Maniac questionnaire

February 16, 2006

Name Chuck Engle

Maniac # 250

State you live in Mississippi

How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? 53 road marathons as of 2/12/06

What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) 1000 meter cross country race in 7^th grade at Cloverleaf Junior High School in Lodi, Ohio. I led for the first 100 meters and finished last walking across the line.

What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? 2000 Tupelo, MS Marathon. I won, set the course record, and qualified for Boston. Fun cannot describe what I felt upon hitting the line. Euphoria explains about 10 percent of my feeling about that race.

How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I have been running since 1983. I went out for football and got knocked on my @$$. It hurt and seemed stupid to keep running fast and then slam into somebody who was running just as fast in the opposite way. I just wanted to run and not get hit. So I dropped the helmet and shoulder pads after one day of practice and joined the cross country team. Coach Todd Clarke or “Yosemite Sam” as we called him, inspired me from day one to set my goals and achieve them. I carry most everything he said to me in my head while racing. He is still coaching at Cloverleaf.

Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? There is only one Marathonjunkie but I found other people who were addicted to my drug of choice. The maniacs are my AA and I love the ones I have met. I finally fit in.

Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run?

I would give anything to run Antarctica. It is desolate and cold and those are two things that I fear the most. I enjoy conquering my fears.

If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? I would choose my wife. She has a bad lower back and thus running long distances is not possible for her. Thus I would give her the gift of healing and allow shed that which has entangled her and run with endurance and and all the races set out before her.

What was you most memorable marathon and why? 2003 Virgina Beach Shamrock Marathon. I had helped my first marathon friend and one of my closest friends achieve something that he thought impossible to achieve. The sub 3 hour marathon. Scot Baddley now lives in South Carolina and he did it. I will speak our chapters together often. He is an inspiration and a truly Godly man.

If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Of the races I have done I would say Houston Marathon or Casino Niagara. Those two seem to be very fast courses when the weather condition are ideal.

What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? Alaska. 5008 miles from Jackson, MS to Anchorage AK.

Do any of your non-running friends or family members thing that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? I am fortunate in that my non running friends don’t tell me to my face that I am crazy. I just hear them whisper it to other friends as I walk away. Fortunately as well, my closest friends are usually runners and we don’t think we are crazy. We think the lazy people of the world are crazy for not running.

If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? All of them. Seriously. I would buy a watch that would stop time so that I could run each race.

From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? The best would be the 2005 Tupelo Marathon Skull and Cross Bones medal that Mike Lail, race director placed on my neck. Tough and hot race but a first class event.

Where do you keep your finisher medals? The all hang on a display rack in my living room. The ones that don’t fit are hanging on the door knob waiting for a new rack. I just can’t remember where the first one was purchased from.

Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? Only if they are made out of something that wicks away moisture. The rest are either donated to good will or if they are worthy the get placed in a keep sake Tupperware bin.

If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it?

I would host a marathon from the entrance of Mount Ranier and go 13.1 miles up and come back down to have Blackberry Cobbler waiting on me. Someone will set this race up in my lifetime.

Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Maniac BLACK.

What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Pre Race is Quaker Oatmeal, two Apple Cherry Cranberry Clif Bars and one bottle of Endurox. Post race is anything with a steak and sweet potato involved.

What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? Gel is Sonic Strawberry Clif Shot during training and Acel Gel Strowberry Kiwi (3 of ‘em) during the race. Sports Drink is Endurox. There is no other recovery drink.

Which race would you never run again and why? New Mexico Marathon. I will just direct the readers to marathonguide.com to read reviews of the race. I choose not to comment.

What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why?

Most people would guess it was the first Saturday/Sunday double back in 2003 when I won Indianapolis in 2:34 and then drove to Louisville to run a 2:47. But the most challenging was a half marathon I ran in the 90’s one day after having foot surgery. I had a huge plantar wart dug out of the ball of my foot and it left a whole the size of a silver dollar. The doctor told me that it would be impossible to run. That’s all I needed to hear. I ran a 1 hour and 14 minute ½ thon and won. My shoe was so filled with blood that with each step it would leave a foot print of blood along the course. I took two weeks of afterwards.

What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? I run 26.2 on the weekend. Then 4-6 the next day. Off on Tuesday. 8-12 on Wednesday. 4-6 Thursday with a 20 to 40 mile bike ride and then 4-5 tempo the day before the race.

Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? Yes, God. There are very few runners in Jackson, Mississippi. Of those who do run…training pace is either to slow or not far enough. But I am working on recruiting a few.

What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? I have always trained in Nike. I do have a two pair of Pearl Izumi’s that I have worn out and I loved them. But I can’t seem to find them anymore. I have also always raced in Nike Racing flats. Here again, I may be attempting to change that over as well. Ask Tony Phillippi about this change.

What are your short-term running goals? As many sub 2:50 marathons as humanly possible.

What are your long-term running goals? Win more marathons than anyone ever has or will.

Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Bike, Swim and my number one hobbie…Consume mass quantities.

Who is your favorite "James Bond?" Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan SEAN CONNERY will always be Bond, James Bond.