HOLLAND, Ohio — Most people would consider finishing one Ironman triathlon the accomplishment of a lifetime. Todd Crandell is about to finish his 130th.
On April 18, the 59-year-old founder of Racing for Recovery will line up at IRONMAN Texas in The Woodlands for what has become far more than a race. For Crandell, every swim, bike, and run is a living reminder that the man who once lost everything to a 13-year addiction to drugs and alcohol is still standing, still sober, and still showing up for the people who need him most.
“People ask me why I keep doing these races,” Crandell said. “It was never about the race. It’s about what the race represents. Every finish line is proof that recovery works.”
Crandell’s story is one that reads like fiction, except all of it is painfully real. Growing up in the Toledo area, he was a promising hockey player with a shot at going pro. But addiction took hold in his teenage years and didn’t let go for over a decade. He lost his hockey career, his relationships, his home, and nearly his life.
On April 15, 1993, he quit cold turkey. He hasn’t touched drugs or alcohol since.
What he did instead was start running. Then swimming. Then cycling. In 1999, he completed his first triathlon, and something clicked. The discipline, the suffering, the focus it took to push through mile after mile gave him a framework for staying sober that no traditional program had been able to provide.
In 2001, he turned that framework into a mission. Racing for Recovery started in a closet inside his house, which eventually got foreclosed on. For 15 years, he ran the nonprofit out of that closet, scraping together funding and showing up for anyone who walked through the door.
“I operated it out of that closet for 15 years until we got this beautiful building in 2016,” Crandell recalled during a recent 25th anniversary celebration at the organization’s current headquarters in Holland, Ohio.
Today, Racing for Recovery is a CARF-accredited facility offering counseling, therapy, a fully plant-based kitchen, a gym, and weekly support group meetings that are open to anyone affected by addiction. The organization treats mind, body, and spirit, an approach that Crandell says is rooted in his own experience of learning that sobriety requires more than just putting down the bottle.
“Racing for Recovery is a nonprofit that I started 25 years ago to do two things,” he explained. Prevent substance abuse in kids, and show everybody that has been affected by not only drug and alcohol addiction, but mental health issues, that recovery is possible. That life is worth living, and you can do it and have fun and enjoy yourself.”
The 25th anniversary, celebrated earlier this month, brought together staff, supporters, and people whose lives have been directly changed by the program. Among them was Cory Cook, who started coming to Racing for Recovery three months ago.
“When they told me I have a choice and I no longer have to use drugs and alcohol again to cover up the problems that I don’t want to face,” Cook told the crowd, “I can’t put into words where the public may understand what I’ve received here, but what I do know now is how accountable I can be, the power I have that’s inside of me to make good decisions and choices.”
Stories like Cook’s are what keep Crandell going. But this year is shaping up to be one of his busiest yet.
Beyond the 130th Ironman in Texas, Crandell is preparing to release his eighth book, and his first aimed at children. It’s a move that reflects the evolution of his mission. After decades of speaking to adults in treatment centers, jails, and community groups, he wants to reach kids before addiction ever takes hold.
“If we can get to them early, we can change the trajectory of their lives,” Crandell said. “That’s always been the goal. Prevention first.”
Crandell holds a master’s degree in counseling from Spring Arbor University and carries dual licensure as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervision Designation (LPCC-S) and Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor with Clinical Supervision Status (LICDC-CS). He’s also a published author of seven previous books, the creator of four documentaries including the award-winning “Pure Euphoria,” and a nationally recognized public speaker who has addressed school districts, correctional facilities, treatment centers, and corporate audiences across the country.
His work has been featured on BBC, CNN, ESPN, in the New York Times, and in Runner’s World Magazine. But ask him what matters most, and the answer is always the same.
“It’s not the damn race,” he said. “It’s what it takes to do the race, and why I’m doing the race. If you want the reward, do the damn work.”
Racing for Recovery hosts its Signature Live Stream Support Group every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. EST, available in person at the Holland, Ohio facility or virtually via Facebook and YouTube. A free plant-based dinner is served at 5:30 p.m. for in-person attendees.
For more information, visit racingforrecovery.org.
For media inquiries, interviews, or speaking bookings, contact Juli Uhrman at (419) 277-7116.
