Name: Mike McEnany (’13)
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Health and Exercise Science
Career Goals: To be a doctor, husband and father in Florida. I love the warm weather.
Relationship Status: Single
Nicknames: Mac, Big Mac, Mac Daddy
Her Campus (HC): What are you most looking forward to as the semester comes to a close?
Mike McEnany (ME): The Christmas season. I especially love the Love Feast. It’s my favorite Wake Forest tradition. I love Christmas songs, and it’s the only time of the year in Florida when the weather changes.
HC: Do you have any quirky family Christmas traditions?
ME: My family always hosts the rest of our family, and they sleep at our house. We always eat at Carrabba’s, and the manager knows us by now and always comes to say hey.
HC: What is the most embarrassing thing that you’ve ever done?
ME: Middle-distance runners always wear half-tights, and I got a nice white pair for Christmas. The first day I wore them, it rained. The track was crowded that day, and I couldn’t figure out why people were laughing at us when we ran by. But I was in the zone until after we finished our workout, so I didn’t realize that the rain had caused my tights to be see-through!
HC: Do you have any pre-meet rituals for when you run for Wake?
ME: I try not to eat for 4 hours before a race. And I always pray.
HC: Do you not eat because of nerves or just not to slow you down?
ME: Both, I think. I used to throw up after every race.
HC: Do you have dreams of going to the Olympics?
ME: Yes, I told myself that I will go to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro even if I’m not competing.
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HC: What has been your most memorable meet?
ME: I ran the Distance Carnival at the University of Tampa when I was a senior in high school. It was the last regular season meet, and I ran a 4-second personal record. It came out of nowhere. Nobody knew I could do it, but I did. It was my breakthrough race.
HC: What does your typical day look like?
ME: I get up at 6:30 and have practice at 7:15. I usually go to the Pit and class until 2, eat lunch, study, lift weights, then eat dinner at the ‘track table’ in the Pit. After all of that, I study more and then hit the sack.
HC: What is your favorite Pit food?
ME: I don’t get excited over the beef brisket because I got sick once last year, but the chicken pot pie is my favorite.
HC: What do you do in your free time?
ME: An ideal weekend would be camping and hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I like Pilot Mountain and football games, too.
HC: Where has been your favorite travel destination?
ME: Alaska. It’s the coolest place I have ever been and is an outdoorsman’s paradise. There are 20 hours of sunlight in the summer and breathtaking views of snowcapped mountains. If it weren’t for the cold, I would definitely live there.
HC: If you could meet one person, who would it be?
ME: George Strait. That guy is a boss. He lives on a ranch and is from Texas, so that makes him pretty cool already. I couldn’t imagine living his life. It would be ideal—playing music and going back to your ranch and riding horses all day.
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HC: Do you play a musical instrument?
ME: I can play the Cracker Barrel jaw harp.
HC: What is playing on your iPod right now?
ME: I am on a big Luke Bryan kick. Every song on his new CD is a hit.
HC: What’s your perfect first date?
ME: Around here, I would definitely start with dinner on 4th street. I love walking downtown at night. Then Kernal Kustard, and it would have to end away from the city star gazing and enjoying the night.
HC: Who is your hero?
ME: My father. He has been my coach since I was 7 for baseball and peewee football. He coaches high school football now. He owns hunting land, and we go hunt and take care of the land together. In everything I do, I try to be like him.
*Photography by Karleigh Ash