When Jim McDonell was pursuing his Ph.D in chemistry at the University of Minnesota in the mid-1970s, the only way he could meet with his adviser was running with him during his office hours.

"He was a crazy Englishman who was a highly dedicated runner and marathoner — and he ran fast," said McDonell, 61, of Woodbury. "If you didn't run, you didn't get to meet with him. It was that simple."

McDonell ran, and ran some more, eventually earning his doctorate. What McDonell didn't realize — at least at the time — was that his adviser's example was changing his outlook on life. "I never played sports in high school or college, so I wasn't that physically active," said McDonell. "My adviser, you could say, transformed my lifestyle. I learned from him that I wanted to be active and healthy."

By the late 1970s, thanks to his adviser's example, McDonell became a full-fledged athlete, running his first marathon in 1978 and the Boston Marathon in 1979. Throughout the years, he has finished countless marathons, triathlons and other endurance events. Today, he typically runs twice a day (in the morning and at night) with his one-eyed Springer Spaniel named Sophe. "My dog is my mentor because she's always happy," said McDonell. "One of things I like about runners is that they're always happy, too. That's part of being active. Active people are happy people, and I like to be around happy people."

McDonell's favorite endurance activity is snowshoe racing, which he started in the mid-1990s. In fact, McDonell is the pied piper for all things snowshoe racing in the Twin Cities. Six years ago, he started the popular Braveheart shoeshow racing series, which now include as many as 30 events in the Upper Midwest. Inspired by the 1995 movie "Braveheart," McDonell has been known to race in a kilt and paint his face and head half blue and half white — just like Scottish warrior William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson) did in the movie.

"It's the toughest, most primal sport there is, and it's my passion in life," McDonell said of snowshoe racing. "I used to snowshoe to stay in shape for running. Now I run to stay in shape for snowshoeing."

On May 1, McDonell will retire from 3M in Maplewood, where he worked since 1988 as a chemist and, in recent years, a patent agent. "Retirement isn't the finish line; it's the starting line," said McDonell. "I plan on being plenty busy." One of his retirement goals is to complete a snowshoe marathon. His "retirement" will also give him time to volunteer for causes he believes in. One such is Bolder Options, a Twin Cities-based nonprofit devoted to mentoring at-risk youths. "I like the idea of being mentor because one person can make a huge difference in a person's life" — just like his Ph.D adviser did for him.

Tori J. McCormick is a freelance writer in Prior Lake.