How best selling author and mega runner overcame addiction, broke running records and became an inspiration for the masses with Charlie Engle

How best-selling author and mega-runner overcame addiction, broke running records, and became an inspiration for the masses with Charlie Engle

In his words: 

I try not to take myself too seriously despite the fact that I undoubtedly take on serious challenges. I love adventure and I am fueled by testing myself to do things that push the far reaches of my ability, both physically and mentally. My chosen endeavors sometimes seem impossible and are often wrought with pain and even failure. Yet I've discovered that if I employ humor and laugh in the face of the grimmest of circumstances, I will survive and even enjoy almost anything.

I’ve run across deserts, summited ice-covered volcanoes, swam with crocodiles and served a stint in federal prison. But my greatest challenge is the one I take on every single day—sobriety. I have been clean and sober since July 23rd, 1992. While my daily urge to drink and use drugs has waned over the years, I still struggle with the addict that lives inside of me. It took me a long time to figure out that I can not, and should not, kill my addictive nature. Instead, my challenge has been finding a way to use the addict within me for   positive, purpose-driven pursuits.

My list of pursuits is long and diverse. I’ve bounced around the world and continue to bounce around inside of my own thoughts and dreams, searching for the “Next Thing" . . . 

But it is fair to say that running, and running far, is at the core of my vitality and enduring sobriety. It lays a foundation for goals that keep me focused and it gives me the freedom of movement that I love. It keeps my body and mind sharp, and it refines and smoothes out my most jagged edges. When I run hundreds of miles through jungles, in deserts, or on the local trails starting from my front doorstep, I learn something new about myself and even about the world.