Athlete Profile: Garet Hil
While leading the National Kidney Registry, Garet Hil donated his kidney through the NKR’s Voucher Program to kick-off an eight-deep chain and provide a voucher for his daughter to be prioritized for a living donor kidney should she ever need a second transplant. At the time, there was no information regarding the impact of kidney donation on a donor’s health and fitness. To test the impact of kidney donation on health and fitness, Mr. Hil decided, after donating his kidney at age 52, to attempt to surpass his pre-donation personal best in both strength (powerlifting) and endurance (triathlon racing).
Two years after his kidney donation, he surpassed his pre-donation combined powerlifting single rep max of 825 pounds by setting a post-donation personal record of 1000 (DL 380 SQ 315 BP 305) pounds. Four years after his kidney donation, he surpassed his pre-donation Sprint Triathlon time by three seconds. In the Donor Games 2021 Open, at age 58, he exceeded his 380 deadlift and set a new personal record with a 510-pound 3-rep max deadlift. Note to athletes—there is no formal research on this topic but it seems to take 6 to 12 months before maximum training capacity can be sustained, so be patient as you ramp up your training after surgery.
Open Event Competition Log
| Year | Event | Placement | DG Record | Time/Weight/Reps/Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1-Mile Swim | 5th | 28:09 | |
| 2025 | Super Murph 5 RDS | 2nd | 16:50 | |
| 2025 | Balanced Craw | 2nd | 19 points | |
| 2025 | 3 RM Bench Press | T-6th | 255 pounds | |
| 2024 | 1-Mile Swim | 9th | 30:57 | |
| 2024 | Balanced Mitch | 1st |  | 21 reps |
| 2024 | Heavy Murph AMRAP 25M | 1st | | 445 reps |
| 2024 | Fran | 7th | 9:46 | |
| 2023 | 1-Mile Swim | 3rd | 29:06 | |
| 2022 | Mitch | 1st | | 42 reps |
| 2022 | Super Murph 5 RDS | 1st | | 15:01 |
| 2022 | 3-Rep Trap Bar Deadlift | 3rd | 470 pounds | |
| 2021 | Hawkins | 1st | | 29:51 |
| 2021 | 3-Rep Trap Bar Deadlift | 1st | | 510 pounds |
| 2021 | Mini Murph | 1st | | 25:59 |
| 2020 | Grace | 1st | | 3:30 |
| 2020 | Hawkins | 1st | 31:51 |
Championship Competition Log
| Year | Event | Placement | DG Record | Time/Weight/Reps/Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Championship Overall | 2nd | 25 points | |
| 2025 | Super Murph AMRAP 15M | 2nd | 406 reps | |
| 2025 | The Rudder | 4th | 8:41 | |
| 2025 | Overhead Press Max Reps | 2nd | 20 reps | |
| 2021 | Championship Overall | 1st | 100 points | |
| 2021 | Grace | 1st | 3:58 | |
| 2021 | 3-Rep Trap Bar Deadlift | 1st | 400 pounds | |
| 2021 | Murph | 1st | 56:19 |
