Running Man: A Memoir of Ultra-Endurance

by Charlie Engle

Charlie Engle’s “fascinating account of the high and low points of his life as an ultramarathon runner…is uplifting and inspirational” ( Publishers Weekly ) as he describes his globe-spanning races, his record-breaking run across the Sahara Desert, and how running helped him overcome drug addiction—and an unjust stint in federal prison.

After a decade-long addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol, Charlie Engle hit bottom with a near-fatal six-day binge that ended in a hail of bullets. As Engle got sober, he turned to running, which became his lifeline, his pastime, and his salvation. He began with marathons, and when marathons weren’t far enough, he began to take on ultramarathons, races that went for thirty-five, fifty, and sometimes hundreds of miles, traveling to some of the most unforgiving places on earth to race. The Matt Damon-produced documentary, Running the Sahara , followed Engle as he lead a team on a harrowing, record breaking 4,500-mile run across the Sahara Desert, which helped raise millions of dollars for charity.

Charlie’s growing notoriety led to an investigation and a subsequent unjust conviction for mortgage fraud for which he spent sixteen months in federal prison in Beckley, West Virginia. While in jail, Engle pounded the small prison track, running endlessly in circles. Soon his fellow inmates were joining him, struggling to keep their spirits up in dehumanizing circumstances.

In Running Man, Charlie Engle tells the surprising, funny, and emotional story of his life, detailing his setbacks and struggles—from coping with addiction to serving time in prison—and how he blazed a path to freedom by putting one foot in front of the other. “A fast-paced, well-written account of a man who accepts pain, pushes beyond imagined limits, and ultimately finds redemption and peace” ( Booklist ), this is a raw and triumphant account about finding the threshold of human endurance, and transcending it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2017

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was going to be more about running but it was really a book about this guys life. It's certainly talks a lot about running but other major topics are addiction and recovery, love, humility, acceptance, pain, and growth. I loved how honest this book is. He describes his thoughts and struggles very clearly. This book felt strangely relatable as well. I don't relate to his hard drug addictions but it was the way he describes his thoughts about running and some of his other though processes that were very relatable.
Overall I loved the book.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engle writes well about his addictions and his incarceration but actually lags on the running portion of the book. I gave it a 3 star because I finished the book but almost quite a few times while listening to audio. I think much of the book was plucked from his journal and needed a deeper editorial touch.

[Garrett Faylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve logged some miles since I picked up this book.

[Monsoon Gibb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The crack section was pretty compelling. The glorified self flagellation during the race sections were less so.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this as a audible gift from my son. At first I thought why did he give me this prison story about running in place. But as I got into the story I was drawn in and it lead me to research the financial crisis and changed my thinking about my own "not reading" what I sign. Charlie Engel has a good normal guy writing and reading voice. That normalness is contrasted by his extreme adventures, descent into hellish drug world and injustice of his conviction. My rule for giving 5 stars is a great read that makes sense with few holes, compelling, sad to put down and changes my thinking so it sticks with me after the read. This had some holes to me but I feel it has changed my view of justice, prison, addiction, and my own neighborhood because he lived in my area. He had such an accurate view of my commuity and I see it differently because of him.