Resilience, Recovery, and Reclaimed Strength | Fireside Chat Guest: Meghan McCallum
Resilience, Recovery, and Reclaimed Strength
A Fireside Chat with Meghan McCallum
At Run Tri Bike, we believe endurance sports are about more than the miles. These sports are about becoming the best versions of ourselves, embracing community, and keeping perspective while chasing goals.
In this episode of Fireside Chat, host Jason Bahamundi welcomes Meghan McCallum, a breast cancer survivor, triathlete, and advocate, for a conversation that blends humor, honesty, and heart. Her journey from diagnosis to triathlon finish lines will remind you why we lace up, even when life gets hard.
From Diagnosis to Determination
At just 31, Meghan discovered tumors during a self-exam. This was a moment that would test her patience, trust, and strength. After months of being dismissed by doctors because she was “too young,” her eventual diagnosis became both heartbreaking and empowering.
She describes the emotional rollercoaster of fighting not just a disease, but for her right to be heard. This story is emotional, and deeply personal. Listening to your intuition can be an act of survival.
Surviving Cancer and a Pandemic
As Meghan began her treatment journey, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, reconstruction, the world shut down due to COVID-19. Hospitals were closed to visitors. Support systems vanished overnight. She sat in treatment chairs alone, craving connection in a time when connection was impossible.
Her reflection on this period is deeply moving: “You are not alone,” she says. Even in isolation, community finds a way to reach us and sometimes it is through shared struggle while other times it is through endurance itself.
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From Survivor to Triathlete
When the treatments ended, Meghan refused to let her story stop at survival. She joined Team Phoenix, a Milwaukee-based triathlon program for female cancer survivors. With the mantra “chemo, surgery, radiation not by choice. Swim, bike, run by choice,” Meghan found freedom in movement again.
Crossing her first finish line was more than a race result. This was a declaration of joy, health, and reclaimed identity. Her courage to step outside her comfort zone mirrors what every athlete faces when they toe the line, uncertain but hopeful.
Rising After Setback
Just as her triathlon journey began to soar, Meghan was sidelined by a devastating bike crash. This crash left her with serious injuries and missing teeth. Most people would have quit. Meghan laughed instead.
“Setbacks,” she told me, “are just training for the next comeback.” That line perfectly sums up the endurance mindset: we don’t stop when life knocks us down. Instead, we learn how to rise stronger, funnier, and more grateful for the ride.
Finding Balance, Humor, and Hope
Between mindfulness practice, yoga, and Oreo cookies as mid-ride fuel, Meghan shows that endurance is about perspective. She even sports a “slamm’n salmon” tattoo as a symbol of her journey: fighting upstream, but always moving forward.
Her story is proof that recovery doesn’t mean returning to who you were. It means evolving into someone new, resilient, and full of life.
Endurance Is About Becoming
Meghan’s story resonates with every endurance athlete who’s faced fear, loss, or uncertainty. These journey’s are about progress and choosing joy even when it’s hard.
Whether you’re training for your first 5K, coming back from injury, or just trying to find balance, this conversation reminds you that endurance is about becoming.
Listen to the full Fireside Chat with Meghan McCallum on Run Tri Mag’s YouTube channel — and remember, every mile is a chance to rebuild who you are.
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