“I’m most proud of being versatile, and of being what one might call a pioneer,” Mel said. “Of showing how people’s preconceived notions of what’s possible, especially as we age, are often out of touch with reality. I was told to train less after 40 than before 40, and instead I trained more…and I kept getting better long after others said I’d already peaked.”
How It Started
Rewinding to where it all began, Mel first made her name in the triathlon world through her dominance in XTERRA, where she claimed three world titles in 2003, 2005, and 2006. She was also crowned ITU Cross Triathlon World Champion in 2011 and 2017, establishing herself as one of the most versatile and technically skilled athletes in the sport.
“The sport was seeing meteoric growth in North America during the years I was part of it,” Mel said. “I love that I got to be part of shaping it and growing it.”
Even during those years, her mindset was never static.
“Even when I was winning, I was always looking for ways to get better and to improve myself as an athlete – ways to grow,” she explained. “I remember watching Julie Dibens compete in Ironman and XTERRA at the same time, and that’s when I thought: I want to do that too.”
Mel stepped into long-course racing in 2010 with her first Ironman 70.3, and five years later, at age 42, she toed the line for her first full Ironman.
Setbacks and Resilience
“I think part of why my career was so long is that I actually lost time to injury for a few years,” Mel said, referring to shattering her ankle in 2016 – a trimalleolar fracture with dislocation that took until 2019 to fully heal.
“I was told I would never run again, but that only made me more determined to run again,” she continued.
Not only did Mel return to running, she continued to ascend in Ironman racing. Her persistence ultimately led to qualifying for Kona out of Coeur d’Alene in 2023, both as a Big Island rookie and as the oldest-ever pro to line up in Kona at the remarkable age of 50. She is also the oldest athlete, man or woman, to ever podium as an Ironman professional, and after Coeur d’Alene she went on to run her fastest-ever Ironman marathon to finish second in Maryland.
“I don’t think the ultra-long distances like Ironman are my natural strength,” Mel admitted. “But I loved the learning, the growth, and the year-to-year improvements. I didn’t start 2023 with an outcome goal of qualifying for Kona; I’ve always preferred staying process-focused and committed to self-improvement. But when it happened, of course I was thrilled. And I think having raced Kona myself – experiencing the atmosphere, the heat, the humidity – has helped me immensely as a coach in preparing athletes for that race.”
What’s Next?
“I believe sport is a really great way to live a really great life,” Mel said, her passion for athletics unmistakable. While she’s closing the chapter on her professional triathlon career, she’s far from done as an athlete. Her next pursuits include elite masters running (with an open marathon on the horizon), as well as Hyrox and a return to mountain biking.
She’s equally committed to her work as a coach and to building community.
“I really enjoy watching people transform their expectations of what’s possible for themselves,” she said, reflecting on the athletes she coaches. That transformation, she added, isn’t just about racing – it reshapes how people show up in every part of their lives.
May Mel’s extraordinary career serve as a reminder that many of our limits are little more than assumptions, and what’s truly possible often lies far beyond them. Her journey shows that growth doesn’t stop with age, and that reinvention is available to anyone willing to keep showing up. As she’s known to say, “train for a rad life.”
To connect with Mel or learn more about her coaching, visit her website at https://melrad.com.
The post Five World Titles, Three Decades of Racing: Melanie McQuaid Calls Time on an Extraordinary Career appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.