The featured speakers at the Tuesday, April 18, meeting of the Greater Long island Running Club will be John Hanc and Todd Crandell, co-authors of the important new book Racing for Recovery: From Addict to Ironman, and Todd Crandell's true story of hitting rock bottom and rising back to life through swimming, biking and running. Todd rose from the depths of addiction and depression to become an Ironman triathlete and role model through the creation of his non-profit Racing for Recovery Foundation.

The meeting, which has been timed to coincide with the publication and release date of the book, will be held at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library, 999 Old Country Road in Plainview, starting at 8 p.m.

In his teens, Crandell was a promising high school hockey player on his way to a professional career. By his early 20s, he was a homeless, starving, drug- and alcohol-addicted ghost of himself. After several encounters with rock-bottom, he found the courage to rise from the ashes, and quit cold-turkey. He found that athletics, along with support from his family, helped him to overcome his addiction.

Soon after, Crandell found himself addicted to something much healthier: triathlons. He has now completed 10 Ironman Triathlons (a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, followed by a 26.2-mile run). In addition, Crandell is giving back by helping others overcome their addictions. In 2001 he founded Racing for Recovery, which helps people use athletics and other positive endeavors to prevent or escape addiction. In addition to community support groups, the organization holds yearly 5k races around the U.S.

Racing for Recovery: From Addict to Ironman, is a mesmerizing, inspirational tale-of self-destruction and resurrection. This book was written by Todd in conjunction with John Hanc, a writer for Newsday and Runner's World, and author of The Essential Runner and Running For Dummies.

Todd and John will, of course, be happy to autograph all copies of the book that are sold that evening, with every penny going to the "Racing for Recovery Program."

This will be a very entertaining and informative evening. Admission is free and the general public is cordially invited to attend. Call Linda at the GLIRC office 349-7646 for more information.