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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Ultra marathoners discuss epic run across Sahara Desert covering over 4000 miles in 111 days

Posted July 20th, 2007 at 10:11 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons

“Achieving Success In Extreme Outdoor Sports Adventures”

Who: Ultra marathoners Charlie Engle and Ray Zahab (subject of the upcoming documentary Running the Sahara)

NOTE: Click here to listen to TheFinalSprint.com’s audio interview with Engle

What: Elite athletes Charlie Engle and Ray Zahab completed the equivalent of 2 marathons (55 miles) per day for 111 days straight covering six countries and over 4,000 miles across the Sahara Desert. The goal was to accomplish the impossible - to push themselves to the limit and learn about the people and places of the Sahara. The trip began in Senegal and ended at the Red Sea in Cairo Egypt. Engle and Zahab’s journey will be documented in the upcoming film Running the Sahara. Join Engle and Zahab during the Outdoor Retailer convention as they share their personal experiences from this remarkable journey and discuss how everyday enthusiasts can maximize endurance and incorporate technology like Magellan GPS to enhance their performance in extreme adventures.
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Podcast 52: Running the Sahara’s Charlie Engle

Posted May 23rd, 2007 at 3:15 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode 52 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with Charlie Engle; one of America’s top ultra- endurance athletes and Running the Sahara’s Expedition Team Leader. Charlie, along with Canada’s Ray Zahab and Taiwan’s Kevin Lin, successfully became the first humans to run across the
Sahara Desert this past winter. The statistics of their historic and life-changing adventure are almost incomprehensible. In average temperatures of 112 degrees Fahrenheit, these three men ran for 111 days, accumulated a total of 4,300 miles, crossed 6 countries and drank enough Gatorade Endurance Formula (3,300 liters) to fill an entire swimming pool!

This fall the documentary “Running the Sahara”, directed by James Moll and narrated by Matt Damon (both of whom are Academy Award winners) will chronicle Charlie, Ray and Kevin’s incredible feat.

In this in-depth interview Charlie talks about how the idea evolved, the drive to realize such a unthinkable goal, staying hydrated and nutritionally fueled, the critical assistance of partners like Gatorade and Magellan GPS, and the multitude of dangers and obstacles (such as scorpions, wind storms and a lack of water) that they encountered (and overcame) along the way.

Download the podcast to hear Charlie discuss these topics, as well as, how they were received by the local communities, H2O Africa (the charitable organization they created to raise awareness of and help solve the water crisis in Africa), the documentary, his plans for this year’s Badwater Ultramarathon, and much more!

Listen In
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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Charlie Engle
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 25.7 MB
Length: 37:32

Check out every episode of TFS’s Podcast in iTunes!

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

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Sole Responsibility launches 3rd annual shoe collection campaign for Darfur refugees

Posted April 25th, 2007 at 2:00 PM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: News & Results, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

Tracey Clark, Managing Partner of Bridgehead Coffee and Alew Bwolo a refugee from the Sudan region of Africa will join representatives from Sole Responsibility as they launch a massive initiative to collect running shoes for the Sudanese refugees from Darfur. Alew will share his experiences of life in a refugee camp.

Sole Responsibility is a non-profit organization formed by a group of runners from Ottawa. Until May 31st, Sole Responsibility will collect used running shoes throughout the city and at the Pfizer Sports Expo at the Ottawa Race Weekend.

Last year Sole Responsibility collected over 2500 pairs of shoes. In previous years shoes collected by Sole Responsibility were sent to Chad, Africa where they were distributed by the UNHCR to the Sudanese refugees from Darfur.
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