By Clara Wicinski
The Morning Journal
LORAIN, Ohio — Lorain firefighter and retired U.S. Air Force veteran Dan McBennet accomplished his lifelong dream: to run on every continent.
McBennet has worked for the city of Lorain Fire Department for 25 years.
And, in his free time, he runs.
McBennet, a 1993 graduate of Lorain High School, ran for the school’s cross country team his freshman and sophomore years.
In 1997, when he was stationed in Germany, he ran his first marathon.
“After that, I was really sore. I thought I’d never do another one,” McBennet said. “Later that year, I got out of the military and ran the Cleveland marathon, and it just went from there.”
Since 1998, McBennet has run the Great Wall of China Marathon in Asia, the Sydney Marathon in Australia, the Rio de Janeiro Marathon in South America and the Mount Kilimanjaro Marathon in Africa.
“The only one I needed after that, was Antarctica,” McBennet said.
The Antarctic Ice Marathon takes place in the interior of the continent with an average wind chill temperature of minus-4 degrees.
“I was on the waitlist forever; they only take about 80 people a year,” McBennet said.
On March 11, 2024, McBennet ran the Antarctic Ice Marathon, on his 49th birthday.
“Seven marathons, seven continents equals 49,” he said. “Not a better way to spend your 49th birthday.”
Currently, McBennet is a member of the Northeast Ohio running group, Team RIOT, Running is Our Therapy.
The group, which has over 1,000 members, meets weekly and runs between 12 and 20 miles.
“You find people from all different backgrounds with amazing stories,” McBennet said. “Between alcohol, drugs or just hardships, this is a way to channel your energy into something healthy.”
In November 2024, McBennet took a break from running to recover from donating a kidney to his 12-year-old son’s friend’s father.
McBennet said he wants to advocate for the Living Donor Program.
The program allows individuals to donate a kidney or a portion of their liver.
“I know it’s a big ask for people, but you can really change someone’s life,” McBennet said.
He said he also encourages people to become organ donors.
“At the fire department, we see stuff all the time, and it’s horrible that someone lost their loved one,” McBennet said. “But, these people are able to help a lot of patients.”
He said he took two months to recover from the procedure.
“The hardest part was not the surgery, but sitting in bed for eight weeks and not being able to run,” McBennet said.
His next race will be the Race to End Veteran Suicide on Nov. 8 in Elyria.
McBennet said his next adventure is cycling.
“I think I’ll still run half marathons, but I’m gonna start biking more, maybe one day do rim to rim of the Grand Canyon,” he said.
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