Todd Dwayne Williams

Todd Williams is the owner and head instructor of Monroe Jiu Jitsu, which he runs with his wife Lindsey. A Monroe, Michigan native, he first made his name in distance running: a state champion and All-American at Monroe High School in 1987, he went on to represent the United States at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. After retiring from professional running in 2002 he turned to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and self-defense, earning his black belt under Coral Belt Luiz Palhares on January 22, 2011, after eight years and more than 6,000 hours of training. He is now a fourth-degree black belt. Todd has competed at every belt level, including three appearances at the IBJJF World Masters, where he took bronze in the Master 6 Heavyweight division in 2025. He also founded RunSafer, a safety program for runners, and has led more than 600 workshops across 35 states.