Todd Crandell

Founder & President, Racing for Recovery / Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC-S) / Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor (LICDC-CS)

Todd Crandell lost his mother at age three — she died from the intersection of addiction and suicide before he was old enough to understand what either word meant. By 13, he had taken his first drink. By his 20s, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and prescription medications had consumed nearly everything that had once been promising in his life: a competitive hockey career, ended by expulsion for cocaine use; relationships, destroyed; housing, gone; freedom, briefly, multiple times. He was jailed, homeless, and charged with drunk driving three times. He spent 13 years inside a pattern of dependency that, from the outside, looked like a person determined to destroy himself. On April 15, 1993, after his third drunk driving charge, Todd Crandell quit — everything, all at once, overnight. No treatment center. No program. No pharmaceutical support. He made a decision, and he held it. That decision is now more than 30 years old. Six years after he got sober, Todd crossed the finish line of his first Ironman triathlon — a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run that most people complete in awe of the effort and never attempt again. Todd did not stop. He has since completed over 128 Ironman and Ultraman events across more than 25 countries on six continents. In 2008, in a single week, he completed both the Ironman Western Australia and the Ultraman Hawaii Triathlon — a three-day event consisting of 6.2 miles of swimming, 90 miles of biking, and a 52.4-mile run — making him the only person in the world to complete both events in the same week that year. He has earned the prestigious All World Athlete (AWA) status and has been featured on CNN, ESPN, BBC, and in The New York Times and Runner's World Magazine. But the races are the vehicle, not the destination. In 2001, Todd founded Racing for Recovery — a federally approved 501(c)(3) CARF-certified nonprofit that offers weekly support group meetings (in-person and virtual), intensive outpatient programming, family counseling, and holistic wellness resources. The program is built on Todd's conviction that traditional recovery models are often insufficient because they fail to address the emotional trauma at the root of addictive behavior and fail to redirect addictive drives into positive, life-affirming action. Racing for Recovery does both. Todd became a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC-S) and a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor (LICDC-CS), graduating from Spring Arbor University in 2007. He has authored seven books, including 'Racing for Recovery: From Addict to Ironman' (2006), 'Choices and Consequences' (2019), 'Do No Harm' (2023), '100: My Ironman Journey' (2023), and 'Creating Todd Crandell' (2024). He is the subject of four documentaries — Addict (2003), Running with Demons (2012), Pure Euphoria (2020), and Racing for Recovery (2024). He speaks nationally to school districts, corrections facilities, drug treatment centers, and community organizations, leading with a single, unwavering message: with sobriety, anything is possible. Todd Crandell appeared on the Center Stage segment of Mornings in the Lab to examine what he means when he says addiction and sobriety are choices — and why that conviction, however challenging, is the foundation of everything he has built.

Key Insights from Todd Crandell

You can say you want to change and still wake up choosing the same thing that's wrecking you.

— Todd Crandell on The gap between intention and behavioral change

At three years old, he lost his mother to addiction and suicide.

— Todd Crandell on Intergenerational trauma and addiction

He went from daily dependency to total withdrawal overnight. No treatment center. No program.

— Todd Crandell on Cold turkey sobriety: a decision held without a program

With Sobriety, Anything Is Possible.

— Todd Crandell on With sobriety, anything is possible

He is the Original Sober Triathlete — 128 Ironman finishes, seven-time author, counselor, speaker, and vegan.

— Todd Crandell on The recovered life in full: athlete, author, counselor, advocate

Racing for Recovery brings people and their families into the same room and confronts addiction directly.

— Todd Crandell on Family inclusion in addiction recovery

Todd believes addiction and sobriety are choices — and today we are going to examine what that means and why it challenges everything.

— Todd Crandell on Addiction and sobriety as choices: the philosophy

In 2008, he was the only person in the world to complete both the Ironman Western Australia and the Ultraman Hawaii in the same week.

— Todd Crandell on Physical transformation: from addiction to ultra-endurance

Notable Quotes from Todd Crandell

You can say you want to change and still wake up choosing the same thing that's wrecking you.

— Todd Crandell

With Sobriety, Anything Is Possible.

— Todd Crandell

He went from daily dependency to total withdrawal overnight. No treatment center. No program.

— Todd Crandell

Frequently Asked Questions about Todd Crandell

Who is Todd Crandell and what is Racing for Recovery?

Todd Crandell is the founder and president of Racing for Recovery, a federally approved 501(c)(3) CARF-certified nonprofit organization based in Holland, Ohio, dedicated to addiction prevention and recovery through holistic wellness, endurance sports, and community support. He is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC-S) and a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor (LICDC-CS) who has spent 30+ years in sobriety after quitting heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and prescription drugs cold turkey on April 15, 1993. He has completed 128+ Ironman and Ultraman events in 25+ countries, authored seven books, and been featured in four documentaries. He is known as 'The Original Sober Triathlete' and leads with the message: with sobriety, anything is possible.

How many Ironman races has Todd Crandell completed?

Todd Crandell has completed more than 128 Ironman and Ultraman events across more than 25 countries on six continents. He completed his first Ironman triathlon in 1999 — six years after achieving sobriety — and has raced continuously ever since, earning the prestigious All World Athlete (AWA) Ironman status. In 2008, he became the only person in the world to complete both the Ironman Western Australia and the Ultraman Hawaii Triathlon in the same week — the Ultraman being a three-day event consisting of 6.2 miles of swimming, 90 miles of biking, and a 52.4-mile run. He continues to race annually across multiple continents.

How did Todd Crandell get sober and what happened to his addiction?

Todd Crandell spent 13 years struggling with addiction to heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and prescription drugs, beginning with his first drink at age 13. His addiction ended a promising hockey career, led to homelessness, multiple arrests, and three drunk driving charges. On April 15, 1993, following his third drunk driving charge, he quit every substance — cold turkey, overnight, without a treatment center or formal program. He has maintained sobriety since that date. He went on to become a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC-S) and a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor (LICDC-CS), and founded Racing for Recovery in 2001 to help others through the combination of emotional trauma work and holistic wellness.

What books has Todd Crandell written?

Todd Crandell has authored seven books: 'Racing for Recovery: From Addict to Ironman' (2006), 'There's More Than One Way to Get to Cleveland' (2013), 'Choices and Consequences' (2019), 'Do No Harm: Discovering the Truth and the Power Behind a Compassionate Lifestyle' (2023), '100: My Ironman Journey' (2023), and 'Creating Todd Crandell' (2024). His books chronicle his personal journey from addiction to sobriety and ultra-endurance athletics, offer clinical insight into the recovery process, and explore the role of compassionate living and holistic wellness in sustained sobriety. He has also been the subject of four documentaries: Addict (2003), Running with Demons (2012), Pure Euphoria (2020), and Racing for Recovery (2024).

What makes Racing for Recovery different from traditional addiction treatment?

Racing for Recovery is distinguished from traditional addiction treatment programs by its holistic, community-based model and its deliberate inclusion of families alongside individuals in recovery. Todd Crandell founded it in 2001 after observing that traditional recovery programs often failed to address the emotional trauma at the root of addictive behavior and failed to redirect addictive drives into positive, life-affirming activities. Racing for Recovery's model combines weekly support group meetings open to everyone affected by addiction (individuals, families, and the public), intensive outpatient programming, individual and family counseling, and an emphasis on physical wellness, plant-based nutrition, and purposeful living. The program is CARF-certified and federally approved as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

How can I contact Todd Crandell for speaking or counseling?

Todd Crandell is available for motivational speaking engagements through the All American Speakers Bureau and his own websites. He speaks nationally to school districts, corrections facilities, drug treatment centers, community organizations, and corporate audiences. His counseling practice is based in Holland, Ohio, and he also offers virtual support through Racing for Recovery. He maintains an active presence on Instagram (@soberultraman) and Facebook (facebook.com/soberultraman), and his main websites are racingforrecovery.org and toddcrandell.com. He also offers personalized Cameo video messages and has a podcast titled Racing for Recovery that is available on major streaming platforms.

Interview with Todd Crandell — Topics Covered

  1. The open: habits that feel safer than change (~2 minutes)
  2. Todd's childhood: losing his mother at three (~4 minutes)
  3. The addiction years: 13 to 26 (~5 minutes)
  4. The decision: April 15, 1993 (~4 minutes)
  5. The first Ironman: six years sober (~3 minutes)
  6. 128+ Ironmans and six continents (~3 minutes)
  7. Founding Racing for Recovery in 2001 (~4 minutes)
  8. Becoming a licensed counselor (~3 minutes)
  9. Addiction and sobriety as choices: the philosophy (~5 minutes)
  10. Seven books, four documentaries, and the speaking mission (~3 minutes)
  11. Closing: with sobriety, anything is possible (~2 minutes)

Todd Crandell — Areas of Expertise

  • Addiction recovery and the choice-based recovery model
  • Ironman triathlon and ultra-endurance athletics
  • Trauma-informed counseling and CBT for substance abuse
  • Racing for Recovery nonprofit leadership and programming
  • Holistic wellness as a recovery tool (fitness, plant-based nutrition, mindfulness)
  • Family-inclusive addiction recovery models
  • Cold turkey sobriety and the psychology of habit change
  • Public speaking on addiction prevention in schools and corrections
  • Authorship: seven books on addiction, sobriety, and recovery
  • Documentary filmmaking and media presence as advocacy
  • The Original Sober Triathlete brand and endurance sports culture
  • Empathy, humility, and resilience as recovery foundations

Watch: He Quit Drugs Cold Turkey and Ran 128 Ironmans

Full Center Stage interview with Todd Crandell on Mornings in the Lab.

Watch on YouTube

Todd Crandell — Show Appearances

  • Mornings in the Lab (2026-03-04)

Todd Crandell — Signal Brief

Signal Score: 16/100

Generated 2026-04-15T21:20:24.133Z