Father Time might be catching up with Jack Mackenroth, but the New York-based former Project Runway star is still swimming mighty fast.
Mackenroth will be 41 when he dives into the pool this summer in Cologne, Germany, at Gay Games VIII—and this will be his fifth Games. He will compete in five sprints.
"I'm really excited for the Gay Games; it's one of my favorite events," said Mackenroth, who has participated in Gay Games in Vancouver, New York City, Amsterdam, Sydney and Chicago. "I don't know how many total medals I have won, but I know I've won at least one gold at every Games."
And he also had an incredible showing last summer in Copenhagen, winning numerous medals at the World Outgames.
"Is it tougher competing as, ugh, you get older?," he asked, laughing. "Swimming definitely is tougher as I get older. My body just won't do the same things it did when I was 21. Also, life gets in the way and it's harder to find time to train. However I'm what they call a 'meet' swimmer, meaning, I always seem to rise to the occasion during competition. I've been training since January, so I should be slammin' by the Games."
So, any thought of retiring from competitive swimming, or switching to another sport?
"Nope. They will be pulling my cold, dead corpse out of the water at Gay Games 2062," he joked. "I heard about curling during the [ Winter ] Olympics … does that involve hair? Seriously, probably not. I'm really only good at swimming. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks."
And, boy, has Mackenroth been a good swimmer over the years, with countless medals, awards, trophies, plaques and honors on his swimming resume.
"I just love the Gay Games because the athletes are so excited to come together and compete," Mackenroth said. "It's a real sense of pride and accomplishment. People want to win, but everyone genuinely wants everyone to do their best. I especially love the international Games; they bring amazing people from all over the world that you would normally never have the chance to meet."
Mackenroth said his most memorable Gay Games moment ever came 20 years ago, when he was simply walking into the stadium for the Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver. "I had just come out and the crowd was cheering. I was overwhelmed. I cried," he said.
The Chicago Games in 2006 also rank very high for Mackenroth. One race in particular: the 4x50-meter mixed medley relay—because they set the National record, and were only .8 second off the world record. And Mackenroth's mom was in the stands for the event.
"Believe it or not, medals are not that important to me," Mackenroth said. "I like getting them, but then I'm on to the next race."
Mackenroth, who is single, said he is in favor of one quadrennial LGBT sporting event, as has been proposed for 2018 when the Gay Games and the World Outgames are tentatively slated to merge.
"I think it's a good idea to merge," he said. "The games are expensive and cost-prohibitive for a lot of people, so one games every four years would be better and more competitive. Plus, all the resources could funnel into the one competition. I would keep the Gay Games name just because it has such an amazing legacy."
Mackenroth is now writing a book and also producing a reality-TV show a la the Real Housewives franchise, but with all the top drag queens in New York, fittingly called, The Queens of Drag: NYC. "I'm a host for FashionNewslive.com . I do a ton of speaking on HIV around the country and I do a radio show called POZIAM every Sunday night," Mackenroth said. "And I still do a little designing, among other things."
