Virgen’s View: Lezak continues to inspire

The bids started to come in after a video of Jason Lezak’s amazing final leg of the 2008 Olympics 400-meter freestyle relay swim was shown at the Huntington Beach Hyatt on Saturday night.

The crowd during an auction appeared energized after watching Lezak’s phenomenal and legendary comeback. What’s more, Rowdy Gaines was at the mic to relive the call, which was also spectacular at the 10^th annual Pipeline to a Cure gala.

So, naturally, the bids went higher and higher. Lezak, the four-time Olympic gold medalist, was offering to deliver a motivational speech program in the name of charity, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Lezak says he enjoys being a part of the charity, as he has been in years past. This time it was really exciting as he saw the highest bid come in at $10,500. Lezak decided to give his speech to two bidders to help raise $21,000. His efforts helped the gala raise $540,000.

Lezak, the Irvine High alumnus, now delivers speeches, telling corporate employees and others to never give up. The thrilling video of the swim is always shown during the program. It never gets old, as it is one of the most exciting and iconic moments in Olympic history.

It helped Michael Phelps in his quest to win eight Olympic gold medals, to break Mark Spitz’s record.

Lezak’s comeback was truly remarkable. The U.S. edged France in that epic 400 free relay. The Americans included Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Lezak, who finished in a world-record time of 3:08.24, just eight one-hundredths faster than France. President George W. Bush was among the spectators.

Before the race, the Frenchmen were favored to win.

“It’s going to take a lot realistically for the United States to out-touch France,” says Dan Hicks on the call for NBC.

Rowdy chimes in with: “How many times have I broken this down? Every time I do this it comes down to France.”

Before Lezak, the team captain, began the anchor leg, he was nearly a body length behind Frenchman Alain Bernard.

Lezak, however, would not be denied.

Toward the final 25 meters, the crowd grows louder. Hicks’ voice intensifies.

“The United States trying to hang on to second; they should get the silver medal; Australia is in Bronze territory right now, but Lezak is closing a little bit on Bernard,” Hicks says. “Can the veteran chase him down and pull off a shocker here? Bernard is losing some ground, here comes Lezak... UNBELIEVABLE AT THE END, HE’S DONE IT! THE U.S. HAS DONE IT! HE DID IT! HE DID IT! A world record! Phelps’ hopes alive!”

Lezak says he enjoys giving his speech to people, including companies.

“I always try to relate my story to them as much as I can,” Lezak said. “I know that athletics and business can be so different. But they can also be so similar. They are going through certain struggles like I went through. I show them it wasn’t always easy riding to the top. I definitely struggled a lot. I came in second place many, many times until I got there. But I didn’t give up. I kept going for it. That’s part of the message that I like to share.”

The Pipeline to a Cure gala features many from the surfing community uniting to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. Researchers have found that children with cystic fibrosis who surf have healthier lungs than those who don’t.

According to a press release: doctors determined that inhaling saltwater mist has a powerful effect on rehydrating the lining of the lungs, which allows individuals with cystic fibrosis to more easily eliminate bacteria-contaminated mucus.

steven.virgen@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveVirgen