Photo By Staff Sgt. Alyssa Reik | U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Todd Canaday, assigned to standards and evaluations at the...... read more read more
Subscribe
MANSFIELD, Ohio - U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Todd Canaday, commanders standards and evaluation program officer, assigned to standards and evaluations at the 179th Cyberspace Wing, represented the Ohio National Guard during the Belgrade Marathon in Serbia on April 7. Canaday finished the race in 3 hours, 4 minutes, and 16 seconds—officially qualifying for the prestigious Boston Marathon.
Canaday was invited to join the Ohio National Guard Marathon Team earlier this year, an opportunity that aligned with his deployment to Serbia as part of a cyber delegation working with the Serbian Armed Forces.
“I was invited to be a part of the Ohio National Guard Marathon Team earlier this year,” Canaday said. “I got on the team and was tasked to go over to Serbia as part of the cyber delegation, as well as to run their marathon.”
In addition to qualifying for Boston, Canaday was the top U.S. individual finisher at the Belgrade event.
His journey into long-distance running began in April 2023. Canaday expressed that running was not something that he used to enjoy or want to do at all, but he was driven by a commitment to mental health awareness, particularly among veterans.
“I’ve always known that mental health awareness was important, but for me it was also personal,” he said. “I sought mental health assistance from the 179th, and they made sure I got the help I needed.”
What started as a way to heal turned into a passion for endurance running. Canaday quickly found his stride.
“I went from starting in April 2023 to running a marathon in October 2023,” he said. “Once I saw what I could do, that was the marathon that actually spurred me to say, ‘I might actually want to compete in this.’”
Balancing 55 miles of weekly training with full-time military duties, a civilian job, and fatherhood hasn’t slowed him down.
“Just like being in the military, it takes discipline,” Canaday said. “Waking up early or running after a long day at work takes dedication, persistence and resilience.”
His 10-year-old son, Tristan, is also a source of inspiration.
“He’s just started to run himself, and running with him as he grows up would be a cool thing to do,” he said.
This year, Canaday set several ambitious goals: make the National Guard team (he joined the Ohio National Guard team), qualify for Boston (accomplished), run 12 marathons (he has completed four so far), complete a 50K, a 40-mile race, and finish a 100K later this year.
“These are attainable goals if I put my mind to it,” he said.
For those struggling with mental health, Canaday recommends finding community and setting small, achievable goals.
“Go and seek out your community,” he said. “Run clubs have been a huge factor in my journey. You set micro goals to reach your macro goal.”
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2025 14:32 |
| Story ID: | 500000 |
| Location: | OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S. Airman Runs Toward Mental Health Awareness, by SSgt Alyssa Reik, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
