Stuart Brownlow was ecstatic when his coach said he was eligible to participate in the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in China.

The 34-year-old Helena long-distance runner immediately began training in July of 2006 for his races.

But just four months later, his trip was in peril when his older brother, Bob, suddenly died at the age of 37.

While Stuart's grief-stricken mother, Collette, questioned whether she would be able to handle going on the trip to Shanghai, he took his brother's death as inspiration.

"It was after the service that Stuart was sitting around with all of my son's friends and they said, 'Well, you're going to go to China and have a good time, Stuart, it'll be OK,' and he said, 'Yep, I am going to win a gold medal for my brother,' " Collette said.

After a brief break, Stuart and his mom decided to continue with his training. Collette enlisted the help of her coworker's daughter, Carmon Cole, and Carmon's boyfriend, Jaramia Bunker, who are both runners.

"I think (Bob's death) gave him a little more motivation," 20-year-old Jaramia said.

Stuart signed up for the 1,500-meter, the 3,000-meter and a relay in Shanghai. One of biggest hurdles he had to jump in his training for long races was to learn to pace himself and not burn out too quickly.

But that tendency toward a quick start seems to be part of his personality.

His coworkers at Safeway have given him many nicknames, including "Mr. Speedy" and "Hummingbird," and had to ask him to slow down because he would dash out of the door with a cart full of groceries and leave the customers behind.

Stuart and his two trainers ran together about four times a week. They also lifted weights to help beef up Stuart's slim build.

"They were a godsend to us. Two young people that really pitched in and certainly helped him do what he needed to do," Collette said.

Stuart, a Special Olympics athlete of 22 years, began running cross country in high school. At all of his races, Collette would scream "Kick it in!" toward the last leg.

And while training for the Shanghai races, Carmon and Jaramia had Stuart sprint the last 100 meters of his training runs.

"He's awesome. He'd pay attention and tried his hardest," Jaramia said.

Jaramia said Stuart would give it his all at the end of the last lap.

"Each mile we ran, we'd be pooped and he'd fly by," 17-year-old Carmon said.

It's a strategy that would serve Stuart well.

The Special Olympics covers the travel costs for its athletes. But another hurdle for Stuart and his mom was raising enough money to fund her trip to the games, too.

Carmon's mother, Lori, spearheaded making T-shirts with "Team USA World Games" emblazoned in red and blue lettering and a stick-figure drawing of a runner.

The shirts were sold to their coworkers at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana to raise funds.

Around the office, Collette is known as "Granny."

"She's just everyone's grandma. We're just a great big family up there," Lori said.

Collette said without the aid of her pals and coworkers, attending the games would not have been possible.

"You know, my friends at Blue Cross and Blue Shield just came through like you wouldn't believe. They raised over $2,061 for me to go. I also received a grant from Clipped Wings, which is a United Airlines program, and they gave me $1,000 to go," Collette said.

Even her pals in a porcelain doll class saved their change for a year and ended up with more than $100 for Collette.

"So basically, between Blue Cross Blue Shield, my family, Clipped Wings and my friends in my doll class, they made it possible for me to go and watch him," she said.

It paid off.

With the funding secured, they were off to China. Stuart left on Sept. 26 and his mother followed a few days later.

After an 18-hour flight, Stuart landed in Shanghai. He did a little shopping - getting a new pair of basketball sneakers - and a lot of eating. It was his first time outside the country.

He said the best parts of his trip were meeting some of the 7,500 other athletes and the opening and closing ceremonies, which were extravagant productions complete with celebrities and fireworks.

While Stuart practiced, Collette toured Shanghai.

"I didn't like the food at all. Traffic was horrendous. And it was the best time of my life," she said.

Oct. 10 brought the culmination of everything Stuart had been training for - the 1,500-meter race.

He shot off the starting line like a bolt of lighting.

"Well, when the race started he took out and he was way ahead of everyone, and I kept thinking, 'Stuart, you started too fast, you started too fast and you're going to tucker out' because he has always been one that has run his own race," Collette said.

"He runs at a certain pace and then would kick it in at the end."

All through the third lap Stuart paced the pack, and on the back stretch of the final lap, another runner started gaining on him.

"And I started to panic and of course tears came to my eyes because I remembered that Stuart had promised that he was going win a gold medal for his brother when we were at world games," Collette said.

"And when it came to the last 50 meters, the boy from Venezuela passed him. I kept saying, 'Silver isn't too bad, Silver isn't too bad.' "

The next thing she knew, Stuart kicked it in even harder, recapturing the lead in the final feet on the home stretch.

"I heard the announcer he kept saying, 'Venezuela is going to do it, Venezuela is going to do it' and the next thing I knew he screamed, 'No, no, USA won!' and I just started to bawl like a baby. That was it - I lost it."

Her son had just won the gold medal in the Special Olympics by eight hundredths of a second.

Stuart said he didn't shed any tears when he won; his mother cried enough for both of them.

He knew all along that he was going to achieve his goal.

"This is for my brother. I wanted to win it for him," Stuart said while holding and gazing at his medal.

Back in Helena, with a time difference of 14 hours, the Coles got a call from Stuart's World Games coach.

"I was sleeping. Mom came in screaming and I thought something bad might have happened. It was amazing, but then I thought, 'I'm going back to sleep,' " Carmon said.

Jaramia said he was excited to hear about how Stuart had won by doing what they practiced.

Collette agreed.

"He really kicked it in this time," she said.

Stuart returned to Helena a few days after the race. He also brought home a bronze medal in the 4x400 relay and a seventh-place finish in the 3,000-meter.

Stuart quickly made the transition back to his Helena routine.

"He was very happy to get back to his junk food - his chips and his pop again. Believe it or not he's a junk food junkie," Collette said.

His favorite indulgence is Cheetos. Carmon and Jaramia sent a whole box of the orange munchies with Stuart to China.

Collette said she does not try to curb his junk food habit because he has always been thin and "needs all of the calories he can get."

Stuart, nearly the stick figure from the World Games T-shirts in real life, burns plenty of calories through his Special Olympics activities.

Besides track, Stuart also competes in golf, snowshoeing and basketball.

"He does every sport they offer here except skiing. And that's because the coaches knew we were going to end up with a broken leg so he had to take up snowshoeing," Collette said.

Although he does not compete in all the sports, he practices year-round with Special Olympics.

"Sports are his life," Collette added.

The day after he returned from China, Stuart, a bit jet-lagged, practiced with his basketball team.

They are preparing for the Special Olympics state tournament, which is in Helena Nov. 8-10.

Last Sunday, the team played a practice game against the Montana Developmental Center team. During the van ride to Boulder, Stuart sipped on Mountain Dew and munched on sour cream and cheddar Ruffles, sharing them with his eight teammates.

Head coach for the Helena area Special Olympics Andy Tobel said even with Stuart's junk food habit, he is very healthy.

"You're probably in better shape than anyone I know, Stuart," Tobel said while driving the team.

In the van, Stuart told his teammates about his trip.

When he told the van-load he met Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan, they all responded in unison, "No way!"

Although some of the guys admitted they were jealous of Stuart's gold, they all said they were proud of him.

"I wish I could have gone with you. That'd be cool," 26-year-old Dustin Teigen said.

Decked out in the jersey of his favorite player, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, Stuart sank quite a few shots in the game. While resting on the sidelines, he cheered on his team. There were high-fives and pats on the back all around.

Stuart also received many thumbs-up at a reception at his mom's office the Thursday after he returned.

He showed off his medals and various trinkets he received at the games.

"Are you famous?" one of Collette's cohorts asked.

Stuart responded with a huge, beaming grin.

He signed T-shirts and posed for dozens of photos. Carmon was there to help him cut the cake, which read, "Congratulations on your Olympic medal Stuart."

Donning a T-shirt featuring a photo of him with Carmon and Jaramia, Stuart spoke about his friendship with his two trainers. They continue to run together every once in a while and still hang out together.

"He just fell right in with them," Lori explained.

She was impressed with the way Stuart handled the soirée.

"You'd never guess that he's afraid of crowds. I thought he did really well. He's a superstar," Lori said.

There was another party in Stuart's honor at Safeway when he returned to his workplace of 15 years. The grocery store on North Montana Avenue continues to be abuzz with Stuart's win and his newfound celebrity.

"They just made it Stuart's year, which I really, really appreciate," Collette said.

While bagging groceries, Stuart's medals swung from his neck. His co-workers said he'd wear the awards every day if they weren't so heavy and noisy.

"You're clinking like Santa's sleigh," checker Laurie Mashek told him.

By the end of his shift, Stuart pressed the awards hard against his chest as he walked to prevent them from swaying.

His cohorts joked that they're afraid he'll crack a rib with his oscillating hardware.

"You're clanging like a cowbell," another coworker said.

Stuart's demeanor was a mixture of shyness and pride as he conversed with customers who eyed his awards and inquired about them.

"I tell customers, 'If you'd like a gold medalist to take out your groceries for you - we're offering that today,' " Mashek said.

His coworkers said they could tell Stuart would excel at the games by the speed at which he zooms through the store. Stuart strides at a brisk pace and is constantly in motion.

First Assistant Manager Ed Hagenbuch said Stuart is well-known by customers.

"It was amazing how many people came in after his win was announced in the paper," Hagenbuch said.

Collette said her son has always been a people person.

"No matter where we go, he knows more people than I ever thought of knowing," she said.

"In fact, one time when the Ice Cream Parlor was still here in Helena, we were in there eating.

"There were two elderly ladies there and he went over to them and he said, 'I've been worried about you because you haven't been in Safeway for a while' and they were so touched by that. So, he really does notice the people he's around," Collette added.

As for the medals, Collette is going to have a frame made for them. And so Stuart doesn't have medal withdrawals, Lori already has a plan.

"We're going to make a necklace with little medals so he can wear them every day and not hurt his neck," she said.

Reporter Angela Brandt:

447-4078 or angela.brandt@helenair.com