Sue McDonald
Santa Barbara, CA
Accepting New Clients
Fall in love with the process and the results will come.
- About Sue McDonald
- Runner and coach based out of Central California. Sue continues to pursue her running career as a world class masters 400/800 meter runner while coaching privately online and locally. Sue grew up in the San Fernando Valley and moved to Santa Barbara where she ran her first marathon in 2000 followed by many road races, triathlons and cycling races eventually earning Santa Barbara’s Masters Athlete of the Year.
- Description
- Sue’s focus in college was the heptathlon and high jump and competed for Los Angeles Valley College where she was a 3-time All American and in 2018 was inducted into the Los Angeles Valley College Hall of Fame. Sue continued her college career at Cal State Northridge where she was 2-time runner-up in the high jump in the NCAA Division II National Championships. Sue is a 4-time US Outdoor National Championship qualifier in the high jump. Sue became one of the pioneer female pole vaulters a couple years after giving birth to her first child at the age of 33. Sue’s biggest accomplishment of her athletic career was making it to the Olympic Trials finals in Atlanta, GA in 1996 in the first-ever women’s pole vault OT competition. In 2013, when Sue turned 50, she broke the W50 American record in the high jump trained by Josh Priester of the Santa Barbara Track Club. Sue also competed in the high jump at the 2015 Outdoor World Masters Athletics Championships in Lyon, France where she earned a silver medal. Sue’s transition from jumping to running as a masters athlete produced a Boston Marathon qualifier in 2018. 90 days after finishing the toughest Boston Marathon in the worst weather conditions, Sue won 2 National W55 championships and broke 2 American Records (400m and 800m) at the 2018 Outdoor USA Masters National Championships coached by Tom Hinz of T.H.E. Track Team.. Next up on Sue's race calendar is the Indoor World Masters Athletics Championships in Poland in March, 2019 where Sue has her eyes set on bringing home some gold medals for Team USA. Sue has been married to Michael (7-time Ironman) for 16 years and they have 3 children who are very active in sports (water polo, soccer, basketball and lacrosse). In addition to Sue's certification as a VDOT O2 running coach, Sue is a certified personal trainer, online holistic health and wellness coach and owns a coffee shop located near the University of California, Santa Barbara. Sue’s passion for running has brought so much joy into her life, from earning a college scholarship to meeting her husband, to traveling the world competing and meeting new friends in the running community. Sue’s goal as a coach is to help as many people who share her passion for the sport to take their athleticism to the next level. From the beginner runner to the elite, Sue is compassionate, thoughtful and makes sure to take special care in creating an overall experience in which each client will grow athletically, spiritually and emotionally while enjoying the journey.
- Athlete Requirements
- Must be coachable have a great attitude, a willingness to trust the process, and a commitment to work together as a team.
- Qualified To Coach
- Keywords
- Available for Coaching
- In-person, Online/Remote coaching, Group coaching, Consultations
- Coaching Certifications
- USATF Level 1, V.O2
Reviews for Sue McDonald
Sue's customers
Conrad DiDiodato
Sue has written another excellent training schedule for a fall 10K race, a plan that's more attuned to the needs of the recreational masters runner. With credentials like hers, I couldn't go to anyone else. Thanks, Sue.
Korey Ewing
Sue is my first virtual track coach. We have been working together for just about a month. In that short time I’ve learned a lot about running and about myself—oh, and I PR’d in 800m, 1K and the mile....
Heidi Brumbaugh
Very helpful and insightful Sue got me to the track for the first time! Good workouts, frequent check-in. Would hire her again!
Training Plans
Get a customized plan from Sue McDonald
“I want to be a Runner” Beginner training plan
12 weeks
$90.00
10k Training plan
16 weeks
$110.00
5k Training plan
12 weeks
$95.00
Full Marathon Training Plan
24 weeks
$125.00
Half Marathon Training Plan
20 weeks
$120.00
Middle Distance Training plan
16 weeks
$110.00
Santa Barbara Half Marathon Training Plan
16 weeks
$110.00
Private Coaching
Work one-on-one with Sue McDonald
Lite Private Monthly Coaching Plan
$250.00 / mo
Premium Private monthly coaching plan
$350.00 / mo
Premium Private monthly coaching plan + Customized Strength Training
$425.00 / mo
Standard monthly coaching plan (online only)
$165.00 / mo
Standard monthly coaching plan (online only) + Customized Strength Training
$230.00 / mo