The Brotherly Love That Conquers Triathlons

When my little brother Lucas was born, my parents were told that he wouldn't walk or talk and the doctors even said he might not make it to his tenth birthday. But today, a few months away from his tenth birthday, we're doing our fifteenth triathlon together. My name is Noah Aldrich, and this is my brother, Lucas Aldrich. - Lucas, you've gotta stop talking. Gotta get the guy, Luke. - Noah is 11, and Lucas is nine, and Lucas was born with a rare genetic neurologic condition called lissencephaly. He's unable to walk, unable to talk, he's unable to feed himself, but despite all of his challenges, he's the happiest little boy that you'll ever meet. - About four years ago, our boys started doing triathlons together, and most cases that wouldn't be a big deal, a lot of kids do triathlons, but there's something very special about the way our boys do triathlons. - I pull Lucas in a raft for the swim portion. Then, I pull him in a bike cart during the bike. And I push him in a running cart during the run. I wanted to do this because Lucas can't do things like we can. He can't really play sports, so this is something we can do together. Currently, we're training for our fifteenth triathlon, which is this weekend. Before the race I always feel nervous. I don't think I'll ever get over that. I just don't want to hurt Lucas. I don't care if I win the race, he just has to be okay. - [Alissa] Before the race, Lucas gets serious and he gets his race face on and they're ready to compete. [Crowd] Two, one! (crowd cheering) - [Alissa] They swim around 200 yards. Then they transition to a bike. They'll go usually about three to five miles. - [Brian] And then they'll run about a mile. Noah's strong physically and especially mentally. Because he's truly only doing these races for his brother. - [Noah] Sometimes I feel like, God, it's gotta be over soon, right? But I just hear Lucas. - [Lucas] (vocalizing) - [Noah] That's how he says, “Go faster". - [Kid] Come on, go go go! - [Woman] Go, buddy, go go go! Nice! (cowbell ringing) - Every day is precious with that little boy. I try to soak in the experience, because we don't know how long the boys will be able to do triathlons together. Any one of them could be their last. What these boys accomplish gives me an immense sense of pride. - Noah and Lucas are an inspiration. People see these two young boys, and it gives them hope and it gives them encouragement to go out and tackle life challenges.

Channel: Great Big Story

Views: 6,158,378

Keywords: great big story, gbs, lag, documentary, docs, triathlon, triathlon bros, triathlon brothers, adapted sports, disability sports, Sports & Action, Giving, Biography & Profile, Competition, Brothers, Triathalons, Boise, Idaho, finish line, Noah Aldrich, Lucus Aldrich, Sibling bond, sibling bonding activities, adaptive sports, racing cart, determination, brotherly love, teamwork

Id: UsqYRlRvYaY

Length: 3min 14sec (194 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 12 2017