Meet the Dubai athlete who completed 100 triathlons in 100 days

Dubai: On Sunday, 16 November, Ghani Souleymane did something most people wouldn't even dream of attempting: he completed his 100th consecutive triathlon in 100 days.

That's right, for every single day for more than three months, he'd been swimming 2km, cycling 80km, and running 18km. By the time he crossed the finish line at the Dubai T100 Triathlon at Meydan, he had covered an absolutely mind-boggling 10,000km.

He already smashed the Guinness World Record at 80 triathlons last month, but Ghani wasn't about to stop there. This journey started back on August 8 at Kite Beach, and now he's bought it full circle in front of thousands of athletes and spectators during Dubai Fitness Challenge 2025.

Here's the thing about Ghani, he's not just doing this for the glory or the record books. Throughout this challenge, he's been raising funds for children affected by conflict through Al Jalila Foundation. For him, every painful kilometre has a purpose.

"Like I always say, you need to know why you're doing what you're doing," Ghani explains. "The biggest why for me is raising funds for children, being an adult living with cancer is hard, but imagine a child who has no idea what cancer even is. That is a cause close to my heart."

It's this 'why' that's kept him going when most people would've given up. Even when there were moments when giving up seemed like the only option.

On day two – yes, just the second day – Ghani's body completely shut down. He slept in his car on the way home because he couldn't move a finger. If he'd been relying on motivation alone, that would've been the end of it.

"Most of the time, I don't rely on motivation," he admits. "Motivation fades. If it was motivation, I would have quit on the second day. Instead, I rely on inspiration – the legacy I want to leave. I don't want to just live, I want to live with purpose."

And before you think this guy is some kind of superhuman, remember – Ghani isn't a professional athlete. He's a running coach at LK Running Performance, and his support system is made up of friends and the community around him. This time around, though, he had some proper backing, nutritionists, and monitoring.

You can't do something this extreme alone, and Ghani was smart enough to know it. He had Lee Harris, a leading running expert, helping him adjust his nutrition plan when things weren't working. And then there's Petrus Wehmeyer, a recovery coach and physio who's worked with Olympic athletes, making sure Ghani's body could actually show up the next day.

"God sent me the best," Ghani said about his physio. "He knew exactly where to press, what points to treat, to make sure I could be ready for the next day."

This isn't Ghani's first rodeo. He's done 30 full Ironman distances in 30 days – a challenge so brutal that even his support team thought he should quit. That experience, as horrific as it was, taught him everything he needed to know for this 100-day challenge.

"It took me to the limit of my mind, my spirit, my body – everything I had," he recalls. "The recovery from something like this takes many months. But it's the hard lessons that make us stronger."

One crucial lesson that he learned was being mindful about who you allow around you during these extreme challenges. Energy matters, and you can't afford to have doubters in your corner when you're already fighting your own body every single day.

Ghani's final triathlon might be over but his challenge is for the entire month of Dubai Fitness Challenge 2025, which runs throughout November and encourages everyone to commit to just 30 minutes of daily activity for 30 days.

"What I love about Dubai Fitness Challenge is how it brings people from all walks of life together – running groups, cycling clubs, families and beginners," says Ghani. "This challenge isn't about elite performance; it's about inspiring every person in Dubai, whatever their age or fitness level, to move, to feel connected and to build a healthier lifestyle."

Whether you're doing 100 consecutive triathlons or just walking for 30 minutes a day, it's all about showing up consistently and being supported by your community.

After completing 10,000km across 100 triathlons, most people would take a very long holiday and never look at a bike again. But if you're expecting Ghani to put his feet up, you don't know him very well.

"Of course there are new goals on the horizon!" he says with a laugh. "Challenges will always be there, but it will be a mystery until it is time to start the new one. But yes, of course… something new is coming."

His mission is simple: leave a legacy and help children. Every night before he goes to sleep, he asks himself, "who did I help today? Did I put a smile on someone's face?"

"I know I cannot help everybody, but helping children is very, very important to me," he explains. "Everything you do comes back to you, and my heart is always open. Give without expectation."

When Ghani crossed that finish line at Meydan, he proved what's possible when you've got a purpose bigger than yourself, a community behind you, and the stubborn refusal to give up – even when your body is screaming at you to stop.

And somewhere, a child affected by conflict will benefit from every single one of those 10,000 kilometres.