Marathon running teaches powerful life lessons — perseverance, discipline, and self-belief. It’s a sport that proves challenges can be overcome with the right mindset and a strong support system. Few people embody that spirit quite like Jamaican-born Marie Dunn, a social worker, author, and ultra-marathon runner whose life has been defined by grit and resilience.
Dunn credits much of her mental strength to ultra-endurance athlete and motivational speaker David Goggins, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL and New York Times best-selling author. “David Goggins, my idol, is a podcaster and I’ve read his book Can’t Hurt Me. I watch his videos. I love his ‘creating a callus mindset’ philosophy because for me, pain is a motivator, I don’t view it as crippling. The more I feel the pain, the harder I work,” said Dunn.
Like Goggins, Dunn has pushed herself beyond her physical and emotional limits. She has survived a near-death experience in 1996 and a violent attack by a client. Still, she keeps chasing her dreams — one mile at a time. In a recent ultra-marathon, she ran 41.28 miles and refused to stop even when the blisters on her feet became unbearable. “By mile 30, I had taped my toes to relieve the pain and blisters I felt. But I just kept going,” she said.
Her relentless mindset often stuns those around her. “This mentality is a skill I have developed and learned. I have learned to block out the pain and play a psychological game. David Goggins is a big part of that. My family thinks I’m crazy and my brother says ‘I’m over you,’” she laughed. “But I make this choice every day. I wake up, and I have 24 hours to make a decision. Will I be a victim, or will I get off my rear end and keep going?”
That same unwavering spirit pulses through the pages of her latest book, Don’t Wait, which she launched in June. The memoir explores the concept of overcoming adversity — on the marathon route and in life. “This isn’t just about running sneakers and finish lines. It’s about finding your own voice, trusting in your steps, and being brave enough to start, even when you’re uncertain,” Dunn said. “It’s all about reclaiming one’s own story.”
Don’t Wait is anchored by her experiences training for and completing the 2023 New York City Marathon and the 2024 Philadelphia Marathon — both major achievements given her long-standing injuries. Dunn has lived with chronic neck and shoulder pain since a workplace assault in 2017, and suffered an ankle injury in 2021 shortly after her father died. Still, she pressed on.
“I remember feeling so much pain in mile 13 of the Philly Marathon 2024 that I started to cry. I remember calling friends to tell them about the pain I was feeling. They gave me tough love and wiped my tears, and said that they would wait at the finish line to see me. I was disappointed by their response, but motivated. I took a sharpie out and wrote on my leg ‘keep going,’ ‘don’t stop.’ I knew I would run back to finish line. I wasn’t going to go out on a stretcher,” she recalled.
Born in St. Ann, raised in New York, and armed with a master’s degree from Fordham University, Dunn has dedicated her career to helping others. She describes herself as a philanthropist and social activist, using her clinical expertise and personal testimony to inspire meaningful change.
Don’t Wait is Dunn’s fifth book. Her previous works include Salt & Honey, Bold Her Liberation, Tease, and Journal: 99+ Inspirational Thoughts. The earlier books were published under her alter ego, Toya J.
Through every blister, heartbreak, and hard-earned finish line, Marie Dunn continues to prove that pain — when channeled with purpose — can be the ultimate fuel for transformation.
