To know Dr. Daniel Newbill Jr., all you'd have to do is see his office.

His tiny desk — if you can find it — is surrounded by towering stacks of books and magazines. There are worn-in running shoes in a pile behind his desk. Huge containers of Endurox, a nutritional supplement, are stacked near his computer. One wall is strictly devoted to fading class photos of his three kids, their smiles frozen in time.

It's hard to tell, at least from his office, that Newbill is a veteran otolaryngologist at Straub Clinic & Hospital. But it's blaringly obvious that he's got a life bigger and bolder than his day job.

A map of the world is tacked to the wall facing his desk, lost among framed photos of Newbill standing proudly on a mountain top or bungee-jumping off a 12-story bridge. On the map are little red and blue dots, marking the places Newbill has traveled to. Red for runs, blue for climbs. Peru, Switzerland, Easter Island, even Antarctica. They've all got dots, some two.

Newbill has run marathons — or longer — on all seven continents. (Yes, Antarctica, too.) And he has climbed the tallest peaks on five of them, the highest being Mount Aconcagua in Argentina at 22,834 feet.

At 73, Newbill is living, running, climbing proof that age has no boundaries.

"His patience and determination for someone his age is unmatched," said Jaime Pierce, Newbill's longtime climbing partner and president/chief guide of Colorado-based Summit Expeditions International. "I've been at this for 16 years and have seen folks half his age struggle to do the things he and I've completed.

"Dan is beyond remarkable ... I will probably never know another man like him," Pierce said.

Newbill has run across glaciers, in canyons and through deserts. This year he did a marathon across the Great Wall of China.

He'd climb Mount Everest — the tallest peak in the world at 29,035 feet — if he had the $125,000 it costs these days.

No complaints, though. He has a lot of other items on his ever-growing to-do list — like skydiving, and learning Swahili.

"There are a lot of things out there to do, you know," Newbill said, smiling.

LOVE OF READING

Extreme adventure wasn't always a part of Newbill's life.

Born and raised on a dairy farm in Virginia, Newbill loved to read, particularly the Greek classics, full of drama and adventure. Every now and then he would venture out on his own, exploring his family's 300-acre farm. But never did he imagine then how different his life would be decades later.

Instead of milking cows, he's running ultramarathons. Instead of fishing, he's climbing high-altitude peaks.

Today, he runs about 40 miles a week, usually in the evenings. Sometimes he climbs stairs.

On Sundays he lifts weights in his home gym in Kane'ohe for about three hours. On alternate mornings, he does push-ups and chin-ups. He can still fit into his pants from high school.

But it's not about fitting into old pants or staying slim for him.

Newbill genuinely loves — rather, thrives on — adventure. His body just has to keep up.

"These are just the things that I like to do," he said.

FIRST MARATHON AT 46

Raising three children by himself, Newbill didn't pick up running until later in life. He ran his first race — the Honolulu Marathon — at age 46. He finished the 26.2-mile course in about 4 1/2 hours.

He was hooked.

"I was never a runner," he said. "I felt I needed to get some exercise and went and bought some running shoes.

"I liked the challenge of it."

In all, Newbill estimates he's done about 70 marathons, ultramarathons and climbs since he bought his first pair of running shoes in 1978. (He's bought dozens of shoes since.)

In the past few years, though, his adventurous spirit has lured him to a different challenge: high-altitude climbing.

Every climb comes with its own tale, often about grueling conditions and uncommon landscapes.

On Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, Newbill was one of only two who made it to the summit; two others got altitude sickness, while another suffered from pulmonary edema and had to be evacuated.

On a trek to the summit of Vincent Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica at over 16,000 feet, Newbill and Pierce, his guide, took a shorter, steeper path to the top, beating out climbers who had a two-hour head start.

But one of his most memorable climbs — at least in terms of perseverance — was Mount Kenya in Africa, four years ago.

The 17,058-foot mountain threw everything it could at Newbill and Pierce. Altitude sickness, horrible weather, you name it.

Defeated, they turned around. As they made their way down the mountain, Newbill's ankle got stuck in a crevice. The weight of his heavy backpack — and the momentum of traveling downhill — pushed his body forward. They both could hear his ankle snap.

"The toe was literally pointing in the opposite direction," Newbill said.

They were stuck there, at about 13,000 feet, with no way to get help. Pierce quickly splinted Newbill's ankle and carried him down as far as he could.

Luckily — especially considering they weren't on a specific trail — two other climbers happened to see them from above. They went and got help.

That was Saturday.

Newbill didn't return to Hawai'i until three days later. And then he had to wait another three days to get patched up with screws and a steel plate.

"Dan never once — I mean, (never) once — complained," Pierce said. "In fact, (his) only request was a Coke, a single Coke. Dan can be near his death bed and a Coke will revive him like nothing I've ever seen, all followed by a smile."

That was his worst injury — knock on wood — to date. And it hasn't slowed him down at all.

The following year he climbed a glacier in Switzerland and ran a marathon in Africa.

"I feel blessed," he said. "I always think how fortunate I am."

ADVENTURE SEEKER

Newbill rarely backs down from a challenge — or an adventure.

He's gone on climbing trips only to finish with a marathon.

On a trip to New Zealand, he decided to bungee-jump off the Kawarau Bridge just because the first one was free for seniors.

That call for adventure eventually led him to Hawai'i.

When he attended medical school in Virginia, he spent every summer at a new hospital in a different place. One year he took a summer internship on O'ahu. He told himself he'd go back one day.

When he graduated and finished his four-year residency, he quickly took the first job offered to him in Hawai'i. Four decades later, he's still at Straub.

"It's the only job I've ever had," Newbill said, laughing.

He has no plans to retire. Not yet, anyway. He loves his job too much.

And besides, it keeps him busy, which is what he likes.

"There are not very many dull moments around here," he said.

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.