Northport triathlete raises money for healthcare workers

Blake Gill's family thinks he's crazy, he said. 

Why? Because Saturday morning the Northport resident will be up before sunrise to swim two and a half miles in Lake Tuscaloosa, followed by a 112-mile bike ride and a brisk marathon-length run around Tuscaloosa to celebrate his upcoming birthday. 

But they're also very supportive, Gill added, because triathlons is a passion of his and he's using it as an opportunity to benefit the medical professionals who work in the DCH Health System.

"I’m always running and riding. I’ve been doing triathlons for probably 15 years. Not necessarily this distance, the shorter stuff, but I’ve been ramping up a little bit just in case races open back up because everything has been canceled," Gill told The Tuscaloosa News on Friday. "There’s nothing to sign up for. I created my own race and I’m going to use it to help somebody else, to benefit others."

Gill said he has several friends, that he rides and runs with occasionally, who are medical professionals in the DCH Health System. 

"Just hearing some of the stories about their work-life and what they’re seeing and having to go through every day, it's just, it’s hard. It sounds like a struggle every single day, seeing people with COVID among other things," he said. 

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Gill was already planning on doing the triathlon but he was inspired to make it into something more when he was presented with the opportunity to host a fundraiser on Facebook because of his upcoming birthday, which is on Sept. 27.

He said Saturday will be a stressful and long day, but he noted that those are conditions medical professionals have do deal with regularly. 

“Tomorrow is going to be a long day. It’s going to be stressful… but these guys get up and do it every day. I can’t imagine," he said on Friday.

He announced his fundraiser earlier this week and had the initial goal of raising $500 and donating $250 himself. As of Friday afternoon, the Facebook fundraiser had already collected more than $1,500, not including his contribution. 

"People are awesome and people care about our healthcare workers; the people on the front lines right now. People really do care. There’s good in this world, still," he said of the fundraiser's level of giving.

The fundraiser will benefit the DCH Foundation's Family Fund, which provides "financial support to DCH Regional Medical Center and Northport Medical Center employees who are experiencing times of extreme hardship caused by a natural disaster or catastrophic personal circumstances," per the foundation's website.

Gill believes it will take him about 13 hours to complete the Saturday event. He said he has done the Ironman race before and it took him about 11 and a half hours to complete. He is giving himself some buffer time on Saturday since he is not racing but out there doing the distance. 

He believes he will be starting the running portion of his event at around 2 or 2:30 p.m. and has invited anyone who is interested to join him on his run. The bike and running portions will both start and end at VeloCity Cycles.

“So if anybody wants to catch up with me, I’ll be the guy who struggling to walk after a little while," he said, laughing. 

Gill and his wife, Ashley, own and operate the Chick-Fil-A on McFarland Boulevard in Northport. They have two children, an 11-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son. 

Next weekend, the weekend of his birthday, Gill said he plans to maybe watch some football and sit for a while. 

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"I was going to do it (the triathlon) on my birthday, but I think sitting and eating cake will be in order the day of my birthday, for sure," he said.

Donations can be made through Gill's Facebook fundraiser page or directly through the DCH Foundation website. Gill's fundraiser can be found by going to www.facebook.com/fundraisers/ and searching "Blake's Ironman for The DCH Foundation Sept 19" in the search bar. 

When making a donation through the foundation's website, a note can be made the comment box to indicate the donation is affiliated with Gill's fundraiser. 

Emily Enfinger is a reporter for The Tuscaloosa News, covering crime, court and breaking news. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyEnfinger.

Have a news tip? Email Emily at eenfinger@gannett.com.