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Charlie Engle, the addict-turned-ultrarunner who joined two buddies to run 4,300 miles across the Sahara (chronicled in the film Running The Sahara), was found guilty of 12 counts of bank, mail, and wire fraud in October, 2010, supposedly using ill-gained mortgage money to finance the Sahara expedition. It's a fascinating ultrarunning backstory coming in through the public news feeds.

I can't decide on this one. Is Engle just another mortgage-crisis opportunist or the ultrarunning version of Robin Hood?

Sure, he forged a few facts on his applications to get $400,000 in bank loans that he didn't repay. Hey, who didn't? As Engle himself explained to the IRS agent that busted him, "everyone was doing it". But unlike Wall St mavens who prefer to spend their ill-gotten gains on $40,000 cell phones, marijuana (now more popular than cocaine on Wall St.), or hiring dwarfs for bachelor parties, Charlie Engle crossed the Sahara to raise awareness about the clean water crisis in Africa. Not only a wicked cool adventure, but a great message to a worthy cause. Heck, even Matt Damon signed on as the Executive Director for the movie. And that guy is brilliant and well-respected by his peers (see video).



Only the mad genius of an ultrarunner would (allegedly) blow a mountain of cash on 4,300 miles of heat training over 111 days. It's a small ray of solace from the $24,000 per capita share of the bailout cloud hanging over each of our heads to know a few nickels went to an ultrarunning adventure.

I'm sure this is a tough time for Charlie, and I should be careful in openly discussing an athlete far more accomplished than me, as well as quoting third party articles I can't verify. A little trouble with the IRS shouldn't distract us from his epic accomplishments (although ironically, it was his griping on film about finances that led the IRS to investigate him). Do Al Capone's tax evasion charges demote him from being the world's best gangster? Absolutely not. Does Wesley Snipes' trouble with the IRS make his films suck any less? Not a chance. Should Julio Cesear Chavez have to give up one of his six world boxing titles because he owes $12 million in back taxes? Well, I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell him. If anything, I will congratulate him on making #2 on the Top 100 Celebrity back tax list, then back away slowly, protecting my face at all times.

So the last question remains - is there a more creative way to sentence a guy whose idea of fun is 111 days wearing lycra in the Sahara? A prison term does little to tap into his extraordinary skills. I guess he could break the world record for running in place, drawing attention to the poor conditions of the incarcerated, and get Matt Damon to narrate a sequel (say it like the video now..."Maaht Daaymun"!). No, it's going to take something far more epic for Mr. Engle.

Perhaps 4,300 hours on the mortgage foreclosure hotline? I don't think anyone can take that kind of heat for long. There has to be something better than incarceration - can you think of something more appropriate that taps into his amazing endurance skills? I suspect Charlie, the man who first dreamed of crossing the Sahara, could probably conjure something huge.

Okay, okay, my rant is over. Feel free to tell me what a jerk I am, that I shouldn't pry, you should meet the guy, yada-yada. I do think he's amazing and would love to run with him sometime. But you have to admit - this is a public story that is fascinating. Public news feeds are fair game, peeps.