If you’ve ever driven down Tylersville Road toward Kings Island, you may have spotted Daniel Rebella—steady stride, focused gaze, completely in his element. A familiar figure on Mason’s sidewalks and streets, Daniel isn’t just out for a jog; he’s quietly logging the miles required for the lifelong passion that’s taken him from local tracks to marathons on every continent.
Now 58, Daniel has been a proud Mason resident since 2007. He and his wife, Bonnie, moved from Chicago in search of strong schools and a great place to raise their four daughters. “When we looked at Mason, the quality of the school system and campus impressed us. It’s been a wonderful place to raise our children,” he explains.
The family found their stride here. Three of his four daughters ran cross country at Mason High School and logged many running and biking miles while pacing their father on training runs. “Running and fitness are a family sport,” Daniel says.
Daniel’s a regular on local roads, favoring a 10-mile loop from his home in Heritage Woods to the Kings Island main entrance and back, including two laps at the Mason High School track. “Running is also my time,” Daniel emphasizes. “It gives me both balance to the day as well as genuinely reenergizes me, no matter how tired I may be.”
His fitness roots go back to college, where he was a field goal kicker at the University of Wisconsin. In his 30s, he turned to marathons to destress and never stopped. Since then, he’s completed more than 100 marathons, including 20 consecutive Chicago Marathons and 16 Boston Marathons.
In November 2024, Daniel completed his most ambitious challenge yet: The Great World Race, a first-of-its-kind event where runners completed seven marathons (26.2 miles) on seven continents in seven consecutive days. The race kicked off in Antarctica and proceeded to South Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, South America, and finally, Miami, Florida. Only 45 of the 54 participants finished. Daniel was one of just 15 to run the full challenge.
“The best part of running a race of this caliber is the commitment to accomplish something unimaginably hard, both physically and mentally. You are learning that mental resolve is stronger than what the body thinks is the extreme limit,” he explains. To top it off, he celebrated the final marathon in Miami by doing 26.2 push-ups after crossing the finish line.
The toughest part, he says, wasn’t the running—it was managing sleep and nutrition between flights. “I had to make sure I got enough food for the amount of calories I was burning and get quality sleep on the airplane, our hotel for the week.”
Crucial to Daniel’s preparation were Beacon Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and fellow Mason resident, Dr. Andrew Razzano, D.O., who first treated Daniel for a knee injury five years ago. For The Great World Race, they built a custom maintenance program, including tempo and recovery runs on an AlterG anti-gravity treadmill, a professional-grade nutrition plan and structured training with built-in recovery periods.
“Dan is one of the most impressive human beings I’ve ever known,” Dr. Razzano explains. “Not only is he an executive for IBM and an amazing father and husband, he's also one of the most fit endurance athletes I’ve ever treated.”
Daniel’s demanding job as the Business Analytics Worldwide Sales Leader at IBM means he’s frequently overseas. But for him, running is also how he resets. “When I land in another country, the first thing I do is take a long run to reset my body clock,” he shares.
Looking ahead, Daniel plans to continue running at least two marathons each year—Boston and Chicago—and is always open to new challenges that fit his travel schedule. “Running is a daily addiction for me,” he says. “So I have a perpetual level of fitness for endurance running.”
From Mason’s neighborhoods to marathons around the globe, Daniel Rebella keeps moving—one step, one race, one continent at a time.