Danny Dreyer
Founder of ChiRunning® and ChiWalking®
Danny Dreyer is an accomplished Ultra Marathon runner, T’ai Chi practitioner and the founder of ChiRunning® and ChiWalking®, a revolutionary form of moving that blend the subtle inner focuses of T’ai Chi with running and walking. His work is based on his study of T’ai Chi with Master Zhu Xilin and internationally renowned Master George Xu, and his 35 years of experience, running, racing ultra marathons and coaching people in “intelligent movement”.
Dreyer had a very successful career as an Ultra Marathoner (>26.2 mi.) from 1995-2005 and has raced every distance from a 5K to 100 miles. He successfully completed 43 ultra-marathons with podium finishes in all but three. In 2004 and 2005 he was the national age group champion (50-54) at the USATF National 50K Championships. His fastest 50K (31.1 mi.) time is 3:41.
Danny has been a featured speaker at the prestigious Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego Marathons. He was the cover figure of Runner’s World and Running Time magazines, has received media interviews on CNN, NBC, Discovery Channel and hundreds of media including the New York Times and The Washington Post.
He has been featured on the cover of Runner's World and Running Time magazines, and has been interviewed by CNN, NBC, Discovery Channel and hundreds of outlets including The New York Times and Washington Post.
ChiRunning® is based on the movement principles of T’ai Chi, which allows the energy that unites body, mind and spirit to move from your core into the limbs to create movement. Since 1999, ChiRunning® has helped thousands of runners transform their technique – reducing, preventing and recovering from injuries. Runners of all ages and levels have improved their efficiency and performance, and now find running to be pain-free, easier, and enjoyable.
Recently, ChiRunning® is one of the most publicly recognised training systems developed all over the world for running well. His books “ChiRunning”, “ChiWalking” and “ChiMarathon” have been published in more than 17 languages, and are always on the top ten list of bestselling books under fitness/sport category claimed by Forbes and Amazons.
He empowers his students to live pro-active lives. Whether coaching a runner or a corporate executive, he teaches techniques that tap into one’s inner strength and power. ChiRunning is now taught in 15 languages by over 500 Certified ChiRunning Instructors all over the world.
In 2021, Katherine and Danny Dreyer officially announced their retirement from the company. Five Master ChiRunning Instructors from around the world have stepped up to assume operations and executive leadership roles to ensure a smooth transition while building upon what the Dreyers have established.
Master Instructor Harrison Wongpurchased all of Asia, and Master Instructors Constanza Lisdero, Lisa Pozzoni, Sarah Richardson and Vince Vaccaro together purchased the remaining areas of the globe.
In retirement, Katherine Dreyer will continue her work as a ChiLife coach, while Danny Dreyer will consult with the new leadership team on occasion and also focus on teaching in a more relaxed retirement setting.
