![Charlie Engle - Ultra-edurance Athlete and Humanist](https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/archives_presidential_lecture_series/1035/thumbnail.jpg)
Charlie Engle - Ultra-edurance Athlete and Humanist
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Date
3-5-2010
Description
Adapt and Overcome: Turning Adversity to Your Advantage
Charlie Engle is an ultra-endurance athlete whose running shoes have left imprints across the Gobi Desert, the Amazon jungle, and the vast Sahara Desert. But despite his amazing achievements of physical endurance and stamina, the television and film producer, motivational speaker, and passionate humanitarian does not count those as his greatest achievements. Instead, Engle says his greatest achievement has been his incredible recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.
For 10 years, Engle was dominated by substances, until he reclaimed his life on July 23, 1992—a date he uses as a great personal motivator. And if Engle is anything now, he ismotivated! “I love adventure,” he admits, “and I challenge myself regularly to do things that test my ability, both physically and mentally.” Along with two teammates, Engle also became one of only three people in history to run across the entire Sahara Desert—more than 4,500 miles. He averaged more than 42 miles per day for 111 consecutive days while crossing the most forbidding terrain on Earth.
His evident passion makes him a popular motivational speaker on the international lecture circuit. But he claims many other achievements as well: he has worked as a film and television producer (most notably for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition); and along with actor Matt Damon, Engle helped found H2O Africa, a charity to raise awareness for clean water on the African continent. His message is inspirational, with massive doses of humor thrown in. Engle sums up his mission in life with these three words: “Do something now!”
Co-sponsored by the Wright State Outdoor Resource Center and Five Rivers MetroParks
Repository Citation
Wright State University (2010). Charlie Engle - Ultra-edurance Athlete and Humanist. .
![Charlie Engle - Ultra-edurance Athlete and Humanist](https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/archives_presidential_lecture_series/1035/thumbnail.jpg)
Comments
This event took place at the Student Union Apollo Room.