Joe Whelan (runner)

Last updated
Joe Whelan
Personal information
Born (1990-11-13) November 13, 1990 (age 34)
Hamburg, New York, United States
Sport
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Event(s) Marathon, Half Marathon
College team Syracuse University
TeamBergen Elite
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) Marathon : 2:12:16
Half Marathon : 1:04:22
Joe Whelan competes in a road race Joe Whelan (runner).png
Joe Whelan competes in a road race

Joe Whelan is an American distance runner who specializes in the marathon. He competed collegiately for Syracuse University before transitioning to long-distance road races. Whelan qualified for the U.S.A. Olympic Trials Marathon in 2020 and 2024.

Contents

Early life

Whelan grew up in Hamburg, New York and attended Hamburg High School. He was a standout cross country runner, winning the New York Class A state championship in 2008. He also qualified for the 2008 Footlocker National Cross Country Championship, where he placed 9th. [1]

Whelan stayed close to home for college, attending Syracuse University. He was an All-Region cross country runner and placed 55th at the 2012 NCAA Championship. On the track, Whelan recorded personal-best times of 14:21 in the 5,000 meters and 8:53 in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. [2] While at Syracuse, he was teammates with elite marathoners Martin Hehir and Colin Bennie. [3]

Career

After college, Whelan took a break from competitive running. He relocated to Texas where he worked as a ranch hand for his cousin’s rock milling company. He performed manual labor and operated heavy machinery for up to 10 hours per day in scorching heat. [4] Whelan logged training runs after the work day to clear his head and get away from the other workers, all of whom lived on the ranch with Whelan. [5]

During his time living in Texas, Whelan also was a volunteer assistant coach at the University of North Texas. He wasn’t paid as a volunteer, so he delivered pizzas at night to make ends meet. [5] Despite the challenges, Whelan was able to win the 2018 Austin Marathon in a time of 2:21. [6]

A few months later, Whelan clocked a time of 2:16:30 at Grandma’s Marathon, which qualified him for the 2020 United States Olympic Trials (marathon). [7]

In 2019, he moved back to Upstate New York and took on part-time work as a house painter, which afforded him more time to train for marathons. [4] Whelan improved his marathon best to 2:13:39 at the 2019 Grandma’s Marathon. [7] Despite having a goal of making the 2020 Olympic team, a hip injury prevented Whelan from competing at the 2020 Olympic Trials in Atlanta. [8]

He returned to marathon racing in 2022, notching a time of 2:15:36 at Grandma’s Marathon and 2:14:41 at the California International Marathon. [4] Whelan also won the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon in a course record time of 2:14:14. He had previously won the event in 2019. [9] All three results were fast enough to qualify Whelan for the 2024 United States Olympic Trials (marathon). [4]

In 2023, Whelan placed 2nd at the Austin Marathon. Shortly after completing the race, he proposed to his girlfriend at the finish line. [10] In the fall, Whelan won the Wineglass Marathon and placed 16th at the New York City Marathon. [4]

At the 2024 US Olympic Trials Marathon, Whelan placed 89th of 200 men on a hot, sunny day in Orlando. [11]

In 2025, Whelan competed as part of the Men’s Professional field at the Boston Marathon. He clocked a new personal-best time of 2:12:16 to place 20th. He was the 8th American finisher. [12]

Personal

As of 2024, Whelan lives in Webster, New York and works as a service representative. [13]

References

  1. "Joe Whelan". North Texas Athletics. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  2. "Joe Whelan". TFRRS. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  3. "Joe Whelan". Syracuse Athletics. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Dawson, Andrew (2019-08-15). "How This Texas Ranch Hand Ran His Way to a 2:13 Marathon". Runner's World. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  5. 1 2 Lemire, Joe (2019-10-27). "Marathon Runner Joey Whelan: I Started Running Again as a Release". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  6. Sully, Kevin (2018-02-19). "Joey Whelan Surprise Winner Of Austin Marathon". Flotrack. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  7. 1 2 "Joseph Whelan". World Athletics. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  8. Heerkens, Ron (2024-01-31). "Whelan, Hockenbury, Williams Set to Compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon in Florida". USATF Niagara. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  9. "Results". Mohawk Hudson River Marathon. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  10. Brolly, Tara (2023-02-19). "Man proposes to girlfriend after finishing 2nd in Austin marathon: 'I'm the winner today'". CBS News Austin. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  11. "2024 Olympic Trials Marathon Results". Flipsnack. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  12. "Boston Marathon Results". BAA. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  13. "Joseph Whelan". Orlando 2024 Trials. Retrieved 2025-04-24.