Ailsa Mac Donald found her purpose in endurance sports at a young age as she accompanied her Scottish mountaineer grandfather on many an adventure.

Today, at 40 years old, Ailsa is a Canadian Ultra Runner, Ironman Triathlete, and Saucony athlete who is no stranger to course records, beating out the men’s field to take an overall win at ultramarathons and qualifying for the Ironman World Championship.

She is very successful at what many may say is impossible, balancing a training schedule that spans long-distance trail running and long-distance triathlon. Ailsa is bridging the gap between these two communities and we had a blast diving into her story.

Thank you for tuning in, we hope you enjoy the show.

In this episode, we discuss:

- Key training leading into a 100-mile run

- Survivorfest Ultra

- Expeditions with her Gramp

- Chasing FKTs

- Ditching the watch to help your racing

- Learning how not to go out too hard

- Crossover between ultrarunning to Ironman

- Yoga benefits for athletes

- How to become a good downhiller on the trail

Namaste-

Jess