Zanardi will take on Ironman triathlon

Alex Zanardi

Alex Zanardi is an inspiration, even if he doesn't know it or admit it. He turned a disaster into awe, his private pain into public revelation. A racecar driver — and a legendary one at that — he turned a life-altering injury into exalting triumph.

If life is meant to be lived, then Zanardi is our benchmark. A crash in 2001 took the two-time CART champion's legs but gave him a gift he can't quite define, nor can anyone else. He lived through it with a zeal most able-bodied people can't muster, returning to racing and winning Paralympic gold.

"It would be completely wrong and arrogant of me to say that this is what I am, an inspiration to others," Zanardi told USA TODAY Sports. "During the course of my recovery, I bumped into people with amazing stories, far more amazing than mine."

Now Zanardi is ready to add another chapter to his story. After an extensive interview process, the 47-year-old native of Italy has been cleared to participate in the Ironman World Championship triathlon Oct. 11 in Hawaii.

"Honestly, what can he do to impress us anymore? Go to the moon?" asked Verizon IndyCar Series driver Tony Kanaan, a frequent triathlete who helped convince Ironman officials — and Zanardi — his participation would be positive for both.

"Nothing is impossible for Alex," Kanaan said. "He's the man. He's my hero."

At the apex of Zanardi's racing career, which covered Formula One and CART for parts of nine years between 1991 and 2001, he was among the best in open-wheel racing, known for his prowess on road courses and his steely approach and unnerving charm.

"He was damned good," said three-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, who was a rookie in 2001 and recalls a CART race in Vancouver that year in which Zanardi raced from 23rd to near the front. "In that style and class of racing, he was the guy to beat."

In just four years in CART, he won 15 of 66 races, reached the podium 28 times and won the 1997 and '98 championships. But as he left the pits during an oval race in Klettwitz, Germany, in September 2001, Zanardi's car lost traction and spun up the racetrack into the path of Alex Tagliani's car. The impact tore off the nose of Zanardi's car.

His legs were gone near the knees. He lost so much blood at the scene, he nearly died. He was in a coma for several days. At one point, his heart stopped beating. Doctors compared his injuries with that of landmine victims.

Zanardi recovered slowly and in time set out to become mobile again. He returned to auto racing — driving cars equipped with hand controls for brake and throttle — fulltime in 2004 in the FIA European Touring Car Championship, and this year raced in the Blancpain Sprint Series. More at USA Today