Charlie Engle (marathoner)

Charlie Engle (born September 20, 1962), is one of the most accomplished ultramarathon runners in the world and author of the riveting memoir Running Man. Engle has a track record of winning or placing in many of the toughest endurance foot races across the globe. He has raced in jungles, summited high ranging mountains and volcanoes, and traversed large expanses of deserts through sand storms. Among his most notable races in the United States is the Badwater Ultramarathon. This is an annual race that stretches 135 through Death Valley, California in July. This punishing race ends after a steep climb of Mt. Whitney. In the world of Ultramarathons this race, often reaching temperatures around 130 °F is frequently coined "The Toughest Foot Race in the World." Beginning in the 1990s into the early 2000s, Engle competed in the Eco-Challenge series put on by Mark Burnett (the creator of the wildly popular CBS television series, Survivor). The Eco-Challenge took Engle to Borneo, New Zealand, and Vietnam. The list of Engle's international races is long, but he is most well known for running across the Sahara Desert, from coast to coast, in 2007. Engle's historic and record setting journey was documented in the film Running the Sahara, narrated by Matt Damon. He was joined by two other runners: Ray Zahab of Canada and Kevin Lin of Taiwan. This transcontinental run through deep sand and politically unstable countries remains one of the premier accomplishments in the ultrarunning sport. The runners completed over 4,500 miles, averaging over two marathons per day, for 111 consecutive days.

Engle's motivation to run and tackle adventure to such extreme lengths stems from his battle with addiction to drugs and alcohol. Sober since July 23, 1992, he has credited a large part of his sobriety to the purposeful devotion and emotional release he experiences while running. Engle says that the sport, along with 12 step recovery meetings, yoga, and family and friends, has been a corner stone of not only his sobriety but of his quest to be a better, more-authentic and empathetic person. He has been quoted as saying, “Drugs and alcohol had been my way out. Running would be my way through.”

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