Triathlete Mohamed Lahna has competed in three Paralympics, winning a bronze medal for Morocco in 2016 and a silver medal for the United States in 2024. He's no stranger to extreme endurance events, either, having swum the Strait of Gibraltar and completed the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert.
But on July 29 in Los Angeles, Lahna crossed a finish line and into unprecedented territory when he completed a cross-country triathlon that he started on June 13 in New York.
The 44-year-old, who was born without a right femur, is believed to be the first athlete with a prosthesis to complete a triathlon across the United States.
Lahna traveled through 16 states and covered a total of 3,300 miles – equivalent to completing 206 Paralympic sprint triathlons or more than 23 Ironman triathlons. For 47 consecutive days, he rose at 4:30 a.m. and battled persistent pain, extreme weather and tough terrain.
Why put himself through that?

#lahna #triathlete

"Freestyle Biomechanics: The Science Behind The Strokes," a book by former University of Hawaii swimming coach Jan Prins, is now available via Amazon.
The book focuses on freestyle, but also touches on "the three other competitive strokes," said Prins, who earned a doctorate in kinesiology at Indiana in 1978 and still teaches at UH. "(It) covers … every freestyle movement from stroke pattern, body position, flutter kick, hand entry to recovery and much more."
It is the culmination of nearly 50 years of coaching, presentations, research and video workshops Prins has conducted for competitive swimmers and coaches.
"It will become a continuous shelf reference for all swimmers, especially triathletes and adults," said Garry Rodrigues, swim consultant to USA Triathlon for the 2028 Olympics.

LAKE PLACID — On July 19, the Experience Oman Ironman Pro Series returns to the Adirondacks as nearly 80 of the world's top professional triathletes converge to compete in the 27th edition of the Athletic Brewing Ironman Lake Placid triathlon.
The event will offer a maximum of 5,000 points toward the Experience Oman Ironman Pro Series standings, a $125,000 professional prize and critical momentum as athletes continue their pursuit of series points and qualification to the 2026 Ironman World Championship race in Kona, Hawaii, with four slots per gender on offer.
The race will be broadcast live, free for all international audiences, across Ironman YouTube, Ironman.com/proseries and DAZN, with additional regional live broadcast and highlight shows also available on L'Équipe Live in France; ESPN; within Disney+; SuperSport; hr-Fernsehen; RTVE; iQIYI; and Outside TV.
Broadcast and streaming information can be found at Ironman.com/proseries/how-to-watch.
WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL FIELD

The Diamond League season continues with a fascinating field in action in Monaco.
The men’s 100m looks packed with quality, with Oblique Seville, Letsile Tebogo and Jordan Anthony all in action – though Marcell Jacobs has been forced to withdraw after a rapid wind-assisted time recently.
The women’s sprinters will be on show in the 200 metres, too, with Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred battling Gabrielle Thomas, winner over the longer distance at Paris 2024.
British interest includes middle-distance star Jake Wightman and Alex Yee, with the triathlete looking to lower his personal best in a rare track outing in what could be a fast and furious 5000m.
Here’s everything you need to know.

Matt Lorenz broke the tape at the Fifth Season 8K race to resume his dominance at this Fourth of July event in Cedar Rapids.
The Runablaze Iowa athlete won this event in 2022 and 2023 before having his streak of wins snapped in 2024 and 2025, when he was eighth and third, respectively. This time, the Cedar Rapids Prairie track and cross country **** istant coach left no doubt in the lightning-delayed race celebrating its 41st running. Lorenz, 27, ran 24 minutes, 26 seconds over the fast 4.97-mile course to win by 42 seconds over former Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Wartburg College runner Jacob Green, 24.
Lorenz leads off this Fourth of July-focused WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and post collegiate distance runners and triathletes.
Lorenz has built an impressive 2026 road racing season. He won the inaugural Cedar Rapids Marathon on June 7 in 2:30:55 on a wet day. That win came after he took the victory at the Marion Arts Festival half marathon on May 16 in 1:08:49.
The Fifth Season 8K traditionally offers one of the fastest fields in Iowa on the Fourth and 2026 was no exception. Former Linn-Mar (Marion) and Iowa State runner Greyson Dolezal, 29, ran 25:38 for third. Wartburg sophomore-to-be Ethan Boston, a Linn-Mar grad, was timed in 26:13 for fourth. Ethan Cheney, 18, a recent Linn-Mar grad, also ran 26:13 for fifth. Ex-Liberty HIgh prep Noah Gregoire, now a sophomore-to-be at Mount Mercy, covered the distance in 26:21 for sixth. Aidan Decker, another Liberty product who will start his junior season at Wartburg next month, was next in 26:22. Adam Gray, another recent grad, this time at Kennedy, ran 26:23 for eighth. Carter Mulford, a Wartburg sophomore-to-be who ran for Prairie , was ninth in 26:28. Junior teammate Cooper Cook, a Marion grad, was 10th in 26:31. Former Runablaze athlete Leif Klarqvist, 23, now based in Minnesota, was 11th in 26:38.

Several metal fragments were found on a section of the cycling course during a triathlon Ironman race in Hamburg, police said on Sunday.
Police said about 50 participants had to stop due to bike defects, while media reports said up to 150 triathletes had to interrupt their race.
The professional field, which included the finale of the women's European championship, was not affected.
A police officer said talk of a deliberate act was speculation.