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SALT LAKE CITY — Brian Connolly was a sophomore at East High School in 1986 when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The degenerative disease has progressed to the point where the now 53-year-old is confined to a wheelchair and, on July 24, he will compete in his ninth marathon.
He said completing a marathon was on his "list of possibilities" during the early years of his diagnosis.
"When I was in my 20s, my wife ran a marathon and I just knew it probably wasn't in the cards (for me), even though it was on my list of possibilities," he said. "So I just kind of wrote it off as something that I would never do, even though I'd like to."
In 2018, however, all that changed after his younger brother Danny Connolly presented him with a way to make it possible: Danny would run while pushing the wheelchair.
"Danny called me out of the blue and asked me if I wanted to be pushed in the marathon," Brian Connolly recalled. "When he asked me, I was like, 'Well, maybe I can do a marathon.'"
Danny Connolly, who started running marathons about a decade prior and has also run several trail ultramarathons, said he was inspired by the many who came before him — namely Team Hoyt.
"I just got the idea to push my brother in a marathon after learning about Team Hoyt," Danny Connolly told KSL.com. "I saw that people had done this before and I thought it was amazing. And since Brian's condition had degraded so much, I just thought, 'Why not?'"
I just kind of wrote it off as something that I would never do, even though I'd like to.
– Brian Connolly
Brian Connolly said he was both shocked and excited when his brother offered to push him. That being said, in order to complete the race, they would need a racing chair — that is where another brother stepped in to help.
"We have a brother-in-law named Jared who makes bicycles — they're called Madsen Cycles — and he spent over 200 hours making a chair for our first marathon," Danny Connolly recalled.
They fittingly named it the "Chariot" and, with the Chariot, the brother duo completed their first marathon (the St. George Marathon). They said it was such a great experience, they knew they "couldn't call it quits after just one."
Since that first marathon, the brothers have completed seven more, including Los Angeles, Mesa, Salt Lake, Deseret News, and the prestigious Boston Marathon. They both said they have loved the people they have met along the way. And, more than anything, they have loved how it has brought them closer together as siblings ... and, as a family.
'It's a family affair'
The Connolly brothers are just two of 13 children. Brian Connolly, 53, is the second-oldest and Danny Connolly, 46, comes sixth. They said, over the course of 26.2 miles, they have gotten to know each other a lot better. Also, growing up in a large family — that keeps on growing — there is plenty to talk about along the way.
"Some of our favorite conversations might have happened when we're on the race course," Danny Connolly said. "We've talked about really interesting topics and, you know, with 26 miles, picking 26 family members to talk about per mile is a great way to fill the time."
Many of those family members come to the marathons to help provide resources for the brother team and, of course, cheer them on.
"We definitely have a different kind of marathon crew at each race because, a lot of times, it's our dad and some of Brian's kids or some of some of my family," Danny Connolly explained. "It takes a few of us to lift Brian in, a few to take him out and then a lot of people who just sort of help be our crew. We have someone at the finish line to take videos and things like that, and we all communicate on our phones and so we know where everybody is and it's just a great time. It's become a family affair and everyone is so supportive."
Bringing awareness to adults with disabilities
Brian Connolly said having his brother help him reach his marathon goals has improved his quality of life significantly, though, he still worries about his day-to-day care as an adult with a disability. He has been working to bring awareness to this issue.
"My biggest concern every day is my caretaking," he said. "I've actually been politically active in trying to help insurance companies cover adults with disabilities because, right now, there's no insurance company in the country that will cover caregiving for an adult with a disability."
Brian Connolly, with the support of Utah House Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City, presented a bill at this year's legislative session for consideration that would assist adults with disabilities with non-medical care needs. HB137 failed in a 6-6 committee vote, rendering it unable to be presented on the House floor.
"The bill would help create wraparound care for people with regular insurance, giving them a chance to have some relief," Brian Connolly explained. "The bill failed, but it has become my mission to help.
"There needs to be more awareness brought to the coverage for adults with disabilities because I wasn't the only one that went to the Capitol Building," he said. "Adults with disabilities can pay between $30,000 and $40,000 a year just to have caregivers get them dressed and in their wheelchairs — there are a lot of adults with disabilities who suffer because there is nobody to care for them.
"It's super unfortunate and something needs to be done in the long term ... I would be happy if, down the road, this bill would benefit someone else because I know there's a lot of people out there who suffer."
The two brothers will be on the race course for the foreseeable future, bringing awareness to others like them, who either have a disability or who have a family member in that category. Their ninth marathon will be the Deseret News Marathon on July 24.
It won't be too long til the duo completes their 10th — they'll be in New York City to run that marathon in November.
