Team USA’s Paralympic medallist Mohamed Lahna has embarked on stage two of his epic trans-America triathlon trek, which will see him swim-bike-run across the 3,300-plus miles from New York to Los Angeles.
Setting off on his historic endeavour last weekend, the 44-year-old ultra-endurance athlete swam the 28.5 miles around Manhattan Island in a time of 7:44:58 before then jumping onto his specially adapted bike for a long-distance ride to Las Vegas.
Hoping to raise $250,000 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation and Save the Children charities, he is also aiming to become the first athlete with a prosthesis to complete such a triathlon across America in this manner.
From Manhattan to Los Angeles
His ride from Manhattan’s Battery Park to Vegas will cover 300,000 miles, traverse 16 states and include an elevation gain of more than 100,000 feet.
Lahna will then complete the coast-to-coast journey with a 350-mile run from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, finishing at Venice Beach, one of the venues for the LA28 Paralympic Games, where he is hoping to compete for what would be his first Paralympic gold medal.
The Morocco-born athlete won bronze at the Rio Games in 2016 before moving to the US, switching allegiances, and going one better in Paris, where he secured a silver. He also has more than 30 podium finishes in world paratriathlon competitions, including a silver medal at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships.
Born with a proximal femoral focal deficiency, a rare congenital condition that left him without a right femur, he has spent much of his life redefining what is possible after initially being told that he would never be able to live independently.
“Throughout my life, people have often focused on what they believed I couldn’t do,” said Lahna. “This challenge is about showing what’s possible when you refuse to let limitations define you. I hope this journey inspires others to pursue their goals, no matter how impossible they may seem.
‘This challenge is bigger than sport’
“But this challenge is bigger than sport. I’m aiming to raise $250,000 to help create opportunities for others through the Challenged Athletes Foundation and Save the Children. Every mile of this journey is about proving that barriers can be overcome and that together we can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
Beyond elite competition, Lahna has become renowned for his remarkable endurance accomplishments. He swam across the Strait of Gibraltar, completed the iconic Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert, competed at the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii, and became the first – and still only – adaptive athlete to earn the coveted black t-shirt at Norway’s legendary Norseman Xtreme Triathlon.
His journey into elite sport was anything but conventional; he received his first functional prosthesis at 20, rode a bicycle for the first time at 25, crossed Morocco’s Atlas Mountains at 26, and completed his first marathon at 27.
The swim was carried out as part of the official 20 Bridges swims event, which is carried out each year and is organised by New York Open Water.
‘When you cross under that last bridge, it’s a huge relief’
After the swim leg on Saturday, he said: “We did it! Overall, a great, great experience, a very unique swim and challenge. A must-do for every ultra swimmer. The first three hours were a little bit challenging because of the currents and the water choppiness. I was sick a few times in the water.
“After that, things settled down, and the team and I just kept grinding the distance down every 30 minutes until the finish. When you cross under that last bridge, the 20th bridge, it is just a huge relief.
“I’m very grateful to all of you, to all the people who supported me, to my team, and to my family. I would also like to thank the incredible team at New York Open Water who organise these swims and give people the opportunity.
“Next up is the bike, a long journey all the way to Las Vegas…let’s go!”
Words of support from World Triathlon boss
His efforts have also received recognition from World Triathlon President Antonio F Arimany, who said: “This challenge represents a monumental undertaking, the size and impact of which are commensurate with the immense heart, courage and sheer iron will that World Triathlon Para athletes display week in, week out, on and off the blue carpet.
“The swim-bike-run across America will put our ever-growing Paralympic sport and its superb athletes even further into the spotlight, inspiring and motivating in equal measure all who it touches.”
You can follow Mohamed’s progress and get information on how to donate to his appeal on his website HERE and his Instagram page HERE.
