Running Man: How Running Helped Me Conquer My Inner Demons

I ran a marathon in prison and crossed the Sahara from end to end.

I covered hundreds of kilometers in ultramarathons and took part in dozens of adventure races.

Angry crocodiles chased me, leeches gnawed at me, and bats dumped their waste on me.

I fell asleep on a bicycle, woke up with a tarantula in my sleeping bag, and dangled by a rope from a cliff.

I rubbed blisters the size of a tennis ball. I ran for days without sleep or food.

Running was my punishment and my salvation. It helped me overcome addiction to alcohol and drugs, feel real pain, and discover true healing.

They called me “the running man,” and I had to do crazy things to stay sober.

“An account of how the toughest and most exhausting ultramarathon is a run away from your own demons. Former drug addict and alcoholic Charlie Engle tells how he regained control of his life by finding a source of strength not in love, family, or religion, but in such a banal and unassuming practice as running.”

KSENIA AFANASYEVA. Head of External Communications of the “Running Community.”

“I never before thought about how a strong addiction can change life or take over. Charlie Engle tells almost two stories about one addiction: the torment from drugs and alcohol and the saving power of running. Both stories are shocking—the first is frightening, and the second makes your skin tingle with delight.”

ALEXANDRA BOYARSKAYA, creative consultant for Nike.