I feel the legacy of the Sahara expedition should be the attention brought to the water situation in Africa and the world at-large.

We just finished phase 1 of the expedition and now we have to run phase 2 and fulfill the promise of creating a better life for millions of people who live below poverty levels, without fresh drinking water.

The most fascinating marathon race of the 21st century has been completed by an outstanding marathon runner and his teammates. Charlie Engle from USA, the expedition leader, and his team of Kevin Lin from Taiwan and Ray Zahab from Canada, ran through the Sahara Desert in 111 days. They are the only people to have attempted crossing the biggest desert on Earth. The marathon is dear to Greeks, because it was first run by Phidippides (an Athenian soldier and herald) in 480 BC in ancient Greece. Historical records suggest that he ran 140 miles in two days. He ran to ask for help from Sparta during the famous Marathon battle with Persia. Phidippides ran from Sparta back to Athens and then to Marathon. Athens won a brave victory, as there were only 7,000 to 10,000 Athenians against 20,000 to 100,000 Persians (estimates vary within the scientific community). Phidippides died from exhaustion after he declared victory in the Athens suburb “Psyhiko,” which was renamed after his death. Although Olympic Games started in 776 BC in Athens, the marathon was introduced to the modern Olympic Games in 1896, thus honoring Phidippides.

Charlie’s expedition resembles Phidippides’ because he too was determined to finish or die. The run was filmed and made into a documentary by Academy Award winners Matt Damon and James Moll. Matt Damon is also the narrator. “Running the Sahara” is due to be released in late summer or early fall of 2007. The run spanned 6 countries and 9 ecosystems, with extreme heat in the daytime and freezing temperatures at night. They encountered scorpions, snakes burrowing just below the surface of the sand, thousand-foot sand dunes, and lush oases with vibrant animal life. Charlie’s expeditions include the Gobi and Atacama Deserts; jungles in the Amazon, Borneo, and Vietnam; Mt. McKinley; volcanoes in Ecuador; and Death Valley. However, the Sahara Desert was a tremendous test of strength, determination, and humanitarianism. Nothing could prepare Charlie for this journey, as in his own words it was an “unparalleled journey of discovery”!

Charlie, when did you discover you can run long distances?

Like most things in life it was a progression. When I was a child I tried different sports like soccer and basketball, and as I grew older I ran 5Ks, 10Ks, 40Ks, triathlons, and much longer distances. It seems that running is in my family’s genes, since my grandfather was a track coach at UNC Chapel Hill for 40 years. I found that everybody runs, from children to adults. Running can be a lifetime sport, unlike many others that have a specific timeline in an athlete’s life. Running is timeless. Like most kids tend to gravitate to what they are very good at, I discovered I have a passion for running, and ability too.

You are an outstanding athlete and extreme adventurer. When did you realize you wanted to experience unimaginable circumstances?

I know the exact moment when that happened. I was watching a very interesting program on the Discovery Channel called “The Eco Challenge” in 1996 (which I raced in 2000). The races were fascinating and filled with adventure. People were racing without sleep, climbing mountains, kayaking - one might say they were doing “crazy things.” At that point in my life I made a decision, “This is something I want to try.” Thinking back, that moment was a turning point in my life and I felt physically ready to undergo challenging races. In fact, the older you are, the better it is, because experience comes with age.

You have run in many problematic and unpredictable places under harsh conditions. How does your Sahara expedition compare to your previous adventures?

The Sahara was a unique expedition. The Sahara Desert is the biggest in the world and we covered over 4,000 miles, which came to approximately 50 miles a day, running for 12-14 hours. It was a tremendous physical beating, because with other races, by the time you are tired of running you are climbing or biking. In the Sahara we ran for 111 days non-stop.

What goes through your mind when you are running up to 50 miles at a stretch?

With this expedition many things changed along the way. At the beginning, when I decided to run the Sahara with my team, I wanted to be the first athlete to run across the largest desert in the world and bring attention to the lack of clean water in Africa, as well as the overall situation in the continent. But, halfway it became nothing more than survival! Every day, I was thinking, I have to survive this morning, this afternoon, and this night. Perhaps it sounds very simple, but I couldn’t think of anything more precious including my own children. It was too painful! It was like being in prison in a way, because it was so confining and I was only in the middle of the race. My goal was to keep moving forward and complete the race. I was listening to a lot of music, and especially taped books inspired me and gave me the strength to move forward. My favorite books are real life stories about people who climbed to success through hardships and how they were able to overcome struggles.

During the expedition when conditions were becoming life threatening, did you consider stopping?

No. I was determined to finish or die. It is true; however, someone was always sick. But, if I knew I am able to run across the Sahara Desert, probably I wouldn’t have done it. I wanted to challenge myself, learn from this experience. I wanted to overcome physical and mental challenges and find fulfillment in this unparalleled journey of discovery.

Would you like to share with us some of your joys or struggles with your teammates during the race?

I met Kevin in 2003 in the Gobi Desert and Ray in the Amazon Jungle in 2004. When we first met, we were competitors, but then we became friends. It is very important to understand each other’s personality, because for such challenging adventures personalities have to be compatible. Just imagine going into such an expedition with two people under incredibly stressful circumstances without having the right team spirit. Most likely, friendships wouldn’t survive and expeditions wouldn’t be completed. Throughout, we never ran more than 50 feet apart, so we talked a lot. We didn’t know when the camera was on or off, we didn’t have the energy to think about this. The most spectacular sunsets and sunrises were some of the daily pleasures, as the view was undistracted and breathtaking!

How was the documentary idea “Running the Sahara” born and eventually materialized?

Two years ago, I decided I wanted to run the Sahara Desert. I had a friend who knew James Moll and when I told him my intention, he asked me if he could speak about it to James. James liked the idea and he thought it would make a great documentary since no human has attempted to run across the Sahara in modern times. He also felt it will help to raise awareness and attention about the African situation. After that, things happened very fast and I have not had much to do with the actual production. I made clear from the beginning that I couldn’t guarantee that I’ll finish, and I didn’t want to make decisions about the expedition based on the production needs. They took a risk to come and document the expedition. In fact, I was surprised that our crew didn’t quit, because for them it was very difficult too. I am accustomed to jungles, deserts, and harsh conditions. We were running for about 14 hours daily, so the crew had to be selective in what they were filming. They followed us every step of the way, they were wonderful throughout this adventure.

Is it fair to say that the legacy of the Sahara adventure will be to have wells of clean water across the route you ran?

Absolutely! I feel the legacy of this expedition should be the attention to the water situation in Africa and the world at-large. It is well documented that major problems are soon to come, due to increase of population and decrease of fresh water.

You have two children. What would you like them to learn from your extraordinary experiences?

I am a person who believes you lead by example. As a parent, I do my best to live my life in a certain way that inspires my children. I allow them to see what I do and I let them make their own decisions. I think as human beings, we are most likely to do things that we are inspired by, rather than if someone is telling us to do something. If my children want to follow my footsteps, they may do so. I insist on them to have passion in what they do. My youngest son Kevin has been playing piano for six years. If he wishes to play indefinitely, I will not stop him. In fact, I will be a proud parent to see him become a pianist or pursue a career in music, as long as he is passionate about his choices.

I realize there is a lot of research involved in deciding on your expeditions. Which are the main factors that lead you to choose a particular destination and how do you prepare for such demanding adventure?

Sahara has always been a fascinating desert for me. It always came up in conversations due to its enormous size and mystery. When I realized that no human being has ever crossed the Sahara in modern times I was wondering why?and I was attracted even more to undertake this extraordinary challenge. I wanted to do a unique marathon race, and crossing the Sahara became my passion. I do not overly train for my expeditions other than regular exercise, stretching, yoga, etc. I am trying to keep my body healthy. In fact, since I knew I will be losing a lot of weight, I gained some weight purposely. Ultimately, the mind controls the body and being 44 years old and having previous experience in harsh survival conditions helped my spirit. It was important to have the right equipment such as shoes, clothes, food, and navigation devices for detailed coordination on the specifics of our route. We couldn’t afford to be lost in the desert because of time constraints, limited energy, and danger. We started our expedition with high confidence and strong team spirit. I tried to execute our planning to the best of my ability and make this expedition a success for my team and the crew.

You are an outstanding marathon runner, if I may say, Phidippides of the 21st century. Would you like to visit the birthplace of the marathon?

I would love to visit the birth place of the marathon! The marathon race is an important quest for me. There is a joke among us, the marathon runners, that when we reach the 20-kilometer mark, we feel we “hit a wall” and we all wish that Phidippides had run 20 kilometers instead of 40 kilometers. We are all strongly connected with Phidippides and his brave race.

As you know, the true spirit of Olympic Games is not only excellent athletic skills, but high ethics too. Tell us about your involvement with the H20 Africa Foundation.

The Sahara expedition started as very personal endeavor, but since I have been involved with H20, I wanted to run and bring awareness about the situation in Africa. We just finished phase 1 of the expedition, and now we have to run phase 2 and fulfill the promise, create a better life for millions of people who live below poverty levels without fresh drinking water. I would like to spend time in the future speaking about these issues, hoping to make a difference.

We live on the same planet and we share the same resources. Do you think we make “green” decisions in our daily lives?

I think we need to do a lot more as individuals. We have a responsibility as consumers to make conservation a lifestyle. Recycling, no excess use of water, healthy eating - all those methods need to be introduced early on to our children. I am extremely happy when I see my children taking the initiative and suggesting to a friend, “Shouldn’t you recycle it?”

If you were not running extreme expeditions, is there anything else you would rather do?

I would still travel. I enjoy experiencing different cultures and spending time with locals. I also try to choose a traveling partner wisely, because not every person enjoys those cultural adventures.

What do you value most in life?

Health. I feel very lucky to be able and have the opportunity to see the world very differently from everybody else. It is my health that allows me to do what I do. I had a very interesting experience in Mali during the Sahara expedition, when a farmer was trying to install pumps for his cultivation. He was hoping to grow more food, sell it, and appropriate the proceeds for building a school. All he wanted was a better life for his children, more opportunities, and good education. Although our standards of living in the west are very different from Mali, the similarity is unparalleled; all we want for our children is the same - better education, more opportunities, and better life. There are times when I get frustrated because in our society there is little understanding about other cultures, when in fact, people universally have the same aspirations.

Would you have done anything differently in the Sahara race?

No, the main plan was very good and we did not overwhelm ourselves thinking in detail. We took most challenges one-by-one as they came and that let us focus on the race day-by-day.

Any ideas about your next expedition?

I am considering various destinations including Mount Olympus, Everest, or the Amazon jungle. I would like to do a historical expedition in countries rich in ancient history such as Greece, something that was never tried before by another athlete.

Charlie, thank you, for taking the time to share your extraordinary experiences with Goneis readers.

Thank you, Dina, it was my pleasure.

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For more information about the Sahara race please visit National Geographic.