Running the Sahara:

I just watch a very interesting documentary call Running the Sahara in which three men, Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab and Kevin Lin set up to run across the northern part of the African continent from St. Louis, Senegal to Cairo, Egypt a journey of over 4,300 miles (6,920 kilometers). That is roughly 164 marathons worth of running in 111 days, so just under one and a half marathons a day for 111 days.

I thought this documentary was quite interesting particularly the logistics and external factors that you have to deal with on such an expedition. I know that all three of these guys are veteran ultra runners but to be able to push yourself under these conditions for this length of time I was amazed. The documentary show several scenes were there is a lot of tension between either the runners or the support crew. I think that after about a month of running 40+ miles a day through the desert and living with a bunch of dirty sweaty guys I would go crazy. This is just another example of three people, that weren't necessarily born to run, that achieve what many would consider impossible. I wouldn't say that this is a must buy, but through it in your netflix queue.

The Runners:

Charlie Engle, USA

A 42-year-old American, a television producer, and a top competitor in the ultra marathon community today. Engle has been a runner, climber, and adventure racer for more than 30 years but was one a drug addict at one time and now is addicted to endurance racing. He has participated in a number of ultra marathons and adventure races across the globe.

Ray Zahab, Canada

Ray was another individual who was a pack-a-day smoker who also participated in many other unhealthy choices. One day he decided to turn his back on these things and is not addicted to running. Ray also has a calling in the extreme adventure racing and endurance arena. He has also participated in various races around the world.

Kevin Lin, Taiwan

28 years old from Taipei, Taiwan, Kevin is a well known endurance athlete in Asia, well known endurance athlete has its limitations as to how "well known" one really is. A full-time graduate student, he like the other two is very competitive in all areas of the endurance racing world from marathons to 150 miles plus.