CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – Taking on endurance challenges is par for the course for Levi Lukacs, a champion professional triathlete.
“It’s kind of like an addiction. When you get to the finish line and all of the emotions (hit you), you start crying,” he said. “You start thinking of your family and everything that is important to you. So, it is an amazing feeling.”
Lukacs, who hails from Hungary, started his sports career at the age of 5, swimming and running before moving to compete in the modern pentathlon.
“…which is swimming, running, fencing, shooting, and horse riding. So, it is like five sports. It’s an Olympic sport,” he said. “I was really good at that, and I made it to world and European championships.”
But it was a 2016 Ironman competition that solidified Lukacs’ love of triathlons.
“Racing just makes me feel happy and (I get to) see where I can push my body more, and more, and more,” he said. “I just look forward to the next race again and again, and improve just a little bit.”
The current record for the longest single event triathlon is 226 miles. Back in January, Lukacs decided he wanted to take that up a notch.
“Seven miles of swimming, 186 miles of biking, and 47 miles of running,” he said.
A total of 240 miles. Lukacs hopes to set a new Guinness Book of World Record while raising funds for Pedal the cause, whose mission is to provide critical funding for cancer research. Levi’s motivating force is his mother.
“My mother had breast cancer when I was younger. Thankfully, she survived and is super healthy. She’s my superhero kind of. Every time I have hard times, she always stays positive and supports me. I’m kind of honoring her with this.”
And when Lukacs finishes, his mother is expected to be there; continuing to be the rock she’s been for all of his athletic career.
“I know that she’ll be there just waiting for me to finish,” he said. “So that will be a big, big boost for me that she’s just there waiting for me. So, I cannot quit. I have to finish it and just hug her in the end.”