Last night, I had the privelege of meeting legendary ultrarunner, Charlie Engle, at Plaza Frontenac where he was hosting a screening of his documentary film, Running the Sahara. He also indulged the group with about an hour of candid Q & A afterwards. It was such a unique experience to hear from a seemingly ordinary guy who pushed past every conceiveable limitation you could imagine imposing on the human body as he (and 2 good friends) ran for 111 days without taking a single day off, and covered more than 4000 miles of the most grueling, desolate, unforgiving, yet beautiful landscape on Earth.
http://www.runningthesahara.com/
What started out as a hairbrained idea he had while running through the Amazon jungle, spiraled out of control until he had Hans Zimmer and Matt Damon producing his project. The result is what you would expect from names like those. You should all find the movie and watch it for the sake of understanding that it is almost sheer willpower and mental prowess that drove these men to complete a journey that their bodies had no business doing. Truly amazing.
Several things that struck me most profoundly from listening to Charlie speak both before and after the film, were the following:
1. The Islamic republics on the west coast of Africa have no idea what lies on the other side of the continent. The runners tried to explain to nomads and passers-by what they were doing. Keeping it simple, they said they were running to Egypt - Cairo? the pyramids? Red Sea? It was all met with blank stares. They don't have cell phones or computers. They don't watch Jeopardy. They had no idea what Charlie and his group were talking about.
2. Charlie was a hardcore drug addict for about 10 years. I'd say he traded up for a better obsession.
3. During the Q&A Charlie was asked about how the desert crossing made him a different or better husband/father/friend, etc. He went on to explain that he has to constantly deal with the guilt that comes with being away from his family for long stretches. And there's nothing to do but dwell on it for 12 hours every day while running across the sand. But he doesn't appologize for it. Nor does he ask permission for it (he's bold and stubborn). Instead, he looks at the society we've created that has parents telling their children they can do whatever they want to do, be whoever they want to be, accomplish anything, but doesn't set the example. Actions are required to make a long-lasting impression. He said that right now, he can go out and run crazy races and do wild expeditions, and his family supports him. When his kids are ready to take on the world and reach beyond their potential, they will believe that they can do it, and have his experience to guide them, he said.
4. Even though he never thought it would be easy, it was much more difficult than he imagined. Geez! Wouldn't you just pretty much imagine the most horrific experience you could??
5. Lastly, he's much nicer in person than he is in real life. It wouldn't be fair to judge him solely by the flim's portrayal.
So there it is. Find it. See it. Be amazed. Also be warned, your neck my hurt afterwards from shaking your head so much.
