While making a big splash in the race walking scene in the mid 1980's Engle may have had one of the shortest elite race walking career in American History.

Engle started walking as a sophomore in the NY state high school program.  When asked why he race walked, Engle replied that he "couldn't do anything else." He had immediate success at the shorter distances.  He set the 2 mile and 5K high school national records, walking a 22:51 at Loucks Games.   As a senior, he finished 2nd to the fastest American walker ever, Tim Lewis,  in the indoor and outdoor NY state meet. 

After high school, Engle competed in the US Junior Nationals and finished 3rd. Engle moved on to college and represented Amherst College for 4 years.  Excelling in the short distances, he won the IC4A's.

After college. Engle moved to Colorado Springs and trained at the Olympic Training Center. Part of an infamous group, Engle finally had to move up to the longer Olympic distances. While Engle's times were impressive in his day, he really didn't race distances all that often.  He claims to have raced less then 6 20Ks and only two 50Ks.  How does a walker who is distance-adverse end up in the 50K?  Easy, he wanted to watch the Olympic Trials and staying for the 50K was the only way he could hang around.

Engle walked in what is believed to be the fastest debut 50K for an American.  That first 50K was at the nationals in 1984.  Engle walked negative splits of 2:11 and 2:07 to finish in  4:18:11.  He was 4th overall.  At the trials, he ended up 6th.

Engle never walked a world cup team trials and only competed once internationally (Mexican Walk Week).  Engle gave up competitive walking and was later spotted at Swarthmore College where he coached the likes of your web master when I was a freshman at Drexel.  After a few years in the Peace Corps and traveling around.  Engle now is the head track coach at Occidental College in California.

Competed at Mexican Walk Week