Jason Lester and Todd Crandell know a lot about battling adversity.
Both men recently completed the 2008 Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii.
But that's not what makes these athletes two sides of the same coin.
When he was just 12-years-old Jason Lester was riding his bike when he was hit by a car traveling 80 miles per hour and thrown 130 feet in the air.
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The accident left him without the use of one of his arms.
But would that stop Lester from completing the 10K swim that marks the start of the Ultraman race in Hawaii? Of course not.
He's lived his entire life with adversity and swimming 10K with one arm, well, that's just another hurdle to overcome---like making a movie about his extraordinary life, or getting ready to run across the United States.
Todd Crandell has spent much of his adult life seeking the next high. In fact he spent one Sunday afternoon doing cocaine and watching the Ironman World Championships from Hawaii on television.
But that was then.
Today Crandell has the distinction of being the only competitor we're aware of that completed the Ultraman (think of it as a double Ironman race) only to follow it up the next weekend with an Ironman. That's right after finishing his race in Hawaii Crandell got on a plane to Western Australia to race the Ironman.
But he didn't do it for fame or fortune. He did it support a friend who has also gone for addiction to Iron. You see Crandell founded and now runs Racing for Recovery--- U.S. based non-profit foundation with the mission of preventing substance abuse in adolescents and individuals and offering a positive alternative to those currently battling addiction.
Roman Mica had a chance to speak with both men and learn about their extraordinary lives and the extreme adversity that has shadowed them every step of the way.
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