SARATOGA SPRINGS — Junior Cross-Country runner Michael McDonald started the season off with a personal goal in mind: to break 20 minutes in his 5K race. On Monday, November 4, he achieved that goal at the Section two Championships as he finished his race in 19 minutes 59:22 seconds.
McDonald, born with a mild form of Cerebral Palsy perseveres, through the racecourse year after year ever since the day he fell in love with running.
"I have to be constantly reminded of the fact that I have cerebral palsy, honestly. It's so mild I don't feel it. But the biggest hindrance that it has on my game is my stride length,” said McDonald. “When you run, each step you want to cover as much ground as possible, so you do less steps. It's hard for me to stretch out my legs as far as it would be for someone without.”
When McDonald was a young teen, he decided to accompany his mother to the local YMCA where she spent a lot of her free time. Once there he was drawn to the facility's treadmills and indoor track.
“I just got curious. My mom would go to the gym, be gone for a few hours and come back and I wanted to know what's goin' on so I was like 'hey, why don't I tag along for one day?' and I fell in love," said McDonald.
Throughout the year McDonald runs not only for his varsity cross-country team at Saratoga Central Catholic, but on the track team as well. When not in season he tries to run at least every other day to stay in shape. His father is very diligent in making sure he stays in shape over the off season.
Being on the cross-country team has given McDonald a sense of pride in being able to represent his school at meets. He enjoys the opportunity to encourage and support his teammates and his coach the same way they encourage him every day. Before races, he and his team join together and pray the Hail Mary as a team ritual, and value that God is with them.
Meets are a great time for McDonald to bask in the competitive and encouraging atmosphere with music blaring (often the theme song to the "Rocky" movie) and the exciting energy from his teammates. But one thing McDonald values is having his biggest supporter cheer him on at the finish line.
"Well, Mom, when she screams for me at the finish line - when people scream at the finish line it kind of gets drowned out ‘cause everybody screams. But when my Mom screams you can hear it. Yeah, that is amazing when she's there," said McDonald.
As cross-country season has come to a close, McDonald is looking forward to joining the bowling team for the winter season, as that is another opportunity for him represent his school.
