From Rock Bottom to Resilience: Charlie Engle

In this episode, we're talking to the writer, runner and recovering addict, Charlie Engle, who I met many years ago over our shared love for running, but whose story blew me away. Known to many as "The Running Man,” Charlie managed to go from rock bottom to resilience many times over. And he continues to push the limits of what is possible for the human body and for human kind.

More about Charlie

Follow his adventure through the 5.8

Buy his book

If this episode resonates for you, we’d love for you to take a screenshot add tag us on Instagram stories @ctznwell and @charlieengle, and click below to tweet:

"Realizing nobody else was coming to save me was a blessing in that I no longer had to wait for that person." @charlieengle with @kkellyyoga on #CTZN Podcast @ctznwell ctznwell.org/ctznpodcast

More about this episode:

I refer to Charlie Engle as the “Anthony Bourdain of running” because he is relentless in his curiosity to learn, in exploring the edges of human potential and in experiencing the fullness of life on the planet. Throughout his journey, he has been pushing himself beyond addiction, beyond physical and mental limitations, beyond a criminal record and beyond hopelessness.

In this episode, we talk about his rocky road to recovery and the role that running and spirituality has continuously played in helping him overcome enormous obstacles and achieve super-human feats, like running 4300 miles across the Sahara desert.

And his next adventure is nothing short of amazing: to be the first athlete to trek from the lowest point on earth to the highest summit on every continent. He calls it the 5.8 mile project - the vertical sliver of space in which all humans on the planet live. A space that has nothing to do with nations or borders, rather, it’s about depth and shared humanity.

Charlie is running for something greater than personal highs and lows or our differences and disagreements. He’s running for all of us. This episode is all about resilience and what’s possible when we push beyond our limitations and discover our greatest potential. Check it out.

-Join CTZNWELL on Patreon

-Follow CTZNWELL on Instagram

-Sign up for CTZNWELL’s weekly email WELLread and check out our free action guides at ctznwell.org.