Hey all,

Sorry it has taken me so long to post anything new here as I am constantly updating 3 Facebook pages and a Twitter page.

Here is the latest.  Racing for Recovery is presenting Running with Demons on May 8 here in Sylvania, Ohio.  Ticket information is here https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=de6371e9ef7457eb75d7382ebd2524cc&t=tix.  If you can’t attend, please purchase 2 tickets and donate them back to us so we can utilize them for local rehabs.

Taxes are complete for 2009 and we are currently applying for grants to help fund our worthy program.

I am getting ready to run my first 100 miler this weekend http://ironhorse100kmclub.com/.  I have a pretty good idea of what is in store for me both good and bad but it is what I do.

Thanks to Fremont Parks and Recreation Center who implemented an indoor 10k yesterday which 80 people participated.  Racing for Recovery was the benefactor of the entry fees which resulted in $1260.00 for our program.

June 6 is the 6th Annual Racing for Recovery Half and Sprint Triathlon and we look forward to putting on another amazing event .

I am continuing to counsel as many people as possible and completely enjoy this aspect of my “job”.  I have worked very hard to be educated and licensed in this field.  I am 2 classes away from having my license valid through 2013.  If you are looking for a speaker and counselor to help in any capacity I am proud to say I am the “real deal” on many levels.

Enjoy your day and thanks for your support.

Todd

Happy Holidays everyone.  I wish you and yours a joyous and blessed holiday season.

Tickets are now available for the screening of Running with Demons here in Sylvania, Ohio on May 8.  Even if you cant attend please support the event and donate your tickets back to us so we can give them out to those who cant afford the cost of a ticket.

Today I turned 43 and just want to say how thankful I am for all I have and what this program does for thousands of people.

Todd

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving with their friends and families.  We all have a lot to be thankful for.

Ok where to begin.  Let me start by saying yesterday Melissa and I took Mason to his school play.  This was the last Thanksgiving play at the pre-school all of our friends have attended and it made me realize our kids are really growing up.  I want to maintain the staying in the moment vibe with all of them as life is too short to not be totally involved in the growing up process.

My weeks worth of speaking gigs and implementing a Racing for Recovery support group meeting in New Hampshire was awesome.  The film crew from Running with Demons was there and shot some footage of me doing speaking gigs.  Speaking of Running with Demons, the premiere is Saturday May, 8 here in Sylvania, Ohio at Tam O Shanter.  This is where I grew up playing hockey and of course it is local to my community.  More information will be coming on this soon.

Running has been going well lately.  I completed the Detroit Marathon 3:55 my best time and the this past Sunday completed the Philadelphia Marathon in 3:43.  I need to do a 3:20 now to qualify for Boston.  God the people that can run that fast have my utmost respect.  Next up is the Vegas Marathon Dec 6.

On the Educational front I am continuing to take CEU classes to maintain my PC and LCDC licenses and will have all my credits done a year before they are due.  In March I should know if I am accepted into the Ph.D of Psychology program at Bowling Green State University.  God willing I will be able to pursue this degree.

I am also doing the Love Dare.  If you have not seen the movie Fireproof watch it.  I am doing this with the same effort I put into everything else I do which is 100 percent.

Enjoy your day.

TC

Hello from Edmonton Alberta where I am doing 4 speaking engagements.  Yesterday I spoke at DACSAW (Drug and Alcohol Council For Safe Alberta Workplaces and today I am at Harry Ainlay High School where my buddy Darwin Holt is a teacher.  I am thankful to be here and grateful to be staying at Darwins  house instead of a hotel.  Hotel will be next week is in New Hampshire.  I throughly enjoy sharing my story and the Racing for Recovery message and witnessing that mission impact other lives.

Our 8th Annual Racing for Recovery 5k 10k run/walk this past Sunday was once again awesome.  It is amazing to think we have been putting this worthy event on for 8 years now and this year was the best.  It is a ton of work and requires support from many people and I appreciate all who made this event possible.

I have been enjoying simply running lately and was happy to finally break a sub 4 hour marathon with a 3:55 in Detroit.  I have entered the Antartica Marathon for 2013 (yes it is sold out until then) and after completing that race I will have run a marathon on all 7 continents.  In the overall importance of life who cares but it is another notch on my racing achievements.

My daughter Skylar won her soccer tournament this past weekend.  I love watching my kids play sports and I am proud of all they do.

Anyone out there that does PR and would like to work with Racing for Recovery?  Let me know at toddcrandell@racingforrecovery.com.

Off to speak then going to the Oilers and Red Wings game tonight.  Life is good eh?  Know why I get to do what I do?  Because I do not do drugs anymore and I am doing my best to help others do the same.

T

Back home from finishing the Sydney Australia Marathon and also doing 3 worthy speaking engagements for the benefit of kids who come from broken homes.  This was the true reason I was there and that is to share my message of HOPE to those battling addictions, running the marathon was awesome but second in my priorities.  I had a blast traveling with my friend Stevin Groth who has lost 100 pounds has taken up running to do so.  Thanks to James Short and David Gray for making it all happen.

Getting ready for the 8th Annual Racing for Recovery 5k, 10k on October 25.  I truly hope this community I live in supports this worthy event.  Keep in mind people alcohol and drug addiction cost the American economy 276 billion dollars a year in lost productivity so anything that can be done to prevent addiction in kids is well worth it.

We have a brand new sponsorship kit and if you are interested in supporting us, please email me at Racing4recovery@aol.com.  New York Life has donated $2800.00 that helps to put on the 5k so thank you to Jeff and Kim King along with the gang at New York Life for supporting us.

Going to run the Detroit Marathon on Oct 18 and also have speaking engagements in Michigan, New York, Edmonton Canada and New Hampshire coming up.  I love my life and have everything I need.  How did I get to where I am?  I stopped drinking on April 15, 1993.

Enjoy your day.

T

I have really enjoyed “JUST BEING ME” lately.  What I mean by this is simply being a dad and taking my kids to soccer or the skateboard park, running for the joy of running and not having a huge event I am doing (Although I am running the Syndey Australia Marathon on September 20) counseling people (which I love and worked hard to be licensed to do so) and being the Executive Director of Racing for Recovery.  I am proud of the fact that I did not copy off of any existing organization but rather created (with the help of others) the awesome program that we have.

I am looking forward representing Ohio at the A and E Recovery Rally in New York City this weekend.  It is an honor to be chosen for this worthy event and I look forward to meeting many people who have walked in similar shoes.

Our 8th Annual Racing for Recovery 5k, 10k  is October 25 and registration is available on www.racingforrecovery.com.  I have been doing all I can to promote the event locally and hope the community supports the mission of our program.  We are always looking for volunteers, sponsors and participants.  Please contact me at toddcrandell@racingforrecovery.com if you are interested in any capacity.

As always, I have my mind pondering many projects both personally and professionally.  I never know where I am going to end up but just knowing that God will eventually place me where I need to be is comforting.  Life is not always easy but that does not mean I have to drink over it but rather but my faith in high gear and know all will be ok?

To those who support me and this program in your own special ways, do not ever think for a moment that I do not appreciate all you do.

Peace to you all.

TC

To anyone who is currently using drugs to make their lives better I simply want to say there is a better way of living.  The pain and suffering that results from a choice to use does not have to exist any longer.  You do NOT have to drink ever again if you choose not to.

I am not saying all of lives problems will stop because you are no longer using but I will say you will be able to deal with your issues in a more productive way by being sober.  There is such a better way of living than the hard work that comes with being addicted and I pray you all find it soon.

I have 7 orders for the Racing for Recovery race uniforms by Louis Garneau.  They are $210.00 for shorts, tops and shipping.  We need 12 to get the order started.  If you are interested, please send your check to 6936 Clare Ct. Sylvania, Ohio 43560.

I have been reviewing footage from Ultraman Canada that will be a part of the new documentary Running with Demons and I must say it is going to be extremely beneficial to all who witness it.  I do not have a time of release yet and as soon as I can provide more information I surely will.

My kids start school tomorrow and specifically Skylar starts Jr. High.  This is the same school where things went wrong for me and you can make sure I will do all I can to keep her on the right path so she can have a sober and productive life.

Peace to you all.

T

I want to thank everyone who made my finish at Ultraman Canada possible.  Special thanks to Stevin Groth for my flight and Amy Kramer for Scott’s flight.  I could not have done the event without my coach Scott H

orns and Darwin Holt who has done both Ultramans as well.  To my friend who left comments on Facebook thank you very much as it helped me make it and to Melissa and my kids thanks for keeping together at home.

It is hard but nice to rest but I am doing it as it is just as important as training.  I will be running the Sydney Australia marathon on September 20 so will start running again soon.

Our Racing for Recovery golf outing is this Friday and the 8th Annual 5k, 10k is Oct 25.

Please support these events in any capacity you can.

Lastly, I am going to vent here.  It is sad to see another professional athlete go back to booze and drugs again after being in the media with a book talking about his sobriety.  I pray he gets sober again but let this be a message that it takes more than not using for a year or 2 to write a book and get out there in the media and talk about sobriety.  Putting yourself out there comes with  a tremendous amount of responsibility and that should not be taken lightly.  When you choose to drink again after telling the world how sober you are it sends a message to the nay sayers that “see they can never get sober and stay that way”.

T

Hello from Ultraman Canada,

Dear God,

I just want to say Thank You for the amazing life you have provided to me.  I thank you for giving and maintaining my drug free life as that is what everything I have is based on.  I thank you for maintaining my marriage as it has been a struggle at times mostly due to the lifestyle I lead.  I can’t imagine being a wife and having the “normal” and then having that get turned completely upside down must be hard to handle at times.  Don’t think for a minute that I do not understand what I have done to our family financially and emotionally and that I do not appreciate what you as my wife have done to maintain the homefront.    I thank you for the 4 healthy, intelligent, beautiful and loving kids that remind me of what life is all about on a daily basis.  I thank you for the education and credentials I have as I utilize them to aid others achieve their potential. I thank you for the physical abilities you have given me as they have enabled me to do extroidenary things all are geared to not only personal gains but carrying a message of HOPE to the world. Last but not least, I thank you for Racing for Recovery and all the goodness this program has  brought to thousands of lives.  I know this is my purpose and it is humbling to be the Founder and Executive Director of such a worthy organization.

I am tired physically now and have one more major physical test of endurance with Ultraman Canada on Aug 1,2 and 3.  I have nothing to prove at this point to anyone including myself about what I can accomplish on a physical level so that is not the purpose of this adventure.  I am doing this because there is an opportunity to capture not only this event but the personal struggles I face and the benefits Racing for Recovery has had on other lives.  That is the purpose of me doing this event.

I have done all I can financially, physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually to get Racing for Recovery to where it is today.  I also want to say this program would not be where it is without the assistance and support of many people and you all know who you are.  Having said that, I am giving this whole thing up and putting it in your hands because I simply do not know what else to do.  I do not view this as a bad thing but rather a very positive action of understanding my faith in what you have in store for me in the years ahead.  I am tired of going going going to achieve more more more and simply want to enjoy the process and the ride of it all.

What I ask from you is Peace of Mind along the way and simply have my mind slow down a little bit.

Thanks for your time and now I will enjoy my day.

TC