Episodes

It takes a lot of people to make the Charlotte Marathon happen! A lot of people! From timing, to marketing. From customer service to sponsorship, it takes a village to coordinate a marathon! One piece of the puzzle and hopefully one of the pieces you are most familiar with are our fantastic Charlotte Marathon ambassadors. If you’re in the Charlotte area or even beyond you’ve seen them out in the city, at running clubs, and maybe even running with you! The ambassadors get the city excited for our...

Charlotte’s beer scene just might be the best in the world, and the folks at NoDa have played no small part in that. Really that’s an understatement, NoDa Brewing has been leading the way for Charlotte beer since they opened in 2011. They’ve also gone out of there way to support the Charlotte community, including being a sponsor of the Charlotte Marathon. 11 years later they are still leading the way with their amazing beer and commitment to improving the Queen City as well as the entire craft b...

Our Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors are a diverse, interesting bunch. And while they all have running in common, they come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Today on the Running Around Charlotte podcast, we’re checking in with Meg Taylor, who is now a scientific director of Pharmacy Times Continuing Education.

There’s nothing we appreciate and admire more than a runner who adopts the running cloth to get healthy and set a great example to others and their kids. Bonus points if that runner is also willing to share their journey as a Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador. Sandy Johnson is that kind of runner. She’s checked the box on most all of the local “biggies.” She also got her own “BIG” marathon in last year’s Chicago marathon. We’re happy to have her on this year’s Ambassador’s team, and o...

We love to mix it up with our road races here at the RunCharlotte Six Pack Series, but we guarantee the last one in the pack will knock your socks off because … it’s not on a road. In fact, this race ROCKS! No really… it does… because we’re taking you almost a mile DOWN into a Martin Marietta rock quarry, and back up again. That’s right. A rock quarry. And there’s nothing else like this race around here, trust us. The Keffer Cares Boulder Dash in October will not only wrap up our Six Pack Serie...

The Boston Marathon is arguably the most storied event in our sport. No matter how long – or far you’ve been running – you’ve at least thought about running this one. And for those who’ve earned that prestigious BQ and then crossed that historic finish… well, that’s another story altogether, isn’t it? The event’s race director, Dave McGillivray is heck of a story in his own right! Author, hall of famer, valedictorian – in college AND high school. TEDx speaker and founder of his own events compa...

We know being active helps everyone. Regardless of age, gender, or ability, an active lifestyle brings a wealth of returns. And having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t be a serious athlete – or even train for a marathon. In 1976, Dick Traum, an above-the-knee amputee, proved it was possible when he became the first amputee to complete the New York City Marathon. A few years later, Dick founded the Achilles Track Club of New York, specifically for athletes with disabilities. Six of its member...

As runners – and presumably anyone else listening in – the term “human powered movement” seems pretty straightforward. Running IS human powered movement, right? But our next guest here on the Running Around Charlotte podcast has a big, bold view of the term. And has some pretty compelling reasons why. Let’s check in with Adam Bratton. He’s the guy who’s behind the movement that is “Human Powered Movement.”

We’re chatting with our friends from Hospice and Palliative Care of Charlotte about the work they do and the upcoming Hit the Brixx 5k and 10k!

We’re so happy it’s Spring! We not only love the weather and want to go for a run, but it’s time for spring running programs for the kids. One of our favorites started right here in Charlotte – Girls On The Run. The organization now serves more than 200-thousand girls a year in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It teaches more than just running, too – it teaches social and emotional skills, confidence, and good life habits, to name a few. Joining us today on Running Around Charlotte ar...

We’re excited about our remaining races in the 6 Pack Race Series and the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. One reason is, they’re great races and we have a lot of fun. Another – and even better reason – is the money we can raise for a lot of good causes around our region. Our Sponsors are an important part of making that happen, and this year, Cortland Apartment Living joins the party as a sponsor, with a $1,000 donation to the named beneficiary at each race! They’re also adding a little fun w...

We welcome runners from every background at the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon, and choose Ambassadors who reflect that, too. Our next guest on the Running Around Charlotte podcast is a husband and father of two, who hails from the Bronx – but he’s been around the world serving in the U.S. Army, and also found the time to give back to the community he lives in now – Camden, South Carolina – while pursuing his MBA. Sounds like he has a full plate! Let’s learn more about Xavier Vargas, who you’l...

One of the number one questions for any runner is how to FUEL. Yes, what to eat, when to eat it, and how much to eat for the distance you want to run in training or a race. If you feel like you’re just going from experience or trying to figure out a complex mathematical formula for every meal, we get it. Our next guest on the Running Around Charlotte podcast gets it too – and she’s got the knowledge to help! Ashley Muschiatti is a Registered Dietician and Performance Specialist with Novant Healt...

April is Autism Awareness Month, and if you’ve never known a young athlete on the spectrum, we’d like to introduce you to one. Autistic athletes are not only capable, but can also be fast! And Marshall Love is a great example of that– just one year after he began running, he took first at the Let Me Run 5k! He is part of a pretty substantial community of runners who are on the spectrum, and Marshall and his dad Hugh are joining us on the Running Around Charlotte podcast to tell us their story.

If you have a pet, you know it’s part of the family! But you also know how hard it is to capture their spirit in a photo, because the best moments often come out a blur – it’s not easy to make them sit still when they’re being cute. So how do you turn a treasured glimpse of your pet into a keepsake? Our next guest on the Running Around Charlotte podcast can help. Pet Portraits by Bethany can help you slow down the motion and capture your awesome BFF – best 4-footed friend – forever. And the art...

We know marathoners are a special breed – it takes a lot of time, energy, and dedication to train for a 26-mile race and be any good at it. But let’s quadruple that distance for a moment, and consider the energy, sweat, and *we’re pretty sure,* TEARS that come with a 100-mile race. If you’re good, that’s 20-some hours of running at once. We’re joined today on the Running Around Charlotte Podcast today by one of those very special people, who travels the world competing in Ultramarathons. Even b...

We always hear that age slows us down, but our next guest on Running Around Charlotte defies that idea. Donny Forsyth is one of the top Masters triathletes in the country, winning his age group at races all over the U.S. with his team, Triple Threat Racing. In December, he competed in the XTerra World Championships, and hasn’t stopped there. It’s a good thing he owns a shoe store, with all of the rubber he wears out! Yes, Donny is one of the owners of Charlotte Running Company, which has 5 loca...

Want a fun, fresh breakfast? The answer is apparently, “Yes,” because a small house-turned-restaurant that first served breakfast in Huntersville in 2005, now has more than 30 locations across 6 states! Yum! If you live in the Charlotte area, chances are you’ve eaten at a Famous Toastery. And if you hurry, you can sign up for the Famous Toastery Shamrock 4-Miler coming up March 12th. Get your green on and go run! It’s a really fun, “top o’ the morning” event in a sea of green. Lorna Martinez is ...

We all make resolutions at some point – and we often make them in the New Year, whether we speak them out loud or not. Tops on those lists are diet and exercise, which many of us follow through on, though not always with the desired results. We get it. But our next guest on Running Around Charlotte made a plan and stuck to it. John Gerst is a preacher, an auto-finance guy, a husband, and a father… so we know his time is not his own. But in 5 years, he’s gone from 352 pounds of praise and love t...

We love all of those ‘running gifts’ we got for the holidays, but you’re not alone if you didn’t get everything you were looking for under your tree. Our next guest can help! Chris Elkins owns Run for Your Life – a store we’re very familiar with here at the Running Around Charlotte podcast – and he’s here to tell us what the hot trends are this year, and what folks like you are looking for.

All runners everywhere were HORRIFIED to hear what happened to Ahmaud Arbery nearly 2 years ago, in February 2020. He was simply doing what so many of us do – taking a run through a beautiful neighborhood, taking in the local scenery with awe and curiosity. Except HE was chased down and shot, as 3 neighbors assumed he was there to commit a crime instead of just running. The outcry led to a lot of social justice movements, and the leader of one of those is with us today on the Running Around Cha...

If there was ever a guy who could “walk the walk” AND “talk the talk,” it’s our next guest on the Running Around Charlotte Podcast. Cornell Jones has a resume of work at the Charlotte Hornets and ESPN, and can “talk the talk” about sports. He’s also a runner – and he’s “walking the walk” by bringing hundreds of runners along with him on his daily runs, both in person and across the country. It all started with a New Year’s Day decision 3 years ago – to run a mile a day, every day. Yes, Every. S...

We know running can be good for a lot of things at any age — health and fitness, our minds, and our confidence, to name a few. So when a running program for girls spread like wildfire across the nation, one of their coaches here in Charlotte thought something similar would be good for boys. Working on a degree in Sports Science opened Ashley Armistead’s eyes to the role mental and emotional health play in overall wellness. As a running coach and mom of two boys, she was aware of the “Boy Code” ...

One of the best-known charity fundraisers in Charlotte rides in circles every July in Myers Park. And this year, the 24 Hours of Booty celebrates 20 years of rounding the famous Booty Loop to raise money for cancer navigation services at Atrium Health. If you know of the 24 Hours of Booty, you probably know its founder, Spencer Lueders. But did you know he’s also an engineer, attorney, entrepreneur, business owner, and former D-1 soccer player? There’s a lot to Spencer, and we’re honored to hav...