Hello everyone and hope all is well with you and yours.
Once again I have been on a traveling spree sharing the Racing for Recovery word and as a result there has been a lack of diary entries.
First of all, thank you to the sponsors, participants, supporters and 3d Racing for making the 2nd annual Racing for Recovery Half Ironman a great success. We doubled our numbers this year and heard nothing but positive feedback. There were 12 states and 2 countries represented at the event.
We are creating our entry forms for the 5k 10k on Oct 22. This year will feature a Halloween theme and will have some extra events tied into the race.
I mentioned traveling and here is the latest. I was speaking in St. Louis for their annual drug court graduation. There were judges, probation officers and the public at large in attendance and they all were very intrigued with our support group meeting format and want to include it in their area. I will be doing additional speaking gigs in Illinois in the fall to further share our program. Thanks to Craig and Nancy for all of their assistance.
Philadelphia and Texas had a total of 5,000 Racing for Recovery fliers in the participants race bags for 2 races this past weekend. Thanks to the race directors of both events for helping us share our program and to Steve for all of his support. I am off to Edmonton Canada for a half ironman and book signing this weekend then I have a break for 2 weeks before I to Ironman Lake Placid for book promotion. This is tough to be gone so much but this is what must be done to get our program out there I am just thankful that my wife Melissa and our kids are behind me doing this.
Ok here is some new information on the latest adventure of Racing for Recovery. I have been asked for years to develop some type of training and racing program for addicts and the public at large. Well we are implementing it now. This is going to be called simply Racing for Recovery and will have certified trainers who will help train people to participate in triathlons and running events. We are creating uniforms, establishing training locations and other needed requirements as we speak. We will do 2 pilot programs in New York and here in Toledo, Ohio and eventually implement this nationwide. I just raced in Philly where the Team in Training program had 250 participants and raised over 185,000 for their cause. There is not anything available for substance abuse prevention and recovery so we are going to put it out there and have a great impact on those we encounter.
I want to again stress the fact that Racing for Recovery is not strictly about triahtlons but this is an area of our program that is really making headway and we are going to continue to pursue this avenue to get our program out to help others.
On a personal note, I have 3 more classes left in my Master of Counseling program. I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and the hard work is once again paying off. Can you say “With Sobriety Anything is Possible”
Off on a bike ride. Enjoy your day.
Todd