tonight on "nightline" -- high school rampage. after gunshots rattle a quiet ohio town, we're on the scene, where a student opened fire in the cafeteria, killing one classmate, wounding four others. tonight, the teacher who risked his life to stop the young gunman. race from hell. it's the marathon to end all marathons. seven days of soul-crushing obstacles in the belly of the amazon in searing heat, stinging blisters and giant bugs. we follow a former beauty queen as she struggles to cross the finish line. and stepping out. the oscar winners might have been expected but there was one surprise breakout star last night. how angelina jolie's right leg became an overnight sensation.

>> from the global resources of abc news. with terry moran. cynthia mcfadden. and bill weir in new york city. this is "nightline." february 27th, 2012. good evening. i'm bill weir. columbine high school has produced countless good kids over the decades but there's a couple well-armed bad ones who took so many lives that it tainted the place in our collective memory. for a moment, this morning, it seemed that chardon high school in suburban cleveland was doomed to a similar fate. when a 17-year-old allegedly stood up in the cafeteria and opened fire, killing at least one, wounding others. it is horrific, but it could have been much worse. and chardon could have been another columbine, if not for the extraordinary actions of one assistant football coach. here's abc's reena ninan. >> we have an active shooter at the high school. >> reporter: the terror began early this morning in a normally quiet suburb of cleveland. >> repeat, active gunshots at the high school. >> reporter: inside the

cafeteria at chardon high school, where 1,110 students go to school, kids were settling in for breakfast around 7:30 this morning when a boy stood up and started shooting. nate mueller, a junior, was having breakfast when he heard a loud pop. >> and i turned around and i looked and he was standing above this table pointing his gun. >> reporter: the shooter sprayed the room with bullets, hitting at least five students. >> and he took one more shot. i turned around to go around and that's when i felt it hit my ear. >> reporter: he and abc's cleveland affiliate identified the teenage gunman as 17-year-old t.j. lane. >> you see glances of your friends laying all over the place, there's blood, people screaming. everybody's running in different directions, and you're just trying to get out. >> i was literally like 20 feet away, not even, and i saw him -- i'm in shock. >> reporter: some ran. others took cover. within minutes, emergency crews were dispatched and in communication.

>> fire department, you're going to have four victims. three in the cafeteria. one in 200. they're going assistance as soon as possible. we still don't know where this shooter is. >> reporter: soon police blocked off streets near the school and scoured the building, searching for the shooter. terrified parents scrambled to get a hold of their children. >> i haven't been able to get a hold of my kids unfortunately so i'm trying to figure out whatever information i can. >> reporter: students notified of the lockdown were shocked but prepared on what to do. >> we heard over the announcements that it was actually a serious deal. so we were just hunkered down in a room, lock the door. >> reporter: one man didn't take cover. the assistant football coach saw the shooting and chased the alleged gunman who escaped. >> we've just had a report of a student aged person running down route 6 at a sprint. >> reporter: the coach who risked his life to get the shooter out of the school is being called a hero by many tonight. within an hour, terrified

students were evacuated from the school. around 8:45, the lake county s.w.a.t. team arrived with an armored vehicle. quick action by first responders and readiness by the school is what many say saved their lives today. >> what you now see that's occurred, particularly since columbine, are departments actually understanding the layout of a school and they incorporate ems, the fire department, the police and anyone else conceivable in that community that perform emergency services. >> reporter: schools are now prepared for the worst. lockdown drills are commonplace. >> shut the door, lock the door, put a black piece of paper over the window so they can't look in or out. >> we've had a number of disaster drills in the past. thank god we put those into place because our teaching staff did an excellent job. >> reporter: local police departments are also trained for precisely this scenario. s.w.a.t. teams are dispatched immediately as they were today. >> if you combine that with the school's protocol, which

typically are lockdown, isolate, shut the lights off, it gives the s.w.a.t. team more time to react. >> reporter: and a change in strategy, the crews no longer wait, they go right in. by 9:00 a.m., an hour and a half into the ordeal, police arrested lane near chardon high school. but it was too late to save one student. 16-year-old daniel parmertor. his parents released a statement, we are shocked by this senseless tragedy. danny was a bright young boy who had a bright future ahead of him. the family is torn by this loss. >> i hope every parent, if you haven't hugged or kissed your kid in the last couple days, take that time. >> reporter: details about the suspected shooter are just now emerging. classmates describe lane as an outcast who had been bullied. it's unclear why he allegedly opened fire but in late december, he posted a poem on his facebook page that read, "he longed for one thing, the world to bow at his feet." and ended ominously, "die, all of you."

parents who flocked to school have now been reunited. tonight, the focus is on healing and on questions about why this happened. the worst u.s. school shooting in nearly a year. for "nightline," this is reena ninan in chardon, ohio. >> our thanks to reena for that. when we come back we'll tag along with a former miss florida as she races to the finish line in the ultimate jungle marathon. over forty-percent of adults don't meet the recommended daily intake for many vitamins and minerals through diet alone. try... each serving... with 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d. and available in... boost® is so confident you'll prefer their taste to ensure they're offering a...

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"nightline" continues from new york city with bill weir. our ancestors caught dinner with pointed sticks. and tonight we ordered takeout sushi.

thus, it is hard to argue that the human animal of the western world is getting tougher as time goes by. but a popularity of extreme races has exploded the ranks of folks eager to run across deserts or crawl through muck or, in tonight's case, race through the amazon for a week on foot. it sounds like the super bowl of mass masochism. abc's matt gutman checks it out for our series "into the wild." >> reporter: some go to brazil for the pristine beaches, the taped cuisine, the exotic wildlife. we came for the pain. >> ai-yi-yi! >> stand up, stand up. >> ow, ow, ow! >> ahh. >> oh, my god. >> feet up. >> reporter: specifically, the soul-destroying slog called "the jungle marathon." an ultramarathon. 149 torturous miles every seven days.

once a year, some of the world's most elite athletes pay thousands of dollars -- >> got my number. >> reporter: to suffer through mind-bending agony in this jungle paradise. >> come on, guys. start! >> reporter: shirley thompson runs the event. a veteran of multiple ultras herself -- good luck. >> reporter: she's got the build of a hummingbird but the mentality of a drill sergeant. >> your penalty if you're late for the start. wow, you look pretty. >> reporter: a perfect place for former beauty keeps. >> even color coordinated. >> of course. >> reporter: we arrive on day one where we meet dr. julie goldstein, a former miss florida, and current veterinarian. running this race in memory of her dog strider for whom she created the wag strong foundation. for folks like julie, the marathon begins long before the starting gun. racers endure multiple flights from miami, manaus, belem and finally to santarem. a three-hour spine-cracking jeep ride, and then this perilous

ride in a leaky canoe. everything you need to eat, sleep, and bathe is carried in on your blistered back. >> oh, boy, that's heavy. >> three, two, one! go! >> reporter: the first two days are comparative cakewalk. even though the swamps are impenetrable and the climbs endless. >> this is tough. >> reporter: it was just the start. julie is already, well, bushed. she's emotionally fried. her body is too. >> what does this mean for tomorrow? >> i got to try to eat more. >> reporter: you got to run tomorrow? >> yeah, oh, yeah. >> reporter: it's not going to stop you? >> no, no way. no way. >> reporter: but by day three, runners are already exhausted and they're not even halfway done. we had to get a closer look. >> yeah, just one. >> reporter: that's front-runner dan dylan. >> three, two, one, go!

>> reporter: a scot who spent a year training for this. >> ahh! >> reporter: the heat is searing. and in the terrain and the constant damp, runners' feet begin to disintegrate. >> that is nasty. >> reporter: by now, the majority of athletes have lost toenails. one would lose seven. at checkpoints like this, they stop to rest. what's it like to have your feet wet for about 6 1/2 hours? >> pretty gross. >> reporter: yeah? you stopped for a pedicure? >> i did. look, and my toes are still pink. >> reporter: we of course are traveling in style. the amazon at least. and our chase vehicle brings us miles into the rain forest. where the racers meet their next obstacle. medics race to protect the gear. all the while, treating racers limping across the day's finish line. >> sometimes they leave the

dirt, their jaws, they pull away quick. >> reporter: the rain slows many runners down, giving me a chance to test this part of the course. and it tests me. whoa! mud the consistency of quicksand nearly swallows our camera man. kenny chow. >> i got it. dude. >> reporter: 12 hours into this third day of the race, still no sign of julie. and then -- we hear her before we see her. >> i know, darling. >> can we eat something? >> reporter: i walked with her the last two miles to the day's finish. okay, a little bit more. couple logs up ahead. >> okay. >> reporter: as we head to the medic's tent, it's all too much. >> stand up, stand up. whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. come on, take your time. come on. off they come. >> reporter: the blisters. the rotting feet. the hunger. and the bugs.

it is the toughest day yet. five runners will quit tonight. >> i'll just cry. >> yeah, sort of getting that message now. >> reporter: we all bed down in our jungle hammocks. but shirley's schedule is relentless. a few hours later, the runners are back on the course. i didn't think you'd make it. you were so out last night, you were delirious. >> i was, yeah. i think i was singing to myself. i don't know what was happening. i know i was a bubbling idiot. crying like crazy. >> reporter: with the race winding down, shirley gathers the remaining troops to discuss the final stages. think death march. >> total distance is 105 kilometers and the course is open from 5:00 tomorrow morning till 9:00 the following night. >> reporter: that's 63 miles of jungle. most of it overnight in the pitch black. >> it's a long way to go. >> reporter: yeah, long way. >> chances are things go well,

i'll be going through the jungle around midnight tonight. >> three, two, one, go! >> reporter: the fifth day begins especially hot. and pretty soon there's mass confusion. markers are misplaced. runners are lost. others spend precious time backtracking. even our chase vehicle conks out. you really don't know how to do this? you're joking, right? and later runners become very, very ill. >> i'm going to get some doctors now. >> reporter: many are tired, thirsty and angry. as night falls, shirley heads back into the jungle to find lost runners. julie is also lost. she's been alone in the dark now for hours. >> i don't want to be alone. >> okay, nobody's -- >> i don't want to be alone. >> reporter: she's broken. >> everyone's quitting.

i'm still going to be alone in the jungle. >> reporter: okay, well, we're with you now. >> it's not funny anymore. >> reporter: she makes it back to the checkpoint. >> i was blowing my whistle for hours. i'm not kidding you. an hour. >> i know you can do this. >> reporter: but this would be it for her. julie ends it here. in fact, only 13 out of 55 runners completed the full seven-day race. and julie, well, she crossed the finish line ceremoniously running the last leg. despite the pain, flashing that beauty queen smile. they pay for this? >> of course we pay for it. this is fun. don't you want to do it, matt? >> reporter: yes. >> there you go. >> reporter: not really. but maybe. for "nightline," i'm matt gutman, somewhere in the amazon. >> amazing thing is the human body forgets most of that pain. thanks to matt. just ahead, forget oscar. we examine the pageantry, the

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some called it dull. others loved the crystal comeback. but other than the academy awards, name one program that can convince 40 million americans to stay up late to watch french people be happy. here's how they do it. every year they get very famous, very beautiful people to put on very tight clothing. then they turn on the cameras. when a single limb steals the show, we call abc's david wright. >> reporter: she wasn't even nominated but last night she stole the show. >> here are the nominees for adapted screenplay. >> reporter: rather, her right leg stole the show. >> the oscar goes to -- "the descendants." >> reporter: inspiring the best adapted screenplay winners to adapt their stance to hers. this was no wardrobe malfunction.

angelina jolie favors the leggy look. she knew exactly what she was doing. on the red carpet, she struck that uncomfortably wide stance often enough that today her leg started to multiply with the help of photoshop and twitter. while the oscars were still on the air, @angiesrightleg was already its own twitter account. more than 20,000 followers and counting. way more than j. lo's nipple or bradley cooper's mustache, the only other two body parts to upstage their actors' owners today. the tanks in tiananmen square would surely have stopped in their tracks for angelina's leg. the pepper spray guy probably would have stopped squirting those poor students. for a quick look. today, angelina's leg tiptoed into the last supper. nudged george washington's rowboat across the delaware. earned whistler's mom some wolf whistles. and one small step for man, one giant leap for angelina's leg.

the writer with the leg up on everyone starting this national gag was immediately called on the carpet for it. >> you guys are the first to start a huge trend which is called jolieing. >> i just saw the pose and i thought, you know what this we have exactly the same legs and i wanted to show everyone what it meant. it was a loving tribute. it was more like, oh, she's doing great, i want to stand like that too. >> reporter: today, angelina jolie might well have been wishing she had heeded ben stiller's advice. >> you don't want to be the presenter who tries too hard. >> what, you mean like a guy who would dress up in full avatar makeup or something? >> reporter: in a way, she did exactly what a star is supposed to do. she struck a pose and got some attention but not necessarily the reaction she was looking for. with angelina's right leg, i'm david wright for "nightline" in hollywood. >> that might hurt our chances to get a reaction from angelina's left leg on tomorrow night's show. thank you for watching abc news. "gma" in the morning. "jimmy kimmel"ne