At one point in his life Todd Crandell was strung out on nearly every drug imaginable.
"I did it all," he said. "At my worst I was snorting three to four grams of cocaine and drinking more than a fifth of whiskey per day. Heroin, coke, crack, Valiums, speed, acid; I was doing it all. I was a walking pharmaceutical lab."
After being clean for nine years, Crandall is no longer in bad shape. He has overcome his addiction and now finds himself in the best condition of his life and happily married with two children.
"I just decided one day that enough was enough. I realized that taking drugs is just a mess and a dead-end road."
That day came on April 15, 1993, after Crandall had been arrested on DWI charges for the third time.
"I had been drinking for three or four days," he said. "I was leaving the bar when I got a flat tire. I wound up at the Jiffy Lube and while I was trying to make a call for a ride, I began urinating in the office."
Employees called the police and Crandall was arrested. He was given a breathalyzer and blew a 0.36 BAC.
Crandall said, "That was my turning point. I bailed out of jail and drank through that night, and the next day I gave it up for good." A reading of 0.4 BAC renders a person comatose.
Crandall has since made a commitment to living a healthy lifestyle and encouraging others to do the same through his non-profit organization Racing for Recovery.
"Racing for Recovery has two main goals," Crandall said. "It is dedicated to preventing alcohol and substance abuse, especially among adolescents, and offering an alternative to those already battling addictions."
The organization also seeks to raise funds to help other organizations committed to preventing substance abuse.
Now Crandall, who was a heavy drug abuser from the ages of 13-26, is a 35-year-old global triathlete. He will be racing this Saturday in the Muncie Endurathon, which is a 1/2 Ironman competition.
The race features a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run. It will begin at Prairie Creek Reservoir and will also include sections of the Cardinal Greenway. There will be 1,100 participants from all around the world.
"I just want to get the word out there," Crandall said. "If people see that I overcame my addiction and became what I am today, I hope it will encourage them to stop using drugs or get help."
Crandall said that drugs had always been a part of his life. "My real mother, who was a drug addict, committed suicide and so did her brother. I became addicted quickly to drugs and alcohol probably because it's the way my body is made up."
He pointed out how drugs had ruined nearly every aspect of his life. "I got kicked out of high school, flunked out of college, my parents disowned me, and I eventually found myself living out of my car. I want people to ask themselves: Where are drugs going to take them?"
To help promote his story, Crandall does speaking engagements at schools and rehabilitation centers all across the nation. His book, "Addict to Ironman," is looking at a release date of early 2003, Crandall said. There is also a movie that is scheduled to begin shooting in June 2003, he said.
Along with what Crandall has already accomplished, he hopes to do much more. "I want to open a drug/exercise treatment facility within the next 5-10 years," he said.
More information can be found at the Racing for Recovery's Web site www.racingforrecovery.com, or e-mail Crandall at Racing4Recovery@aol.com. Crandall is available to speak, usually for free, to any group that is interested in his story.
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