Plainfield Parks Official Gears Up For 4th Charitable Triathlon

PLAINFIELD, IL — Mike Brouillard began participating in triathlons not necessarily as a means of exercise, but as a means to give back. This weekend, the Plainfield Parks District official will participate in his fourth Ironman triathlon in as many years, raising money for a charity that brings humanitarian aid to needy communities across the world.

Brouillard, who is the manager of parks for the district, got the idea to participate in triathlons as he was thinking of a 2016 new year's resolution. He learned of the non-profit World Vision, a Christian humanitarian aid group. The non-profit has an arm called "Team World Vision," which organizes runs and participates in races as a means of raising money to help bring clean drinking water to places like Africa.

"After finding out about the hardship and loss of life for so many children in Africa, I decided to take on this challenge," Brouillard writes on his fundraising page. "December 2015 I made a New Year's resolution to make a difference."

Participating would allow Brouillard to challenge himself physically and give back, and so he began training for his first triathlon in 2016, the year he turned 50. On Sunday, Brouillard will participate in his fourth triathlon in Madison, Wis.

The triathlon will require 140.6 miles of grueling physical activity, including a 26.2-mile run, a 112-mile bike ride and a 2.4-mile swim. Brouillard is participating in the race to benefit World Vision and reach his goal of helping 2,000 people receive fresh water. (Every $50 raised is enough to bring fresh water to one person for life, he said in a press release.) Brouillard is seeking to raise $10,000 this year for World Vision.

"And I will keep going until we meet that goal, even if it takes me 20 years," he said in a statement.

The road has not always been easy. While training for his marathon, Brouillard broke his foot. He had to learn to swim competitively, and had to enlist his dad to help teach him to ride a bike specifically designed for triathlons.

“Learning how to ride a tri-bike gave me and my Dad a good laugh,” Brouillard said, “I was 5 years old when he first showed me how to ride a regular bike at his house.”

Brouillard also had to learn how to ask friends and family for donations. But all the learning and growing he has taken in this effort has been worth it, because of the good cause.

"Training is not getting any easier," Brouillard says on his fundraising page. "I feel the strain on my body, and the time away from my family. This doesn't even compare to what these families are going through."

To donate to Brouillard's cause and to find out more about World Vision, click here.