Chris McDonald takes home Ultraman Florida title

Approaching the finish line, everything in Chris McDonald’s body is hurting.

His feet are worn to the bone, and his legs have become stiff from the three days of pushing their physical limit. But here he is, in this moment, pacing toward the two rows of national flags that lead to the end.

To his side are the members of his crew — wife and crew chief Erika McDonald, Scott Horns and Richie Cunningham — who sport big smiles after walking the final mile with him.

Then comes the moment. Just as he gets to the finish line, he pauses, takes a breath and grabs the banner — ripping it in half and holding both parts over his head.

“For me after day one, I had a decent day, and day two, I did the totals and I knew Chuck Kemeny (the assistant race director) had the fastest time ever — I knew the record was within reach, but I knew I was going to have to run well for me,” said Chris McDonald, a resident of Boulder, Colorado. “I was just so excited, because I knew I got the record. I had a rough year last year, and it was such redemption.”

The clock above his head reads 7:02:16 — the time it took him to finish Sunday’s 52.4-mile run portion of the 2019 Ultraman Florida, which finished in front of Windermere Town Hall. Add his time from the other events, and McDonald's time was good enough to beat the previous record (held by Kemeny).

The run itself was only one-third of the three days of grueling, intensive competition that featured a 6.2-mile swim and 90-mile bike ride Friday, and a 171.4-mile bike ride Saturday. Sunday’s run went from Victory Pointe in Clermont to Windermere.

The Ultraman pushes competing athletes to their physical and mental breaking points. Of the 45 athletes who competed, five failed to finish, and that doesn’t even include the toll it has on each athlete’s helping crew. When Chris McDonald’s electronic shifter gave out 50 miles before the finish of the 171.4-mile bike ride, Erika McDonald recalled the difficulty in watching her husband struggle.

“To watch him on the bike, have his mechanical issue and know that he was stuck in one gear …  and to see him physically in so much pain, throwing up, on the bike and keep going — I was just so inspired,” she said. “I can’t even put it into words.”

Chris McDonald said the relationship between athlete and crew is reciprocal.

“I’ve got four people out there supporting me — they didn’t take time off of work to come to do this to have someone quit on them,” Chris said. “So I use them as motivation.”

Of all the moments of self-doubt that went through his head, that was the one that Chris McDonald thought was going to get him. He powered through and finished the bicycle portion with a time of 7:53:51 — 23 minutes ahead of second-place finisher Steven Keller.

The obstacles brought forth by the event — whether mechanical or physical — were unlike anything Chris McDonald had faced before. 

Growing up the youngest of four in his native home of Australia, he discovered his passion for triathlons when he was 23 years old, thanks in part to his older siblings taking part in different competitions.

“I’ve got four people out there supporting me — they didn’t take time off of work to come to do this to have someone quit on them. So I use them as motivation.”

— Chris McDonald

Since that time, Chris McDonald, now 41, has competed in 50 Ironman competitions and has ran numerous other races, but he had never been a part of something quite as intensive as this.

“For an Ironman, you go all out for eight hours, and you’re done,” he said. “To go pretty much eight hours, three days in a row — and have to take into consideration recovery, being able eat enough and getting your nutrition right — it’s a whole different thing.”

Although the competitive complications were a lot to digest, it was off the track that almost deterred Chris McDonald from being able to compete. Around this time last year, he suffered a heart attack. 

Nevertheless, with the support of his wife and those around him, Chris McDonald decided to push through and keep doing what he does best: Compete.

“I’ll compete on a competitive level for another year, but then I’ll do triathlon, because I love it, so I’ll do it as long as my body allows,” Chris said. “If it breaks, I’ll stop. If not, I’ll keep going.”