# Running 4,600 Miles Across the Sahara, 18 Months in Federal Prison & 33 Years Sober with Charlie Engle Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strong-new-york-podcast-6922708/running-4-600-miles-across-the-sahara-18-months-in-federal-prison-33-years-sober-with-charlie-engle Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strong-new-york-podcast-6922708/running-4-600-miles-across-the-sahara-18-months-in-federal-prison-33-years-sober-with-charlie-engle.md Podcast: [The Strong New York Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strong-new-york-podcast-6922708) Published: 2026-06-24T12:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/d4589267 Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/d4589267/36b243ea.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-strong-new-york-podcast-6922708/episodes/running-4-600-miles-across-the-sahara-18-months-in-federal-prison-33-years-sober-with-charlie-engle Duration seconds: 5031 ## Resource What does it take to run across the Sahara Desert, survive federal prison, maintain 33 years of sobriety — and come home to be a full-time caretaker for the person you love? Charlie Engle has lived all of it. In this episode, Kenny sits down with ultramarathon legend, New York Times bestselling author, and charity: water ambassador Charlie Engle for one of the most raw, real, and inspiring conversations we've ever had on the show. In this episode: Why being a caretaker for his wife for 10+ years has been harder than any race or prison sentence How running 4,600 miles across the Sahara Desert changed his relationship with suffering The truth about what federal prison is actually like — and why the system isn't built to rehabilitate anyone How 33 years of sobriety shaped his identity, discipline, and drive His upcoming charity: water expedition and why he keeps chasing the next impossible goal The mindset shift that took him from always asking "what's next?" to learning to live in the present moment Why owning your narrative is everything — and what happens when you let others tell your story Charlie's story isn't just about physical endurance. It's about what it means to keep moving forward when life strips everything away — and why the only compass that matters is the one inside you. CONNECT: Follow Charlie: @charlieengle Follow Kenny: @kennysantucci Follow Strong New York: @strongnewyork This episode is sponsored by Celsius, the energy drink that fuels every Strong New York workout. Visit @celsiusofficial on Instagram to see all of their new flavors! This episode is sponsored by Marek Health. Optimize your hormones, recovery, and performance. by visiting marekhealth.com. Use code KENNY at checkout for 10% Marek Diagnostics, Supplements and the Marek Health Guided Opti… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-strong-new-york-podcast-6922708/episodes/running-4-600-miles-across-the-sahara-18-months-in-federal-prison-33-years-sober-with-charlie-engle/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strong-new-york-podcast-6922708/running-4-600-miles-across-the-sahara-18-months-in-federal-prison-33-years-sober-with-charlie-engle.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.