It’s Never Too Late: Erin McDonald’s Second Running Life

By: Jacob Infald

On May 25th 2019 Erin McDonald had to be carried off the track after the Women’s 5000 meter run at the NCAA Division I East Region Preliminary Round. McDonald’s spike fell off during the race, and the bottom of her foot was ripped apart, causing McDonald to finish 31st in the race, and miss out on nationals in her final competition competing for Michigan State University. 

This race was supposed to be the end of competitive running for McDonald. She was burnt out, and had struggled with anxiety and rigidity throughout her career at Michigan State. There were no professional sponsors reaching out, and McDonald moved on to focus on her career. 

However, her running story was far from over. Just last week on July 23rd, over seven years since her spike fell off in her final collegiate race, McDonald was finally able to compete in a national track competition, in the 10,000 meter run at the USATF Championship. McDonald finished 10th, beating multiple athletes with professional contracts. After taking multiple years off from running post-college, McDonald has returned to the sport while working a full-time job and building a following on social media where her open and vulnerable running content has helped countless runners navigate the same struggles she has faced throughout her career. 

To an outside perspective, Erin McDonald had everything going for her while at Michigan State. She was competing at the highest level in the Big 10 Conference where she earned All-Conference honors four times. However, behind the scenes McDonald was struggling. McDonald said she was no longer enjoying the sport, putting an immense amount of pressure on herself. This led to food restriction, and pushing the pace on every run in fear of not doing enough.

That is why when McDonald returned to running in 2023, she said she had to do things differently. She said she just wanted to train for a marathon for fun while she was still able to do so, and had no intention of running at a high-level. However, McDonald had an awesome training block and in her debut marathon on Dec. 3 2023, she clocked a 2:53:01, shattering her own expectations of trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon (sub 3:30:00).

“That kind of sparked something in me,” McDonald told The Extra Mile. “That whole training block I was just such a better version of myself, having that structure, having that community of people running with me it just put me in such a good mental state that I didn’t want to stop.”

McDonald had found her love for the sport again and one year later she ran 2:36:53, and last December McDonald officially qualified for the Olympic Trials in the marathon with a time of 2:32:53. 

McDonald said people began reaching out to her with questions after her successful comeback. This is when she had the realization that if she could help the people reaching out directly to her, she could help infinitely more people if she began sharing her story on social media.

“I think there’s just so much to learn with running,” McDonald said. “The content I can talk about is almost unlimited. It means a lot to me when people message me or comment and say, ‘that helped me so much,’ because that ultimately has always been my goal.”

Her over 13,000 followers on her Instagram account @sunkisterin get the full picture of McDonald’s running career. While she posts her race and training highlights, she has shared both past and current struggles that include having panic attacks during races in college, and struggling with comparing herself to other runners which has caused her to have problems with food restriction in the past. 

McDonald said that sometimes social media could be a highlight reel, especially in the running community where people are always one or two scrolls away from seeing an elite runner crushing a workout, race, or long run.

“It’s really scary to admit that stuff isn’t perfect and I still struggle with feeling embarrassed that I posted that or admitted that, but I think vulnerable things are what help people so much more,” McDonald said. “Of course you can celebrate your wins as well, but when you’re only celebrating your wins people aren't getting the full picture.”

McDonald has also been able to find her running support group in her own day-to-day life outside of social media while also working a full-time job at Old Navy headquarters in San Francisco doing product development for apparel. Two summers ago, McDonald joined Peninsula Distance Club, a Pacific Association of USA Track & Field Developmental team in the Bay Area. McDonald said joining the group has allowed her to both push herself in training, while also having a support group to confide in during the stretches where it is challenging to balance training and work. 

“The fulfillment is just insane,” McDonald said. “I feel like I’m a better version of myself, I’ve found this new community of runners joining my team, meeting so many people in the Bay Area to run with, and just a new friendship world. “I feel like it’s where I have been meant to be all along and I don’t think I would have been able to do that without the break.”

McDonald admitted that she will probably never be fully satisfied in terms of running goals because she said the goal posts are always moving. However, she said that more importantly, her biggest goal in the sport is to continue to help other runners, whether that be through social media or through coaching which she recently began doing. 

McDonald said running is an independent journey, and while there are ups and downs anyone can continue to improve over time as long as they continue to train. 

“It’s never too late for you,” McDonald said. “I think we’re programmed to believe that if you didn’t peak your senior year of college, it’s too late, and it’s just so not true, especially in the distance events,” McDonald said. “I just don’t want age to be a limiting factor or the things you’ve been through to be a limiting factor. You still need to listen to your body and let it recover, but it’s never too late.”