Author: Scott Coleman
Marathoner Charlie Engle, flanked by supporters, sprints to the finish line after running through the Dorothea Dix campus for 26 straight hours.
July 31, 2018 – Charlie Engle calls himself "Running Man" in his memoir about his personal struggles with overcoming addiction.
And he made good on that when he ran for 26 hours straight – with short bathroom and food breaks –from Sunday, July 22, into Monday, July 23, on roads surrounding the NCDHHS campus in Raleigh. Engle’s goal was to draw attention to the opioid crisis and to raise awareness for Healing Transitions, a year-long recovery treatment center adjacent to the Dorothea Dix Park, where he started this marathon run early Sunday morning.
Engle, who is from Chapel Hill, calls this his birthday run. "Through running I was reborn 26 years ago. My goal was to run for 26 hours, one hour for each year I’ve been clean and sober.”
An ultramarathoner, Engle said he chose the location knowing there would be people here who are in recovery, just like him.
“People who are just starting their journey need support, just like I do,” he said. “I want to bring attention to Healing Transitions, this wonderful treatment and recovery center that is located here. I didn’t have a place like that to go to when I first started my journey to sobriety. But, I wish I would have. It is a great resource for people living in this area who are in recovery.”
Engle, 55, said he started drinking and using drugs while in college. More than a decade later, he hit rock bottom after years of excessive alcohol and cocaine use.
"Someone shot at me, next thing I know the police were going through my car, and I just had a moment where I realized I had to make a choice, literally, between life and death," Engle said. "That very night I went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, and the next morning I put on my running shoes. For three straight years I did that routine every day and gradually started to rebuild my life."
“I hope that through running and raising awareness with events like this one, I can continue to inspire others who are struggling to find success on their roads to recovery,” he added.
Healing Transitions is a 501(c)(3) private, not-for-profit organization located in Raleigh, that began providing services in 2001.
Their mission is to offer peer-based recovery oriented services to homeless and underserved individuals coping with alcoholism and other substance use disorders. The program is designed to rekindle a person’s desire and ability to return to a meaningful and productive life.