Since their first Ironman in 2013, the brothers have learned to expect pain throughout the competition, and they’ve faced their share of challenges, but overcoming them together, and enabling others to do the same, is their greatest reward.

The jellyfish stings were just the latest hurdle they would overcome.

Credit: John David Johnson II

Credit: John David Johnson II

Competitive spirit runs deep

The Pease brothers were born and raised in Sherwood Forest, a suburb of Atlanta, where they grew up playing in their backyard until the sun went down. While they compete as a duo these days, they’re part of a trio in the Pease family, rounded out by their brother Evan, Kyle’s twin.

Raised by their parents Janis and Richard, the family attended Braves games together and bounced from one brother’s game to the next. Baseball was the first love of all three Pease boys before they splintered off into other sports.

Kyle transitioned from a stroller to a wheelchair at age 3, then moved to a power chair at 8 years old. When he was 9, he had surgery to correct the curling shape of his body. Both of his hips were broken and straightened, and he spent an entire summer in a body cast. Even still, the family did not slow down. They have photos of young Kyle in a body-length wheelchair, smiling broadly on the sidelines of his brothers’ baseball games.

“Kyle gave us the gift of compassion,” said Brent, 41. “Compassion, inclusion, that’s just how we grew up. We didn’t stick him in a corner because he had a wheelchair. He was held to a high standard just like us. Strangers might want to feel sorry for Kyle, but Kyle has always wanted others to see him as a strong, capable individual, because that’s how he was raised.”

After high school, Kyle attended Kennesaw State University where he majored in sports management. He lived independently on campus with the aid of caregivers, who helped him with everything from eating, to changing clothes, to transportation.

“Caregivers are like my family,” said Kyle, 39, who works in customer service at Publix and lives on his own in Garden Hills. “My physical life depends on them. Without them I would not have a physical life or a sense of independence.”

Brent attended Florida State University and only had one thing on his mind.

“My professional aspiration was to party,” said Brent. “I didn’t have a thought about where I was going. I grew up in a house with more expectations on me than other kids. I participated in Kyle’s care — I helped him go to bed, change his clothes, go to the bathroom. We all pitched in, but I did my fair share. In college there were no strings, so I had my fun. It took time to figure out what I wanted to do.”

Brent graduated from FSU in 2005 and began selling condominiums, but lost the job four years later. He struggled financially working as a parking attendant before deciding to get his life back on course. Brent stopped drinking and started exercising. He scraped together $2,000 and bought a bike to train for a 70.3-mile Half Ironman. When he conquered that, he moved on to a full Ironman.

In 2010, as Kyle cheered for his big brother from the sidelines of the Ironman, he pictured himself in the competition.

“I was enthralled by everything going on that day, all the competitors and excitement,” said Kyle. “It reminded me of my life — all the struggles and ups and downs I face on a daily basis. After the race I asked Brent a lot of questions. My last question was if people in wheelchairs could do an Ironman. His answer was yes.”

The brothers began training together, going on long runs and bike rides, and working with a training coach.

“It’s a lot of time and dedication, but the most fun aspect is experiencing this stuff together,” said Brent, who lives in Chamblee with his wife Erica and their children, Caroline, 9, and Henry, 7.

Credit: John David Johnson II

Credit: John David Johnson II

Inspired to helps others

Kyle and Brent competed in their first Ironman together in April 2011. The experience was so exhilarating, Kyle decided he wanted to help disabled individuals have the same opportunity.

Six months later, the brothers launched the Kyle Pease Foundation to create awareness, raise funds to help disabled people compete in sporting events, provide scholarships and purchase adaptive sports equipment. The foundation has funded hundreds of athletes’ participation in everything from local 5K runs to Ironman competitions. In 2023 their nonprofit served 124 athletes and crossed 1,148 finish lines across 11 states.

With Kyle at the helm as CEO and Brent as executive director, the organization raised $7,000 in their first year and now have an annual budget of $1.6 million.

The brothers have big dreams for the foundation. While they hope to increase their athlete base, they are also focused on offering inclusive job opportunities within the foundation. They currently employ six disabled employees.

“We’ve built a community through the foundation,” said Kyle. “I didn’t know all these people would become part of our family, but that is what it’s become.

Brent agrees.

“Inclusion is at the core of what we do,” he said. “When you realize what that means to these families, not just the athletes we serve but their families, too, it builds them up. Everyone deserves to be included in life and have a community. That’s what we want to keep building.”

Credit: John David Johnson II

Credit: John David Johnson II

The joy of triumph

Last October, 40 loved ones flew to Hawaii to cheer on the duo on in the 2024 Kona Ironman World Championship while countless others kept up with live updates from afar. The foundation had built a capital fundraising campaign around the competition that rallied supporters across the nation and raised more than $1 million.

After an uncomfortable start thanks to the jellyfish, the Pease brothers completed the Kona Ironman in 14 hours, eight minutes and three seconds — their fastest time ever.

A few days later, Brent updated the foundation’s Facebook page with a picture of the brothers beaming at one another after they crossed the finish line.

“It was always all for you,” he typed below the photo.

“I am who I am because of my experiences with Kyle,” said Brent. “I’ve drawn love and inspiration from him my entire life. To be able to share that with others is one of the greatest gifts of my life.”

For more information

To learn more about the Kyle Pease Foundation, go to kylepeasefoundation.org.