The triathlon team started as a way to honor Chase Coleman's love of cycling and his desire to help people. And it became a way for the Coleman brothers -- Lon, 37, Trevor, 36, and Brandon, 28 -- to get their message out.

When their Team Tri for Life launched in May 2008, everyone on it had a transplant connection. Now, they've expanded it to 13 members. The goal: to spread the message about organ donation to 50 states.

There's no timetable. Four states are marked off -- Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. They'll check off Texas today after they compete in the Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon in Dallas. When they do Hawaii, they'd like it to be the big one -- the Ironman, the Super Bowl of triathlons.

Every race they go to, they connect with the state's organ donation organization. They pass out forms and share their story. They don't know how many people have signed donor lists because of them. But they know every name counts.

"To see the difference they've made is amazing," Nancy Coleman said of her sons. "Chase will be gone no matter what. But you can't think about it without realizing the good that came from that. Chase was all about that good stuff, and it didn't have to end when he died."

• To learn more about Tri for Life or to donate, go to www.donatelifetriathlon.com.

• To get on the organ donation list, call 800-482-4881, visit www.giftoflifemichigan.org or go to any Secretary of State office.