While riding his bicycle to work during the New York City transit strike of 2005, fireman Matthew Long collided with a bus.  He sustained life-threatening injuries and doctors gave him a 1% chance of survival.

Fast forward a few years: 43-year-old Long is alive and well and he is still a fireman.  Even though one leg is now shorter than the other and he still struggles with chronic pain, Long has learned how to walk again.  He also follows a strict exercise schedule, exercising six days a week for two hours each day.  What’s more amazing is that Long enjoys riding his bicycle over 100 miles for fun and he has competed in the NYC marathon and the Ironman Triathlon, a combination of swimming, biking, and running.

No wonder, then, that Long’s discipline and comeback has landed him in Men’s Fitness magazine.  Along with basketball player Kobe Bryant and actor Dennis Leary, Long is listed as one of the world’s most fittest men of 2010.  Matthew Long’s inspiring life is truly one that gives meaning to the phrase “survival of the fittest.”