Centennial Beach Triathlon athlete Brian Dickhut to compete in world championships
Brian Dickhut, a member of Centennial Beach and a triathlon athlete since 2011, is heading to the World Triathlon Championships in Gold Coast, Australia Sept. 12-16 as a member of Team USA. He also will compete in the Aug. 5 Naperville Sprint Triathlon and in the Aug. 12 USAT nationals in Cleveland.
To honor and support Brian in his triathlon training and travel as a member of TeamUSA, the Centennial Beach "Beach Bum Club" will host a fundraiser for him on Sunday, Aug. 12, at their annual picnic.
The Beach Bums are longtime Centennial Beach members who enjoy spending time together at the Beach. They will be gathering for their annual picnic at 1 p.m. at Centennial Beach.
Beach members or guests may purchase raffle tickets at the event for $10 for the chance to win a prize, and proceeds will go to support Brian's triathlon expenses as a Team USA athlete.
"Brian Dickhut has been sharing the hill with us (where the Beach Bums usually sit) for a few years now," explained Renata Yuill, a member of the Beach Bum Club. "He is a very outgoing and cheerful person and likes to share his triathlon stories with us. To have an athlete of such caliber among us prompted us to get together as a small Beach community and raise some money to offset his travel and race expenses. So far this season he did five triathlons and made podium at each one. It is exciting to follow his accomplishments and we encourage him along the way."
Dickhut, a software engineer who lives in the Naperville area, first discovered triathlons when he watched some friends compete in the Naperville Sprint Triathlon in 2010. He set a goal to compete in the race himself the next year.
"After competing in my first race in 2011, I was amazed by the spirit and camaraderie of triathlon and was hooked," said Dickhut. "I couldn't wait for my next race! As I continued to train at Centennial Beach, I came to know most of the regular members, the 'Beach Bums,' an affectionate term for some of our most loyal beach patrons."
Dickhut is looking forward to participating again this year in the Naperville Sprint Triathlon at Centennial Beach on Aug. 5.
"The upcoming Naperville Sprint Triathlon remains one of my favorite local events and this year will mark my seventh year participating," said Dickhut. "It is a great race for first-timers and veterans alike. Coming off a hard training block and with the USAT National Championship races coming up 6 days later in Cleveland, this year's Naperville race will be a more casual 'tuneup' event in the training schedule rather than an all-out effort for podium positions."