Episodes

You’ve heard us say it before – it was really nice to be back under the sunshine and crisp fall air of the Carolinas at our in-person Novant Health Charlotte Marathon this year. We had a great turnout for the marathon, half-marathon, and 5k … and our women’s winner was a name that should be familiar to runners across the Carolinas. Mimi Smith was first over the line at 2 hours and 48 minutes, and if her name sounds familiar, it’s because she ran cross-country and track for the Wake Forest Demon...

We hear some incredible stories in the running community about the life-altering effects of running, but this one will blow you away! Jason Gardner was always the “big kid” — you know, a little extra hefty. At his heaviest, about 10 years ago, he was 426 pounds! He decided to make a change. It started with diet and exercise… and now includes running. We’ll let him tell you how he did it — and where he ended up in his “1 man, 1 year, 150” personal goal.

If your back hurts, everything hurts. And if you’re one of 65 million Americans who suffer from back pain, you know how important it is to get relief. A chiropractor can help! Whether you’re a serious runner or just a weekend warrior, your back will need care to keep it strong and healthy so you can stay fit. The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon is proud to partner with one of the premier chiropractic clinics in the Carolinas — Greenapple Sports and Wellness. Dr. Doug Bradberry is an athlete hi...

Running a marathon is tough, and training for it can be a real challenge — We know that, right? Now imagine training for a long race or a triathlon if you are visually challenged. How would you do it? You would need a great training partner and coach, for sure. In Charlotte, you’re in good hands. Para Guides offers a training program for athletes at any level of fitness and ability, who need guidance because of a visual disability. Shannon Houlihan was inspired to start Para Guides in 2017 afte...

It was great to be back! We’re talking — of course — about the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. After a year of running virtually because of COVID, it was really nice to be back under the sunshine and crisp fall air of the Carolinas at our in-person race. We had a great turnout for the marathon, half-marathon, and 5k … and we had a new winner, too! Adam Jones crossed the finish line first in 2 hours and 23 minutes, and we bet we’re going to hear his name a lot more now. He was a runner at both...

Many of us have had a hard 2021. Our Ambassador Blair Kitrick is no exception – she’s lost several friends and family this year. She’s here to share her a little about her grief and how running and the community have helped her heal – and even find some joy along the way.

We LOVE football, and 3 cheers to the Charlotte Sports Foundation for bringing 3 big college games to the Queen City every year. The ACC Championship, Duke Mayo Classic, and Duke Mayo Bowl, each bring “that little Southern something that makes good things better” to Bank of America Stadium in the fall, to the delight of ACC football fans everywhere. But the Charlotte Sports Foundation is more than just football — it supports sports and events all over the region because it knows that from youth...

If you’re a regular reader of our RunCharlotte blog, you may have been “wowed” by this story back in April. Richard Sexton of Concord — a former furniture e-commerce entrepreneur, digital marketer, occasional substitute teacher, and last-but-not-least ultra runner — ran a full month of marathons last May with a 25-pound weight ball in his rucksack. Yes, we said a Full. Month. Of. Marathons. With a weighted ball named “Slappy.” Yes, Wow. He did it all to raise money and awareness for Carolina CA...

The numbers detailing America’s health can be staggering. According to the CDC, 42 percent of Americans are obese. You heard that right — 42 percent — a 12-point jump compared to 20 years ago. And the highest percentage of obesity when broken down by race is found in Black adults. Those are the kind of statistics that prompted the creation of Black Men Run — a running group especially designed to combat health problems common in the African-American community. High blood pressure, diabetes, and...

If you ever needed proof about how running changes lives, just look at the nonprofit RunningWorks. The programs are designed to promote healthy lifestyles for our neighbors experiencing homelessness and poverty. And RunningWorks acts like the BEST running buddy — not only fostering relationships through running, but helping connect its team members with community resources in healthcare, jobs, and housing… to name a few. RunningWorks also encourages rehabilitation and dignity for its members th...

We love our ambassadors — the guys and girls who spread the word about the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon, and train, and post about us all year. And they come from all walks of life, with the common threads of running and positivity. Joe Smith is one of those ambassadors, even though he looks more like a defensive lineman than a marathon runner. But he’s also an incredibly multi-faceted guy, business owner, entrepreneur, photographer … and runner. And he’s here with us on the Running Around ...

One of Charlotte’s largest Thanksgiving traditions has nothing to do with pumpkin pie or stuffing – and the only turkeys you’ll see will be on people’s heads – not plates. What could we be talking about? Why the Charlotte Turkey Trot, of course. That’s right – early Thanksgiving morning, thousands of people take to the streets and run off dinner before they eat it. Joining us today is David Jessey – one of the owners of the Charlotte Turkey Trot.

Runners love a challenge – and training for a marathon is a great way to push yourself a little further than you ever have. If you’ve run one and enjoyed it, you push yourself a little more to do a PR the next time around. But we’ve got a challenge only a few hardy souls sign up for…. Running the half-marathon with a weighted backpack. You may have heard of rucking – which is basically a form of military training where you run miles with a full backpack. The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon has...

We’re dedicated to making this year’s Novant Health Charlotte Marathon the best one yet! Whether you’re running virtually or in person, we’re stepping up our game after all runners have been through with postponements and cancellations in the last 18 months. That’s one reason we brought a pro on board to be our Event Experience Director. We first spoke to Alaina Williams last March on the Running Around Charlotte Podcast, and now we’re talking to her again about what kind of awesome experiences...

We love our friends down at Novant Health and all of the support and guidance they give us here at the Charlotte Marathon. And we love turning over that big check to them after every race, with money we’ve earned, because we know it goes for a great cause — the Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital. There is a lot of good work going on there, and if you’ve ever had to make a hospital stay with your child, you know how important that is. Jessica Osborn is an Ambassador at Hemby Children’s Hosp...

We all have our reasons for running — for some of us it starts with wanting to get more exercise and lose a few pounds, right? Our next guest on the Running Around Charlotte Podcast is definitely one of those folks — a Charlotte native who looked at his high school Senior photo, tipping the scales at 300 pounds — and decided to do better. For the next 16 years, Mike Cooke decided to do better every day, but the journey was not easy. Along the way he made changes in his food, his drinking, and h...

In just a few short weeks, our big race will be here! We couldn’t do it without a lot of help, and all of our enthusiastic friends we call Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors. Bekah Eljoundi is one of them, though you may know her as Run Coach Bekah. She has more than 13 years of running, coaching, and personal training experience to give you the boost you need for your fitness or racing goals.

It’s a diagnosis that no parent ever wants to hear — your sweet, bouncy, fun-loving, child has a terminal illness and there’s no cure. But if you found out that you could have slowed the illness — maybe even kept it at bay — with a blood screen when your baby was born, your grief then might turn to anger and then to action. Today we’re talking to a Mom taking action, about a scenario just like that. Sarah Penney McDonald’s son, Nash, had a seizure when he was 5, and shortly after that, doctors ...

You could simply describe our next guest as a math teacher who also runs — but that would barely scratch the surface when it comes to Larry Frederick. Sure, he’s taught gifted math classes for the last 14 years, but before that, he was known to old-school Charlotte runners as the founder and owner of Run For Your Life stores (Hey, we know that place!) And before he even opened his first Charlotte store in 1989, Larry was a runner — a very GOOD runner. His hometown paper, the Utica Observer-Disp...

If you need a bit of cheer, a motivating word, or a great running route around Charlotte, ask any one of our Ambassadors. The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors will make you want to run through a wall — (we don’t recommend that) — or at least get you out on the road putting one foot in front of the other on days your motivation falls short. And if you want your run to be full of colorful murals, we’ve got an Ambassador who knows that too. Laura Morrow is a runner whose Instagram alte...

In a traditional world, it is drilled into our heads that good nutrition is a balance of all food groups, which includes protein — most often lean meat. Nothing against a good piece of grilled chicken, but our next guest on the Running Around Charlotte podcast says you don’t need to eat more chicken, or even eat meat at all! Matt Frazier is the author of No Meat Athlete, and his blogs and books chronicle the basics of being an athlete on a vegan diet — namely, it can be done! In fact, Matt says...

I hope you got a chance to watch the Olympics this year. It was a tough year for athletes — with an extra year of training — and less-than-ideal running conditions in Tokyo in July. We know YEARS of training go into getting to that level, to even qualify for Olympic Trials, so we thought you’d like some insight from someone who’s been there. Scott Dvorak is known to local runners as the owner of Charlotte Running Company, but he also has a long career in running at the highest level — including...

We’re talking to another one of our amazing Novant health Charlotte Marathon! This ambassador is a runner, a banker, and dog mom! Meet Haley Heartley – and hear about everything she does when she’s NOT running!

It’s HOT outside! You might be exercising less, not drinking enough – and if you’re like us – don’t have much motivation to cook. Matt Dengler of RxRD Nutrition is here with us toay, with tips on eating (and drinking) healthy all summer long!