Three kidney donors in Dubai are taking part in a triathlon to show that donating an organ doesn’t make a person weaker but proves strength, health, and determination remain intact.
Three kidney donors in Dubai are taking part in a triathlon to show that donating an organ doesn’t make a person weaker but proves strength, health, and determination remain intact.
Dubai’s Mamzar Triathlon will serve as a living example of how organ donation empowers lives, with three men joining in a team relay to show that life after kidney donation remains vibrant and athletic.
Calling themselves Team Three Beans — a fun reference to kidney beans — British expat Jordan Bickerstaffe, American Doug Cutchins, and Jordanian Walid Alotaibi are part of the international community Kidney Donor Athletes (KDA).
The organisation unites kidney donors worldwide who continue to swim, bike, and run following their transformative surgeries. Although they’ve shared countless chats in a WhatsApp group, Sunday marks their first in-person meeting.
“We’re three athletes but only have three kidneys between us,” Bickerstaffe jokes. “What matters most is enjoying the experience, finishing together, and proving that donation never limits your abilities.”
For 31-year-old Bickerstaffe, this triathlon will be his debut. A passionate fan of motorsports and outdoor activities, he will tackle the cycling segment of the 40 km race. His path to this starting line began less than two years ago, in a hospital operating theatre. In December 2023, Bickerstaffe donated one of his kidneys to his fiancée (now wife), Katie, who had battled type 1 diabetes since childhood and was suddenly diagnosed with stage‑five kidney failure.
“She only had 7 percent kidney function. Doctors said she urgently needed a transplant,” he recalls. “At that time, UAE regulations allowed living donations only from relatives or spouses married for at least two years — and we weren’t married yet.” When a new rule was introduced later that year permitting unrelated living donations with Health Authority approval, the couple proceeded with the procedure at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, the region’s transplant hub.
“We were informed that ours was the first unrelated living donation completed under this updated law in the UAE,” Bickerstaffe adds. Since then, he says he’s become “healthier and stronger than ever.” “Many believe that donating an organ leaves you weak or unwell. My experience has been the exact opposite. I am now two to three times more active than before the donation.”
Doug Cutchins has been a living kidney donor for over 20 years. Currently serving as Director of Global Awards at NYU Abu Dhabi, he donated his left kidney in 2002 to a high school friend, Cheryl. “She was seriously ill and required a transplant. I researched extensively and discovered you can still live a healthy, fulfilling life afterward,” he explains. “It’s also been rewarding mentally — the pride of knowing I made a real difference in someone’s life.”
Cutchins is no stranger to endurance sports — he has completed two full Ironman triathlons, the most grueling distance in the sport, including a 3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle, and 42 km run. This weekend, he will take on the swimming portion for Team Three Beans, marking his first relay experience. “We decided to join forces to raise awareness and prove that kidney donors can continue to enjoy full, active lives,” he adds.
Also part of Team Three Beans is 42-year-old Abu Dhabi resident Walid Alotaibi, who donated a kidney to his sister in June 2021. For Alotaibi, the act inspired him to challenge himself physically. “I consider it one of the greatest experiences, if not the greatest, of my life,” he says. “Since then, I’ve completed three ADNOC marathons, over 15 half-marathons, plus Spartan races, 5Ks, and 10Ks.”
This weekend, he will run the distance segment in Mamzar. “Ten kilometres is an easy stretch,” he jokes. “No special training plan this time — just having fun.”
Alotaibi first met teammate Doug Cutchins at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon two years ago. The two connected through the fitness app Strava, and Cutchins later introduced him to Bickerstaffe via the KDA community. “We thought, why not create a team of kidney donors?” Alotaibi explains. “It’s a meaningful way to participate together.”
For all three men, the Mamzar Triathlon isn’t about medals or finish times. It’s about visibility — proving that life with one kidney can still be one of strength, health, and purpose. “At the end of the day, organ donation needs awareness,” Bickerstaffe says. “There are so many people in need of organs — and many who could save them, if only they knew how possible it is.”
As they prepare to meet at sunrise on race day, their message is simple: every donor story is also a story of life — multiplied. “There’s no better gift than being able to give life back to someone,” Bickerstaffe says quietly. “It’s a feeling I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
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