Running Around Charlotte

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...

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...

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, bounci...

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...

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 En...

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 S...

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 c...

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 arou...

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...

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 new...

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...

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...

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 Ambass...

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....

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 yo...

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 su...

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 fitn...

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 podc...

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...

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...

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 w...

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 yo...

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 be...

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 B...