We’re excited to kick off this episode of the Running Around Charlotte Podcast with our good friend Brian Mister! As the race director and co-founder of the Around The Crown 10K, Brian has become a guy to know in the Charlotte running community. His passion for running and commitment to fostering a welcoming environment for all participants makes Charlotte a running community that helps even more folks see and feel that they belong. 

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As you can imagine, we get a LOT of emails about the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. Folks have all kinds of questions, and lots of them are the same. Hence the term, “frequently asked questions,” right? 

A few months ago, we got a question we’ve NEVER gotten before. Mike Lopez emailed asking whether or not the map for this year’s event was finalized – and not for the reasons you might think. 

You see, Mike has a very cool and probably unusual marathon hobby. But we’ll let him tell you all about it. He’s our guest today on The Running Around Charlotte podcast, presented by Novant Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. 

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Our 2024 Novant Health Ambassador squad is bigger and arguably the best we’ve ever had. That’s no shade on previous year’s groups, at all. That’s just our excitement about this bigger, more diverse, and exciting crew that’s out there repping at EVERY event, race, and run club in the area. 

If you’ve not run into one of these 50 folks, you’ve probably been on some kind of extended sabbatical. Or maybe you’re one of the 100-something people who move here every day. Not to worry—you’ll see them soon!

Arianna Shahin is part of this year’s new and exciting crew, and she’s our guest today on The Running Around Charlotte podcast. Arianna, welcome to the show! 

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Head to the start line of most any event, pop into most any running shop, or join in on more and more run clubs and you’ll see more faces, and paces, sizes, colors and shapes of runners than ever before. 

That’s a beautiful thing for the running community, and for runners themselves. Running has never been a more diverse universe. And there’s plenty of room to grow. 

People of color make up an amazing 40 percent of runners in the fast-growing 18-24 age group. That’s an exciting trend for running, of course, but also for folks who can now SEE that the running community is for them, too. 

Like us, our next guest on the show, has seen that change first-hand here in Charlotte and the local running scene. And he’s helping welcome new runners into the community as a Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador.

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Based on the article, here’s an introduction and some questions you could use for your podcast interview with Derek Lindstrom:

Welcome to The Running Around Charlotte Podcast, presented by Novant Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. Today, we have an incredible guest who embodies the spirit of perseverance and the power of the human heart. Quite literally… 

Derek Lindstrom, a man who ran 114 marathons with his original heart, received a heart transplant in 2023, and now dreams of running another marathon with his new heart. Derek’s story is one of courage, determination, and the miraculous intersection of medical science and the human spirit. Derek, welcome to the show! 

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One of the MANY great things about the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon is how this event continues to give back to the community. In case you didn’t know, the event has contributed nearly half a million bucks to its beneficiary, the Novant Health Hemby Children’s hospital. 

One of the folks that helps us make that connection between the runners and the community and our charitable partner… is Betsy Zarzour. Betsy has been the champion, head cheerleader, and captain of Team Hemby since its start, and she’s our guest today on The Running Around Charlotte podcast, presented by Novant Health Orthopedics. 

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Passionate and nuanced. Those are just two of the many adjectives the CLT Symphony Orchestra uses to describe resident conductor, Christopher Lees. We’ll add fast, quick-witted, and full of energy to the list. 

Chris was gracious enough to sprint from morning run club and all the way into the studio to join us on this show. Which, we’re certain was a grand departure from what we can only assume are much more high-brow interviews! 

All kidding aside, Chris had us cracking up. From the cheese jokes, to the REAL reason he only ran one season of cross country … to accidentally learning he’s a pretty dang fast runner! 

Lindsey McGee co-hosts with DC Lucchesi as we welcome Chris Lees to the Running Around Charlotte Podcast, presented by Novant Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. 

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A wild and precious life. Yeah, I think we’d all like to live one of those… 

Kim Kreuzman dropped that little chestnut on us close to the end of this episode, and it was well worth the wait. I’ve called her to the podium on more than one occasion, too. 

So yes – she’s fast, insightful, and funny, too. There’s probably no other way to describe a local real estate transaction that lands you on the main drag of Christmastown, USA other than “funny.” We had a blast with her, for sure. 

Kim is one of our Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors, a mom, coach, and a regular at the Charlotte run club scene. 

Lindsey McGee co-hosts with DC Lucchesi as we welcome Kim Kruezman to the Running Around Charlotte Podcast, presented by Novant Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. 

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It’s totally fair to say that the CLT running community is full of characters. Our guest today certainly fits into that category. And, quite frankly, we can’t believe it’s been this long before we invited Paul Martino to the program.

A longtime runner, a 50 states and DC finisher, and former executive director of the Let Me Run program, Paul has been a recurring character, if you will, in the CLT running scene. 

Paul’s done his own share of running, too, and he has a pretty special milestone on the horizon. He’ll get into that, and share some other gems – like his high school race walking team – as we (finally) get him in the studio with us. 

Lindsey McGee co-hosts with DC Lucchesi as we welcome Paul Martino to the Running Around Charlotte Podcast, presented by Novant Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. 

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The idea of running as fast or as far as you can without stopping is often enough to keep some folks from ever starting. But getting into running – and actually getting better at it – doesn’t have to be “all gas, no brakes.” (That’s brakes as in BRAKES.) 

Our friend Kristin Smith wants everyone to know how walking breaks have made her a better, healthier runner. Not only is she improving her finish times, she’s having a GREAT time doing it. And, she’s found the running community that’s just as fun and supportive as she is. 

We love having folks like her as part of our Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador team – and as guests here on the show. 

Lindsey McGee co-hosts with DC Lucchesi as we welcome Kristen Smith to the Running Around Charlotte Podcast, presented by Novant Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:27 — 22.0MB)

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