What happens when grit meets global collaboration? When adaptive athletes, passionate nonprofits, and race architects unite to build something never seen before? You get the Spartan Para World Championship—a groundbreaking event landing in Orlando on November 9th, and it’s rewriting the rules of what’s possible in OCR.
This week, we sat down with Dan McDonald at Spartan, to go behind the scenes of this historic race. From athlete classification to course design, Dan shares how this championship came to life through a phenomenal team effort—spanning departments, continents, and causes. With support from foundations like Oscar Mike, Dealers of Hope-USA, Adaptive Training Foundation, Ainsley’s Angels, IMAble, and OEW, this event honors the athletes who show up every weekend—and the communities that help make it possible.
As final touches are being made to the rulebook and obstacle protocols, Dan walks us through the heart, hustle, and hope fueling this championship. Here are his answers to our 10 questions:
1- What inspired Spartan to launch the inaugural Para World Championship, and why now?
We’ve been working on this for a while! Since mid-2023, we’ve collaborated closely with para-athletes who regularly compete in our events and the USAOCR Para Committee. The goal was to establish a clear, fair, and consistent set of rules and an official Standard Operating Procedure that could be applied across all our events. After a successful competition at the Trifecta World Championships in Greece last year, we knew 2025 was the right time to make this a reality and create an official individual championship event.
2-Can you walk us through the collaborative process—who were the key players in bringing this championship to life?
This has truly been a collaborative effort. Our teams in the UK and Western Europe was key in making the competition in Greece last year a success, which kick-started the conversations for this event. Externally, we’ve had invaluable support from John De Haan, Earl Granville, and Joey McGlamory, who have been working with us since mid-2023 to ensure that the para-athlete perspective was at the forefront of every decision. The USAOCR Para Committee has also been a crucial partner throughout this process.
3-How were the Para categories developed, and what considerations went into ensuring fair and empowering competition?
The development of our para-categories was a thoughtful process that combined several key resources. We looked at how categories are structured in other competitions and collaborated with the USAOCR Para Committee, incorporating insights from our successful competition in Greece last year. Our main goal was to create a fair, competitive, and empowering experience for all athletes.
4-What does the Super 10K distance offer in terms of challenge and accessibility for Para athletes?
The 10K Super distance in Orlando provides an excellent balance of challenge and accessibility. The venue has minimal elevation changes, which allows for full accessibility for our para-athletes. This also means the course will be easy for spectators and family members to navigate, providing great opportunities for them to cheer on the racers. The insights we gain from this event will be key as we look to select accessible venues for future events.
5- Why the 10K Distance as opposed to a 5K?
We spoke with many of our para-athletes who regularly race with us, and they felt that the 10K distance was the right choice. It provides a significant challenge while still being an achievable goal for everyone competing.
6- How do you see organizations like Oscar Mike, Dealers of Hope-USA, Adaptive Training Foundation, and Ainsley’s Angels shaping the future of Para OCR?
These organizations have been at the heart of the para-OCR community for years. They are the reason we see so many para-athletes on our courses every weekend. They’ve inspired individuals who never thought they could do something like this to not only participate but to earn Trifectas and even complete ULTRAS. Their work is a vital part of the future of para-OCR, and we are grateful for their continued partnership.
7- How will volunteer Marshalls be trained to support athletes across the difference categories during the race
We’ll be providing all of our Marshalls with a clear and comprehensive rulebook for each obstacle. We’ll also be working directly with the volunteers at each obstacle ahead of the weekend and again on race day to ensure they are fully prepared to support our para-athletes.
8- Are there plans in 2026 to bring more Para Events to Spartan in the United States?
We’re excited to see the demand from the para-community after this inaugural championship in November. We anticipate a great turnout, and yes, our goal is to offer Para Competitive Heats at a select number of events in 2026.
9- Looking ahead what’s your vision for the future of Para competition within Spartan and OCR globally?
We expect to have a clearer vision after November 9th. However, our long-term goal is to have qualifying para-heats across our global system and host an annual Para World Championship, much like we do with our other major championships.
10- We always leave this question open, anything else you would like to share about the Para-championships and why people should be excited about this new event?
We are absolutely thrilled to bring this event to life here in Lake Nona/Orlando. This is a special location for us, as it’s home to our twice-a-year partnership with the local VA Hospital, which gets veterans from their rehab program out on our Spartan courses. We’re especially proud that veterans from that very program will be participating in the Championship heat in November. We are already getting inquiries from all over the world, with athletes making their plans to join us. This championship will be a true celebration of community and a testament to the ability to overcome any obstacle thrown in your way.
