Local athlete Charlie Ledford made it clear back in June about his intentions when talking about beating his addictions.
“I beat this, but I haven’t won anything yet,” he said by phone on Tuesday. “And I’ll never win at this really, I just refuse to lose.”
There was a time, Ledford said during an interview for an article appearing in the June 27 edition of The Highlander, where all he could think about was where he would get his next drink, his next fix.
“It had engulfed my life, all day, every day and I hit rock bottom. They had become such a part of my life that I didn’t really know who I was or what to do if I wasn’t numb.”
Ledford woke up one day, realizing he had hit rock bottom and said he didn’t want to die like this. So, on a cold day in November of 2012, he gathered up all of the drugs and alcohol he had grown dependent on, and literally threw them in the trash.
Then, went out and started running.
“You have to keep your mind busy and stay hyper-focused on not taking that next drink,” he said.
In October, Ledford beat his demons. He accomplished his goal and reached his pinnacle of success, competing for a world championship in the X-Terra Off-Road Triathlon World Championships in Kapalua, Hawaii.
He finished seventh out of 40 runners in his age group and 85th out of 600 total competitors with a time of 3:09:14. Admittedly, not his best time, but he’s happy with it.
Ledford clarified, it is X-terra, not Iron Man.
“Two entirely different races,” he said. “Iron Man is on-road. X-terra is off-road.
Ledford did more than just compete. Slaying personal demons is a big thing.
Bucket List worthy.
“Considering when all this started, I couldn’t swim, I thought I did very well considering I’ve never swam in the ocean before at all,” Ledford said. “I finished seventh out of 40 runners in my age group. I think that’s doing pretty well.”
Ledford has come a long way from that bleak day in November 2012 and he trained, and subsequently competed, with the intent of helping others as he was helped.
Ledford’s journey includes seven years of sobriety, but getting through a day and not taking that next drink has been an ongoing struggle.
“Battling the addiction, you have to stay strong and absolutely stay dedicated,” he said. “I am not going to quit. I’m going to stay strong.”
When Ledford got into running, he had it in his head that he wanted to compete in an Iron Man triathlon.
“I wanted to compete in something I didn’t think I could do,” he said. “I needed to compete in something I couldn’t do. Just like drinking, I didn’t think I could quit.”
Swimming has always been Ledford’s weakest length, and if he wanted to compete in any type of competition, whether on-road like the Iron Man, or off-road like X-terra, he would have to address the swimming issue.
“In the back of my mind, I had always thought the ultimate goal for an athlete was to compete in the X-terra World Championship in Kona, Hawaii,” Ledford said. “Talk about an ultra-endurance race. Swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and finishing it out with a 26.2 mile run.”
Ledford utilizes a technique where he puts all the times and race experiences from previous races and training into this cookie jar inside his head.
“When I reach a moment where I have self-doubt creep in, I go back and reach inside this cookie jar and pull out what I think to be a similar experience to what I’m currently enduring,” he said. “Then I think, well heck, I can do better than that, and I usually do.”
Ledford was very appreciative of the local support that allowed him to compete.
“I couldn’t have done this without the support of the Highlands community,” he said. “People like Dewayne Oliver with Excel communications, Nickersons/Beth Heirs and Rotary Club of Highlands.”
Earlier this fall, Ledford shared his story with Rotary Club of Highlands and thanked the group for their emotional and financial support.
“Just a huge thank you to Rotary Club of Highlands for allowing me to share my story,” he said. “That’s part of all this, being able to share the story of my recovery.”
In 2020, Ledford has several goals he’s earmarked to complete. One of them is to compete in an Iron Man competition.
“I need to bite the bullet and do one,” he said. “And that means I need to train on-road and not worry about getting hit by a car.”
