My favorite athlete is professional triathlete Chris Lieto. There are a number of reasons why Chris is my favorite athlete, but first, in order to share in my appreciation for Chris, you have to first understand what he does.

Chris Lieto is a three-time Ironman champion and former U.S. National Ironman champion. For those of you who don’t know what the Ironman is, allow me to fill you in. An Ironman is a series of triathlon races throughout the year and all over the world that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and, to finish things up a, full 26.2 mile marathon run — all in a single day. A good finishing time in one of these grueling races would be around 10 hours. So, for longer than most people work in one day Ironman athletes are pushing their bodies through excruciating pain going as fast as they can for eight hours or more!

Chris Lieto has won three Ironman races, most recently on October 10th of this year he placed 2nd overall in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii with a time of 8:22:56.

Being a triathlete myself, I look up to Chris because of his dedication and expertise in the sport of triathlon. However, even more than his impressive athletic capabilities, I admire him because not only is he very skilled at what he does, but he attributes all his abilities and success to God. Acting as a light to the triathlon world, Chris is an Advisory Board Member of a Christian triathlon ministry called Multisport Ministries, which disciples Christian multisport athletes to live a life of fellowship and devotion to Christ. Following Chris on Twitter, you will read updates like “praising God while running in Hawaii getting ready for the Ironman. Very thankful.” This really speaks to who Chris is racing for: His Lord Jesus Christ.