Running Around Charlotte Running Around Charlotte

Ever heard of a “backyard ultra?” It’s actually a real thing. It’s not a forever-long session of chores in the lawn, but an actual event format. It’s kind of like a “last one standing” race, where competitors must consecutively run the distance of 4.167 miles (6.706 kilometers) in less than one hour. There’s no predetermined distance or time in a backyard ultra, so rest and fueling are also a big part of the game.



On this episode of The Running Around Charlotte Podcast, presented by Novant Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, we’ve got the scoop on just such an event in the works here in the Charlotte area. John Lytton is in the studio with DC and guest host Lindsey McGee to explain how it works, and why former NFL star DeAngelo Williams is part of this whole thing!

If you’ve been running around Charlotte at all – and particularly at events in and around town – you’ve probably run into some of our Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors. 



They’re you’re ticket to discounts on events all year long, of course, and there’s more to it than that. They want you make you welcome to the greater running community. The program’s been such a bonus, we’ve DOUBLED the ranks for 2024. 



Lindsey McGee is leading up the progam for us this year… and she’s our guest on this episode of the Running Around Charlotte Podcast.

Our next guest on The Running Around Charlotte Podcast says she has lived – and continues to live – a big, unapologetic life. Wow! Wouldn’t we all love to say the same. 



She’s an author, speaker, motivator, LISTENER, new grandmother, and more. She’s an activist, a firebrand – in the best sense of the word, and a beautiful friend. And she’s also the founder of Girls on the Run.



I am over the moon to welcome Molly Barker to the Running Around Charlotte Podcast! 

One of the most exciting things happening in running these days is that we see more and more diversity in the sport. And that’s a beautiful thing.



Look around at the starting line of an event… take a run on a local greenway… and you’ll see more and more people that look like the melting pot that is our community. 



And, more and more of these under-represented runners are showing their peers that they, too, have a place in the larger running community. 



Our next guest on The Running Around Charlotte Podcast is one of those runners who’s helping runners like herself see they belong. Verna Volker is founder of Native Women Running, and is our guest on The Running Around Charlotte Podcast.

We talk a lot here on the program about giving your miles meaning – and we talk to a LOT of runners who do just that. 



Jimmy Coleman is one of those runners. He tackled a 50-mile route that took him to five Catholic churches here in Charlotte for what he described as his “Adoration Ultra.” 



He said in one interview that he’d been looking for a way to fuse his faith and his fitness journey… and if you ask us, he seems to have found a way. 



Jimmy, welcome to the Running Around Charlotte Podcast! 

One of the MANY things we love about running around Charlotte, is that you don’t have to look too far to find someone who’ll join you. There seems to be a run club or meet-up every day of the week, in most any part of town! 



We’re happy to introduce you to a new-to-us running club called, Charlotte Runners United. Their first run together was just over a year ago, and they’re still at it! 



Phill Reed is the name and face you’ll see often on the Club’s Instagram. And he’s our guest today on The Running Around Charlotte Podcast.