By Kate Chappell

There's no doubt in Kari Ala-leppilampi's mind: running saved his life.

It was about a decade ago that the now 38-year-old was slowly killing himself with an addiction to drugs and alcohol. He was also 45 pounds overweight, and although he did not know it at the time, Ala-leppilampi was using these substances to cope with severe anxiety and depression.

The Toronto resident was able to seek help, which launched him on a treatment trajectory that has seen him yet to put down the pair of running shoes he then picked up as a coping tool. "I honestly think that is why I’m alive today," Ala Leppilampi says. "Mental illness can leave you in a sea of instability, and (running) is one stable thing in my life."

From the first steps a decade ago to present day, he has completed the Ironman in Kona, Hawaii, the Boston Marathon and countless other races. Today, running and other exercise serve not only therapeutic purposes in Ala-Leppilampi's life, but allow him both pleasure and structure in a busy life.

In addition to an exercise regimen, Ala-Leppilampi takes medication and sees a therapist. But running is a pillar of his treatment plan. "I can't stop exercising," he says, adding that his regime sees him active six out of seven days of the week. Exercise has become a form of treatment in that he has been able to reduce the dosage of anti-anxiety medication he takes (with the supervision of a therapist).

This is a relatively untouched field in terms of research, but Ala-leppilampi has both intuitive and informed opinions as to why running is so beneficial to one's brain. Depending on the day, running can even be seen as a coping tool with a certain amount of flexibility. For instance, if Ala-Leppilampi is facing a challenge, he sets his mind on finding a solution during a run. "The channels kind of open up in my brain. It loosens the circuits and I can think about things in a broader perspective," he says.

Other days, Ala-leppilampi regards a run (or a swim or bike ride — he is a triathlete) a way to release stress. "I put my iPod on and go as hard as I can." Ala-Leppilampi is applying his experience to his professional career, as a PhD candidate in health and behavioral sciences at the University of Toronto. Through a provincial grant, Ala-Leppilampi began a research project at the Canadian Mental Health Association in Toronto in which he will study the effects of running and exercise on people with mental illness and/or addiction.

Reprinted from iRun, January 2009. See also "Mental Health for the Long Run," iRun, January 2009.