HOWARD, Wis. (WFRV) – A local triathlete is diving into some uncharted waters.
Brian Slinger is a lieutenant with the Brown County sheriff’s department and an accomplished triathlete and Ironman. Soon, he’s going to be taking on his biggest challenge yet, a solo 24-hour continuous triathlon on Washington Island.
“So I hope to do about 15 triathlon cycles,” he told Local 5 News on Monday afternoon. “So that would put me at like 30 miles running, 150 biking, and somewhere in the four or five mile range on swimming.”
Slinger has done the event in the past, but had always been part of a team. In that team setup, team members would divide the miles among themselves. This will be the first time that he will do a race like this solo.
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“Last year as I’m biking at like three in the morning out at Washington Island, I was like man this would be a really good idea for a fundraiser,” said Slinger.
This year, he followed through with that idea and turned it into a reality. He’s collecting pledges for the ultra triathlon to raise money for an organization that is near and dear to his heart.
He said he’s collected about 60 percent of his $5,000 goal to raise money for a Green Bay-based organization called ‘Willow Tree Cornerstone Child Advocacy Center.’ It helps children who have been abused and neglected. Throughout his 25-year law enforcement career with the Brown County sheriff’s office, Slinger has worked closely with this organization.
“A lot of that is working with children who have been victims of crimes or seen horrible things,” he said. “Knowing what childhood advocacy center does here in Green Bay, not only for Brown County but all the neighboring communities. It was my why I finally found okay this is my thing.”
“We were thrilled when Brian chose to dedicate his ultra-triathlon to Willow Tree,” said Kristie Sickel, who is the organization’s program manager. “All the funds raised from his triathlon go directly towards children that have experienced abuse or neglect.”
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Slinger said he’s confident in all the training he’s put in and also has a coach who helps him out. He said he’s ready for the challenge, and when it gets tough, he thinks about his friends, family, and the organization he’s running, biking, and swimming to help.
“Your body is capable of a lot of things that you don’t even realize you’re capable of,” Slinger said. “You just got to push yourself to those limits and tell yourself you’ll be okay.”
For more information about Willow Tree Cornerstone Child Advocacy Center or to donate, please click here. To donate to Slinger’s triathlon fundraiser (all the money will go to Willow Tree), please click here.
The ultra triathlon is on July 25.
