Working on the
Unicorn Inside

Hi, I'm Dani Raschel. I’m in recovery and working to make amends and show others we’re not prisoners to our pasts.

The Running/Triathlon Journey

In 2018, I challenged myself to run 12 5Ks in 12 Months. I wasn't a runner. I'd weighed 250 pounds — twice — and the closest I'd come to a finish line was watching other people cross theirs on Instagram. I signed up anyway.

Eight years later, I'm an official ultramarathoner. I've run marathons, halves, 10Ks, 5Ks, and I'm currently training for my first Ironman with Tri Peak Athlete Coaching. But the number that still matters most to me isn't a distance or a PR; it's the version of myself who laced up for that first 5K not knowing if she could finish.

What I Believe

I believe training is spiritual work as much as it's physical. Mileage matters, but so does the story you tell yourself on mile three when your brain says you're not built for this.

My approach is a mix of softness, discipline, and a little bit of magic. The softness is the permission to start where you are. The discipline is showing up anyway. The magic is what happens on the other side of both.

A Little About the Rest of Me

I call the DFW 'burbs home, where I live with my husband, two cats, and three dogs — two Pomeranians and one All-American mutt. I'm finishing my M.S. in Communications (Strategic Communications) at the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University. I believe in the restorative power of strawberry pancakes at Jackie's Ham-N-Eggs in Lewisville. And I am, always, working on the unicorn inside.