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Jim Vahrenkamp – Queens University

We’re blessed in our community to have a number of great colleges with sports programs, giving student-athletes a chance to excel at sports beyond the high school level. D-2 school Queens University of Charlotte is definitely one of those, with multiple sports like track & field, swimming, and lacrosse playing for, or even winning, national championships.

Our next guest on Running Around Charlotte is at the helm of the school’s successful running program. Jim Vahrenkamp is the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Queens-U, where teams racked up dozens of conference and regional cross-country and track & field championships, and Vahrenkamp has earned Southeast Region Coach of the Year honors nine times and South Atlantic Coach of the Year honors 10 times. Yeah he’s busy — and he also coaches the Queen City Track Club, which offers collegiate-level coaching for middle and high school students who want to reach the next level.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:56 — 26.3MB)

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C.J. Langley – Ambassador

If you need a little extra motivation, go read the Instagram posts from our Ambassador C.J. Langley. He has every excuse in the book to not try as hard as he does – a busy job and a foot injury among them. But still, he runs – carefully at times – but he realizes reaching goals takes the right shoes, consistency, and no shortcuts.

We’re glad he’s an Ambassador for the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon again this year, and even happier he’s here on Running Around Charlotte to share some positive vibes.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:52 — 27.3MB)

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Casey Cline – Ambassador

We know runners love the great outdoors — and our next guest on Running Around Charlotte not only runs in it, but DESIGNS outdoor spaces! Casey Cline is an artist, Landscape Architect, runner, and Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador. She’s all about beautiful spaces as she explores — and she’s here today to share her positive vibes.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:09 — 27.7MB)

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Chris Raulli – UltraRunner

What’s your idea of a nice, long run? Ten miles? 20? A marathon? Awesome.

Our next guest on Running Around Charlotte, though, likes the Ultras. Chris Raulli was a member of Team USA for the 2018 World Trail Championships and other international races, and even more importantly — took 2nd at our 2018 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon! Last summer, he picked up a win at the One NY Challenge — the 1000k Virtual Race across New York… and has the US 50k Championship coming up. Welcome Chris!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:56 — 28.8MB)

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Kerry McLaughlin – Novant Health

We all know running is great exercise, but let’s be real — it feels different during every stage of our lives. Men also experience training differently from women. Any workout you do to be a better runner is not one-size-fits-all — so our guest today on Running Around Charlotte addresses some of the nuances for women runners.

Wait, guys — you need to hear this too. If you’re married to a runner, or in a relationship with one, it’s a good idea to be familiar with the aches and pains women face as they age, or bear children, or face hormonal challenges that come with all of the above. And we have just the person to fill you in. Kerry McLaughlin is a Physical Therapist and runner who specializes in strengthening the pelvic muscles that life can really knock out of whack, especially in women.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:37 — 33.8MB)

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Alessandra Ball James – everyBodies Ballet

When we think of strong, toned legs, we probably think of two types of athletes — runners, and dancers. They aren’t mutually exclusive, and our next guest on Running Around Charlotte is proof. Alessandra Ball James spent 15 seasons with the dance company at Charlotte Ballet, performing countless hours as a Sugar Plum Fairy and other incredible roles.

She also runs. (It’s true!) And she’s an entrepreneur, retiring from the ballet company in 2020 to open everyBodies Ballet with fellow dancer, Sarah Hayes Harkins. Talk about a dynamic duo! I bet they can dance circles around almost anyone in Charlotte — but Alessandra is here, instead, to talk about her running life and her new life as an entrepreneur.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:40 — 31.1MB)

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Matt Dengler – RxRd Nutrition

This is a time of year we LOVE — the cold finally breaks, but the heat hasn’t overtaken us. Of course it’s a great time to run, but it’s also a great time to enjoy patio dining at our favorite restaurant or brewery! And that means, we’d better get running or we’ll start packing on a few pounds. It doesn’t have to be that way though — Matt Dengler of RxRD Nutrition is here to help keep us honest in our meals with fresh, in-season choices that don’t crash our diets.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:56 — 35.6MB)

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Philip Sanford – Get Your Rear in Gear

A road race is a great way to raise money and awareness for a cause. We love that proceeds from the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon go to Hemby Children’s Hospital. Our next guest on Running Around Charlotte is not only an active runner and coach in the community, but he is the event director for a 5k with a great name — called “Get Your Rear in Gear.” The name makes a lot more sense when you hear what it’s for, and Philip Sanford will be happy to tell us all about it.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:38 — 22.9MB)

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Emily Richardson – Ambassador

We always love talking to our ambassadors, especially about how they got into running. We also love that so many of our ambassadors aren’t lifelong marathoners, but regular folks who picked up running as adults and found a whole new way to grow from it.

Ambassador Emily Richardson is like that — she started running her sophomore year at Michigan State and has grown with it ever since, even sharing the sport with kids as a Girls on the Run coach at her school.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:10 — 29.1MB)

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Lisa Landrum – Forward Motion XC

If you are part of Charlotte’s huge running community, or have just wanted to be, you’ve probably tapped into the wealth of information at runCLTrun. It’s not a club, but a digital platform to get people connected — a hub for gathering information, finding out how, when, or where to train or race, and has answers to a multitude of other questions runners often have.

Now its creator Lisa Landrum has found a way to help our youth runners who were disconnected from their schools and teammates during the pandemic. She created Forward Motion XC, a way for kids to keep running in small groups to prepare for high school cross country season, or just stay in shape. Lisa is with us on Running Around Charlotte to talk about Forward Motion XC and… as usual with runCLTrun, all things running.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:58 — 24.7MB)

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