COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo (KOAA) — Rodney and Earl O'Maley will race up Pikes Peak Sunday when the green flag drops at 7:30 a.m. at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
For the two brothers, the race is about more than speed — it's about family, legacy, and lifelong dreams.
Racing is in their DNA. Following in their father's footsteps, the O'Maley brothers have been around race cars for as long as they can remember.
"We grew up around racing. Our memories, my memories during the summertime as a kid was going and doing dirt hill climb racing with the Colorado Hill Climb association. That's just what I thought people did during the summer. As I got older and I could do it, I just kept doing it," Rodney said.
They race together, build their own cars, and use that time to bond with the whole family.
"Pretty much we drag everybody in because we say we need help," Earl said.
"It's a whole family process… basically, anyone that's family helps. And it also allows us to have time to hang out and do things together," Rodney said.
The 104th running of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb will be the 16th time for Rodney and just the 4th time for Earl.
When learning that his older brother was finally going to take on the mountain, Rodney was excited but also cautious. With Earl joining the race, they now had to work twice as hard to ensure they would have two cars that would make it up the mountain safely.
Earl had competed in numerous other races but joined the Hill Climb in 2021, saying it was something he could finally cross off his bucket list. For both brothers, winning is the goal — but the thrill is just making it to the top.
"You definitely can't win if you don't finish so that's step one is finishing. Step two is going as fast as you can," Rodney said.
"For me, racing Pikes Peak is being able to say I've built a race car and raced up Pikes Peak. Then also I just love racing with my brother, and I enjoy if I can give a high five and a hug at the top saying we both finished," Earl said.
Every run is also about something bigger — creating a lasting mark on the mountain's history.
"Another subgoal would be to have an O'Maley special car that we've built here surpass that number as far as the number of times an O'Maley special car has raced Pikes Peak. It would be a nice accomplishment to have to also further our name in the Pikes Peak record books. Not necessarily winning or anything like that, but just showing support for the event and continuing support even potentially after we're done racing," Rodney said.
From chasing faster times to chasing family history, the O'Malleys will keep climbing America's Mountain — one run at a time.
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