Sixteen Donor Games athletes showcased their elite fitness as part of the opening day of competition at the 2026 Transplant Games of America. Competing in the Heavy Murph workout, kidney and liver donors, along with transplant recipients from across the country, demonstrated that organ donation does not hinder human performance. The competition was won by Danielle Fiorito, a kidney transplant recipient who is just five months post-transplant, and first-year competitor and living kidney donor Hunter Lydon.
Founded by living donors Garet Hil and Kevin Kilkenny in 2019, the Donor Games showcases the impressive human strength and fitness capabilities of living kidney and liver donors from across the country, dispelling the myth that donating a kidney or liver impairs your health and fitness.
Through four online Open events culminating in an invitation-only championship competition, the rigorous tests of physical fitness range from strength events to endurance tests, including the bench press, one-mile swim, and variations of the Murph. Sponsored by the National Kidney Registry, the annual Donor Games both foster community and competition across the kidney donation world and dispel myths of negative health impacts that come from living donation.
“The Donor Games creates a platform for organ donors and recipients to show that there is strength in living donation,” said Mimi Mahon, Director of the Donor Games. “It’s a group of people brought together by a common commitment to break barriers, dispel misconceptions, and demonstrate that they get stronger every year. By collecting data on human performance, the Donor Games and the National Kidney Registry can effectively measure how athletes who have donated organs can compete alongside anyone else.”
“When I donated a kidney in 2018, my doctor told me it was the end of my athletic career. The Donor Games helped me prove otherwise, and allowed me to return to a part of my life that I thought I had lost,” said Eric Walano, Donor Games athlete and 2025 champion. “Displaying to the public that living donors can still compete at the highest levels has been a driving force behind my motivation.”
“I have always been driven by competition and making the most out of every minute,” said Donor Games athlete and 2026 runner-up, Courtney Cox. “After I donated in 2023, it was hard to look at my donation as something that opened doors to something bigger. The Donor Games helped me understand that every story was important and impactful, and that competing to the fullest advances not only my journey, but that of the broader living donor community.”
Additional highlights from the Donor Games event showcased at the 2026 Transplant Games:
- A “Heavy Murph” workout is a variation of the famous “Murph” CrossFit Hero workout, honoring Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy. Athletes replaced traditional bodyweight movements with rope climbs, weighted dumbbell overhead presses, rear-foot-elevated split squats, and sit-ups.
- This year’s showcase featured two first-year Donor Games athletes: Hunter Lydon and Anna Lewis. Both athletes donated a kidney in 2025 and have regained high levels of fitness in a short period of time. Hunter Lydon finished in 1st place at the Heavy Murph Showcase at the Transplant Games.
- Rounding out the podium alongside Hunter were Blair Casey and Tommy Sullivan, both living liver donors. The National Liver Registry is dedicated to increasing living liver donations and providing comprehensive support and protections for living donors.
- A returning participant in this year’s event was Danielle Fiorito, who received a kidney transplant in January 2026. Danielle is the current record holder for the Donor’s Games “Balanced Craw” competition and tied for 2nd at the 2025 Championship before her surgery. Danielle finished in 1st place at the Heavy Murph Showcase at the Transplant Games just five months post-transplant. Her return to competition highlights the transformative power of organ donation and transplantation, demonstrating how recipients can regain their health and continue to achieve extraordinary athletic accomplishments.
- Rounding out the podium alongside Danielle were living kidney donors Courtney Cox and Mimi Mahon.
About the National Kidney Registry
The National Kidney Registry’s mission is to save and improve the lives of people facing kidney failure by increasing the quality, speed, and number of living donor transplants in the world while protecting and supporting all living kidney donors. www.kidneyregistry.com
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