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] In the fall, Whelan placed 26th overall at the Berlin Marathon. [13]
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