ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Roger Little will be 82 years old when he competes in the 20th Ironman World Championship in October. He'll be the oldest participant on the course in Kona, Hawaii.

"Most of my life has been focused on doing the Ironman in Kona," Little said. "But I would go from Ironman to Ironman until I got a slot. So I was an Ironman slot machine."

But, it was just recently he dedicated his life back to the sport. Every morning, Little puts in the miles — swim, bike, run. Repeat. The St. Petersburg native, who spends part of the year living in Massachusetts, knows every bump in the road and current pulling in Kailua Bay.

"I know that course in Kona like the back of my hand," he said. "I had to get to Kona because that is triathlon heaven."

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Little has competed in triathlons for four decades. He's done over 400 triathlons, including 40 Ironman races. The Ironman is the most intense of all the triathlon events. It requires a 2.4 miles swim, 112-mile bike, and finishes with a marathon, a 26.2-mile run.

Little traveled the world as an entrepreneur in the solar energy industry.

"Of course, the whole world wanted to be in that business. For 30-40 years, I would start factories in different countries," he said. "I went all over the world putting factories in to make solar panels. With triathlons growing all over the world, there's a lot of chances."

He would often schedule client meetings around Ironman events.

"I had my bike in a box and I would drag it like a dog," Little said. "I want to do a world championship in Spain and by the way, I have a customer in Madrid."

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Little stopped competing in Ironman events a few years ago because of aches and pains and other business ventures. Then last year, his wife, Lyn, passed away.

"I said, 'What am I going to do with my life?' I need some purpose. I need some focus. I need to do something then think about my wife. I decided I would try to get back to Kona," he said.

Little got back to training for the next Ironman qualifier. But during one morning bike ride, he was hit by an SUV.

"I just got crunched," Little said. "I had blood all over the road. It was pretty bad."

He injured his elbow, several ribs and fractured his collar bone. But the biggest concern was on his temple.

"I went to a local clinic, they stuck a needle to aspirate it, and it shot blood across the room," Little said. "The doctor said, 'That's not a hematoma. That's an aneurism.'"

He had surgery on the temple artery, and just two months later, he qualified for his 20th Ironman World Championship in Kona.

"Whether he falls off his bike or not, he's back on the next day, in the pool or running," Little's friend, Bill Riley, said. "He's the best. He's probably done more triathlons than anyone in his age group."

"I'm concerned about it this time," Little said. "I'm much slower, obviously. If I can just make it through the race in 17 hours I will be delighted."

Time and time again, Little has proven that he is the ultimate iron man.

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This story was originally published by Kyle Burger on Scripps station WFTS in Tampa.

LAKE WORTH, Fla. —

Ryan Batchelder’s mother describes him as "just sunshine."

"And very funny," Meg Batchelder said. "Everyone liked to be around him. He just had charisma. He had the 'it' factor."

In July of 2014, the entire Batchelder family traveled from their home in Lake Worth, Florida, to Lake Burton, Georgia, for a vacation.

Much of the family was out on a boat with Ryan sitting near the front. The front of the boat dipped below the water, sweeping Ryan away and into the propeller.

He was only 7 years old.

"My other son, he was 9 at the time, he was screaming, 'My brother's dead! My brother's dead!'" Batchelder said. "I was like, 'No, this can’t be.'"

The Batchelders filed a civil suit against the boat company, Malibu Boats, claiming the boat was not properly weighted, causing the bow to dip underwater.

On Saturday, the jury in Georgia returned its monumental verdict, saying Malibu Boats is liable for Ryan's death. They awarded the Batchelders $200 million in damages.

"I was very overwhelmed when I heard the verdict," Batchelder said. "I was just stunned and shocked."

Don Fountain, the Batchelder's attorney, added, "I think the jury’s verdict sends a loud and clear message to Malibu and the entire industry. And it speaks in the terms they understand: dollars and cents."

Malibu Boats did not respond to a request for comment on the verdict, but Fountain said he expects them to appeal the verdict.

While she's waiting for the next step in this long process, Batchelder said she will continue to work with Little Hugs, the foundation she created in Ryan's honor. The foundation provides stuffed animals for children in need.

"He loved stuff animals," Batchelder said of Ryan. "He had a wish, he had told me, to be Santa Claus and to have a million stuffed animals."

Batchelder said she can only imagine the good she could do if she ever saw any of the money from the verdict. But she also said this case was never about the dollars.

Both she and Fountain agree this is about responsibility.

"They need to do better. They need to be safer," Fountain said of boat companies. "And we hope that message will be heard loud and clear around the world."

Batchedler added, "I want to take it to the end. They need to be held accountable, and we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again."