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.