Man completes his 94th Ironman triathlon
By Shanila Kabir
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HONOLULU (KITV) — Todd Crandell’s story’s is often called “From Addict to Ironman”. He completed his 94th Iron Man triathlon on the Big Island – in six hours and 45 minutes.
This is all a part of his commitment to show that you can recover from drugs and be a success.
“I’m a survivor of my mom’s suicide from her drug and alcohol addiction. My uncle killed myself and my aunt killed herself. I’m a survivor of both addiction and suicide but to give it back through Racing for Recovery, I’ve achieved my life purpose,” said Todd Crandell, founder of Racing for Recovery.
He began running in the Iron Man in cities all over the country more than 20 years ago. In this, He founded Racing for Recovery, an organization that offers free counselling and support groups to people battling addiction while promoting a lifestyle of health and fitness.
“95% of the people that we encounter that have substance abuse problems are coming from some type of trauma in their background. If we can clinically heal that trauma and help them implement a balance to a holistic lifestyle, we can literally end addiction,” said Crandell.
Crandell is now a licensed chemical dependency counsellor.
The clinicians at Racing for Recovery say they are committed to fighting the psychological impact that comes with the recovery process.
They say many patients are faced with emotional trauma often times they didn’t know they had and the experts offer free counselling – and live stream them everywhere.
“We’ve even been doing some prerecorded sessions assisting in our local jails to get that message out before folks are released into their communities. We’re trying get our message out to pockets that may not have access to this,” said Emily VanderMeer, clinical director at Racing for Recovery.
If you or someone you know is suffering from substance abuse, you’re encouraged to reach out to the clinicians at Racing for Recovery.
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