On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair.  Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air.  Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light.  My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim.  I had to stop for the night.  Yes, that is the first verse of the Eagles’ song, Hotel California.  To a runner, those words fit perfectly.

I was catching up on some reading and going through the September edition of Men’s Journal magazine when I stumbled upon an article by Adam Higginbotham titled, “Nowhere To Run.”  It’s about Charlie Engle, who is a well know ultramarathoner and is now sitting, and running, in prison on charges of mortgage fraud.  The article goes much deeper than his mortgage fraud conviction.  It describes Charlie as a guy who has seen highs and lows.  During the times in his life when he experienced drugs, alcohol, divorce, extreme success and failure, there was one common thread – running.