PRESTON — They say that just to finish an Ironman triathlon is a victory.  But for one Idaho athlete, the finish line was just the beginning.

    Preston native Brady Murray competed in the Ironman World Championship last Saturday, in Kona, Hawaii, finishing in just under 11 hours, beating his personal best time and exceeding his own expectations. But he was racing for more than ego.  

    Murray, founder of an organization called Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome (RODS), was competing to raise funds for the adoption of little Maelie, a girl born with Down syndrome and living in an orphanage in Peru.  

    “The whole day, I kept the reason I was racing in the back of mind, especially Maelie,” Murray said. “Knowing this race could potentially get a family for Maelie was a huge motivator.”

    Another motivator was the camera crew following Murray along much of the course.  That’s because Murray earned his position in the World Championship triathlon by winning a competition that spotlighted athletes who best embodied the Ironman mantra of “anything is possible.”  Murray secured his spot through a 90-second video highlighting RODS and his work for orphans with Down syndrome.

    Murray was inspired to form RODS shortly after the birth his own son, Nash, who has Down syndrome.  As the Murrays became involved with the Down syndrome community through their son, they learned about the plight of children in Eastern European countries, where most babies like Nash are sent to orphanages and eventually institutionalized.

    While Murray was encouraged to learn there were many Americans looking to be “forever families” for these children, the costs associated with international adoptions was a huge barrier.  So, Murray started running triathlons to raise money to facilitate the adoptions and RODS was born.

    While Maelie and the other orphans spurred Murray to the finish line on Saturday, the 34-year-old financial planner had to keep his thoughts in check.  “I had to be careful.  I couldn’t think too much about the kids because I get emotional about it.”

    Besides beating his personal best time and surpassing his pre-race goal of completing the notoriously tough Kona course in under 12 hours, Murray more than exceeded his fundraising goal.  At the start of the race, Maelie had just $12 in her account.  But, within minutes of Murray crossing the finish line, he had a check for $20,000 in hand.

    Murray’s voice broke as he described “crying like a baby” once he made it to the racers’ recovery room.  

    “Knowing I was able to finish and that we got the funding for Maelie and thinking about all the good that’s going to come from this was just overwhelming,” a still emotional Murray said.  “I was digging extremely deep by the end — running on fumes.  To cross that finish line and know the money for Maelie’s adoption was secured was overwhelming. It was just incredible excitement.”

    Murray’s work isn’t finished, yet. He plans to keep racing in Ironman competitions for his cause and will further raise awareness through public speaking engagements.  He also hopes to grow RODS racing to include other triathletes competing for orphans with Down syndrome.

    “Finishing the Ironman World Championship was the end of a chapter, but the beginning of the book,” Murray said. “I’m going to continue to work and strive and find every single one of these children a home.  That’s the goal, and it’s something I believe we can do.”

    The Ironman World Championship, featuring Brady Murray’s story, will air on the local NBC station on Oct. 27. More information about Murray’s organization can also be found at:  rodsracing.org.