When former Williston resident Chris Bintliff takes to the starting line of the Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon on Sept. 13, there is little doubt in where his heart will lie.
Running in his second Ironman, Bintliff is racing this year as part of the Janus Charity Challenge. The Charity Challenge encourages and provides logistical support for athletes to use their Ironman experience to raise funds for charitable causes.
Bintliff, who is a Williston High School graduate and now resides in Madison, Wis., will race the Ironman as part of Team Lionhearted in an effort to raise money for the American Heart Association.
Bintliff's father, Don, was a businessman in Williston for nearly 20 years before passing away from a heart attack in 1996 at the age of 46. "It's a way for me to channel an otherwise very personal experience into something that can positively affect other people," Bintliff said in an e-mail. "And it's become an important guiding part of my training and preparation for race day."
Initially, Bintliff was hoping to raise a $1,000 for his charity, but he has already doubled that.
"It's a real humbling thing," he said. "A lot of people have had heart problems. And there is a lot of other great charities. I was surprised that people were were supporting this."
In 2006, he participated in his first Ironman, which he finished in about 15 hours. In that race, he had 20 family members on the race course cheering him on.
But this year, he wanted to do something different.
"I wanted to do something a little more than about me," he said. "I came to realize, out there on the race course, that while all the training is done alone on a bike for five hours, or running or swimming day after day, a challenge like the Ironman is one of those things that's bigger than the athlete, or even the event. I felt like I was just the ambassador out there for all of those friends and family supporting me. That it was a team effort, I just happened to hold the baton."
Bintliff was first introduced to the sport in 2004 when he took part in a triathlon.
"I was looking to develop a healthy lifestyle," he said. "And the triathlon seemed interesting."
Two years later, he took a step up in the 2006 Ironman Wisconsin.
"The Ironman seems like a huge challenge," the former Williston resident said. "And I am huge challenge kind of guy."
Although his main focus in the race is to make the public aware about heart disease, preparing for the event is taking up a fair amount of time.
"It's kind of like taking on a second job," he said.
Training for such an event can take anywhere from 9 to 12 months to prepare for. With training gradually getting longer and more difficult as race day approaches.
"I'm not naturally good at it any of it (the swim, bike or run portions of the race)," Bintliff said. "So I have to work at it all."
The finishing time doesn't seem to be important to Bintliff, but in the back of his head he is shooting for 12 hours.
"I would like to finish before my daughter's bed time," he said.
When Bintliff crosses the finish line, he will be wearing a neckless that will represent his cause. Each person that donates money to his charity will be given a bead that will be put on the neckless.
Bintliff says it is his way of taking them with him.
If you would like to make a contribution to Bintliff's charity, you can do so at the following Web site: http://januscharitychallenge.kintera.org/wi09/chrisbintliff.
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