16 - Amanda McDonald

Everyday Ironman Podcast

In this episode we hear from Amanda McDonald. Amanda is a 3 time Ironman finisher and recently complete 2 full distance races in 6 days. Amanda got her competitive spirit as a child as she trained as a gymnast before suffering an elbow injury that caused her to pursuit a different sport. She discovered Rugby in college. She even became the captain of her Rugby club while living in China.

After moving back to the USA, Amanda’s interest turned toward triathlon. She decided that if she could complete a Sprint distance, she could complete a full Ironman race. She chronicles her race progression from Sprint to Olympic to ½ Ironman to Full Ironman. We discuss whether the sight cord in Mirror Lake is actually an advantage when racing Ironman Lake Placid.

Amanda talks through how she ended up registering for 2 full distance races 6 days apart from each other. She completed Ironman Wisconsin on Sunday September 12, 2021, and Ironman Maryland on Saturday September 18, 2021!

She is honest about her lack luster training at the start of 2021 which lead to her DNF at St. George 70.3 and that her performance lit “fire under her bum” into June and July. In the middle of July, Amanda had to undergo an emergency appendectomy which prevented her from swimming during the next few weeks.

Amanda gives a lot of credit to her coach for keeping her motivated during her recovery. She shares the thing that her coach helps her focus on more than any other.

She shares how she got the nickname Badass Panda and how she loves to spread joy to others on the racecourse. We talked about what she has planned for next year and she revealed that being a “guide” is something that she is looking into.

Because she is working her way to finishing 12 full distance races with the goal of racing in Kona, she shared her thoughts on the decision to hold the next Ironman World Championships in St. George, Utah next May.

You can follow Amanda on Instagram @thefriendlyironman