Running Man: A Memoir

I ran a marathon in prison and the Sahara from one end to the other. I covered hundreds of kilometers in ultramarathons and took part in dozens of adventure races. I was chased by furious crocodiles, bloodsuckers (leeches) gnawed at me, and bats rained down droppings. I fell asleep on a bicycle, woke up with a tarantula in my sleeping bag, and swung on a rope from a cliff. I rubbed my 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 learn true healing. People called me “the running man,” and I had to do crazy things to stay sober. “The story of how the toughest and most exhausting ultramarathon is really a run from your own demons. Ex-drug addict and alcoholic Charlie Engle explains how he regained control of his life—not by love, family, or religion, but through such a plain and unremarkable practice as running.”

“I never before thought about how a strong addiction can change your life—or take it over. Charlie Engle tells, as if, two stories about one addiction: the torment of drugs and alcohol, and the salvation of running. Both stories are shocking, but the first is frightening, and the second makes you feel goosebumps of delight.”