Maghan Knight – Girls on the Run

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.

Cooper Lambla – USNWC

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.

Jay Seago – Let Me Run

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.

Matt Dengler – RxRD Nutrition

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.