After some adventures in Antarctica with The Impossible First last month, I am continuing with the theme of memoirs but bringing you (at least partially) to much warmer places with multiple time finisher of Badwater 135 Charlie Engle.
One of the reasons I tend to enjoy reading memoirs is that they provide a reflection on one’s life. They may provide tools to help us build resilience. They may provide inspiration. They may help us build empathy. They may help us see our own life with a different light.
This memoir follows this pattern through the life of Charlie Engle. As he recovers from a decade-long addiction to crack, cocaine and alcohol, he finds a passion for ultra and adventure running. He uses this as a media to draw awareness to societal causes and raise money for charity, for example through the Matt Damon-produced documentary, Running the Sahara.
He describes the struggles and the mental challenges of becoming and staying sober and how running and relationships have enabled him to survive and push through the ups and downs of life.
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