What Country Club Summers Taught Peggy McDonnell About Late Starts, Longevity, and Loving the Work

Peggy McDonnell never grew up thinking she’d be a national champion swimmer.

Her early relationship with the water looked a lot like many summer stories do. Country club pools. Short races. Fifty-yard dashes under the sun. No high school team. No college swimming. Just warm weather, laps for fun, and a casual connection to the sport.

And yet, at 70 years old, Peggy stands as an All-American Masters swimmer, a national champion, and a quiet force in her age group. Her story is a reminder that swimming careers don’t always follow a straight line and that sometimes the most meaningful chapters begin later than expected.

Finding Masters on Her Own Timeline

Peggy didn’t discover Masters swimming until she and her husband moved to Florida in 1996. There was no long-term plan. No lofty expectations. Just curiosity and a willingness to see what might be possible.

What followed surprised even her.

She found herself drawn to the 200 IM, a race that demands balance, patience, and adaptability. Somewhere along the way, she uncovered a performance she didn’t know was inside her. Her first national title came in that event. Her first All-American swim arrived soon after in short course meters.

That time shocked her. She says it plainly. She never swam anything like it again.

But that moment mattered. Not because it had to be repeated, but because it revealed what could happen when preparation, timing, and belief align.

Adapting as the Body Changes

Like many long-time Masters swimmers, Peggy’s relationship with events has shifted over time.

Knee surgery took some joy out of breaststroke. Neck issues made butterfly less appealing. Gradually, the IM gave way to freestyle, where she found a new rhythm and a new sense of possibility.

These weren’t losses so much as adjustments. Peggy kept swimming. She kept training. She stayed curious about what still worked.

Her current focus sits comfortably in the 200 freestyle, an event that rewards control and steady effort, especially for swimmers who understand pacing and patience.

Training Without a Perfect Setup

Peggy’s training life doesn’t revolve around a single Masters program or a perfectly consistent pool schedule.

Much of her training has been solo, guided by workouts shared years ago by a friend. At times, she’s felt like a swimming vagabond, bouncing between pools depending on availability, lifeguards, and working heaters.

Three days a week is her norm. Yardage usually lands in the mid-3000s, sometimes creeping higher. She doesn’t chase volume for volume’s sake. She does the work she knows matters.

One thing changed everything. A training partner.

Swimming with someone twenty years younger gave her a spark she didn’t realize she’d been missing. It pushed her past the point where she’d quietly end workouts early. It brought structure back. Accountability. Momentum.

After four or five years away from competition, Peggy returned to racing in June, motivated by an age-up year and a simple question of curiosity. What might still be there?

Staying in the Game

Peggy doesn’t frame her setbacks as dramatic comebacks.

A broken hand once threatened her chance to attend Nationals. She went anyway. Injuries have come and gone. Pools have closed. Programs have disappeared. None of it stopped her.

What stands out more is her consistency. Her willingness to keep showing up, even when circumstances aren’t ideal. Even when training looks different than it used to.

That same steadiness shows up outside the pool.

For twenty-five years, Peggy has volunteered at a dog shelter, giving time, care, and patience to animals who need it most. She understands limits. She knows she can’t save every dog. But she keeps helping the ones she can.

That mindset carries into swimming too.

The Power of Shared Effort

Some of Peggy’s favorite memories don’t involve individual races at all.

They involve relays. Teammates. The Golden Girls. Seasons where a group of women in the same age group came together, raced hard, and broke records simply by committing to one another.

The records didn’t last long. Another team broke them the following year.

That didn’t diminish the joy.

What mattered was the shared effort, the laughter, the teamwork, and the feeling of doing something together at an age when many people assume competition is behind them.

Why She Keeps Swimming

Peggy McDonnell’s story isn’t about late blooming or defying age. It’s about staying engaged. Adjusting when needed. Training honestly. Finding partners who push you. And letting the sport evolve with you instead of walking away when it changes.

She didn’t start with big dreams of podiums or All-American honors. She simply kept swimming and paid attention to what the work offered back.

If you enjoy Masters swimming stories that honor persistence, adaptability, and the quiet joy of long-term commitment, you’ll feel right at home here. Share this with a teammate who’s still finding their rhythm or returning after time away. Stay connected by joining our Mojo Messages, short encouraging notes delivered straight to your inbox to help you live well and swim well. What part of your swimming might surprise you if you stayed curious a little longer? We’re cheering you on.

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice. Please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com