ESPN's Body Issue Features A Trans Athlete For The First Time Ever

He's also a pioneer in his sport.

Each year ESPN's Body Issue features athletes posing in the nude to showcase their physicality.

Carlos Serrao for ESPN The Magazine Body Issue

Steven Lippman for ESPN The Magazine Body Issue

For example here are two athletes in this year's Body Issue, pro basketball player Dwyane Wade and surfer Courtney Conlogue. Athletes in past issues include Serena Williams, Hope Solo, Apolo Ohno, and Ronda Rousey.

This year's issue features — for the first time ever — an out transgender athlete: duathlete Chris Mosier.

Benedict Evans for ESPN The Magazine Body Issue

Mosier is 35 and lives in New York City. He competes in triathlons as well as duathlons (which is a three-leg event alternating running and cycling).

As BuzzFeed Health reported when we profiled Mosier last year, he's been racing since 2009, and competing in the men's category since late 2010.

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He recently competed in the World Duathlon Championship and finished second in his U.S. age group.

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Mosier told ESPN that he's wanted to be in the Body Issue for over a year.

Benedict Evans for ESPN The Magazine Body Issue

"I think the reason I felt so inspired to do it is that I'm finally at a place where I feel very comfortable with my body. And as a trans person, being in a body that didn't really fit me for 29 years, now I feel very comfortable in my own skin," he said.

And he told BuzzFeed Health that posing for the issue was a "challenge by choice."

"It was exciting and exhausting. I really enjoyed the whole experience. It was a 'challenge by choice' situation – well outside of my comfort zone, but a challenge I really wanted to take on," he said.

Although Mosier felt kinda awkward going back to work after the shoot, once the photos were published, he felt awesome.

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"It was empowering to have the photos published — I was really happy with the way they turned out...There’s always a concern when someone else is telling my story; I want to make sure they get it right — and they did," he said.

The Body Issue will be released online (here) on July 6 and will be on newsstands on July 8.

And in the meantime, Mosier is training for the New York City Triathlon on July 24, 2016.