“She understands everything”: Pascal and his disabled daughter Romane to race at the Half Ironman World Championships

“Why not me?” That thought must have crossed Pascal Baron’s mind when he saw two brothers, one disabled and one able-bodied, racing a half Ironman in Portugal in 2019, and watched De Toutes nos forces, a film about a father and his disabled son taking on the Ironman in Nice. The idea took hold, and the sacrifices followed. “I had to sell a motorbike to buy a racing wheelchair,” he recalls. After following a training plan to the letter, the pair lined up for their first race in 2020 at the Tours’n Man half Ironman. Romane, 25, 45 kg of pure cheer, now lives in a medically supported care home in Sablé, Maine-et-Loire. She breaks into a huge smile despite being unable to speak and having limited fine motor skills. The young woman with the sparkling glasses then becomes “his Queen of England,” as her father puts it.

“These are extraordinary moments. She understands everything. She knows exactly what’s going on.” With countless half marathons under their belts, and times ranging from 1:50 to 2:20, the family is in full preparation for the Half Ironman World Championships in Marbella, Spain, in early November. The supply chain consultant trains six times a week, simulating his daughter’s weight with 50 kg of gravel on the bike and during his runs. “Everyone knows me in my town,” he says with a smile. Romane uses an adapted racing wheelchair for the run, sits at the front of their tandem and can pedal, and is towed in an inflatable boat during the swim. “As soon as the gradients get steeper on the bike, I have to work my quads harder,” he explains. “It’s the toughest of the three disciplines.”

The project is growing. This big-hearted man wants to share his passion. In December 2023, the man with an ever-present sense of humor founded the Team I-Romane. “We have two wheelchairs worth €4,000 each. We lend them out. They were used at the Loire half marathon, for example. The only thing I ask in return is a photo with a smile.” They were also at the Grammoirienne, a race held just 2.5 km from his home near Angers. Romane was pushed by none other than Catherine Thomas-Pesqueux, a leading figure on the Loire running scene and France’s 5K record holder in the Master 3 category. Their collaboration is far from over. “She’ll run the 5K leg of the Villevêque sprint triathlon with Romane. I’ve always experienced the finish lines with her. It’s going to be hard to let go of my daughter,” he says with a smile. “I’ll have an outside perspective.”

“Sport brings us into contact with solidarity. With kindness.” Having already completed five marathons, the man in his fifties has no plans to race major events as a duo, such as the Paris Marathon. “Managing two people is extremely difficult. It’s a tough event.” Applauded all the way around the course, people who cannot walk find a way out of an everyday life that can sometimes be painful. His dream would be to line up five racing wheelchairs at the next edition of the Grammoirienne. As pioneers in France, Pascal Baron and his daughter Romane could continue to make history…

He admits it himself: without his daughter, Pascal would not do nearly as much sport. From their first race in 2020 to the World Championships in November, the pair continue to inspire and deliver on the course. Finding happiness through physical exertion is the life philosophy this remarkable family has embraced. Disability is not a limitation. It is an asset.