Running with Demons Page #2

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the past few years and I'm

physically going through

withdrawals right now and I

need to get this

stuff out of my system.

So then it's, who

did I lie to last night?

Where am I going to get

the money to pay for my

addiction?

Who's lying next

to me in the bed?

Who did I beat up last night?

Where did all this

blood come from?

Why is my window shattered?

Why are the cops

knocking on my door?

That's what I

dealt with everyday.

None of that is

appealing, it's sad,

it's depressing but that was

my life because of the choice

I made to use drugs

period, end of story.

No disease, no,

poor me I relapsed,

I made a choice to use this

stuff and I paid the price

for it severely on many

levels...

Male speaker (OS): Over

here Todd.

Tony (the Director): repeating

Todd! Over here... Todd

He's gonna beach himself.

Hey Todd, you've got to

go that way.

I didn't want to

be a drug addict.

I didn't want to lose

my friends,

my family, but I did.

And I was pissed off about it.

I really didn't want

to live like that,

I just didn't:
A) know how to

not live without drugs and

B) I didn't want to deal with

the consequences that

came along with my using.

Because I wanted to figure

out a way to either drink

successfully. You know how can

I do cocaine and how can I do

heroine and smoke crack and

do crystal meth and drink

and be normal?

Or how can I do all these

things and not end up in jail

the next day?

Or wake up in a

different state,

not knowing where I am?

So I was looking for ways to

be a functional drug addict.

which is nonsense, but in

my mind I kept thinking,

Why does this stuff

affect me the way it does?

When I watch other people

that have a few and they go

home, why am I always the

crazy one? So I did make

several attempts to either

be a normal drinker which I

really don't know what

that is or fix the problem.

But I didn't want to

put the work into it.

I was pulling myself

back to my using ways.

So when I went to rehab and

I spent two weeks in there

puking and vomiting crapping

myself and laying on the

floor sweating and I survived

that and had the opportunity

to put my life back together

and would get out and choose

to go back and use

drugs again,

that was me doing that.

I really didn't know any

other way to live and I

couldn't figure out how

to stop using the drugs,

so you're kind of

stuck in limbo.

Male speaker:
[indiscernible]

Announcements.

Male speaker (OS):

This is the man who

did race in Hawaii last year

and there he did four hours

and 33 seconds, for

the swim.

He's going to be around 3:50

here today so he has improved

his time as well.

And it looks like And it

looks like as though...

But here we go lets

welcome Todd out the 42 year

old from Sylvania racing for

recovery and races

to finish the swim 3:49:55

his time unofficially,

So very close now.

Bird sounds.

Todd Crandell:
The turning

point or as I'll call it

wholeheartedly, my

gift from God that said,

You don't have to live this

way anymore was April 15th

of 1993 after getting a

third drunk driving charge.

I got a

gift that said,

I don't have to do this

anymore and I knew

it was over.

I walked into an

oil change facility,

urinated all over the floor,

cops came arrested me and I

got my... whatever

you want to call it.

Wake up call, epiphany,

life-changing moment however,

you want to describe it, I

had one and for the first

time in my life, I felt that

I could be saved from it.

I knew that those

days were over and that there

was a new world out there and

I was going to experience it,

live it.

And I thank God for

it every day now.

Announcements in BG.

Undecipherable

Todd Crandell:
Yeah

but look at these shade,

these are sweet, huh.

Todd Crandell:
Am

I going to make the cutoff

dude?

Todd Crandell:
I'm starting now already?

Scott Horns:

Yeah, you're okay.

Yeah you made

the swim cutoff,

good job.

Darwin speaking:
That was

our first worry.

Scott Horns:
Yeah.

Todd Crandell:

Darwin:
You have to walk

your bike to the tail end of

Crandell:
Okay.

Crandell:
Okay.

Todd Crandell:
Thanks man.

Todd:
Dude.

That's 6.2 miles.

Scott Horns:

Have fun out there.

Female Speaker:
Great job.

Male Speaker:

Todd Crandell:

Misc. race sounds, followed

by ominous music...

Todd:
All right boys,

let's have some fun now.

Todd:
Where the hell am I going?

Hard rock music plays

Heavy Wind sounds.

Todd:
the reason I do

everything that I do is to

share a worthwhile message

of hope while promoting the

organization that

I started in 2001 which is

Racing for Recovery.

How racing for recovery got

started was something that

totally came out

of the blue to me.

Again, I think it was divine

intervention if you will but

I had just finished doing

Ironman in New Zealand and

our local newspaper ran a

story about my life at that

point.

The newspaper article came

out and the response was

amazing.

With people that I had

known from my past as a drug

addict, coaches, teachers,

even police officers, a ton

of people were calling the

house all saying

the same thing,

basically, Oh my God, I

can't believe what you're

doing today. And

I thought, Well,

okay, that's nice, I

appreciate your positive

feedback and your

kind words but okay,

what can I do with this now?

Female Speaker:
Can I have a

hug?

Todd Crandell:
Oh yeah.

Be good. Nice to see you.

Female Speaker:
Thank you.

Male Speaker:
You're the man.

Todd Crandell (voice over):

I've been a firm believer in,

You can't just take

what has graciously been

given to you and hoard it for yourself.

You must give it back

and have that influence

someone else.

So that's where the catalyst

or the seed was planted for

me to do something that

was greater than myself and

that's how Racing for

Recovery was formed.

Scott (co-Trainer):

Darwin:
So your water is down

there in the ugly bottle

Todd Crandell:
Okay.

Dump, you guys gotta

douse me with some stuff to

cool me down too.

Todd feeling Water: Oh man.

Co-Trainer:

How are you feeling?

Todd Crandell:
It's hot.

I hate it still but I

probably shouldn't take them

this early.

Darwin:
You took two so we

can take two the next time

you stop on one of...

Todd Crandell

(interrupting):
Okay.

Todd:
F***.

Okay, I'm good.

Darwin:
Alright.

Todd Crandell:
20

miles, another 70?

Todd Crandell:
All right.

Man it's good.

So water and all

right whatever.

Scott Horns:
It's just

another gatorade. Flavored.

Todd Crandell:
Is this it?

Darwin Holt:
No, not yet.

Todd Crandell:
Not yet.

I'm like damn I must be

hallucinating already.

Scott Horns:
You're

hallucinating already.

Todd Crandell:
All right but

were good and everything

is good.

Scott Horns:
Yeah

good, keep going man.

Tood:
Okay.

Darwin Holt:
No,

everything looks great.

Todd Crandell:

Okay thanks guys.

When I started Racing for

Recovery I was a proud holder

of a bachelor's

degree in Business,

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