Dot McMahan will toe the line in Orlando in a couple of weeks to take part in her fifth U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. The stakes aren’t high for McMahan, as the 47-year old who competes for the Hansons-Brooks ODP isn’t looking to make an Olympic Team. Instead, she’s looking to continue to have fun and enjoy the sport that she loves.
“I’ve had two outstanding Olympic Trials where I exceeded my expectations,” she said. “And then I’ve had two Trials in which I’ve suffered greatly, and they were not fun. So I’m hoping for something kind of in the middle, and not extreme, and just more of a fun accomplishment.”
McMahan has had a fantastic running career. She represented Team USA twice at the World Half-Marathon Championships, first in 2005 and again in 2008. She was also a member of the 2013 USATF World Championship team, competing in the marathon. In 2012, Dot secured a top 10 finish at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, finishing in seventh place with a time of 2:32.11.
As she prepares to run at the Trials on February 3, McMahan is taking a stress-free approach. She’s incredibly proud of the consistency that she’s shown over the last few years, and she’s content with continuing to display that consistency on the running course.
“I guess I’ve been in that stressful position before, and I just don’t think that I necessarily belong in some high stress situation,” she said. “There’s really nothing on the line for me, I’m not going to make the Olympic team. Could I run a really fast time? I guess that’s possible. But I’ve been really consistent for the last five years. I think it’s actually really impressive to just be consistent, and not necessarily getting faster each marathon, or running PRs anymore.”
The buildup for McMahan has been a little different than in previous years, as her Hanson Brooks ODP teammates have been training in Central Florida, while she remains in Michigan to train. McMahan has had the opportunity to get to know the community in Michigan where she’s training, which has allowed her to build connections within the community.
“I’ve really leaned on the community here, in Rochester Hills, Michigan,” she said. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of runners, just in the area, and not just necessarily through Hanson’s and road races and stuff. But just actual, like community members.”
McMahan said that running surrounds her 24/7. In addition to running for the Hansons-Brooks ODP, she coaches track and field at Oakland University, which is located in Rochester Hills. Being a runner and being constantly surrounded by running gives her a sense of peace.
“I love running because it makes me feel good, I feel accomplished,” she said.”I feel like I can think and breathe when I’m out there. Kind of a sense of Zen that comes over me when I’m running. I like the people that I run with, I love the sense of community that it brings. It’s just I can’t imagine not having that in my life. Honestly, I think it kind of scares me if I didn’t have it.”
McMahan isn’t planning on retiring from running in the near future. She admits that she doesn’t know when she’ll retire from professional running. She admitted that she thought that she would be finished running at age 40, but the support that she received from fans and people she didn’t know changed her mind.
“I reflect back and I appreciate everything, and I feel so grateful for all the opportunities that I’ve had because of running,” she said. “But I clearly can’t see the ending of it.”
While McMahan may not know when she’ll step away from the sport and retire, she believes that her remaining years in the sport isn’t about her performance as a runner, but about the impact that she can have by reaching people, sharing her wisdom and making others feel valued.
“I want people to remember me as down to earth, approachable,” she said. “Someone that was willing to share their journey, someone that wanted to hear about their journey. That’s how I want to be remembered.”
