news-record.com

Two years ago, runner Charlie Engle  kicked around a crazy idea with friends after a long-distance race.

One turned to the other and  said: “I wonder if anyone has run across the Sahara.”

What began as a lark became a grueling 4,300  mile run over 111  days, many as hot as 130  degrees. It also birthed “Running the Sahara,” a documentary that will make its TV debut at 9 p.m. Sunday on Showtime .

The film, narrated by actor Matt Damon , follows Engle and ultra-distance runners Kevin Lin  and Ray Zahab  as they cross six countries to complete what is believed to be the first run across the desert. The film follows the runners as they battle injury, fatigue, heat and threats of violence.

Engle is back in Greensboro now, preparing to return to Africa in March for a 167 mile  run in Algeria .

“The best lessons in life come from suffering,” Engle said Friday about the Sahara run. “I put myself in a situation where I didn’t know if I could accomplish the goal, but I trusted that if I did it with passion, I would learn something about myself, I would be changed as a person and I would be more useful to others.”

 The aches and blisters were temporary, Engle said. The legacy of the friendships built with his fellow runners, the experience of meeting the people of the Sahara and the H20 Africa  clean water charity he helped found will be with him forever.

H20 Africa has raised more than $6 million.

“The bond that was forged between all the runners in the film is real and still so incredibly strong,” Engle said.

“Just recently I got a call from Ray Zahab  — he’s about 100 nautical miles from Antarctica right now, running to the South Pole. And he called me on a satellite phone to tell me about it!”

Now a philanthropist and motivational speaker, Engle often shares with audiences how his passion for running helped him overcome addictions to drugs and alcohol. 

“You don’t have to run across a desert,” Engle said. “But whatever you’re doing, you should do it with passion.”

Contact Joe Killian at 373-7023 or joe.killian@news-record.com