Some careers deserve a proper celebration. For more than 18 years, Canadian pro Rach McBride has raced at the highest level of triathlon, delivered some unforgettable performances, and helped leave the sport better than they found it.

Having represented Canada at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii and St. George and at multiple Ironman 70.3 World Championships, McBride has amassed six victories and 17 triathlon podiums over the course of their decorated career. Those results include two World Championship podium finishes at the ITU Long Distance World Champs in Belfort and Oklahoma in 2013 and 2016. And that’s before getting into some seriously impressive bike racing results and a collection of bike course records along the way.

Now, the “Purple Tiger” has announced their final race.

We’ll be on site following McBride’s final race this coming weekend, and then sitting down with them for a full post-race interview reflecting on their many accomplishments, what it’s all meant, what’s next, and their thoughts as they close out a remarkable professional career.

Cultus Lake Tri as a Final Race

In a recent Instagram post, McBride not only announced their upcoming retirement, but also revealed the final (and deeply meaningful) race they’ve chosen to close out their career.

As they shared: “At 48 years young, I am winding down my pro career. I have chosen a ‘final’ race to close out my career doing swim bike run. The icing on the cake for me is that for the first time in 20 years racing triathlon, I will be racing in the NONBINARY CATEGORY!!!”

For some history and context, McBride was instrumental in working alongside Dynamic Race Events to add a non-binary category in 2021. That advocacy (and now McBride’s own representation by racing in the category they helped create) has helped open doors for athletes who may otherwise not have felt they had an authentic place in triathlon.

“This feels like a truly special and fitting way to wrap up such an incredible career in the sport,” McBride continued. “I’d say come race with me but unfortunately this one is sold out. So come cheer and celebrate with me!!”

 

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A post shared by Rachel “Rach” McBride 💜🐯 (@rachelmcb)

Redefining What’s Possible

McBride started as an elite short-course athlete in 2007 before transitioning into middle- and long-distance racing.

They first raced as an age-grouper and won the Olympic-distance age-group world championship in 2006, prompting the leap to the elite short course ranks at age 29. It was considered a late start to an elite triathlon career, but McBride has never let their later entry into the sport define their limits.

In fact, that’s a theme that has carried right through to today, with McBride still winning races at “48 years young,” as they like to put it.

In that regard, McBride’s career has been about more than becoming one of Canada’s top long-course athletes. They’ve also helped challenge perceptions within the sport about what an elite triathlete can look like and what path they can take to get there.

McBride re-taught themselves to swim as an adult, and went on to exit the water at the front of professional fields. They turned pro at 32, and built a career spanning nearly two decades. And they have continued to compete, and win, well into their forties. (In 2022, they became the oldest athlete to win a women’s Ironman 70.3 title at age 45!)

Beyond performance, McBride has also used their platform to advocate for non-binary inclusion and representation in a sport that has historically offered only men’s and women’s racing categories. And this is exactly what makes Cultus Lake such a fitting place for one final swim, bike, and run.

As McBride said: “This final hurrah is so special because I’ll be competing in a category that I helped create and one that validates and recognizes my gender identity. For the first time, I will be recognized as the gender I have always been, in a sport that has given me so much.”

We can’t wait to be on the ground this weekend capturing all the special moments, with a full post-race interview with McBride to follow!