Six years ago right this minute I was flying home from Malaysia where I had my one and only DNF (did not finish) from an Ironman.  I was devastated and found that my priorities were completely out of whack and I needed to get my act straight.  I remember laying in my hotel room in Malaysia and thinking I was dying because of how beat up my body was and actually called my dad and told him I did not think I was going to make it.  I thought and prayed to God (like I had done many times when I was drunk) “please help me get out of this mess and I promise it will not happen again”  I mean I should not have left my pregnant wife in the first place but I was determined to finish that damn race.  Huge wake up call for me on that trip.

Arriving at the hospital within 2 hours of Madison’s birth and realizing I “made it” through another rough spot was relieving to say the least.  Family, faith and friends are what is important in life not Ironmans.

I am blessed to have 4 beautiful kids and today as Madison turns 6 I am reminded again of how precious they are to me.  I love them all with all I have and simply do the best I can in all areas of my life to make them healthy and happy.  Happy birthday Madison daddy loves you.

On a side note I have a great friend who I have known for years along with his awesome family who all are struggling with a family members “problems”.  It is hard to witness this turmoil as I am reminded of how supportive of me they all were during my troubled years.  I am praying for all of them and will do anything I can to assist.

Lastly to my friend from Jr. High Joyce.  I was moved by your letter to your supervisor regarding me speaking and want you to know what an amazing and kind hearted person you are.

Off to see a client then get a run in before seeing more clients, having lunch with Madison then taking my son Konor to Boy Scouts tonight.

Enjoy your day everyone.

TC

Hello all,

I just returned from doing 2 speaking engagements and running a 5k at Pope Air Force Base in Fayetteville, North Carolina.  I want to thank Jack Warburton and the rest of the Air Force for having me share the Racing for Recovery message.  I was truly honored to be there and thank the men and women who are serving our great country so we can live the way we do.

I jokingly said “I probably could have used the Air Force when I was younger but I doubt the Air Force could have use me”.  This base is community within the town equipped with everything they need to be successful.  

When we ran our 5k I thought to myself “this is my kind of environment and it was an awesome experience.  I must say meeting “John” and having him share his personal story of addiction and how great he is doing today was the highlight of the day. 

TC

I am posting this message in memory of my dear friend Eric Floyd who died one year ago today from a drunk driving accident.  There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of Eric and I miss him dearly.  I made a commitment to you, your family and God that I would do all I can to never let this happen to anyone else and through Racing for Recovery we are doing just that.

I am off to North Carolina to do a speaking engagement for the United States Armed Services and I am honored to do so.

To the family I met with last night regarding their son’s addiction, do not give up HOPE as he can get his life back together and you can all regain the trust in him you once had.

TC

Here is a quote from me after finishing Ultraman Hawaii. HERE MY WORDS PEOPLE I WILL NEVER,  NEVER, NEVER DO THIS RACE AGAIN.  I HAVE NOTHING TO PROVE TO ANYONE OR TO MYSELF WHEN IT COMES TO THIS SPORT OF TRIATHLON.  

At the time, I truly felt those words but oh have things changed.  I am doing Ultraman Canada www.ultramancanada.com (Aug 1,2 & 3) this year and actually it is 20 days after I do both Ironman Germany (July 5) and Ironman Switzerland (July 12) which will give me plenty of rest lol.  I also will be doing a speaking engagement for the Penticton, Canada community on July 30.

Some my ask and actually have asked “Why” or as a close friend said “dude what are you running away from”? and the basic answer is I want to do this and still feel a “need” to do this.  This all started by a fellow Ultraman Hawaii competitor contacting me and after talking about life and Ultraman said “you know if you do Ultraman Canada you will one of 14 people in the world who have done both Ultraman Hawaii and Ultraman Canada”?  That sounded like a good reason to me ha.  Actually, I feel I still have unfinished business and that is a good thing.  I do not want to get comfortable or complacent in certain areas of my life (education, hence me pursuing the Ph.D, triathlon, family and improving Racing for Recovery)

I have asked my family to come with me on this trip and hopefully they will.  There would be nothing better than crossing that line with them being there in support

I know the feeling of participating, suffering and finishing an Ultraman and I want it again.  See pic below and notice the look on my face.  

I am hopeful this decision does not put too much stress on certain people and if it does I am sorry but I have to be true to who I am and what I do as well right?  I mean as much as I want happiness for others in my life, I think I am entitled to that same happiness for me.

Life is about doing and talking about it.  When I am on my death bed (which could be at the end of this race lol) I will not be saying “I wish I would have done this or that instead I will say THAT WAS A BLAST”

Last but not least congrats to Skylar and the rest of her basketball team for winning their league and playoffs this year.  The won the championship game yesterday and it was awesome to watch.  Also congrats to coach Melissa Crandell who did a great job with the girls this year.  That is what it is all about giving back to help others.

TC

Sitting here Saturday night (Valentines Day) listening to some Shinedown (songs What a Shame, Burning Bright and Second Chance) and watching my sons play WII Fit that I bought them today and wondering when the ups and downs of life stop or settle down.  I actually know the answer to that question already which is that is life as it is full of ups and downs.  I guess what I am saying since I and thus we have control over some of those ups and downs it is high time I take control here eh?  Now I can hear some people saying “oh God an addict trying to control things is not good for sobriety” lol that is not what I am getting at here.

We all have a choice (another word I love to use post drinking days) as to what we do, how we think, how we respond or react to things and people.  I just get tired and quite honestly bored of certain things that are nothing but negative junk.  None of us are perfect only one person is and we all know or should know who that is, our job as I see it, is to simply to do the best we can on the given day.  

I am working with the University of Toledo and their Ph.D program regarding my application and I need to simply add some information and retake the GRE (great more studying lol) to hopefully be accepted into their program.  After passing that NCE exam and taking a few days to collect my thoughts, I have decided I want that Ph.D and by God I am going to get it.

Had another great night at the Motley Crue show in Grand Rapids Michigan last night.  I think it was the 60th time I have seen those guys.  Here are a few pics from previous meetings.

Here is a huge fist pump to all of us who did not drink today, exercise, sought counseling, volunteered or simply did what they needed to do to stay healthy.

TC

After 2 failed attempts and the perseverance to press on along with over a years worth of studying, I passed my NCE exam today.  I am now (after the state of Ohio board reviews my exam results) a PCC Professional Clinical Counselor.  This adds to my credentials of already being a LCDC III Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor III.  This is a huge relief for me and I am thankful for all of those who have supported me along the way.  

I am now off to Orlando to meet with a screenwriter and producers about a feature film.

Enjoy your day.

TC

I am sharing this letter with you all and once again reminded that what I and this program does is AWESOME.

It was Sept 1st 2008 almost exactly 20 years to the day of my father’s death that I met Todd Crandell.
 
On September 3rd 1988 my father was killed in a drunk driving accident. That night my mother was widowed at 36 years old and my family was left reeling for an answer. 
 
In 1988, 48% of all auto fatalities involved alcohol. Those crashes represented an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 32 minutes.  An estimated 310,000 persons were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present — an average of one person injured approximately every 2 minutes. Fast forward to this year; every 30 minutes someone will be killed in an alcohol related traffic accident. 
 
That Sunday morning of Sept 1, 2008, as I sat at 6 am waiting to start IronMan Louisville I struck up a conversation with a guy next to me. A guy with a great story, to tell and someone who everyone seems to want to talk too. See, Todd has a personality as big as the tattoos that smear down both arms from shoulder to wrist. A quietly confident guy who’s voice seems to grab the attention to everyone around him. 
 
I overheard Todd talking to a neighboring future IronMan and instantly recognized his voice from an ESPN piece I had seen a few months back.  Todd was telling of a
13-year struggle with drugs and alcohol that nearly destroyed his life, devastating relationships with family and friends and shattering the promise of a professional hockey career.  
 
I was instantly drawn to the story as I was about to start IronMan Louisville after watching a dear friend, and 2 time IronMan finisher, Kevin Burton battle and overcome an addiction with alcohol. Kevin has displayed courage that I could only have dreamed of achieving by beating his addiction and this was my way to say “thank you” to him and all of the others who have faced the demons and lived to see the next day. 
 
Todd and I chatted about his struggles and his foundations mission. Racing for Recovery was founded in 2001 and continues to serve to prevent substance abuse in adolescents and individuals by offering a positive alternative to those currently battling addition.  Todd was there to promote a lifestyle of sobriety through fitness. 
 
Todd and I passed a few times on the course that day and in good spirits he always yelled words of encouragement. 
 
When I returned from IronMan Todd and I exchanged emails and a few phone calls referencing how I could help his foundation. We agreed that highlighting my 2009 race calendar with the Burning River 100 Ultra Marathon would be a great way to raise money and awareness for this cause. 
 
On August 1st, 2009 I’ll set out to run 100 miles (in under 30 consecutive hours) on the Western Reserve trail system. In an effort to help Todd carry out his mission and help the millions of Americans battle addiction, it’s my goal to raise $5,000 for Racing for Recovery. So I humbly ask each of you to sponsor me for each mile I run.  
 
Your generous support will be greatly appreciated. With the recession hitting everyone hard we will gladly accept any level of donation…if it’s $1 we’ll greatly accept it…if you can spare $5, $10, $20 or $50 it will directly go to the foundation in an effort to recover one of the 22 million Americans who are classified with a substance abuse dependence. For those of you willing to donate $1.00 per mile you will receive an autographed copy of Todd’s book; From Addict to IronMan”.
 
Thank you in advance for considering helping us in the cause. 
 
You’re gift will directly impact a life of someone who desperately needs it. You can make your donation via paypal to Racing For Recovery at racing4recovery@aol.com.    Call me directly at 404 384 9524 or email at pappas.ted@gmail.com
 
Thank you. 
Ted Pappas

We are pleased to announce the Racing for Recovery 3rd Annual Mentoring Program Triathlon on Long Island.  The event will be held on May 2 and if you have questions please contact Kathleen at trigirlny@yahoo.com.  I would like to personally thank Kathleen, Ryan, volunteers and sponsors who make this event possible.  You all have done an amazing job over the last three years and the impact has been made on hundreds of lives.

Support our program and keep your head warm buy ordering one of our new pink or black Racing for Recovery skull caps.  Please visit the Racing for Recovery store for more details.

If you have not shared your story on our community page, please do so now.  This program is about all of us who have regained a life that was once lost due to addiction and those success stories need to be shared so others can benefit from them.

If you would like to be a member of our triathlon team and wear our new uniforms please pre-order now by contacting us at racing4recovery@aol.com with your sizes.  Both tops and bottoms will be $95.00 each.  Girls will be all black with white lettering and guys right now are going to be white with black lettering although this may change.

I am traveling to Orlando next week for a meeting regarding a “project” that will get our program out to the masses.  One thing I am doing my best to improve on is not getting “too excited” and practice “patience” with these “projects”.  Please just keep good thoughts and prayers that one of these “projects” takes off so this program will make more of an impact on others.

Ok off to the pool.

TC