One is Jack Fierstadt, a real-estate attorney in Pasadena, California, who has come to support Engle, whom he met in a tent in a multi-day stage race in the Gobi Desert in 2006. While his gregarious nature rides easily on the surface, when a couple of friends show up, an uneasiness drifts into the air. In short order, he can take to calling you “brother,” eschewing handshakes in favor of hugs. Despite his accomplishments and celebrity in the running world, he is self-deprecating, magnetic. And, I would discover, he had a similar likeable swagger and arresting presence.īetween frequent incoming cell calls, texts and emails, Engle is open and talkative, cracking jokes and flashing a ready smile.
Within 10 minutes of watching, I quickly realize Engle, 48, possesses a commanding, penetrating voice not unlike Wayne’s. “I have to get my weekly dose of The Duke,” says Engle, as we sit on the white L-seat couches of the nicely appointed suburban house, in which he lives with its owner, Chip Pitts, a fellow runner and close friend. On a crisp January Saturday morning, I arrive at Engle’s Greensboro residence (clued in that I was probably at the right place by the “XTREMIST” license plate on an older model Suburban in the driveway), where Engle lounged, watching a classic John Wayne Western Fort Apache, awaiting the arrival of weekend guests from across the country. “The Main Event,” however, invited attendees to caravan to Engle’s Monday-afternoon sentencing, in Norfolk, Virginia, for a recent felony conviction.
The e-vite also promised a Saturday-evening presentation by the renowned adventure racer and ultrarunner Charlie Engle, known for his epic 111-day, 4500-mile run across the Sahara. It sounded like a fun weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina, with a 5K or 10-mile run through a beautiful greenbelt park, but there was one strange twist. Most recently, he ran smack into the law.
He has run to overcome drug and alcohol addiction, and to help others. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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