Cole Coyle, 20, recently ran the trail at Pearl River Middle School.
He looked up and saw a familiar figure in front of him, older brother Connor Coyle.
"We didn't even plan it," Cole Coyle said.
The two brothers are planning to run, bike and swim together Sunday in the 23rd Annual West Point Triathlon at Camp Buckner, NY. They will be running with Fred's Team, a fundraising group at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
"This is my first triathlon," said Cole, who will be a junior at Cortland in the fall. "I’m a little nervous to say the least."
Connor Coyle, 22, who graduated from Albany this year, ran in the 2011 . This year, he is helping his brother raise money for research into Osteosarcoma, a cancerous bone tumor that typically develops as the body grows rapidly during adolescence. Approximately 400 cases are diagnosed in the United States each year. The average age of diagnosis is 15.
Tom Scognamiglio, the younger brother of Cole's close friend Patrick, has Osteosarcoma.
"They are a great family," Cole Coyle said. "They have always been good to us. Their dad (Joe) has been a little league coach for us. We wrote them a letter saying we're going to participate in the West Point Triathlon to raise money for Tommy. He called me back the next day. He was so excited. He said we should donate to Sloan-Kettering. That's what they wanted us to do."
Cole Coyle has accepted donations in person, which he mails in with a form, but he said the easiest way to donate is online here. He added that they got a significant amount of money Monday, bringing them to $1,970. He had been concerned about reaching their goal of $2,000.
"I was surprised," Cole Coyle said. "I didn't think we would get a lot in the next week. A lot of people have pitched in lately."
Neither Coyle brother has run a triathlon before. This one includes an 800-meter swim, 25-kilometer bicycle ride and a three-mile run.
"It's an Ironman Triathlon, so those guys will blow us out of the water," Coyle said with a laugh. "I like a challenge. It is something to do and keep on my toes."
