Charlie Engle

Charlie Engle (born September 20, 1962) is an American ultramarathon runner and author.

Early life and education Charlie Engle was born on September 20, 1962 to mother Rebecca Ranson and father Richard Engle. His parents were students at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) when Engle was born. In eighth grade, Engle ran one mile in under five minutes for the first time. After living in California for a time, he moved to Southern Pines, North Carolina with his father and stepmother in 1976 and began attending Pinecrest High School.

Engle enrolled in UNC but soon began to have problems with alcohol and cocaine, which caused him to falter in his academics.

Career Engle started running marathons in 1989. After seeing an Eco-Challenge on the Discovery Channel, Engle registered to participate in one of the events. Engle published a memoir, Running Man, in 2016.

Legal issues In 2010, Engle was convicted of 12 counts of mortgage fraud, and served 16 months in federal prison in Beckley, West Virginia before being released to a halfway house.