The Sprint from Injury to World Champion- An OPTI Inspirational Story
After retiring in 2016, Dave McNair reignited his passion for track, only to suffer a serious hamstring injury a year later. But instead of giving up, he committed to recovery, rebuilt his strength, and pursued his goals with focus and determination.
Through smart training, a positive mindset, and a refusal to let age or setbacks define him, he earned gold at the 2022 World Championships in Finland.
This is a story of grit, growth, and the power of perseverance.
Could you briefly explain your training program and share how you determined it was the right fit for you?
My training program includes multiple components both physical and mental. Work at the track, the weight room, staying focused with a positive attitude and finding inspiration are all parts of my approach.
There are four different types of workouts I will do on the track: Strength endurance, speed endurance, speed focused and hurdle work. Each type of workout has a specific purpose. It may be to build my conditioning and endurance, it might be focused on increasing my speed within a race, my explosiveness out of the blocks or hurdle technique. I will do a combination of types of workouts each week. For example, I may start the week with a strength endurance day, followed by a lighter day, then another endurance type day, a hurdle day and a speed day. It is important for me to track my results, not just from competitions but from my everyday practices. I’ll compare the times from today’s workout with that same workout a week ago or a month ago. I’m looking for improvement, so if I’m not getting faster then I need to look at the workouts I’m doing and see what needs to change. If I’m on an upward trajectory, then good, I’ll continue to work the way I am. Depending on what my competition schedule looks like, I will be on the track from 4 to 6 days a week, each day with focused training. However, there will be times that I may need a rest day depending on how I feel. It is important to listen to what your body is telling you, if you need a rest day, take it.
I’m in the weight room every other day, not trying to build bulk but rather stay toned and work on my fast twitch muscles. My work includes a variety of exercises, again each with a purpose. I use a variety of equipment, not just weights but also jump rope, TheraBand, BOSU and dip rack to name a few. In track it is important to have a strong core, so on non-weight days I will do a short core workout.
Having a positive mental attitude is just as important as training on the track or in the weight room. I read books on positive thinking and surround myself with people that have a similar approach. I’m always looking for the positive in every situation. Sometimes you have to look hard, however I truly believe there is always a positive to be found.
It is important to find a training program that is the right fit for you. I’m a competitive, success driven individual that doesn’t see size or age as reasons to limit my dreams and goals. What I’m doing currently is working for me, although I’m always looking for ways to get better and will make changes if necessary. I know that it will continue to evolve. Everybody is different, it is important to find a training program that works for you, that makes you feel good both physically and mentally.
Can you tell me about a challenge you’ve faced that changed your perspective?
I have faced many challenges through the years both physical and mental. The one that impacted me the most was in August 2017. I remember it very clearly. I was taking my final triple jump in the Nebraska Senior Games and on the jump portion of the hop, skip and jump, I blew out my hamstring. Laying immobile in the pit there were so many thoughts racing through my mind and none of them positive. Over the next 4 months I tried healing it myself through rest, but eventually it became obvious that it wasn’t working. I had thoughts of never being able to run again. That sounds dramatic, but I had never really been injured before and was not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. At that point, I finally realized how foolish it was to think I could heal this myself rather than going to an expert, a physical therapist, someone who went to school with the goal of learning how to help people heal from injuries. My wife worked with some physical therapists and got a referral from one for Katie at OPTI. I connected with her, and we began working on the process of recovery. It wasn’t long and I was seeing progress. By late March/early April, I was running at top speed with no pain. If you’re ever faced with an injury, don’t hesitate to find a professional to help you through it and Katie and her team at OPTI are the best.
Were there moments when you wanted to give up? What kept you motivated? Or If no, what does keep you motivated, especially during the tough times?
Setting goals has been an important part of my life and achieving these goals definitely keeps me motivated. Daily I challenge myself with SMART goals. They are Specific, Measurable, Action related, Realistic and Time sensitive. Often, I’ll have multiple goals within the same activity. It’s like climbing a staircase to achieve it. I’ll set a base goal and a stretch goal at the top with multiple levels in between. Once I’ve set a goal, the next step is to figure out what is necessary to achieve it. For example, if I’m trying to improve my cardio, speed and hurdle technique over the final 100 meters of the 300-meter hurdle race, I will set up workouts that are focused on achieving that outcome. Fulfilling the goals that I set is satisfying and keeps me motivated.
How did you grow from the adversity you faced?
I believe how we react to adversity will impact us in many ways, both positively and negatively. It really says a lot about a person’s character if they can continually respond in a positive way to unfavorable events. I’m no different than anybody else, I have had to face some adverse situations. However, I like to think that with my positive attitude and approach, I’m able to lessen the impact and turn it into a success rather than defeat. The most common adversity that I have faced are various injuries throughout the years. As I explained earlier, I learned that I don’t have to take the road to recovery by myself. I go see Katie at OPTI to make a plan to get back to full speed. I look back at past successes of overcoming adversity and feed on those positive thoughts. It is not easy, it’s hard sometimes to stay positive in these situations but if I do it once, I know I can do it again. Overcome and succeed.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
This is easy to name; however it took a lot, I mean a lot of hard work to achieve. Winning the World Championship in Tampere, Finland in the 100-meter hurdles in 2022 for my age group is an accomplishment that I am very proud of. When I was standing at the top of the podium and the Star-Spangled Banner was played with the United States Flag there, a wave of emotions and memories went racing through my mind. It was a long and challenging road to that gold medal. When I retired in 2016, it had been over 40 years since I ran track and went over a hurdle. I did several 5 Ks over the next year until I met a fellow competitor that told me about age group track. I was excited about the thought of running the sprints and hurdles again. I competed in many different sports as a youth, but track was my first love. As I mentioned earlier, in 2017 I had a bad hamstring injury. With Katie’s help I overcame that challenge and learned from it. I changed my warmup program to be proactive regarding avoiding injury. I developed a demanding training program that began showing results almost immediately. I visualized success, such as winning the National Championship and ultimately the World Championship. The last rep of my workouts I went back to something we all did when we were kids. Maybe in different sports, we might think if I make this basket, we win the game or if I make this putt I win the Masters. With my last rep of each workout, when I was most tired, to push myself to improve I would say “If I run this specific time or better, than I win the World Championship.” So, when I got to Finland, in my mind I had already achieved winning the gold medal thousands of times in my workouts. That is what I am most proud of, the process of getting there and then successfully achieving that goal at the top of the stairs.
Looking back, what would you tell your younger self?
Never give up! Run full speed chasing your dreams! There will be challenges, there will be disappointments and there will be defeats. However, with hard work, a never quit attitude and positive thinking, anything can happen. As I read once, if you visualize it, it will happen! If your mind can conceive it, and your heart can believe it, I know you will achieve it!
Who inspires you, and why?
My dad! He was such a good man and touched so many people in a positive way. He was a teacher and a coach and always saw the best in people. As a kid when I told him some of the things I wanted to accomplish, he didn’t say “you can’t do that” or simply “that’s nice”. He would say “that sounds great, how can I help you achieve these goals”. He was so well respected by his students, his athletes, his peers and within our community. The nickname his athletes gave him was “Big Dad”. My dad passed away at just 47. They actually closed all the schools in Columbus for his funeral. He wasn’t physically there when I reached the pinnacle, winning the World Championship, but he was definitely there! Cheering me on start to finish from above. He inspired me and those around him to strive for their best. I have always tried to approach life the same way he did with a smile on my face and the attitude of how can I help!
Dave’s journey is a testament to resilience, discipline, and the power of a positive mindset. By embracing adversity, setting clear goals, and refusing to give up, he not only returned to the sport he loved, but rose to the very top. His story proves that with the right support and determination, greatness is always within reach.
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