Author Archives: Peter Megdal PhD

Three-time national record holder explains his approach to improving health
by Scott Heald / The Dedham Times / January 13, 2023

A traditional Romanian proverb states, “A great ship asks for deep waters.”

Perhaps anyone who attempts something objectively daunting, unafraid to pursue opportunities that may not be readily apparent, is the sort of person to whom the proverb alludes.

Everyone has goals; for some, it's just to get out of bed in the morning, and others may want to become astronauts and rocket to the moon or Mars. I have spent years trying to break a world record in cycling. The last four years have thrown curveballs at me- such as recovering from heart disease, a broken hip last year, and this year COVID!

On September 27, 2022, I competed at the world cycling track championships in Carson, CA, to attempt a 2-kilometer world championship race. Unfortunately, I had a terrible race and, in the process, contracted COVID. I was probably infected at the time that I was racing, which could account for my poor performance. To make matters worse, I was also planning to attempt a world record in the hour time trial in Aguascalientes, Mexico on October 17th, just three weeks away. How could I do this after such a poor performance only three weeks earlier?!

After setting the para C5 national record in 2018, I set my goal to best the current world record for the 60+-year-old when I turned 60.