To read more about astronaut Sunita Williams go to page 38.
Conner &
Cayden Long
have been participating in triathlons to- gether since the summer of 2011. Since then, they have finished close to 10 triath- lons and six 5k running races. But there is something special about these broth- ers from White House, Tenn. Cayden, 7, has cerebral palsy and he is not able to walk or talk, so Conner, who is 9, helps his brother. On the swim, Conner pulls Cayden in a raft. Then, Conner pulls Cayden in a cart on the bike, and pushes him in the cart to the finish line on the run. Recently the brothers were named the 2012 Sports Il- lustrated SportsKids of the Year. Triathlons are a way for Conner and Cayden to do something fun together as brothers. Conner says triathlon is the best sport for them to do together, because it is easier to work as a pair than it would be in sports like football or soccer. “Tri- athlons can include everybody,” Conner said. “Fast, slow, short or tall, everybody just wants to cross the finish line.” Conner practices for swim, bike and run just like you. Because he is helping Cayden participate too, Conner has to practice all the sports just like he would complete them in a race. When Cayden isn’t able to practice with him, Conner says he puts his dad’s workout weights into his cart so he knows what it feels like. Even though the Long brothers have only been participating in triathlons to- gether for a year and a half, the experi- ence is going to be part of their lives for- ever. When asked if he thought he would be competing in triathlon for a long time, Conner said, “I don’t think I will. I know I will.”
If you like the sport of triathlon as much as Conner and Cayden, ask your friends and family to join you for an upcom- ing race or for a time when you practice swimming, biking or running. To learn more these brothers, watch their video at http://espn.go.com/video/ clip?id=7208128.