Don Gallagher -Ironman Enigma
By Kelly Joy
“Never give up until you cross the line, racing is about always moving forward.”
I love doing these interview blogs, it is really heart opening to meet these athletes, who are of all shapes, sizes, ages, and abilities. All of whom are crushing distances and disciplines. Every time I meet them it always amazes me how intrinsically different, yet astoundingly similar each person can be. There are of course the usual unique personality traits and foibles, but there are also these fine layers and patinas shielding the stark reality that each of these individuals are very similar in their mental makeup. They have the same unrelenting determination, drive and dedication, a strength of will that is synonymous to athletes. The fact we all do the same thing over and over again, enduring exhaustion and often pain, yet we enjoy it, enabling us to do it daily!
The Hero of Our Story
Now this brings me to Don Gallagher, with his kind and open face, and a hovering shyness, I instantly like him immensely, and am very aware of my character force. So, I take a step back and allow him to lead the conversation, while I attempt not to bombard him with a thousand questions all at once.
Over the last couple of years, I have met with emotional athletes, fly by the seat of their pants athletes, structured athletes, obsessed athletes (said in the kindest possible way) and then there is Don! Don is different, he is free flowing to a point, but then his engineering brain kicks in to reveal an extremely focused, practical and science driven individual, who possesses a wonderful sense of humor. This combination is something I truly appreciate, because Don is 61 years old (not that he looks it at all) and as we age, we cannot rely on youth to keep our bodies bouncing back, a little science and a lot of humor can go a long way when one is a Master’s athlete (anyone over 40)
Who is this, Guy?
Well enough of me rambling…. Who is Don Gallagher?
My synopsis would be... he is a man with an Infectious enthusiasm, a calculated, steadfast base, that is layered with humor plus a sprinkling of science.
In a nutshell Don is a 61-year-old, Canadian, hailing from Hamilton, Ontario. A former high school runner, who stopped in college, due to the demands of his Mechanical Engineering Course. He eventually finds his way back to running and ultimately Ironman, which is essentially what an Ultra is to running, but in the world of Triathlons. After three races Don is good enough to win himself a spot in Kona (the pinnacle race of Ironman). This is a testament to how talented Don is. Of course, there is so much more in between, and I am about to get to that.
As mentioned, Don ran in his youth, well really, he tried out for football in Grade 9, a week later he got cut due to his 4”8 size, and the track team swooped in, as Don was speedy. In his first year he was running with the seniors and went on to help his school grab silver in the Cross-country championships for the province of Ontario, Canada.
Sadly, Don’s running career stopped in college due to the demands of his course. In his late 20’s however Don laced back up to run corporate relays for Honda, Canada (his then employer), 5Ks and the Toronto Marathon.
He then moves to Japan for two years, working for Honda Motor company at the Suzuka Manufacturing plant. (As a side note; what made me enjoy talking to Don was his sense of fun, where he and his wife both used to talk in Japanese so that no one knew what they were talking about; sneaky)
In Japan Don continued with racing relays for his company and beyond. Moving back home he then revisited the marathon, and began to race Duathlons (run, bike, run) he even represented Canada a few times; yup that is talent right there. So, it does not surprise me that he continually improves at the Ironman race, although he did not really start racing Triathlons until his Forties!
Let’s do an Iron Man!
Although Don will admittedly lay all blame on his sister😉 for his first Ironman. When in 2017 on vacation she decided, she was going to do one in Florida, and promptly convinced Don to join her. At the time this was a one and done kind of deal. But, a couple of weeks before the race his sister sadly broke her hip, and he was doing that thing solo.
During this time, Aubrey enters stage left… Because Don in the nicest possible way is a “snowbird”. A being who flies down south for the winter. He joins Aubrey’s group run at the track and let’s just say it was a match made in heaven. So, the Ironman train began, with Don at the wheel and Aubrey stoking the fire.
Don is now at Ironman FL, his first ever Ironman and “in his words” it was a “disaster”!!! From a combination of heat, nutrition and lack of fluid, Don our runner was vomiting at 2K in the marathon, and by 8K he was walking. He continued to walk until he had 10K to go, he was feeling a little better, so he ran. Yet, being the kind soul he is, and not wanting to ruin anyone’s photo, he stopped at the chute, then waited to run in solo in 14hrs 35 mins. One and done, so he thought, but his sister had other plans…
Fast forward 3 years (due to cancelations because of covid) we see Don toeing the line for IM (Ironman) Chattanooga; his second IM race. He finishes in 11hrs 46mins! He has been working on his swim and crushes the run– but we will get back to that.
Next up is IM Tulsa (the swim was longer) Don finishes in 12hr 6 mins and is first in his age group, he has earned a spot in Hawaii (IM Kona) – WOW – He admits this is the “best” race he has had thus far.
It’s all about the Swim!
By now, we all know Don can run, FAST! But what you do not know is that Don hates, well let me amend that, Don hated Swimming! Although, he admits he now loves it. Thanks to hard work, Aubrey’s swimming expertise and a lot of videos, which were sent to Aubrey to be critiqued. Now, for Don, his swim is just another part of his Ironman arsenal of success.
But why?
However, what is it that pushes a human who is aging to keep striving? As Don said, “it is the thrill of the race” that motivates him to train, to be better. Every race creates a new experience, a new moment in time, to feel, learn and grow. He reminds himself, “if I feel crappy, then so must everyone else”.
What I also loved about Don, was his attention to the details, hence the nuances of the swim, and then his nutrition, fluids, heat training, lactate testing and working in heart rate zones. The more a person can understand the variables and control them, then the greater the outcome, right? Well, yes!
Then add in aging, Don has experienced calf injuries, and has needed to accommodate that. Getting older requires us to constantly, assess, tweak and change. Different races, in different places, a tweak and change it is a continuous problem to be solved, like science, like engineering, there is no failsafe plan, but you can get close.
What moves us forward – A Plan
5 Year plan in Sport
Well admittedly this has had to be adjusted as he has already achieved a place in Kona (IM Hawaii) earlier than expected. So, it has shifted, a new plan is to get back to Kona a second time, and to work on maintaining his running fitness, plus the bike.
5 Year plan in Life
Simple- to move closer to his grandkids, I mean a no brainer. Grandkids are the best. This is another thing I liked about Don was his ability to change to his life needs, he is very aware of time, and as he ages, he becomes more conscious of it. He knows that training can become all consuming, especially when you must work on swimming, cycling, and running. Yet, he has a family with young grandchildren, that he wants to spend time with. Which has meant he has needed to be less regimented in his training and allow for “flexibility”. Because, to enjoy his family he has had to arrange his sport around family activities. That there is personal growth. As an athlete myself with kids I know how hard that can be to do.
Keep Working
I am excited to watch Don grow as a competitor, to see how far he can push himself, to watch him prepare, race, and succeed. After only 3 Ironman’s I feel like he has only scratched the surface of his ability. I love the fact there is a Master’s arena That there is still a space for older athletes to achieve and thrive. Which means even as the body ages, and invariably gets slower, we can still push to be the best we can possibly be at the age we are, with the body we have at that moment in time. I have no doubt that Don will excel, and I am just glad I have been able to see a little part of what makes him the phenomenal athlete he is today. I cannot wait to see what he does next.
Don Gallagher Fun Facts
What Inspires you? – “The person who runs the 6-hour marathon, these people are truly inspiring.”
Quirks and superstitions! “Ever since I was a child, I won't walk under ladders.... don’t want to have 7 years of bad luck.... lol”
Interesting characters you have met on your journey? – “There is old couple in Ironman who are pretty famous, he has competed in 200 races, and she has done 100, they are also from Canada 😊”
Areas you want to improve in? – “Now I have swimming dialed in, I am going to start work on my cycling”
Favorite fuel? First Endurance EFS
