Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Dowdle.
Hi Mark, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I’m on a journey to become the first person ever to complete Calendar Club 365. I created a challenge to run the number of miles equivalent to the day of the month for one full year. On the 1st, I run 1 mile; on the 2nd, I run 2 miles on the 3rd, 3 miles up to 31, where I run 31 miles. I started this challenge on May 1st, 2023. Therefore, my final day is April 30th. So far, I’ve run 5,930 miles since May 1st, equivalent to 226 marathons, 452 half marathons, and 1,912 5k’s. The ‘Calendar Club Challenge’ itself has been around for many years. Athletes, professionals, and beginners have only completed one month at a time. Therefore, this is the first time anyone has done this challenge month after month for a year. It has been over a month since it was done.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not entirely. I recently quit my job to make running my full-time profession without a clear path forward. I’m currently working with a few brands, helping sponsor short-term expenses. Aside from that, the obstacles that come with running ~500 miles a month have daily challenges. Because of the nature of it, I am chained to what the challenge tells me to do. There are no adjustments to days to fit my life. For example, on Christmas Eve, while back home in Chicago with family, I ran 24 miles. Then, on the morning of Christmas Day, I ran 25. My whole year has been spent around making this goal come to life. Baptisms, holidays, weddings, bachelor parties, travel days, and the full-time job I worked for 10 months of this challenge all had their expectations for my time and energy. Finding ways to accomplish this goal without putting my life entirely on hold has been the accurate tale of this challenge.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m known for the running that I do. Aside from the CC365 challenge, I’ve done several other runs to test my physical and mental capabilities, such as running from Duluth to St. Paul with a friend. We carried all supplies needed for the 3-day trek in a baby stroller. In 2020, I helped start a 501c3 nonprofit called Love Like Laurie Legacy to honor my friend’s mom, who passed in Aug 2020 from Pancreatic Cancer. I used my running to help bring awareness and funds to the cause. Our most recent run was in 2022, when I ran 500 miles in 9 days from Springfield, IL, to St. Paul. We raised $51,000 that year. To date, we’ve raised roughly $100k for our nonprofit. I selected Artist/ Creative because I view myself as that. Of course, I’m an athlete, but I’m also an artist. I use running as a vessel to get my message out into the world. That message is, “I can do hard things, and so can you.”
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
This one’s tough. My brain first goes to how I enjoy writing in my journal. I have a stack of 7 or so journals since 2019. It’s a way for me to reflect on who I am and who I am becoming. In each journal I finish, I spend a day reading through every page, identifying the themes. What am I continuing to see as positive or negative aspects of my life? How can I change that or improve it moving forward?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mark-dowdle.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark.dowdle/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.dowdle.5/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mark.dowdle
- Other: https://www.strava.com/athletes/46633947
Image Credits
JP Fischer, Jordan Lundell, Austin Opfer
