Alex McDonald hit by truck
Pro triathlete and MD Alex McDonald was hit by a pickup truck while on a training ride Thursday and suffered two broken legs. McDonald, of Durham, North Carolina, was operated on for six hours at Duke University Medical Center and is recovering there, according to his wife Ashley, a medical resident at Duke.
"He is still very groggy from the surgery, but is oriented and knows everything that happened," wrote Ashley in an email to friends and family. He is in good spirits considering and anxious to get moving towards his recovery and put this all behind him."
McDonald's Mini Cooper was still parked Friday morning at the Homestead Aquatic Center in Durham, where he started his ride after swimming with fellow triathletes Cameron Dye and Justin Park.
Ashley McDonald offered more details about McDonald's status: "We are both very thankful his injuries were not worse and that he is here with us today. He has his phone and computer here in the hospital but hasn't been up for much than short conversations between naps. But I will make sure to pass along any well wishes for him. Thank you so much for all your support and the numerous offers of help. It means a lot to both Alex and myself to have such wonderful people in our lives. "
McDonald, a starting goalie on the Connecticut College water polo team, took up triathlon while at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. After three years of racing triathlon, he won his age group at the 2006 USA Triathlon nationals and placed 5th overall at Ironman Wisconsin. In 2007, McDonald had an incredible breakthrough year as an age grouper, winning Tinman and Mooseman and taking Ironman USA Lake Placid overall. He was also amateur overall champion and 29th overall in a time of 9:00:09 at the Ironman World Championships at Kona. He topped that off by marrying Ashley, a fellow physician in training after the race in as seaside ceremony in Kona.
Upon graduating from medical school in May 2008, McDonald finished 8th at Ironman USA-Lake Placid, and won the Mooseman half. In 2009 he took 2nd at the White Lake Half, and in 2010 he placed 10th at Eagleman 70.3 and 11th at New Orleans 70.3.
