The NJSBA’s Members Who Inspire program is an ongoing series that turns the spotlight on members and highlights how they are making a difference in their career and outside of the law. The program offers an opportunity for members to share their unique stories with their colleagues, inspire future legal professionals and strengthen awareness of the profession and Association. This story features Daniel J. McCann, an attorney who is one of the few people to complete a marathon on all seven continents.
The number 982 holds a special meaning for Daniel J. McCann.
It’s not the total real estate transactions he’s closed as head of a boutique law firm in Cape May County, or the hours spent studying for the bar exam. Rather, it’s a personal achievement he carries with pride.
Running along scenic New Zealand countryside in November, McCann crossed the finish line of the Queenstown Marathon to become only the 982nd person to complete a marathon on all seven continents. The feat put him in rare company among marathoners as a member of the exclusive “Seven Continents Club.” Of the 1.1 million people who run a marathon each year – according to the Livestrong Foundation – and the millions more who attempt one in their lifetime, only a select group of 1,003 can say they have run a marathon in every corner of the globe.
With his wife and 1-year-old daughter on hand to greet him after the New Zealand race, McCann said the word gratitude came mind while reflecting on a dream eight years in the making.
“So many things had to go right for me to accomplish this goal. It’s done so much to motivate me both personally and professionally,” McCann said. “All those early mornings and late nights running down the empty streets of Cape May County were worth it.”
McCann credits his clerkship under retired Cape May Superior Court Judge John R. Rauh with changing his life in more ways than one. The experience inspired him to immediately open a solo firm in his native Sea Isle City dedicated to property, municipal and estate law. Encouraged by Judge Rauh, he also took up running, and the two started a friendly competition over who could tally more miles in a day.
“He would push me to run more. If he ran five miles in the morning, I would try to do more in the afternoon. That’s where it all started,” McCann said. “In the year after my clerkship, I ran my first marathon – a local run from Cape May to Sea Isle City. He really inspired me to do it.”
Running, much less finishing a marathon, was the farthest thing from McCann’s mind while growing up. As a lifelong asthmatic, McCann gravitated toward water sports like rowing and swimming that helped with his breathing. But the judge was persistent in extolling all the wellness benefits of incorporating a daily run into your routine, especially for attorneys, McCann said.
“Just the ability to go out and clear your mind while out for a run after a long day at work. That alone sounded appealing,” McCann said.
The journey across seven continents started with a quick internet search on marathon training for beginners. That search yielded the same 16-week training program McCann has used for all his races. As for the idea to run marathons around the world – “that goal came into my mind pretty quickly after I finished my first marathon,” McCann said.
“I had such great experience running the first one. Granted, it was brutal, and the run itself wasn’t particularly memorable. But when I crossed the finish line, I had this great sense of accomplishment, and the camaraderie of the other runners was unlike any other athletic experience I had in my life,” McCann said. “In any other sport I was trying to beat someone else – another rower or swimmer. In that race, all the other runners were cheering each other on.”
For McCann, the marathons were a chance to merge two passions he pledged to fulfill after law school – travel and charity. He decided that each marathon must be in an exotic place and include a charitable component.
“I always wanted to travel. In law school I promised myself that I if graduated and passed the bar exam, I would see the world and give back to the community through that,” McCann said. “I saw an opportunity to run around the world while immersing myself in new cultures and tying in a charity aspect. The two worked hand in hand.”
The marathon routes were rarely dull. In 2016, he ran 26 miles along the Great Wall of China on a trip by himself. After the race, he donated all his personal belongings – including some of the clothes on his back – to homeless people in the area.
A few years later he found himself in Tanzania for a run around the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. The next day, he and his wife embarked on a four-day hike to the mountain’s peak. For that trip, family and friends sponsored his race to benefit CROSO, a nonprofit that provides housing, health care and education for Ugandan children.
Even the icy plains of Antarctica played host to a frigid marathon that welcomes only 50 runners every year. McCann used the race to raise awareness for breast cancer screenings, after his mother was diagnosed in the months prior.
“I’m sad the journey is over. It was such a big part of my life and was something my family and the community really rallied around. But I’m so grateful for the experience. For everything that I put into it, I got so much more in return,” McCann said. “I went into it having no idea where it would take me. I met the most interesting people, I’ve had the most incredible conversations, I’ve been in places that very few people have chance to visit.”
Just keep moving forward – that was the philosophy behind each race, an adage McCann has come to embrace in all aspects of life, he said.
“I’m never in the front of the pack. I’m just out there to enjoy the experience and finish the race,” McCann said. “If you have the mindset to just finish, even if it means having to walk for stretches or get some water, you’ll get the most out of the experience. It’s all about finishing and supporting the other runners.”
The irony of McCann’s feat – one that so few have achieved – is that of all his fellow seven continents club members, he probably enjoys running the least.
“It’s the last thing I want to do when it’s freezing out, with the wind whipping off the ocean, and you find yourself getting up for a long run because that’s what’s on the calendar,” McCann said. “But I love how I feel after I run, and I don’t mean a runner’s high. I mean the sense of accomplishment to start the day and the motivation it gives you. It’s been critical to my personal and professional development.”