Today we’d like to introduce you to Dane Rauschenberg
Hi Dane, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I made my mark on the running world as the runner who raced 52 marathons in 52 consecutive weekends. As an extreme athlete who has also run a 202-mile relay solo and completed a 350-mile run up the coast of Oregon in one week, I don’t just know running but have explored it to the deepest reaches of its mental, physical, and emotional boundaries. I have written five books, most of which use running as a backdrop for life experiences but my latest, Ignore The Impossible, is a simple book of motivation and inspiration. I got where I am today by failing at many different other tasks. But I learned from those and did what I could to not make the same mistakes again. And sometimes what I have learned is that I didn’t make a mistake, but rather that life doesn’t work out for you. I found out I had Gilbert’s Syndrome, known to make it hard to recover from stressful activity, AFTER I had done many of the feats for which I am known. In other words, I shouldn’t really be able to do the things I have done. But my struggle and success show others that they too can succeed where they first failed.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Creating a speaking and writing career when I was never expecting to do either was indeed a challenge. I also feel a desire to constantly push my physical boundaries while doing so. As such, I burned the candle at both ends for years on end. Went into debt chasing my dream. Didn’t know where the next paycheck would come from. Didn’t know if my body would hold out to continue to stress it to unforeseen heights. And while it worked out for me in the end, there were many years where it wasn’t clear if it ever would. We always hear stories of those who struggled and persevered and eventually came out on top. But there are thousands of people who it just simply never works out for. I think when we deify the ones who got there, we have to make sure to make a cautionary reference to the many who do not and that as much hard work as you put into anything, it still requires luck.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My story resonates with people of all athletic abilities because I came from a non-running background and then did something pretty much unheard of. I then created my speaking and writing career out of thin air basically when I lost what I thought was a dream job. People have told me I was brave for striking out on my own, but to some extent, it wasn’t really a decision I made. I was put in the situation and got out of it. I am proud of very little. Pride is something which resonates in small amounts for me. I am happy that I was able to make the best of the situation I was put in. I am ecstatic that I had dreams and visions and was able to put them into the world. I am content that I have done just about the absolute best I would with what I have been given. I hope that I continue to surprise myself with each new adventure. I tore the meniscus in my knee about a year ago. Didn’t realize for a few months. Required a new type of surgery that maximizes the potential for recovery but is an extremely lengthy recovery time (6-8 months before I can even think about a jog let alone a run). During that time, I have put the finishes touching on an app I have been working on for over ten years, called Sherpa (GoWithSherpa.com). I have written my sixth book, this one an ode to honor my mother who passed away in 2022. And I have continued to do what my doctors have told me to make sure I get back out on the roads and trails to continue to strive. I also know that if I never run another step, I have wrung us much out of my body as possible. I have created an art studio displaying my own art here in Minneapolis, have worked with my business partner to create scholarships, fund children’s programs, celebrate and lift up the arts. All of these have been done with zero experience in each one of those field when I took them on. I hope that this inspires others to know they too can do amazing things.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://SeeDaneRun.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danerauschenberg/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seedanerun/
- Twitter: https://x.com/SeeDaneRun
