Athletics Ontario Running Podcast · John Shep

EP 217: Neil McKay, London Children's Hospital - Finding Purpose Through Persistence

·34 min·2 clips

A specialist told Neil McKay, “your baby’s got something called Potter’s syndrome and that’s a lethal diagnosis.”

1. Athletics Ontario Running Podcast features Neil McKay of Persistence Racing and his London Children’s Hospital fundraising plans. 2. Host John Shep interviews Neil McKay because his running, racing, and charity work are tied to personal family experiences. 3. The episode asks what persistence looks like when running becomes a way to raise money for London Children’s Hospital. 4. Neil describes Persistence Racing’s fifth anniversary party at Backroads Brews and Shoes in London, with road and trail options, old swag, and a taproom social. 5. He says the group’s events range from a runner’s first 50-meter kids race to a 93-year-old setting national records. 6. Neil introduces the “double dash,” where runners race a 5K and then return for a 3.2K final on the track. 7. He explains that the 5K heats are split by gender, with the top 12 moved into an A final and the next 12 into a B final. 8. The event also includes a three-hour endurance run on the track and a kids race from end zone to end zone at Western’s football stadium. 9. Neil says the kids can finish with a touchdown dance and then collect a medal. 10. The conversation shifts to his running history, starting with a half marathon, then Around the Bay 30K, then Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon. 11. Neil recalls telling his wife he should be punched if he ever talked about another marathon after the Around the Bay 30K. 12. He says his wife’s pregnancy problems began after an ultrasound and led to a referral to a neonatal specialist at London Children’s Hospital. 13. The specialist told them their baby had Potter’s syndrome, which Neil quotes as “a lethal diagnosis.” 14. Neil says the family still chose to meet their baby and then memorialized the pregnancy with a hotel night and photos at Springbank Park. 15. He later says Jacob was stillborn and that the family kept his memory in the running story. 16. Neil describes Hadley’s birth 51 weeks later, then a six-day-old hospitalization for severe jaundice and a double volume blood transfusion. 17. He says Janice, a hospital counselor, helped them work through options and prepare for practical details after the birth. 18. Neil’s interview style is reflective and detailed, with John Shep asking follow-up questions about counseling, fundraising, and race planning. 19. Listeners interested in family-centered running stories, Ontario races, and charity fundraising will likely connect with this episode. 20. Listeners wanting only race results and training talk may skip the longer personal backstory.

As heard by us

A community run that turns toward care, purpose, and the people who keep showing up.

Neil Mackay's return to the Athletics Ontario Running Podcast opens with Persistence Racing's fifth anniversary at Backroads Brews and Shoes, where runners showed up despite wind and cold and stuck around after the run.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Hear how a London fundraiser for London Children's Hospital turns into a conversation about a five-year running community, resilience, and support.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Athletics Ontario Running Podcast