Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/842361
JULY / AUGUST 2017 33 THE BIG THINKER ere are a few things you should know about Mike McQuaid. He wants Seattle to host the Olym- pics. He calls the renaissance of South Lake Union "the most significant urban revitalization in America." And he wants a new hockey and basketball arena built at Seattle Center. Oh yes, and his grandfather was president of the WAC in 1964. "Don't be afraid to think big," Mike says. Alas, a few years back, Mike's big thinking found him way overweight and a long way from his days as a national champion rower. "I could show you pictures from five years ago," Mike says over a breakfast of oatmeal and strawberries in the WAC Café. "I was a big guy. Life catches up with you—and so does the ice cream." Nowadays, the 53-year-old works out twice daily and is training seriously for his first full Ironman—in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in late August—a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2- mile run that'll take more than 10 hours to finish. Mike's triathlon journey began three years ago. "I was pushing 280," he says. "I got away from what was ritual in my life, which was workouts every day and working out at a high level. I decided I was going to get back to what was important, and the WAC was a huge part of that." It started with walking around Queen Anne, Mike's home neigh- borhood, with his dog, Tip, a black lab that might have excused itself had it known Mike's walks would soon lead them halfway around Lake Washington. From there, Mike moved up to run- ning, first three miles and soon enough five. "I knew that if I got uber-competitive right away with myself that I was going to be prone to injury," Mike says. Instead, he slowly added distance and disciplines. Before he knew it, he joined the Tri/ Cycle Club and, about 15 months aer that first walk around Queen Anne, completed Seafair's Olym- pic-distance triathlon. e 0.9-mile swim, 20-mile bike, and 10-kilometer run marked his first-ever triathlon. "I was hooked," he recalls, noting longtime friend and WAC mem- ber Carin Weinrich originally encouraged him to take up the sport. at was 2015. e next sum- mer he did three triathlons and ran the Vancouver Marathon. Sudden- ly, his younger days of competitive rowing, including at Washington State University and with the Ves- per Boat Club in Philadelphia—he rowed on an eight-oar national championship with Vesper—didn't seem so far away. Will run for cod By August 2016, Mike nearly finished on the podium in his age group at Seafair, missing it only because of a slow run. "at's been my focus all winter," he says. To keep it interesting, Mike undertakes long runs that oen include a theme. His Green Lake to West Seattle jaunt, for example, connected two Spud Fish & Chips restaurants. "Will run for cod," he jokes, crediting fellow WAC mem- ber Jim Cade for the idea. Mike's training runs usually start and end at the WAC, and his relationship with the Club goes back more than half a century. His dad's dad, omas L. McQuaid, served as WAC president in 1964, and his mom was in the Clubhouse in 1963 when she entered labor with Mike—seriously! Mike runs his own public relations company and serves as president of the South Lake Union Community Council. He uses the Club's stationary bikes through the winter and swims regularly on the 6th Floor. "For the first time in my life I've enjoyed training," he says. "In rowing, every tenth of a second made a difference. is is just about being happy. I've had more advancement, more success, and more fun just taking that approach. Losing weight is not easy. Getting back into shape is not easy. at all couldn't have happened without the WAC community." McQUAID mike Mike and fellow member Will Gulliver.