Seven-year-old Cayden Long, who has cerebral palsy, can't walk or talk without help. But his 9-year-old brother Conner has found a way for him to participate in sports. The brothers race in triathlons -- together.
We wrote about the Long brothers last year, when their first race launched them into the spotlight. Now, they've caught the eye of Sports Illustrated Kids magazine, which recently named them SportsKids of the Year.
The Sports Illustrated Kids interview with the Long family (above), tells the story of Conner's heroism and perseverance.
He pulls Cayden, 7, in a raft during the swimming portion of the race. Then, as Conner bikes, a trailer behind him holds Cayden inside. Finally, he pushes that same trailer -- still holding Cayden -- while running to the finish line.
"If people would race with people who can't walk or talk, or who have any kind of autism, it might open the eyes of (those) who don't really care about it," Conner said in the video.
"Ten years from now, the perfect place for me and Cayden would be -- you know, how people have the American flag on the moon -- we would have a Team Long Brothers flag on the moon," he continued.
At the Sports Illustrated Kids awards ceremony in New York this week, celebrities applauded as the Long family took the stage to accept the award.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the video had been shared more than 250,000 times on Facebook.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated the Longs' award came from Sports Illustrated magazine. The magazine is Sports Illustrated Kids.
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