We don’t have to explain a runner’s relationship with food – we all have one. Marc Jacksina’s relationship with food goes several steps further, though, as an award-winning chef of some of the Charlotte area’s top restaurants. It can be a stressful business, but he’s overcome that, too – and some other major obstacles in life – by running. We’re excited to welcome Marc to today’s Running Around Charlotte podcast.

Now that there’s a chill in the air and winter is at hand, we get to see a popular feature come back to Charlotte’s Whitewater Center for the whole family to enjoy. The installation “Lights” takes you on a tour full of unusual and artistic lights on one of the Whitewater Center’s wooded trails. The trails are popular with runners year-round, and the lights were an even more popular touch — with 80,000 visitors last year. We have the artist, Meredith Connelly, and Jesse Hyde from the Whitewater Center to tell us more about the installation and partnership.

We were delighted to see how many runners got excited about the Novant Health virtual Charlotte Marathon and turned in some good runs in November. Usually joining us on that day is Dr. Keith Anderson, our marathon Medical Director, but he’s been busy nonetheless organizing some Ironman races. Dr. Anderson is a physician specializing in Family Sports Medicine at the Novant Health Cotswold Medical Clinic. Welcome back to Running Around Charlotte, Keith!

Running sometimes has us nursing our sore legs, but our next guest has the workouts and the after-care down pat. Meet Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador Deanna Nichole — a Nurse, Marine, Mom of two Marines, Cross Fitter, and of course, runner. And she is bringing us that energy on today’s Running Around Charlotte!

It is always an honor and a pleasure to have an elite marathoner with us on Running Around Charlotte, and today is that day – as we welcome Charlotte’s ONLY female Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier to our podcast.

Paula Pridgen picked up running at a late age, by most standards… AFTER college. She has now run in not only Olympic Trials, but Boston and New York, and the upcoming elites-only Project Marathon in December in Arizona. Welcome Paula!

We know a marathon is a long run. We know training for a marathon involves a LOT of long runs. But in this era of canceled races, one man came up with a solution that went beyond virtual… to REALLY go the distance.

Joshua Miller turned his annual St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon — which was canceled — into a 410-mile trek through the North Carolina mountains on his way from Charlotte to Nashville. He ran, he cycled, and most importantly, he raised money for St. Jude while his wife and kids followed along in an RV. And he’s here today on Running Around Charlotte to tell us more about his amazing trek.

IThe Turkey Trot is one of Charlotte runners’ oldest Thanksgiving Traditions. For the past 31 years, up to 10-thousand runners have gathered behind SouthPark Mall on Thanksgiving Morning to run a 5k or Fun Run with the whole family.

Well, we know we can’t do that this year — but the 32nd Annual Turkey Trot is still alive and well… in your neighborhood, or along your favorite route. And there’s one other change this year — a new tradition — in that your registration will support a charity in Charlotte. This year’s Virtual Turkey Trot will help us reach our goal of providing shoes for 500 Charlotte-area children through Samaritan’s Feet. Great organization, and co-founder Tracie Ohonme is here with us today to share what they’re all about.

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.