Metro Atlanta double-amputee veteran running marathons around the world

ATLANTA - A metro Atlanta veteran is proving nothing can hold him back.

After losing both legs while serving in Afghanistan, Cedric King was determined to keep moving and is now racing in marathons around the world.

The backstory:

Cedric King has not let anything hold him back, including a life-altering injury. The 20-year Army veteran was serving in Afghanistan in 2012 when he stepped on an IED during a patrol.

"The news that I just heard about me doesn't even feel real. What do you mean my legs got blown off my body a week ago? I've been in a coma, and now you're telling me I'm going to live the rest of my life as a double amputee? It doesn't even, it doesn't even come up on your radar that's even a possibility for your life," he said.

Cedric King during his time in the Army (Courtesy of Cedrick King)

The Army Master Sergeant said it was a life-changing injury, but he made sure that change would be for the better.

"Just like with any life-changing moment, you have a decision to make. Are you going to become a better you? Or are you going to become a smaller version of you? I didn't know it at the time, but I was just so doggedly persistent about getting back to where I used to be - not realizing that I could actually choose to be better where I used to be. I didn't realize that was an available option," the veteran said.

Dig deeper:

King says he was still in the hospital re-learning how to walk when he announced his plans to run his first race.

"Now for the first time, I'm trying to use legs that aren't there. Muscles that don't work. Tendons that are no longer connected to a foot. Using my arms for everything. I'm trying everything, just sliding around," he explained.

King during a recent marathon (Courtesy of Cedrick King)

He says when he conquered his fear of falling, he took off.

"Bad things are going to happen to you. It's part of it. But in between what happens and what you do about what happens is where life is found. It's in between what happens and what you choose to do about it," King said.

King meets President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden. (Courtesy of Cedrick King)

Now, he runs races around the world and delivers motivational speeches. He also works with the Semper Fi & America's Fund, a nonprofit that supports combat-wounded veterans and their families. It's the same organization that helped him during some of his most difficult times.

"And by me looking at this through the lens of, 'I could show people what to do when they lose something that really means something to them,' if I could do that, maybe this wouldn't be for nothing. Maybe I could say that at least this didn't happen for nothing," he told Good Day's Lindsay Tuman.

He leads team-building exercises for companies across the country and has a passion for using his story to inspire others, no matter the challenges they are facing.

King says he uses the same mentality on his runs that he used to get through his darkest time - life is what you make of it.

"You use what happens to you to create a better life. You don't complain about what happens. You use what happens to make your life better," he said.

What's next:

King recently finished the Tokyo Marathon. He plans to compete in his first 100-mile race in Georgia in July. He also wrote a book called "The Making Point," which is for sale on Amazon and other online retailers.