Meet the 2023 SWM Athletes: Gina McNamara
Gina McNamara | Women’s Elite Mile
Social Media: Instagram | Twitter | Strava
Sponsor: GRC / New Balance Pacers
College: Michigan
Mile PR: 4:39.67
5 Things About Me: Gina McNamara
- I’m the oldest of 3 siblings, all of whom went to the University of Michigan. My brother, Ryan, graduated in 2022, and my younger sister Clare is a senior on the track & field team there and set to graduate at the end of 2024.
- My younger sister and I both represented Malta this summer at Small States Games of Europe and European Team Championships.
- I’m originally from Michigan (and actually just moved back there…like literally, this past week), but have spent the past 5 years living and working in Washington, DC
- I recently got back into racing on the track, but took a break from 2017 to 2022 (with the exception of a couple road races, DMRs, and pacing a few teammates). We’ve jokingly been calling this my “running renaissance” – I’ve set PRs in everything from the 800M to the 5K this past year, which is pretty cool.
- When I’m not racing, I can be found at home with my partner, Elias – either playing cards (trying to teach him Euchre), bananagrams, or cheffing up recipes from Claire Saffitz’s Dessert Person — her brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe is incredible.
5 Fast Questions
- Do you have any superstitions/pre-race rituals? Shakeout ~4 hours before race time with some easy strides. I’m also a big fan of Honey Stinger waffles before race time. In high school, I’d watch “Without Limits” with my two best friends on the team (s/o to Emily and Alex) – maybe I’ll bring that tradition back.
- What’s your favorite sport (or athlete) to watch, besides running? I don’t watch a ton of sports outside of running, but I’ve loved following what Serena Williams has done on and off the court with her tennis career, motherhood, and entrepreneurship.
- What’s a show or movie you’ve seen lately that’s worth watching? The Bear – absolutely phenomenal show.
- What’s a song or podcast that’s currently on your playlist? All things Hozier as of lately – His new album comes out August 18th and I can’t wait.
- Do you have any connections to Raleigh or North Carolina? Surprisingly, no. We went a few times in college (shoutout to the Battle of the Blues track meet), but other than that, no connections.
Learn more about Gina at: VIS Experience | Run with the Pros