behind the scenes in every capacity of a race from sponsorship to organization to expos, I feel I have a unique perspective that not many other runners have. When I hear a runner grumble about something to do with a race I can often say” Well, I am guessing that is because of X” and it usually gives the runner pause to reflect on the fact that there is much more going on behind the scenes then they realize.

 

I have been working with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association for about two years now. I am a big supporter of eating healthy through consuming protein-rich lean beef. The main purpose of our partnership is to educate people about all the healthful benefits of a diet which contains lean beef and to dispel the myths and rumors which continue to linger around in spite of evidence to the contrary. There is no over-riding need to convince people to give up their own dietary desires but rather make sure that the choices they are making are informed ones. Personally, going back to one of your earlier questions, one of the reasons why I think I can do what I do, virtually injury-free, is because my diet is based on eating a high percentage of lean beef as part of my healthful diet.

 

Exercise is important to me. Having a father who was crippled in a hunting accident before I was born has given me the ability to see how lucky I am to even have the option to go for a run.  I have often said we do not HAVE to go for a run – we GET to go for a run.

 

It all depends on what I am training for.  I have a 100 mile race coming up here in less than two months and I am therefore putting in more training miles than usual. I am also traveling less the first part of this year by design. After 4 years of being on the road promoting healthful living, my book and trying to inspire others to chase their dreams, I was quite worn-down.  So I decided to stay at home much more and train more.  My “rest”, ironically, means high mileage! But I have always preached quality over quantity. Even in my ultra training it is about what I get out of my miles, not how many miles I travel. In addition, as I have recently taken on the sport of triathlon I have to get in swimming and cycling when I can as well.

 

I averaged about 40 weekends of travel a year the past four years and this year it will be much less.  There really is no normal day as sometimes my schedule dictates I exercise in the morning to handle the work or conference calls I have with people and companies all over the US in different time zones and sometimes quite the opposite.

 

Jet-lag has never bothered me. Perhaps it is because I spend so much time all over the place that it hasn’t had  chance to catch up to me yet. But the whole one day for every time zone you cross theory seems like a bunch of malarkey to me.

 

I would challenge them to find their own goals. There really isn’t much new under the sun but see what you can do to push yourself.  Someone will always be better, faster, or stronger but if you are pushing your own limitations, that is what truly matters.

 

There is very little that does not interest me, at last peripherally. I call myself a consumer. I like to take in as much as I can about life, entertainment, sports and people.  At one point in my life, I was interviewing to be in the CIA and it is not a coincidence that my interest in the inter-personal relationships of people is high on my interest list.  I am constantly intrigued by how people communicate with each other in verbal and non-verbal ways. But I basically am interested in taking is as much information as I can.  The more I learn the more I realize I don’t know and in a vicious cycle, the more I want to learn! Basically, I want to do everything.

 

UjENA FIT Club Profile link: Dane Rauschenberg