Published on June 24, 2026 at 05:10 AM
David Whelan He always wanted to be a triathlete. This was a goal he set for himself during his darkest days, when his body was suffering from nerve pain. After suffering a work accident in 2012 that crushed his foot, he underwent multiple surgeries to help relieve the constant pain, but to no avail. After being diagnosed with a chronic nerve condition known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), doctors told him that amputating his foot could make him 98% pain-free.
He took their advice, but the nerve condition spread more aggressively throughout his body after surgery. The helplessness he felt at that point, he says, “wasn’t like anything I could describe.”
But he did not give up or give in. Instead, he stuck to two things he knew he could control: fitness and nutrition. “I made the decision to make fitness a priority. I was determined to make friends with my pain and use it as fuel.”
Find purpose in pain
After teaching himself to walk and run again, he finally found the sport he always wanted to be a part of: triathlon. “My goal has always been to be a triathlete and inspire others to turn their pain into their fuel,” he says.
Now he’s not only accomplished that (his first full-distance triathlon was Norseman in 2024, and he’s raced 10 70.3s since 2023), but he’s accomplished something even greater — he’s helped fundamentally change Ironman for paratriathletes.
A long-awaited transformation
Earlier this year, Ironman announced that it had changed the name of its Physically/Intellectually Challenged (PC/ID) division to Para Open (where Para stands for Parallel). The company said the change was “less about the inadequacy of the previous name and more about developing the division as part of a broader, long-term framework.”
The classification, which is now an umbrella category for athletes who require race accommodations, welcomes athletes with medically verified visual, physical or neurological impairments, or intellectual disabilities, and special teams (such as visually impaired athletes who race with a guide, or wheelchair teams).
The change came after an athlete approached them about a year ago, frustrated by what the old name said — and didn’t say — about the athletes racing under that name. Athlete? David Whelan.
“[Computer name/identifier]did not promote a sense of equality,” says Whelan. “It did not promote a sense of fairness. This was also made clear by my inability to have the opportunity to compete for a world championship title, or go to a performance-based world championship. The only way I will currently be able to go to world championship races is through the lottery system.”
So he contacted Ironman, and what started as an initial investigation led him to become the founder of a working group made up of special needs athletes, mentors, and Ironman staff. The task force’s first achievement was to change the name of Barra, but clearly this is just the beginning.
For many, a name change by Iron Man is a better-than-never situation. The “physically challenged” label stems from the euphemism of the 1980s and 1990s, which has since been shelved by governing bodies as they classify athletes by disability. It described what they lost or lacked, not everything they were achieving.
Definition of “for”
Instead, the word “para” is much more inclusive, and originates from Greek to Means side by side, parallel to. It is, of course, the same prefix used for the Paralympics – a word that does not mean “lesser Olympics”. The Paralympics are held in an identical, high-performance orbit alongside the Games: in the same city, in the same places, with the same hard work, talent and commitment needed to get there.
World Triathlon and national governing bodies such as US Triathlon and British Triathlon This parallel language was adopted long ago. “Many countries have already recognized the clause as the appropriate vernacular in terms of what brings equality to these athletes,” says Whelan. “We are parallel to our non-disabled counterparts. This creates the opportunity to have a conversation and an equal playing field.”
However, for Whelan and the working group, changing the name was never the ultimate goal.
The path to equality
Nate Zarlengo is a three-time Kona qualifier and races as part of the elite age group team. As much as he loved his time preparing for and racing on the Big Island, he says the selfish nature of the sport left him searching for something more. When the opportunity arose to mentor visually impaired athlete Adrian Broca at the 2022 Ironman California Championships, he jumped at the chance. The duo won the PC/ID division in that first race together and have since raced together in 70.3 Oceanside (2024) and 70.3 St. George (2025). He first connected with Whelan via Instagram and the pair became fast friends, with Zarlengo joining the working group because he feels passionate about improving the sport.
Regarding changing the name of Barra, he says: “It is a big step, and it will take a long time. I think it is definitely more comprehensive. We have put forward a bunch of different ideas, and brainstormed how to name it. It will represent a lot.”
He was also quick to say that bigger battles lie ahead, especially when it comes to the classification and qualification processes. He cites the Olympic Games and many of the major marathons that have a much greater structure for athletes with disabilities to have equal opportunities, both from a participation and competitive standpoint: “Why haven’t they (Ironman) figured out where the world is, and how this group (of athletes) should be represented?”
This is what continues to fuel Whelan and the working group, which now meets with Ironman once or twice a month.
“I believe in the spirit of Ironman – they obviously really believe anything is possible, and they do a great job of celebrating the athletes,” says Whelan. “I really wanted to focus on that spirit, so I showed them all the different developments that are coming and going here in para sports, and how this is a good time to revisit the conversation about creating competitive categories for para athletes, so we will be able to celebrate them not only at the start line, but at the finish line as well.”
He says it’s about being able to honor the commitment these athletes have made, and ultimately provide everyone with the opportunity to win world championship titles.
While he realizes that rankings and qualification for the World Championships for all para-athletes may take some time, he admits that “we are definitely moving in the right direction.”
“The conversation is ongoing,” he says. “There’s a lot of back-end work on this; I completely understand and acknowledge that I can’t have a conversation and expect change to happen right away.”
“If we want the para-class to go to Kona this year, we’re going to need a depth of athletes to be able to go there. If I’m going to call myself a world champion, if I go to Kona and compete for a world championship title, I’m going to need to race against more than just two or three people, right?”
Looking to the future of paratriathlon
Meanwhile, what drives him is the same thing that drove him during his darkest days: community, and the people still waiting to find their community.
“I truly believe we are community creatures, and we thrive on a sense of community – and what better community to surround yourself with than competitive people who look like you and are going through some of the same challenges you are, but still show up to the starting lines and give it their all.
“For me, I look at it through the lens of wanting to inspire a young person with a physical disability, who doesn’t think being a world champion is possible because it’s for people who look different than them. This is really for the next generation, to show that anything is truly possible, and that the finish line is only for those who are willing to chase it.”
This, ultimately, is what this new name represents: whoever you are and whatever you do, if you’re willing to practice it, the finish line is yours too.
