Iron Angels

Back in 1977, a guy named John Collins had the idea to combine three of Hawaii's most brutal endurance races into one event. He took the 2.4 mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim, 112 miles of the Around O'ahu Bike Race and the full Honolulu Marathon and created the "Hawaiian Iron Man Triathalon." The original 15 competitors were handed an instruction sheet that ended, "Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life!"

Today, that race is held on the blistering lava fields of Kona on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

Last Saturday, Brady Murray of RODS Racing conquered Kona's heat, distance and cross-winds in 10 hours, 51 minutes and 32 seconds. And he was racing for a lot more than just bragging rights. Brady is the founder of RODS Racing, which stands for Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome.

Each year RODS athletes focus on one Down Syndrome child and raise money towards his or her adoption.

Here is the RODS Racing Story, as told on their web site:

With the motivation of knowing that hundreds of orphans with Down syndrome were waiting for a family to find them, Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome was launched. Our purpose is to create awareness for these special children and raise funding that will go towards making what seemed like a distant dream of having a family of their own become a reality, one child at a time. 

 The seed for RODS Racing was planted in 2007 when founder Brady Murray had his newborn son placed in his arms. The doctors told him that his son has Down syndrome. What seemed like an overwhelming challenge has evolved into one of Brady’s biggest blessings. Brady’s son Nash has been the inspiration behind the creation of RODS Racing. The unconditional love that Nash shows to all and the desire to help these precious children is truly the driving force behind RODS Racing.

At the end of  the Iron Man, Rob Wright of myList handed Brady a check for $10,000. The funds will go to the Reeces Rainbow Adoption Ministry as a grant towards the adoption a Down Syndrome girl named Maggie.

An international adoption can cost upwards of $30,000. For families who long to open their hearts to a girl like Maggie, that burden can be as formidable than any triathlon. So thank you, Brady, Rob, and Reece's Rainbow for stepping up to the challenge!