As a person who was homeless for a couple years…I dont get what the point here is. I am not so sure that doing an IronMan will do anything but get the guy some exposure and maybe a new job.
Dude, that sucks about you being homeless but I got to agree with you that I don’t see the point. The storyline is lame to me, so what happens after he finishes or fails it, he goes back to being homeless?
What? Okay, I call BS here. Lifes dream to do Ironman? That is a goal, but certainly not a goal that a homeless person should have first on their slate of tasks to conquer. I want to know, was he homeless sleeping with his bike in the woods, eating from dumpsters and stealing tips from resturaunt tables? What do we really have here? For some reason I am willing to bet that he was given a homestay of some sort, proper coaching and fuel to train - and if so, good on him and god bless them all. This however would not at all be what a true story of going from homelessness to Ironman…there is NO pride in that. Now going from homeless to being your own man and having a home, sure there is in that. Be that as it may, I have known a few people who were homeless and PREFER it! I have many times when driving to a job I hated to pay bills for bullshit possessions thought that I would be better off sleeping in laundry rooms again.
Rant off…
Sounds a lot like the life of a lower level IM Pro 
Haim
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While others who might view this as just another typical homeless case, and perhaps make a donation to an organization hoping the funds will help, Jason will be doing something entirely different. Instead, Jason will be going the extra mile be bringing attention to the homeless situation that has plagued Hawaii and many parts of the nation, by… swapping lives. Jason will live Steve’s life on the street, and Steve will now live Jason’s life as a dedicated athlete. Jason will discover what it is like to be homeless and face the every day stress and mental challenges of living. Steve will be exposed to Jason’s life by living, breathing, eating, walking, talking, and now running, and experiencing the grueling reality of what it takes to become an Ironman.
You know, still - I think this is great and I am sure it will be a good story. But, it will be more like MTV’s Real World, than the real world.
Steve as noble as it would seem living on the “homeless life” knows in his mind he has a home, has money and can quit. He will have camera’s following him and protection from random thugs beating him for no good reason. He will no doubt have proper food provided, showers, clothing. There is no way to convey the real felling of helplessness, the real black hole that being homeless is to someone who is doing it “for the story”. I do give quite a bit to homeless charities these days as I live a blessed life and know that there needs to be more attention paid to this problem - I really however think that possibly “Steve” will one day look back at this with a diffrent view point (more like mine) about this movie. The quote on the site hit it spot on - “Dont judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes”. Well, Jason wont walk a mile in Steves shoes…the shoes on a homeless person tend to be ill fitting, worn out…and walking to destination unknown. I may be wrong, but I really doubt that Steve will be sleeping in a dumpster behind a McDonalds to find food, and keep him out of a cold rain.
Oh, and if you GIVE to charity…you give to charity…I also help out at a local shelter. But…lets not forget that this movie is for profit! And Steve only gets 10% for his lifes story?
You seem a bit angry. I’m sorry.
No no…just “reality” is not what it seems. Like I said, I think that it is great for these guys and I hope they make a mint, and keep some for themselves. Where I get issues are that it seems that most people think that homeless people are all lazy addicts, helpless or this or that or the other thing. Sadly most homless these days are mentally ill and just get cast away from society. We like to pretend we care, as long as our kids dont see them.
If this guy is really going to live the homeless life I think they should spend a week or two together in that world…but I digress.
Allot of people dont know about a hobby of some people have. They “Hobo” around, jump on trains and spend a week or two as a “bum” and ride trains to god only knows where. They drink, eat bad food and sleep in shantys not shave in the morning. Then, when they get bored they get a hotel room and a plane ticket home…I once had one of these guys tell me that he knew what it was like to be homeless…un huh…that is what gets me is “oh, I know what that is like”.
I take it you know these fellers?
Would be very neat to trade stories…I am sure that he has some good ones, as do I. Most folks would not beleive most of them from either of us 
I did shoot you an e-mail to info@
The big point I have had a very hard time getting across to anyone is…
Sometimes you are homeless cause you dont have a job, you cant get job cause you are homeless…catch 22. I was lucky to not be an addict…but the misery of the life leads many to find anyway out they can find…drugs, alcohol, chemicals, paint…and thus the spiral begins. Steve was quite lucky to have someone that was willing to listen.
But, this is maybe something for offline…
Hi Jason,
Glad to see this is all coming together. We met on the Queen K in November. One of Trevor’s crew.
clm
As a person who was homeless for a couple years…I dont get what the point here is. I am not so sure that doing an IronMan will do anything but get the guy some exposure and maybe a new job.
Yep, sounds like a new job is the last thing he needs… duh!!!
Message sent!
Wasn’t there a movie about this already with Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd?
So does this poor guy have to commit to stay homeless for the whole year? What’s the deal? What happens if he does some job-hunting and spends a little time with a financial planner, that could ruin everything.
Not being judgmental, but wouldn’t it be better for him to spend his energies trying to find a job/home/etc.
Of course there are much better ways for this guy to be spending his time and energy, but this isn’t just about helping someone get out of a bad situation. If it were, the original post would have been about getting Steve get back on his feet mentally, physically, and financially before encouraging (and enabling) him to dive head first into the expensive and time-consuming “lifestyle” that is Ironman.
This is about selling a story, and the producers have done their homework. Witnessing someone’s zealous pursuit of a relatively superficial dream at a personal and social cost much greater than what any sane person would be willing to risk is what makes for great drama. It can be inspiring if they make it; it can be heartbreaking if they don’t. But it’s often entertaining either way. Remember Tim Medvetz on “Everest: Beyond the Limits” – the guy with metal pins in his back who dropped $50K (twice) and put his life and those of his teammates at risk (twice) just for the chance to stand on top of Everest? Perfect example. And that show’s ratings were off the chart (at least for the Discovery Channel). It’s that tragic element of some people’s personalities – to which they themselves often are oblivious – that makes us want to watch to see just how far they’ll go. Or how far they’ll fall. Obviously the producers here have found that element in Steve, and they’re going to run with it. More power to them. Hopefully Steve will be better for it in the end. But if not, it’s still going to make for a powerful story, though perhaps not one with a very happy ending.
On the other hand, if you’re just looking for a no-strings attached, pick-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps inspirational story, look no further than Chip. That guy’s the real deal.
On the other hand, if you’re just looking for a no-strings attached, pick-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps inspirational story, look no further than Chip. That guy’s the real deal.
Oh no…allot of people had it WAY worse than I.
Now, what I now know that I did not know by reading the thread…Steve and Jason were friends BEFORE Jason’s life fell to ruin. This is a good story about dedicated friends doing what ever it took for each other…the tread title is VERY misleading. They did not find some random bum on the streets and decide to go racing…as I was first thinking. They were friends…now that is a good story.
In Reply To Oh no…allot of people had it WAY worse than I.
There’s always going to be someone way worse off (or way better off). It’s still a great story.
As for this case, I’m honestly not sure if being “friends” beforehand changes my opinion. It almost makes it seem even more like Steve – and his dreams – are being taken advantage of. If I had a friend who became homeless, I’m pretty sure my first response would be to try to help him get his life back together rather than to join him living on the streets so that we could make an inspirational documentary about training for the Ironman together. But maybe you’re right and there’s a lot more complexity to the story than what the original post implied. At any rate, I’m lucky enough to never have been in either Steve or Jason’s situation, so if you’re willing to give these guys the benefit of the doubt, I probably should be willing to do so, too. So good luck, guys. I hope it works out well for both of you.
The film is a not for profit film. The funds are going towards an orphanage in Thailand.
Read up on the background of who is producing the film and what they are about.
Then judge.
Till then. God Bless.
The NEVER STOP Foundation has a three-year plan from 2008 to 2010 in which to achieve several goals. In order to share Jason’s encouraging message with both young and old alike, the foundation created several avenues in which to tell his story. They include a 90-minute documentary, “A Painted Race,” recording Jason’s journey to the Hawaiian Ultraman (two back-to-back Ironman races conducted over three days) that is currently being filmed. Also in production is a full-length feature film, “Chasing Me,” that will chronicle his incredible life story. As well, Jason’s first book, “Chosen – The testimony and story of Ironman Triathlete, Jason P. Lester,” is in progress. Proceeds from these projects, as well as through several fundraisers, will ultimately go to build the Inspire Youth Center in Arizona by 2011.
So was it an “innocent mistake” that got him fired and led to his homelessness or was it “his addiction”?
The funds are going towards an orphanage in Thailand.
LOL!
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This is very cool, Jason. I met you at one of the IronPrayer services, I believe (Arizona? Coeur d’Alene? Lake Placid? Can’t remember). Did you attend the ICTri Camp in Arizona in 2005? Anyway, blessings to you and best wishes in this endeavor.