Lori Lucas

September 2026 Issue

by Edwina Hoyle
Photography (top) by Cassidy Dunn Photography

Lori Lucas has always been a competitive athlete. She ran marathons and triathlons until tragedy struck just before her 40th birthday in 2014. She had fallen off her bike, and the way she landed fractured her left leg. She had multiple surgeries, including a double fasciotomy to save her leg due to compartment syndrome. She spent three months in a wheelchair, and her running days were over.

“No more running,” she said. “So I went back in the pool, swimming a lot.” Water was her best remedy and transformed her into a passionate swimmer. She swam in high school and college and was certified as a lifeguard. The transition was natural, and she is now a world champion swimmer.

Lori and her best friend, Laura Fromdahl, traveled to Miami last November to compete in OceanMan Open Swim along with several active US Masters swim teams. “It was my first time to swim in a 10K. Several of us qualified to go to the World Championship in Dubai two weeks later,” she said.

With only two weeks to prepare, Lori was the only person determined to go. “It was hard to pull it all together, but I thought if I could do it, and work with a small budget, I would go. So I booked a flight and went alone. I mean, how often do you qualify for an event in Dubai?”

“The OceanMan competition was incredible. There were events all week with people from all over the world, but only three Americans,” Lori said. The OceanMan World Final Championship took place from December 1-7, 2025. This major open-water event featured 2,800 world-class global qualifiers from 93 countries.

Lori came in fourth in her 50-59 age group and placed in the Top 20 overall female category. She swam 10K (6.214 miles) in three hours and 15 minutes. Starting on the beach, she had to run into the water, then swim two 5K loops marked by buoys, and run back onto the beach.

Lori took advantage of her time in Dubai. “I toured all over because I’ll probably never get back there. I went four-wheeling in the desert, rode a camel, walked all over the city, and swam in a sky pool on a rooftop. I felt extremely safe because they have a zero-tolerance policy on crime, so there’s no drugs and no crime,” she said.

She saw man-made islands off the coast built to look like palm trees. “Palm Jumeirah has really cool resorts and homes on waterfront islands. It was an amazing experience to explore Dubai.”

This month, Lori and Laura will travel with 15-20 other swimmers to the Florida Keys to compete in the grueling 8-mile Swim for Alligator Lighthouse, four miles out and four miles back. Held every October, this intense open-ocean race requires solo swimmers or 2-to-4-person relay teams to provide their own support kayakers or paddlers. They provide crucial safety monitoring, hand out hydration and nutrition, and assist with water rescues if someone capsizes or tires. “Laura and I do solo swims, and I have a kayak escort from Orlando who I met three years ago. She’s as passionate about kayaking as we are about swimming,” Lori said.

When Lori isn’t swimming in competitions, her life still revolves around swimming. Two of her children, Wes (17) and Piper (15) train for the USA swimming club team at the Island Rec Center through Hilton Head Aquatics (H2A). Lori serves on the board and volunteers, organizing meets and a trip to Florida for an international meet.

She swims every Wednesday with Swim HHI, an open program for anyone interested in ocean swimming. Locals and visitors of all abilities swim from March until it’s too cold. “We meet at Coligny Beach and swim parallel to the shore. Depending on ocean conditions, we may only swim 500 yards or from 3,000 to 4,000 yards. When the water gets cold, we wear sleeves, neoprene caps and wet suits. From December to February it’s too cold, so we just let the sharks swim through.”

“My other passion is to support research for Spina Bifida. My 22-year-old nephew, Quinn, has that diagnosis. I participated in the New York City Marathon as a fundraiser and declared him to be my coach so he could be there. He helped with social media and we raised $7,000. Now we all do birthday fundraisers on social media. My relationship with Quinn is very important.”

Lori also trains the Area 8 Special Olympics swim team. There are 15-20 swimmers from the Lowcountry, and from January through May, they train at the Country Club of Hilton Head. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide sports training and athletic competition in a variety of sports for people with intellectual and/or physical disabilities, giving them opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy and friendships.

“The champion state meet is held in Columbia in May. We train for one hour each week. It’s the best hour of my week,” Lori smiled. “They are so happy to be in the water. It’s kind of magical.”

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Up Close:

• Lori’s oldest daughter, Zoe (21) is a senior at Old Miss where their family attends football games. Her husband, Tim, doesn’t swim, but he plays softball and pickleball. Lori’s mother is 80 years old and walks seven miles a day.

• Lori has two Golden Retrievers, but only one is a lap swimmer in the family pool.

• Her dream is to swim the English Channel, maybe after her kids are all in college. It’s a 13-hour swim of 33 km or 21 miles.

• Lori didn’t know Laura very well until her accident. Lori still remembers that Laura came straight from church to the ER wearing a red dress. Now they are nearly inseparable.