Dot McMahan had one goal in mind and one thing that she wanted to accomplish in her fifth U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials: have a good time.
Mission accomplished.
McMahan toed the line in Orlando recently at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, and gave an incredible effort, running 2:38:34. McMahan enjoyed herself on the running course, which is what she set out to do from the beginning.
“For me, I know a good effort day. Today was a really good effort day,” she said in a post race interview with RunMichigan. “2:38, totally respectable. I just had a ton of fun, and that’s really what I wanted out of this experience is to have a good time.”
McMahon said that she adjusted to the conditions early in the race, and she slowed down to the pace that she was comfortable with so that she could finish strong in the second half of the race. McMahon wanted to use her years of experience and knowledge to help her navigate the course and find her groove.
“I know I’m the oldest competitor in the field, but I like to think of myself as one of the smarter ones, meaning I have a lot of experience running in these conditions,” she said. “I knew what it was going to take, I knew I had to hold back early, even if I was by myself for a little while.”
McMahon, 47, has now run in five Olympic Marathon Trials, and has found incredible success throughout her running career. She’s represented Team USA twice at the World Half-Marathon Championships (2005, 2008) and was a member of the 2013 World Championship Team, competing in the women’s marathon. She hopes to pass on her wisdom and the things she’s learned along her journey to help other athletes in their respective journeys.
“Anyone who does this sport for a long time is going to have ups and downs. But being a woman and giving birth to a child and being a parent and having to roll with all the punches all the time, man or woman – it’s a hard world,” she said. “I hope that I’m encouraging and inspiring other people that you can do it, but it might not be a linear path.”
McMahon was able to chat with other runners in the race as she ran and offer words of encouragement along the way. The cheers and support for others helped her finish strong. She also had conversations with other runners on the course.
McMahon enjoys the social aspect of running, and getting the chance to connect with other runners in the running community.
“I’m here for the social,” she said in a post-race interview with RunMichigan. “I know it’s a lot of physical hard work, but what I really love and what keeps me coming back is the social – the people that I meet and the experience that I get to share with them.”
McMahon took a stress-free approach when training for the race, and prior to the race, she said that she was hoping that her fifth U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials would be a fun accomplishment for her. She believes that her performance at Trials in Orlando delivered as one of the best experiences that she’s had.
“This actually was really fun. I’ve had two great ones, and two not so great ones,” she said. “And this kind of delivered as at least being in the middle, if not one of the best ones.”
