By Daisy Kershaw
Click here for updates on this story
MASON, Ohio (WLWT) — A local marathon runner took on the World Marathon Challenge, or Great World Race.
His journey took him across seven continents to run seven marathons in seven days.
Daniel Rebella, a 57-year-old Mason father and grandfather, says it was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Rebella spent months training. In November, he set off with a group of 54 runners — including multiple Olympic athletes.
“The dimension of this is getting on a plane right after you run, flying to the next continent, try and get some sleep, and in some cases, you know, within two hours after landing from a 17-hour flight, you’re running again,” Rebella says.
Marathon number one took place in Antarctica.
“The air temperature was about -22 degrees,” he says, “The wind came in and to the wind chill factor, we were pretty close to about -50.”
The next stop, Africa; Rebella running along the seaside in Cape Town before heading down under to Perth, Australia.
Heading next to Turkey, which splits the continents of Europe and Asia.
He says he finished strong on the European leg, but day two in Turkey proved to be a major challenge.
“Istanbul in Asia side, that was probably my toughest mentally because I know I ran out of energy,” says Rebella.
He did finish, but soon after, found himself in need of medical attention.
“I did pass out briefly, and I found myself right in the back of a Turkish ambulance with an IV in me,” Rebella said.
That didn’t stop him from heading to the next stop, South America.
Turning up the heat in Cartagena, Colombia.
He says he dealt with high heat in the sub-tropical climate.
The final destination, bringing him home to North America – where his family cheered him across on across the finish line in Miami, Florida.
“The support was fantastic because you cannot do this alone,” says Rebella.
Of the 54 people who set out on this journey, Dan was among the 45 to finish.
When he crossed the finish line after a combined 184.3 miles – he went on to do 26.2 pushups at the finish line, which he says is tradition.
Less than 1% of the world has completed this challenge.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
