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Meet 'Running Man' Charlie Engle

The cover of Running Man, a memoir by Charlie Engle.
Scribner/2016

Charlie Engle spent much of his young adulthood chasing the next high. His addiction to drugs and alcohol nearly cost him his life.

But he eventually attained sobriety, and along the way, developed a new passion: running. He started with marathons but moved to longer distances and adventure expeditions.

In 2006, he led a team across the Sahara, a feat documented in the film, Running The Sahara. His fame drew the attention of government officials, including one determined tax agent at the IRS.

Engle was indicted for mortgage fraud, convicted and spent nearly two years in federal prison. During his incarceration, he dreamed of one of the world's most difficult running courses: Badwater. And he ran a version of the event behind bars, inspiring fellow inmates to take up running. 

Once free, he ran the real event. Engle details his experiences in new memoir, Running Man. Host Frank Stasio talks with Engle about addiction, running and redemption.

Charlie Engle speaks Thursday, November 10 at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham and Monday, December 5 at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh

Laura Lee was the managing editor of The State of Things until mid February 2017. Born and raised in Monroe, North Carolina, Laura returned to the Old North state in 2013 after several years in Washington, DC. She received her B.A. in political science and international studies from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2002 and her J.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law in 2007.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.