Inspired Soles

It's Never Too Late to Begin | Morag McDonah

February 15, 2022 Carolyn Coffin and Kim Senechal Episode 72
Inspired Soles
It's Never Too Late to Begin | Morag McDonah
Show Notes

Originally from Scotland, Morag McDonah is a 66 year old Nova Scotian runner who currently holds the Canadian W65 marathon record of 3:21:38. With an impressive time like this you might assume she’s been competing since grade school, but nothing could be further from the truth. Morag was in her late 40s when she took up running and it was purely for recreation. She was never going to go further than 5K and she was definitely not going to race. But as most runners can attest, once she caught the bug one thing kept leading to another. She started off on the roads but in recent years Morag has also been lighting things up on the track and the trails and is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

In this episode, we talk about:

  • The influence her daughter (Ailsa MacDonald) has had on her running career
  • What it was like to share the podium in Boston with Olympian Joan Benoit Samuelson
  • Getting hypothermia and dropping out of Boston in 2018
  • The unconventional way she approaches marathon training
  • Why she doesn’t race with a GPS watch
  • The important lesson in pacing she learned the hard way in a track mile
  • Injuries, grief, and so much more!

As you’ll hear in this conversation, Morag is a breath of fresh air and we have to imagine that part of her success is due to the wonderful energy she shows up with.

Resources we discussed in the episode:

  • Favourite Mantra: I can, I can, I know I can
  • Favourite Place to Run: In the trails
  • Bucket List Race: Finlayson Arm
  • Favourite Running Book: Born to Run, Endure, Fast After 50, Exercise 
  • Favourite Post Run Indulgence: Coffee (early in the day), Beer & steak (after a marathon)


Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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