Patrick McGee: from theater productions to producing triathlons

Patrick McGee: from theater productions to producing triathlons

Until he took a job with Ironman in 2009, Patrick McGee had no idea what a triathlon was.

So, he could never have imagined he would one day be producing some of the largest races in the world for a living.

“One of the most amazing things I love about this is we take a blank field or a blank parking lot and set up this amazing production and infrastructure and we host thousands of people throughout the week. Then on Sunday, we take it down and on Monday, it’s like it never happened,” said McGee, who has been the race director for the St. Anthony’s Triathlon since 2020. “It’s a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.”

McGee graduated from East Lake High School in 2003 after moving from Texas to Florida two years earlier. Acclimating to a new school, he took a theater elective and then decided to join the theater program. It didn’t take long before he found his high school niche. Long days and nights rehearsing and building sets, after school Starbucks trips with his “drama friends” and the performances – Fame, Odd Couple, Kilroy and Grease, among others.

“Some of my greatest memories are Friday afternoons at Lake Tarpon,” said McGee from his old high school theater. “As I got into my career, some of those things I enjoyed doing in high school started to come around a little bit. Even without realizing it.”

McGee said his plan was never to make a career out of theater, but he now appreciates the extensive overlap between putting on a play and planning for a race. He graduated from the University of South Florida in 2007 with a degree in communications and after taking the job with Ironman in 2009, he continued to flourish within the race community. A big part of that, he says, was learning the athlete side of the production.

In 2010, he raced his first sprint triathlon – a 750-meter swim, 20k bike ride and a 5k run – at Ft. Desoto Park. From there, he officially had the bug and began training for a half ironman – a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run – at which time he met his wife, Tori.

“From then on out, we were training together,” McGee said.

The couple trained for multiple half and full marathons together and even ran the Paris marathon on their honeymoon. McGee ran his first full Ironman in 2014 in Tempe, Arizona.

“There are two sides to a race – the production side and the athlete side. I figured, if I’m going to be here, I might as well see what it’s all about,” McGee said. “To be a good race director, you have to be able to see it from the other side too.”

McGee now spends the majority of his calendar year planning for the next St. Anthony’s Triathlon – one of the longest-running triathlons in the country. Planning starts months in advance, McGee said. From opening registration to securing sponsors, obtaining permitting and ordering t-shirts and medals. A few weeks out, the entire race team runs through the full timeline, making sure to tackle any last-minute pivots.

“Once race week arrives, it’s all hands on deck,” McGee said. “It takes a special person to do what we do. It’s long days in the heat or rain or wind. You just never know.

“But you get to share in the participants’ joy and accomplishment, which is one of the most amazing feelings.”

The same way McGee never planned for a career in theater, he also never planned for a career in triathlons. He’s always loved the outdoors and adventure, and upon graduating college, he searched for a job in communications or marketing for a company like REI, Bass Pro or North Face.

“I didn’t even know what a triathlon was. But I knew they produced some of the most unique, biggest and best events in the country and I knew it was something I would love to do,” McGee said. “There’s a big difference between putting on a play on a stage and putting on a 10,000-person running race. But it’s all still a stage.”

McGee has only raced the St. Anthony’s Triathlon one time – he’s typically a “little busy” that day – but he greatly enjoys the interaction with the nearly 3,000 athletes who participate each year. Everyone from professional triathletes to weekend warriors, he said.

“I always say that if I’ve done my planning and job correctly, I shouldn’t have a whole lot to do on race day,” McGee said. “But there are lots of moving parts. It’s one scene to the next.”

Soon enough, it might be one of his boys – Rowan, 8, and Walker, 3 – who race in the St. Anthony’s “Meek & Mighty” – geared to kids and beginners – which takes place the day before the main event. They both love to swim and bike, McGee said, and he encourages them to be active.

“I would love to have my kids fall in love with the sport like I did,” he said. “The most important thing is to keep them active, encourage them to try their best and to have fun with everything they do.” 

As for the future, McGee couldn’t imagine a better fit. He describes his work as a passion, rather than a job. He’s training for his first long-distance race in more than 10 years and will run the St. Pete Run Fest half marathon Nov. 17.

Training might look a little different these days, but his advice is the same – always remember what you love doing and find a way to continue doing it.

“I love being outside. I love the people I work with. We are all a big family,” McGee said. “I am grateful for the event. Hopefully, it will be around for many more years to come and I hope and plan to be a part of every one of those.”