Running Around Charlotte

Our next guest on The Running Around Charlotte Podcast “might” have one of the coolest jobs going. Chatting it up with celebrities, getting the good seats and backstage passes to ALL the big shows… or meeting and writing about “regular” people with incredible — and sometimes heartbreaking — stories. Théoden Janes is an Ironman, Boston marathon finisher, and then some. He’s also a father, husband, and lifestyle and entertainment writer for the Charlotte Observer.

There is something to be said about consistency. Like “The Rock” said, “success isn’t always about greatness… it’s about consistency.” “Consistent” is truly a word we can use to describe our next guest here on The Running Around Charlotte Podcast. In fact, he’s been a part of this event almost as long as we have! Dave Behrens has run EVERY iteration of the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon… and he’s back again this year for a run at making it 19 in a row. Dave, welcome to the program!

As the saying goes, “Girls on the Run is so much fun.” But the program is about a whole lot more than that. And, yes, it’s a whole lot more than just running, too. This homegrown program is truly one-of-kind, helping girls build the confidence, strength of character, and endurance to take on the world. Along the way, they’ll make new friends, and build healthy mental and physical habits that will truly last a lifetime. Karen Gipson is the Executive Director for Girls on the Run – Greater Charlotte. She’s our guest here on this episode of The Running Around Charlotte Podcast.

For folks who don’t know… Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital is the official beneficiary of the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. The Marathon is proud to raise awareness – and money — for such an important and remarkable place in the Charlotte community. All that “remarkableness” doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Along with the medical team and staff, it takes folks dedicated to fundraising to make it happen. Amy McKinney is one of those dedicated people. She’s the philanthropy manager at the Novant Health Foundation – and she’s our guest on this episode of The Running Around Charlotte Podcast.

Our first guest today was actually our very FIRST guest on The Running Around Charlotte Podcast. If you’ve been running around Charlotte at all, then you probably know Lisa Landrum. She’s the creator of the online and “in real life” community that is Run Charlotte Run. She’s the founder and head coach of Forward Motion. She’s a longtime pace team member here at the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. She’s also a mom, spouse, all-around good people, and a personal friend… Lisa Landrum, thanks for being on this episode of The Running Around Charlotte Podcast!

There’s lots of new stuff happening at this year’s Novant Health Charlotte Marathon and Marathon Expo. For starters, we’re expecting a whole lot more of you — that’s exciting! From live music, barbecue, a new Expo location, and a LIVE broadcast recording of The Running Around Charlotte Podcast, it’ll be a jam-packed weekend for sure. Tim and DC hit the highlights on this week’s show.

Here’s a hot take for you: The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon has donated nearly $300,000 to Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital since 2013. Last year, we upped our donation goals with the launch of Team Hemby. This year, a Team of Charity Chasers joins the effort… and there’s an all-new initiative you may have seen… the Miracle Miles. Betsy Zarzour joins us today to give us the ins and outs on ALL these new programs, and how YOU can get involved.

If you feel you’ve “been there, done that” with your running, we’ve got a different kind of challenge for you. 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. In case you didn’t know, the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon has a Rucking Division in the half-marathon race, and on today’s Running Around Charlotte Podcast, our man Mike Sweeting joins us to explain more about it.

One of the easiest ways to give back to your running community is to volunteer at a running event. There are lots of ways to do it, and most any kind of help is welcome. Arguably, one of THE most rewarding volunteer opportunities is serving as a pacer or pace team leader at an event. Guiding someone or a group of runners you might not know or ever see again… and getting them to the finish line for the first time or their best time. There’s really nothing like it. And once some runners get into the pacing game, they just keep on keeping on. One of those runners is BD Sechler. You’ll see him at this year’s Novant Health Charlotte Marathon… AGAIN!

DC, do you have plans on Thursday night? Well, you do now… if you’ve yet to make it out to the Birdsong Run Club you’re missing out on ANOTHER excellent opportunity to do a little running around Charlotte. (See what I did there?) They meet Thursday nights at 6:30 at the taproom on North Davidson here in Charlotte. The Birdsong Run Club has a mix of a couple different routes, and some fun folks to run around with. We’ve got a couple of them right here on the program today!

Experience, they say, is the best instructor. Sharing that experience with others as a coach or teacher is a heck of a way to pay it forward. Here in Charlotte, we’re lucky enough to have LOTS of experienced coaches and guides willing to help runners of all kinds reach their goals. Angela Knepprath is one of those runners who do just that. She’s an experienced marathoner herself, a “Run Far” coach, and a newly-elected board member of the Charlotte Running Club. Even cooler, she’s our guest today here on The Running Around Charlotte podcast.

Running is a lot of things to a lot of people. It’s a way to get or stay fit. It’s a way to unwind or get fired-up. It’s a way to get some “alone time,” or it’s a way to be around old friends and make new friends. Running is a way to connect with people and make a difference in many different ways. Ayumi Nagano is one of those people who seems to use running for ALL that it can be. She’s a mom, runner, coach, and activist … the kind of person you’d absolutely want in your corner. We’re excited she’s slowed down long enough to join us on this week’s episode of the Running Around Charlotte podcast!

The running community is FULL of stories. From triumph to tragedy, success and failure… Some of our favorites are ones where running LITERALLY changes someone’s life. Today’s guest on The Running Around Charlotte Podcast has one of THOSE stories. Brad Pope says running SAVED his life, and he’s here to tell us about it. We won’t spoil this one for you, so let’s get right to it!

If you’re old enough, you probably remember the old school charity walks where donors would pledge a certain number of dollars for every lap you walked for charity. (Do they event still do that??) Either way, there’s a pair of runners who’ll put a new twist on that this year at the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. Jimmy Molina and Sunkul Soni are running as “charity chasers,” to gin up money for the Novant Healthy Hemby Children’s Hospital. And if you’re wondering how this whole “charity chaser” thing works, we’ve got Jimmy and Sunkul on this eposide of the Running Around Charlotte podcast to tell us all about it.  

If you’ve been running around Charlotte for any length of time – or swimming or cycling – you may know of our next guest. Dave Koontz is arguably THE OG in the Charlotte Trialthon scene. He and his wife, Sharon, have logged no telling how many miles around the globe training and competing for decades. After a 42 year career as an engineer at Duke Energy, Dave has retired from “that” kind of work, but he’s still an age group force to be reckoned in triathlon. He’s the publisher of the “Tri News” email… and he’s authoring one very incredible comeback story after donating one of his kidneys to his younger brother. https://www.charlotteobserver.com/article276008706.html

Boston. Berlin. Tokyo. Chicago. New York. London. They’re not just great places to add to your passport. They’re home to some of the most prestigious marathons on the planet. Running one is something special. Running them all and earning the six-star, World Marathon Majors is a bucket list for many a runner. Charlotte’s Anthony Butler earned his sixth star in April at the London marathon. And he may very well hold another unique distinction: Butler is believed to be the only visually impaired runner to check the box on all six stars. He adds yet another milestone to his list today, as our guest on the Running Around Charlotte podcast! https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a43690578/visually-impaired-athlete-completes-6-world-marathon-majors/

Like we’ve heard countless times on this program, there are SO many reasons that we run. And many of us use our running as a vehicle to help others. The 2022 Running USA “Global Running Survey” shows that nearly 40-percent of runners are running FOR a cause. And their efforts add up to millions of dollars each year. Jessica Carranti is one of those runners. She’s a Novant Health Charlotte Marathon ambassador, a spouse, a mom, and a runner on a mission.

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. Single. Day. And he’s done it! The promise turned into a movement, and the daily jog turned into a Tuesday group run that encourages others to learn, get healthy, and go for goals. Cornell is here to tell us how he’s doing, starting year 4 of the “Mad Miles Club.”

Most every runner has their “why.” Why we get up in the morning. Why we go to bed early. Why we get outside in the worst weather or why we log so many miles… The reasons we run are special to each one of us, even if the pace or distance is the same as the guy running next to us. And it seems the longer we run, the more meaning – the more WHY – each one of those miles holds. Some of us may have difficulty articulating that “why.” And for some folks, like today’s guest, it’s part of their job. Ashley Mahoney is a Novant Health Charlotte Marathon veteran, yoga instructor, former college athlete, and local journalist. You probably recognize her byline from Axios Charlotte, the Charlotte Post, or Queen City Football Chronicle.

Today’s guest has been coaching, training, and competing for more than three decades. TriYON Performance is the distillation of that experience, and his way of helping others successfully piece together a healthy lifestyle of running, triathlon, and multi-sport. His unique style of incorporating training and nutrition into real life schedules gets results for athletes of all ages and disciplines. This year that experience is part of the 2023 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Official Training Plans. We are REALLY excited to have Coach Jamey Yon join us on this episode of the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

We think it’s fair to say that runners are pretty darned good people. As a group, they’re generous with their time, their knowledge, their finances, and all that. Today’s guest on the Running Around Charlotte podcast embodies all of that. His instragram is wall-to-wall pics of running. Whether it’s racing, running, pacing, or volunteering at events… it seems like it would be pretty hard to be out there and NOT run into Jesus DeLatorre. And, we’ve got him on the program today with us on the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

Home improvement shows are some of the most ubiquitous and popular shows on just about any platform. Our next guest should probably have her own show. She’s a mom, a runner – of course — one heck of an inspiration, and has some incredible DIY home improvement skills. If you’re not following Heather Taylor on Instagram, you will be after this program. She’s our guest today on the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

For some dogs, ball is life. Others play fetch or whatever, and others might prefer a walk around the block. Bella likes to run. A lot. You may have seen her running around Charlotte – doing anywhere from 5k’s to the marathon. All on those little dachshund legs of hers! Bella and her person, Keith, slowed down long enough to join us on an episode of the Running Around Charlotte podcast. Welcome!

If you’ve been running around charlotte for any length of time, then you’ve probably crossed paths with today’s guest. He’s been part of the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon pace team, a LONG time board member of the Charlotte Running Club, and a Let Me Run Coach. He’s a pretty darned accomplished runner in his own right, having BQ’d three times! This year, we’re thrilled to have Chad Champion as part of the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador’s squad… AND, he’s our guest today on the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

Have you ever met a carb you didn’t like? Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day, right? If your answer is no, then we’ve got a great opportunity for you – or for anyone else who likes to get that early run. It’s called “Rise and Run,” and it’s got everything you’d want. Great people, running, and pancakes. We’ve got Sandy Johnson here on the Running Around Charlotte podcast to tell us all about it.

Two – count ‘em TWO athletes from North Carolina will represent the state in the upcoming Special Olympics games in Berlin this summer. And one of them is from right here in Charlotte. Philip Blount will represent North Carolina at the games this summer. He’s preparing for the 100m sprint, 400x1m relay and standing shotput. And he’s slowed down long enough to join us on this episode of the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

Most run clubs have a standing date, location, and start time. And, most have marked or posted routes and other things you’d come to expect from a run club type event. The Simple Stupid Run Club is anything but what you’d expect. This run club actually comes TO other run clubs. And like any good guest, they don’t come empty-handed. Thomas Mayhugh is the ringleader of the Simple Stupid Run Club. He’s our guest today on the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

Most everyone LOVES a comeback story. You can count us in that “most everyone.” And, for any number of reasons, if you run for any length of time, you’ll probably have a few comeback stories of your own. Our next guest on the Running Around Charlotte podcast is testament to that. Siobhan Havlik is a 2023 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador, and has a few comeback stories of her own, bouncing back to running after three pregnancies.

Move over, Wednesday nights. There’s a new-ish run club on the calendar. The Legion SouthPark Run Club is one of the new clubs on the block, but they’ve got some familiar faces in the crowd. One of those faces is our friend, Anne Fechtel. She’s also one heck of a runner in her own right, and just got back from Boston. We’ll get to that in a minute, but first, let’s welcome Anne back to the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

No offense, afternoon and evening runners, but there’s just something AMAZING about starting the day with a good run. But, even the early birds need a little company sometimes. Jourdan Sullivan recognized the opportunity to create some community before the sun comes up. She started a group called Charlotte Morning Run, which meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays along the Rail Trail here in the South End. She’s our guest today on The Running Around Charlotte podcast.

Training for an event takes perseverance, a plan, and – most importantly – it takes time. Finding the kind of time to train for long-distance and multisport events makes finding time even more of a challenge. Trying to find time for that kind of training AND work and family is a tall order. Today’s guest on the Running Around Charlotte podcast knows a thing or two about finding that balance. Tia Smith is a runner, triathlete, motivator, mom, and a 2023 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon ambassador.

Hey, whatcha got going on this weekend? How about a free, fun, and friendly-friendly 5k event where you can run, walk, jog, volunteer or spectate – it’s up to you! It literally happens EVERY Saturday morning at 9 o’clock along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway here in Charlotte. No, it’s not a “flash mob” or happy accident. This kind of “park run” is literally a global movement to build some community around the idea of movement. Sarah Kline and Mitch Mitchell are event directors for the Little Sugar Creek Greenway’s Park Run. They’re our guests today on the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

Back in the day, you could time and score all but the biggest events with a Timex and a couple handfuls of popsicle sticks. (Yep. That’s a real thing.) Nowdays, even the smallest events can get world-class timing and scoring, instantaneous results, and cherries on top. One of the companies that does just that is Start to Finish Event Management. Odds are pretty good, that if you’ve run a race around here – and in a couple of other major markets – you’ve run with Jen Forsyth and the folks from Start 2 Finish.

If you’re one of those runners who’s just GOT to have your tunes to make the miles melt away, then you’ll love our next guest. Heck, if you’ve been to practically ANY event on the Charlotte running calendar, then you probably already know him. DJ Rosice Batsui is the bedrock of the local running event experience; providing the soundtrack for the RunCharlotte 6-Pack Series of events and the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon.

Like many college and university students, Luis Bayon’s undergraduate experience was full of twists and turns, new experiences, changing majors, and self-discovery. But Luis’s journey from business major to yogi has many more detours than most – and it all started when his family picked up and moved from Cuba to North Carolina.

If you spend any time running at all, you’ll eventually experience a setback. Whether it’s work, family, illness, or injury… very, very few of us skate through without something that slows us down. We could do an entire YEAR’S worth of shows on all the stuff that’s knocked us off schedule. Our next guest can sympathize. Jeneice Jamison is making her own comeback of sorts. She’s a writer and TV news producer, a runner – of course – and one of this year’s Novant Health Charlotte Ambassadors.

Philip Sanford was in high school when his mom was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer. She was just 41. As a grown-up, a runner, and an advocate, Sanford has picked up the cause his mother was unable to continue. He’s been to Capitol Hill to lobby for better outcomes. He’s also the local director for Charlotte’s colon cancer awareness run, the “Get Your Rear in Gear” 5k. He also happens to be a 2023 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador – and he’s our guest on this episode of the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

Our next guest on the Running Around Charlotte podcast fell hard and fast for this whole running thing. Let me read a line from his application to be a NHCM Ambassador: “I ran my first Charlotte marathon in 2021 and loved it so much I ran the Wilmington marathon 3 months later in February 2022. Then I got into trail running …ran a 24 hour relay on a team of 6 and we placed 2nd in May of 2022. Then I ran the Charlotte marathon again this last year. Training for my first marathon just really brought on this brand new running lifestyle for me.” Josh Rhodes is the guy who wrote that and we’re excited to meet him and introduce him to you.

Have you gone seen our RunCharlotte Ambassador Events? Maybe gone on a run with them or heard their stories? Today we’re joined by someone who has been described as the heart and soul of the ambassador team. Our guest is C.J. Langley. Not only is he a long time ambassador, he’s our new lead amabassdor. And he’s here to tell us what’s new with the team – and hown you can get support from our Ambassador team.

Spring is a great time to get back into running, or into it for the first time. One of the things that’s great about running around Charlotte (see what I did there?) is that there are plenty of great place to run, and people to run with. Whether you’re new to the local running scene or not, the Charlotte Running Club is one of the ways you can connect with who, what, and where to run in the area. Eric Smith is a long-time member and part of the executive board there. He’s our guest today on the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

We all run for different reasons, some of us enjoy a good challenge, others like to stay in shape, but for some of us running is about more than just fitness. Running can be a great way to aid causes that you are passionate about, and one of the most well-known ways to do that is by running for the cure. Running can be a great way to stay active in the new year, but when used to help members of your community overcome cancer it turns into something even greater. This week we welcome Susan Sears from GoJenGo to the podcast. Susan and the team at GoJenGo are very familiar with the challenges that come along with a cancer diagnosis and the struggles that patients and families go through. However, they are equally as familiar with the outpouring of love and support that can come with the diagnosis as well. Let’s jump right in and hear more from Susan about GoJenGo and the work they are doing.

Getting to the finish line is a huge accomplishment. Getting to the finish line first even more so. But when you are watching someone else run it’s hard to know just how much it took to get there. Did you know that Erin Del Giudice was running the 2022 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon? You might know that she won it, but what about the rest of her story? If you don’t, don’t worry it was a surprise to a lot of us! Today on the Running Around Charlotte Podcast we are joined by Erin Del Guidice the female winner of the 2022 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. She’s here today to tell us more about her story and the years that it took to get to the finish line!

Have you gone for a run with the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors? If so then you’ve had a chance to hear some of their amazing stories and be inspired! If you haven’t had a chance to run with them in person then you can always tune in here for some Ambassador Motivation. This week we are talking with Marty Flores, one of the Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors that has been taking his fitness to the next level. Even more impressive he is pushing his limits while battling health issues.

It’s that time of year again! Your resolutions are in full swing and if being more active is on your list we’ve got just the thing for you. It’s time to get ready for another year of racing and fun with our RunCharlotte Six Pack Series. Six races spread throughout the entire year to make sure that you’ll keep motivated and stay on track with your New Year’s resolutions. This week on the podcast we are joined by Tim Rhodes, our fearless leader, to talk about all things Six Pack. The 2023 RunCharlotte Six Pack has got some great things in store so without further adieu let’s get into it.

Have you ever considered running a marathon? For most of us just the thought of running 26.2 miles is intimidating. So intimidating in fact that only .01% of the world completes a marathon each year. Just getting to the finish line is an accomplishment that will last a lifetime. But some of us are looking for more of a challenge. Once you prove to yourself that you can finish a marathon, the next step is to see if you can do it a little faster, and somewhere down the line after days, weeks, months, and years of training you have to see if you can win one! Well our next guest on the podcast did just that! Welcome to the podcast Jacob Rutz, the winner of the 2022 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. He’s here to tell us more about his story, running journey, and what it’s like to win a marathon!

What do you do to pass the time while you’re out on a run? Most of you are probably saying you listen to music and if you do this is the episode for you! At the intersection of music and running you’ll find Stray Local, a husband-and-wife indie alt-pop duo of Hannah and Jamie Rowen. If you’ve been around the Charlotte Running or Brewery scenes for a while we are sure you’ve run into them, or with them. Today on the Running Around Charlotte Podcast we are joined by Jamie & Hannah. We can’t wait to learn more about their music, upcoming projects, and track club!

Have you ever wondered what it takes to host a marathon? How about what makes a good expo location? Or how all of those cups get cleaned up. Putting on a race for thousands of runners isn’t easy. Not by a long shot. But when you see the smiles of people crossing their first finish line or the families standing and walking for hours to see their runner; it’s all worth it! This week on the podcast we are talking to Alaina Williams from the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. She’s here to answer some of your questions about what it takes to host a marathon as well as the impact the Charlotte Marathon is having in the Queen City!

Finding time to train is never easy. We all know that training for any race, especially a long distance race, is not only difficult on your body, but it can also be very time consuming. Add in work, hobbies, and just living all of a sudden it might seem like there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Now imagine all of that, but instead of training to finish the race you are training to win and your job is saving lives. No pressure! Today on the podcast we are joined by Hannah Wolkenhauer, the female winner of the 2022 Novant Health Charlotte Half Marathon. Hannah is here to talk a little about her story, her training, and what it takes to be a top athlete as well as a nurse in a Novant hospital!

We know running is an amazing sport! So why not just keep running? You start with a mile which turns into a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, and then all of a sudden you are running even more than that. Running is pretty crazy like that. One day you are huffing and puffing after a mile and the next you are running an ultra marathon… of course there are a lot of years of blood, sweat, and tears between those two days. Today we are joined by Dr. Sophie McDonald and she is here to shed some light on all of those years between mile one and being ready to run ultramarathons.

You’ve read the book, I’ve read the book, we’ve all read the book. Born to Run started many of us on our running journeys or for those of us already running reignited the fire. Learning about the Tarahumara tribe of ultra-athletes and gazing into the world of barefoot running changed the lives and workouts of runners all over the world. Today we are joined by Christopher McDougall, the author of Born to Run. And we can’t tell you how excited we are to talk to him about the book and some of the new things he is working on. When the author of this book that captured a generation told us that he was working on something new we knew that we had to sit down and chat with him,