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October 31st, 2006 by Charlie Engle

Finally! Charlie Engle is "off and running!"

Well, not quite. He has arrived in Africa and will begin running tomorrow, November 1st.

He and his teammates, Ray Zahah and Kevin Lin, will start in Senegal on the West coast of Africa. There, they will begin the 4,ooo mile run across the Sahara Desert, where temperatures reach 130 degress.

They will average about 50 miles daily for 80 consecutive days and will explore sites and villages along the way.



The documentary, filmed by award winning director/producer James Moll, will stress how hundreds of people living in the region die needlessly for lack of water. It will reach into the lives of the Afriacan people of the Sahara and delve deeply into the culture through the eyes of the three runners.



Six countries will be crossed over diverse terrain as the runners make their noble quest to bring a new vision of the Sahara and its people to the world.

On a daily basis, they will interact with the locals, learn about their lives and challenges they face each day, and give hope that "tomorrow" will be better for them.



The film's goal will be to help raise awareness and get support to dig a well in every town and village the runners pass through.



Our goal, as people with better living standards, is to help raise awareness ourselves by doing what we can to motivate others to all unite around the love of Africa and create a desire to make a difference in the lives of the people of the Sahara in the best way we know how.

The best way Charlie Engle knows is by running.

And run he will!



In his words before leaving to Africa:

"Do something now! Don't wait. Do what you can. Even the smallest effort makes a great difference."



He also said:

"Even if there was no film, I would still run. I would still run across the entire Sahara Desert. Because I can. This is what I do - I run. And if my small effort is enough to raise awareness for this great cause, then it is exactly what I'd hoped for. And because those people of Africa deserve it. Every human being on this planet deserves it."



From everyone here at Team Charlie -

We're wishing him and his team the very best!

We know you can do it!!

Good luck. And run like the wind!!

Lisa Trexler

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Running The Sahara- We’re Off!

October 29th, 2006 by Ray Zahab

Well, it's time.



Kevin, Charlie and I leave tomorrow for Dakar where we will commence our run! We will attempt to run 80 kms per day for roughly 90 days- that's over 6500 kms- through 6 countries-spanning the Sahara Desert.



To follow us-

wwww.runningthesahara.com



I will try to stay in touch with blogs, so keep reading!



I will miss all of you!

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Countdown!

October 24th, 2006 by Ray Zahab

Hey Gang!



It’s almost time to go! I can hardly believe it! This week-end I will be leaving to do something very special with friends who are very special to me! Kevin Lin, Charlie Engle and I will attempt to run over 6500 kms across the Sahara commencing in just a few days. In this incredible expedition we will run an average of 80 kms every day for 80 days straight. This IS NOT a relay. We will be running every mile- every inch together! The journey will take us through 6 countries and 9 ecosystems along the way and will no doubt be an insane experience! Sand dunes, sand storms, mountains, vast valleys, extreme temperatures...all the stuff Charlie, Kev and I love. This will be the Ultra of Ultra runs for us! Interacting and meeting with the people of the desert will no doubt be a highlight of our expedition.



Up to date tracking of our expedition can be seen at www.runningthesahara.com. Check back on this blog on a regular basis as well. I’ll be sending updates home on as regular a basis as the desert will allow!



As you can imagine I’ve been very busy training these last few months, running 4 to 5 hours a day! I’m tapering now but am busy getting all my gear and food ready. I have a couple of mountains of food ready to go. Dehydrated, pre-packaged, bars, bags...it's all there!



This will probably be the last post before I leave so let me take the opportunity to say a big huge THANK-YOU to everyone for all the support and encouragement, couldn’t do it without you!!



Stay tuned! Posts from the desert to come!

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