Running Around Charlotte

If you’re a triathlete who didn’t spend a good amount of time on a swim team as a kid — summer league or year-round — you probably dread the swimming part of the triathlon. Well you don’t have to! There are programs around Charlotte that will help you gear up for that short but important part of your Tri…. or just give you a great activity to work out your running cramps and work your overall muscle tone, flexibility, and aerobic conditioning. Doug Miller runs Miller Swimming just for folks like you — runners and triathletes who need to work on their swimming technique and endurance. He’s also the director of the Charlotte Open Water Championships… just in case you prefer to do something besides swim when you hit the lake.

Our Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors LOVE running. They to run, and love to talk about running. And sometimes, running tells a story about THEM. That’s the case for our next guest on Running Around Charlotte, marathon Ambassador Judy Caswell.

Do you love winter? The feel of a brisk wind in your face? The sound of snow and ice crunching under your boots? Yes? Well, our next guest can multiply that by the thousands. Pete Ripmaster ran the Iditarod Trail foot race, a thousand-mile trek across the great wilderness of Alaska in February of 2018. No, he didn’t ride a sled pulled by dogs — that’s a different Iditarod race. This one was all Pete vs. the wilderness. And he not only survived, he won! And he lived to tell about it — right now, on Running Around Charlotte.

Let’s check in with another one of our Novant Health Charlotte Marathon ambassadors — and this one, can give some valuable advice and motivation to those of you who’ve ever had an injury and needed to take some time off. Lissa Nypaver is used to running a LOT of races — at least one a month… or 2… or 3… but like we all know, a lot of races this year were cancelled or run virtually. And then on top of it all.. ow, knee surgery. She joins us now on Running Around Charlotte to give us an update on her year.

Our partnership with Novant Health is a great one. Novant keeps the marathon rolling with health and wellness, and all money raised by the marathon is used to support programs at Hemby Children’s Hospital. In fact, in the last few years, the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon has donated more than $200,000 dollars to Hemby because of our runners’ enthusiastic support. So it’s with great joy that we welcome Amy McKinney and Jessica Osborn from Novant Health Foundation to the Running Around Charlotte podcast.

Here’s a virtual race you want to be a part of — one in which a donation gets you a free pizza! And not just any pizza, but a Brixx Wood Fired Pizza. Yum. We’re talking about the Hit the Brixx 10k/5k Run/Walk. Coming in October, it’s part of the RunCharlotte 6-pack series and this year, it’s virtual – so this year’s race is actually called, Hit *Your* Bricks. It benefits a very important nonprofit in our community — the Kids Path Pediatric Hospice Program. We’re honored to Have Pete Brunnick, President & CEO of Hospice & Palliative Care of the Charlotte Region, and Jenna Wise, Marketing Director at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza on the Running Around Charlotte Podcast to tell us all about it.

We all know training for a marathon involves a lot of running, but what else should you be doing in your workouts to get the best performance? We’re asking that question to Will Hayes, a sports performance manager at Novant Health Sports Performance in Huntersville.

Charlotte Running Club is a powerful force behind running and encouragement in Charlotte.. and for the first time in 2-1/2 years, it has a new President. Eric Smith is a committed runner who is eager to encourage others, and has also been described as a “rock star” pace runner for our Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. With the Charlotte Marathon (and others) transitioned to virtual runs this year, he is literally “Running Around Charlotte” for his races. Eric joins us now to talk about his upcoming races and his new post.

The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon has gone virtual – here’s what you need to know!

Here’s a question we all need to hear: “How will you get moving today?” It’s a favorite question of our next guest on Running Around Charlotte. Christine Turner is a former college soccer player and now mother of 2, who trained as a mental health counselor, and is currently as a personal trainer at a company she started about 2 years ago. And as if she’s not busy enough — she also runs. Wow! We’re glad she’s here talking to us today… maybe she can share some of her energy!

We like anything that gets folks out running — and we know the transformative effect running can have on people’s lives. One place that’s absolutely apparent is with RunningWorks, a non-profit that gives Charlotte’s homeless population an avenue to take control of their lives through health and wellness. They also help their runners along that course with mental health counseling, group therapy, career development, and housing assistance. Matthew Sharp is their Chief Operating Officer, and joins us now on Running Around Charlotte.

How is your relationship with food and exercise? How are you feeling after stay at home orders that kept you out of the office or your usual social circles? Do you want to talk about it? Well Juliet Kuehnle is someone you can talk to. She’s a therapist who takes a holistic approach to helping you sort out your feelings and fears, and move forward in a positive way. She’s here today on Running Around Charlotte, to share some insights about how to deal with stress right about now.

Wanna have a good time? Then be around fun people! Or at least, watch them on Tik Tok and Instagram. Our guest today on Running Around Charlotte is THAT guy — the one everyone loves to watch dancing on Tik Tok or running the mic at Charlotte Checkers Games. And guess what? He also runs marathons and has served as one of our Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors! Welcome, Aaron Dodge!

School is just around the corner.. and let’s face it, this won’t start as a normal school year, just like the last one didn’t finish that way. On top of classroom learning, schools are weighing a return to sports — when many athletes have been out of practice since March. Dr. Christian Turner is a pediatrician with Novant Health – with a specialty of pediatric sports medicine – to give us some great back-to-school reminders.

We have become especially aware this summer of the differences in opportunities across our city. We know going to museums or camps are good for kids, but not all kids get that kind of exposure to what’s called cultural capital. It affects education and upward mobility, something Charlotte struggles with, according to a now-well-known report putting us last among Top 50 metros when it comes to moving up in socio-economic status. The non-profit Raise a Child of the Carolinas sets its goal of exposing kids to the kind of opportunities that are not evenly available across the city, in order to help them grow up to be responsible, engaged citizens and leaders. If you’re a casual runner or walker, you can help. Shay Hunt is the Executive Director of Raise a Child and is here to tell us how — and more importantly, why — you can do your part.

If you’ve been in Charlotte for even a few months, listening to the radio or watching local TV, you’ve likely heard an ad for one of the Keffer Auto Group’s 8 car dealerships like Hyundai, Volkswagen, or Kia. What you may not know is their namesake owner, Jim Keffer, is pretty good at getting around on foot, too — we mean, of course, running. Jim likes training and competing in endurance sports, and in fact, is the name sponsor of our Keffer Cares Rocktoberfest Half Marathon and 5-miler, part of the Run Charlotte 6-pack of races leading up to the Novant Charlotte Marathon.  

We can all use a little encouragement in our running lives, and our next guest on Running Around Charlotte has some for you. Aaron Beaver is an ultra runner who created the Suffer Club on three points: encouragement, accountability, and consistency. He’s here to encourage us now with his story.  

We love talking about running here, but the best part of running is knowing that you’re doing something to keep your body healthy and fit. Our next guest on Running Around Charlotte wants you to feel amazing in your body .. and, in fact, is inviting you to be a part of “Be Amazing Weekend” in October. Celia Thompson, or “Cel” to her friends, spent 10 years in competitive fitness and now focuses on keeping others fit. She joins us now to tell us how we can, also, “be amazing.”  

Running is a hot, sweaty business. And what’s the first thing you do after you cool down? Taking a shower and washing your hair is probably high on the list. Our next guest on Running Around Charlotte, though, got sick of running with her hair one day during a 20-mile run, and… took it off. No, she didn’t shave it — she was wearing a wig, like she had almost her whole life — and she was tired of it. Lindsay Walter is an athlete with alopecia, which means she doesn’t grow hair. And she’s here to tell us the story of how she embraced her bald head… and literally ran with it.  

One really cool thing about our Novant Health Charlotte Marathon is our love for local companies with what we choose to represent us, and the local sponsors who support our race. And we’re excited that once again, our race t-shirts are made by local company, Recover Brands. What’s even cooler is that Recover Brands supports the earth. They are made of 100% recycled material, designed, sourced, and sewn right here in North Carolina. Bill Johnston is the co-founder of Recover Brands, and he’s here to explain more about the amazing sustainable T-shirts that are the must-have accessory from every race around.  

It’s always great to talk to an Ironman finisher — anyone who can go the distance in the mother of all triathlon races is usually a very positive, upbeat, energetic person. Jamey Yon has not only finished an Ironman, he’s done it 22 times! He was also the World Champion in his age group in 2017 Ironman 70.3, and an Olympic Distance Age Group National Champion. On top of that, he’s a father of 5, founder of TRiYon Performance, and maker of Yon-Bons energy snacks.  

During the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon, there are a lot of runners who will grab your attention. One group, though, has its own division. This group honors the armed forces by walking the entire 13.1 miles of the half-marathon wearing weighted backpacks, or “rucksacks.” It’s the basis of military training. Rucking is a great workout for building strength and endurance, but mentally, it’s even more than that. It’s been called, “movement with a purpose,” and Michael Sweeting is heading up the Rucking Division of the Charlotte Marathon this year.    

We know runners love running, and our ambassadors are the epitome of that. We have with us today one of those ambassadors, Bekah Eljoundi. Her running story is pretty amazing, considering she spent most of her childhood held back by asthma and never even THOUGHT she could be a runner — even though she always admired them. She’s here to tell us how she went on to run 19 marathons now… even one, 6 months after having a baby.    

You’ve heard about it, and maybe even felt it – those extra pounds some of us are putting on because we now work a few steps from the fridge, and aren’t following our normal workout routine. They’ve been called the “Quarantine 15” or even the “COVID-15” – Yikes – and we need to keep them off. Taryn Cullen has some ideas to help you. She’s a Registered Dietician with Novant Health and she joins us today on Running Around Charlotte with a few simple ideas to set you back on the right path.    

We can’t think about running in groups right now, and we definitely can’t consider running a race with hundreds of other people…. Or can we? Blair Kitrick thinks we can… if we do it by ourselves. Wait, what? — Yes.. Blair and her Dad are organizing a VIRTUAL 5k and 10k race to raise money for hospital masks. It’s the kind of enthusiasm about running we would expect from Blair.. since she is one of our Ambassadors for the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. She’s also the founder of JayTalking, a non-profit focused on individual rights, and improving relationships between police and youth. Thanks for joining us, Blair.. we have a lot to talk about!  

Runners… we know you’re hurting. We know you still want to go out and do your usual runs (and we’d also understand if you don’t) — but a lot has changed. We’re all worried about our health, and we’re worried about other people’s health too – and yet we still want to run, safely. Our guest today on Running Around Charlotte can help you do that. Dr. Karan Shukla is a Physician at Novant Health Randolph Family and Sports Medicine, and he’s also served as a physician in the medical tent at the Charlotte Marathon for the last three years. He understands you, runners, and he’s here to help.

We all know the transformation that running can make us feel inside. Even now – or ESPECIALLY now – with Stay at Home restrictions, running gives us exercise and freedom we need for our minds and bodies, while allowing us some social distance. Our next guest on Running Around Charlotte is showing the transformation running can make on the outside. We know running is a great way to stay in shape, but Charles Willett was nearly 400 pounds before he decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle, including running. The CPA for NoDa Brewing has now lost nearly 150 pounds and counting.

She’s new a new mom, new to Charlotte, but she’s NOT new to running. Lindsay McClelland is a Marathon Ambassador and is here to share her running story.

You may have heard… there have been some changes around the shop. Tim is selling his interest in Run for Your Life to concentrate on running races full-time. I mean, not actually “running” them.. but working as the full time Race Director for the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon and a few other races, known as the 6-pack Race Series. But don’t worry… the shop is in good hands! Chris Elkins, already owns the University City location of Run for Your Life, and he’s buying the other two. Chris, thanks for joining us on Running Around Charlotte so we can tell folks it will be the same great store with the same great service.

Just like the name sounds, a Marathon Ambassador is someone who encourages others to get excited about running — everyone from beginners trying their first 5k to experienced veterans who have run dozens of races. And of course, Ambassadors are go-getters who love people and love bringing them together to -you guessed it- run! We have one with us today on the Running Around Charlotte podcast – welcome Arun Kallikadavil!

Since our podcast is named “Running Around Charlotte,” we love to hear from runners themselves about what motivates them, their goals, their running secrets, and their favorite places to train. We have one of those avid runners and cyclists here with us, also a board member with Charlotte Running Club, who likes to talk a bit about safe routes as well — a big welcome to Franklin Keathley!

Good distance running requires a lot of training, as we know…. but training for running, swimming, AND cycling all at once? It takes an “Iron Man”… or “Woman”… to do it all and win. And today on Running Around Charlotte we have not just one, but TWO Ironman champions and professional triathletes, who also just happen to share the same last name.. and at one point, even the same womb. Say Welcome to twin sisters Kelly and Meghan Fillnow, pro triathletes and owner & manager of Fillnow Coaching.

Are you feeling lucky? Do you like to run? We have the race for you! The Famous Toastery Shamrock 4 Miler presented by Novant Health is coming up March 14th.. and we can almost guarantee you’ll be seeing green. Welcome to Dennis Jackson from Famous Toastery to tell us more.

If you’ve trained as an athlete, you know there is more than one element for success. Natural ability is only part — you also need strength, skill, endurance, and one more thing that helps your body reach its potential — flexibility. It is the element most often forgotten as we carve out time in the weight room and our running routes, but it’s important to keep our bodies healthy and keep injuries at bay. We’ve got just the person on today’s Running Around Charlotte podcast to help you stay fit, flexible, and balanced in your athletic life – welcome Kara Vincent to the podcast!

When you run, is Dog your co-pilot? Many, many of us wouldn’t consider stepping out for a jog without our best four-legged friend — even if it’s just for a couple of miles while warming up. But is that good for your canine companion? How much is too much? Our guest today on Running Around Charlotte can answer those questions. Dr. Tom Watson is a former Army combat officer during Desert Storm and now serves Charlotte as veterinary orthopedic and soft tissue specialist, and owner and founder of Carolinas Veterinary Medical Hospital. To his credit, he doesn’t see bears, but does serve lions and tigers and dogs — oh my!

Before you can move thousands of runners through 26.2 miles of Charlotte’s streets, you have to move thousands of pounds of food, equipment, supplies, and even water to strategic spots along the route between the start and finish line. It’s a big job, and one we’re glad to have good partners for. Gentle Giant Moving Company does the “heavy lifting” – so to speak – for race set-up and tear-down. It’s a LOT of work, as you can imagine, which is why we’re excited to have Bob Farnum and Michael Valle from Gentle Giant to tell us how it’s done.

We can boast about a lot of firsts in Charlotte, but this one makes us proud in the running community — a program most runners, and so many others, have heard of by now called Girls on the Run. It’s a popular afterschool program that allows girls to learn about inner strength, confidence, and their own health and fitness, by using running to teach skills of character, care, and self-reliance. Girls on the Run started more than 20 years ago in Charlotte, and now counts nearly 4,000 girls locally in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties.. and even more nationwide, now counting more than a MILLION girls who have participated in all 50 states! Just hearing that makes all of runners here in Charlotte stand up a little taller and maybe even, run a little harder? Joining us today on Running Around Charlotte is the local director for Girls on the Run, Maghan Knight.

We know that training never stops, not even in winter — but sometimes we itch for someplace new and different to stretch our legs. If you haven’t been to the trails at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, then that is the place you’re looking for. In addition to its whitewater course and rock climbing walls, the Whitewater Center has a multitude of trails down by the Catawba River that are a great place to run and explore. Today on Running Around Charlotte, we have the Whitewater Center’s director of brand experience, Cooper Lambla, to tell us about the trails… and also about the center’s role in keep the great outdoors and important part of a growing Charlotte.

If you live in Charlotte, and especially if you have a daughter in our elementary schools, you’ve probably heard of Girls on the Run – a program that started here, and encourages girls of all athletic abilities to run for fun and fitness. But did you know there is a similar program for boys? There is — and it is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! Congratulations to “Let Me Run,” a non-profit program to encourage boys in 4th through 8th grade to be healthy, build relationships, and live active lifestyles. Let Me Run also started here in Charlotte, the brainchild of a Girls on the Run coach with two sons. It now has more than 50 chapters and has registered more than 30-thousand boys since 2009. The Greater Charlotte Regional Director Jay Seago joins us on Running Around Charlotte to celebrate this big milestone for the program.

Once the new year hits, many of us think about ways we can improve. Can we be better friends, better runners, better people… you name it. No matter how “good” we do things, there’s one area that most of us can probably find room for improvement— and that’s how we feed and fuel our bodies. Exercise, sleep, and diet are arguably the three legs of the table that help us stay in balance. And you can pretty much feel it when they get out of whack. Our next guest knows a little bit about that, too. Matt Dengler of RxRD Nutrition is a registered dietician, a self-professed CrossFit addict, a former college football player, and a whole lot more. Now, he’s in the profession of making sure folks of all sorts are making the most of what they put in the tank.

Well this next one sounds fun… a race called, “Strip It to Give It.” Okay, I’ll let you visualize that for a moment……. then tell you, it’s probably not what you’re imagining right now (unless you’ve already heard of this race). This race, like most, involves runners stripping off articles of clothing as they go about the course… but then the clothes are collected, washed, and donated to our homeless neighbors in the Queen City. Now THERE’S an idea! And the creator of this good idea is Katie Gregory – someone who has worked with our homeless neighbors since she was a teenager.

If you search about any road race in Charlotte, one of the first listings that pops up is the one for Run Sign Up. That’s because is one of the most popular online platforms for signing up for races and race-day tracking and scoring. The company has managed more than 20-thousand races and supported more than 8-thousand non-profits in doing so — and is growing every year. Justin Ratike is here to tell us all about that they do!

Run a marathon, drink a beer? Sure! Why not! Okay, maybe you ought to hydrate first with water, some fruit, or even your favorite sports drink. Then maybe go home and take a shower — and THEN join your friends for a beer. NoDa Brewing is one of Charlotte’s first breweries and still one of the biggest – and also happens to be a sponsor of the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. We’ve invited Suzie Ford, NoDa’s co-founder and co-owner, to join us today on Running Around Charlotte — to inspire and motivate us with her story, and the story of how NoDa Brewing came to be.

You may have heard that Charlotte’s Got a Lot. And it does! But where did those billboards come from, and what exactly IS Charlotte’s Got a Lot? Andy Goh is here to fill us in and tell us about their connection to the Novant Heath Charlotte Marathon. And did we mention he’s a runner too?

Morning shows are the fastest-growing segment of the TV News day, and how you draw viewers in for news, traffic, and weather as they wake up, has a big effect on if they come back at other times of the day.A few years back, Fox 46 jumped into the crowded Charlotte TV market and made a big name for themselves not only with content of their morning newscasts.. but the personalities as well. And we have two of them with us here right now on the Running Around Charlotte podcast… Page Fehling and Jason Harper of Good Day Charlotte.

Runners have a special camaraderie – the kind you develop by sweating out the details and doing the hard training to reach your goals. Our U.S. military men and women are the same – building bonds with each other through missions that serve our country and keep our allies safe around the world. Albemarle Foundation supports our military men and women, and are showing it in a unique way during the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. The foundation is sponsoring the Half-marathon Rucking Division. It’s just one way Albemarle Foundation is “Growing the Good” at the marathon, and Sandra Holub from the foundation joins us on Running Around Charlotte to tell us more about what that means.

Casey Cline is a runner, artist, designer and coach. As a Novant Charlotte Marathon Ambassador, she motivates runners every day. Let’s get to know Casey a little better – and how all the parts of her life “Fit” together.

Every marathon needs runners, right? And nothing encourages runners in their pursuits like… other runners. Seriously, running is more fun with a buddy. That is the whole idea behind the Charlotte Running Club, now nearly 500 runners strong. Chad Champion is their president and joins us for a little Running Around Charlotte.

We all know running burns a lot of fuel, and you’ve got to feed your engine if you’re going to train for.. and run.. a marathon. We’ve all heard this before, but we could use some last-minute tips before our race just to make sure we’re on the right track, right? Well we’ve got ’em…. and we know where to buy what you need, too. Say hello to Kimberly Reynolds, of Publix Super Markets. Publix is a Novant Health Charlotte Marathon sponsor, and also a great place to load up on those foods you need to fuel your race.

No matter how fast or slow or far you run, you’re surrounded by plenty of opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of the world around you. Seasons change, the weather does, too… and even the very same route you run every day can seem all new. Some of us are better witness to this than others. Our guest here on the Running Around Charlotte Podcast is Bryan “Hojo” Hojnacki. He’s a long time Novant Health Charlotte Marathon pace team leader — and let’s just say he’s quite a collector of things, too.