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Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Seeks Runner Input for Virtual for 2020 Event

Charlotte, NC — The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon will happen, albeit virtually, in 2020 — and runners will have a say in what this year’s virtual event looks like. RunCharlotte, the marathon’s production and management company, announced the move today with an invitation for runners to participate in a Facebook live event to discuss what they’d like to see in a virtual event.

“Runners are a resilient breed,” said Tim Rhodes, Race Director for the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. “We’re used to overcoming obstacles, digging deep, and managing unique situations on-the-fly. This is no different. We’re ready to embrace the opportunity with the Charlotte running community, our partners, and friends!”

Rhodes agreed a virtual event isn’t anyone’s first choice, but added runners have experienced enough virtual races by now to know what they’d like to see.

The decision on this year’s events was made in consult with the team at Novant Health, the marathon’s title sponsor and official medical care provider.

“As a sponsor of the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon, and as healthcare providers, we are committed to the health and safety of our community,” said Dr. Lisa Rentz, Director of Novant Health Event Medicine and lead physician for the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. “For that reason we fully support the decision to postpone the 2020 marathon. We are working diligently to provide the safest experience possible for all our participants and look forward to seeing you in 2021.”

Registrants for the 2020 event will have plenty of options. Runners may engage in a virtual event this November, defer their registration to the November 2021 event, or donate their registration fee to the event’s beneficiary, Novant Health’s Hemby Children’s Hospital.

“Committing to a virtual event was not a decision that came easily— we explored every possible option,” added Rhodes. “But with so much uncertainty around events and with everyone’s health in mind, we feel this is the best and safest move to make.”

The 2019 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon was bigger than anticipated; the 26.2-mile race reached capacity, as did the half marathon, and marathon relay. In all, just shy of 6,000 people from 40 states and 8 other countries took to the start line for the 15th annual series of events.

About the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon:

Since 2005, the Charlotte Marathon has capped the year of road racing here in the Queen City. A community-wide celebration of health and wellness, the marathon is a showcase of iconic Charlotte views and historic neighborhoods, winding through uptown, Dilworth, Wilmore and the Gold District, Plaza-Midwood, NoDa, and South Charlotte. Renamed the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon in 2016, the event and its participants have contributed nearly $200,000 to support programs at Novant Health’s Hemby Children’s Hospital.

For more information about the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon, see www.runcharlotte.com

Media contact: DC Lucchesi dc@well-runmedia.com 704-577-8459

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How You Can Train for Triathlon Swimming Under the New Restrictions – Without Feeling Like a Fish Out of Water

Stay at Home restrictions? But can you exercise with proper social distancing? Runners, you got this! Cyclists too! Triathletes… Triathletes? You’re two-thirds there! But about that swimming….

Thankfully for triathletes, swimming is a small portion of the overall event, but still requires some conditioning for a successful race. So what do swimmers do?

“First, you still want to keep up your aerobic base, because summer is triathlon season,” says Dr. Scott Greenapple, board-certified chiropractor and founder of Greenapple Sports & Wellness Center, and sports medicine-trained acupuncturist at Thrive Carolina. He’s also a triathlete, and part of the Team USA medical staff for six Triathlon and Duathlon Championships. He understands base training from both an athlete’s and a doctor’s perspective.

To maintain conditioning for a triathlon when pools aren’t open, Dr. Greenapple recommends maintaining a strong aerobic base and core strength — which don’t necessarily need water.

“You don’t have to perform triathlons each day to stay strong,” says Dr. Greenapple. “It’s all about form and function.”

The biggest problem he sees with triathletes who suffer from back and shoulder pain during swimming is lack of hip rotation. Good swimming has a reach, a rotation during the pull, and a finish. With no hip rotation, strokes are inefficient, and spines and shoulders suffer. Strengthening your core to improve hip rotation is a good place to start and will help with your speed and endurance during a race. And you can do that without a pool, says Dr. Greenapple.

We’re all familiar with the gluteus maximus — the strongest muscle in the body, and the one we use for squats and hip extension. But Dr. Greenapple says nearby supporting muscles play a role, too, and suggests triathletes focus on them while out of the water.

“The gluteus medius is for stabilization, and tends to be weak in tri runners,” says Dr. Greenapple. “It helps with hip rotation in the water.” It’s a broad, thick muscle on the outer surface of the hip bone. Lunges, bridges, and side-lying leg lifts all strengthen this muscle.

Marches and step-ups are also good exercises for gluteus medius and for stabilizing core muscles, too. Lie on your back in bridge position, says Dr. Greenapple, with your lower legs perpendicular to the floor and hips raised. Take turns lifting one knee at a time for several repeats without dropping your hips.

More muscles to think about for good hip rotation: Sartorius and adductor brevis also assist with internal hip rotation. The piriformis, obturator internus and externus, and adductor magnus need to be worked for external hip rotation.

Planks, sid planks, bird dog, and hook-line curl-ups will help your hip rotation and strengthen your obliques, which are muscles that run up your sides from your hips to your rib cage. Transverse abdominis and multifidus will also be strengthened by these exercises to balance out your core.  Don’t forget to care for your psoas muscle, either — it’s an important hip flexor and stabilizer for your spine. These are all important for your hip rotation in swimming.

Okay Doc — but doesn’t swimming use my arms? What do I do about arm (pulling) strength and technique? Once you realize the importance of hip rotation in swimming — and get your core and spine strengthened and stabilized — “Then we can work up the kinetic chain to put the pieces together for the whole puzzle,” says Dr. Greenapple. That means shoulder stabilization, which you can also do without a pool.

“It’s easier to clean up a stroke on land than it is in water,” says Greenapple. Strength training for the arms should focus on function, stability, and mobility. Using stretch cords or bands to emulate strokes will help strengthen the right muscles, as long as you remember to use good technique. Roll your body as you stretch forward for the catch, keep elbows up as you pull down and push all the way through past your hips. Keep the spine stable and in line – think of rotating the hips instead of twisting the upper body.

Dr. Greenapple says shoulder injuries he sees are from inadequate hip rotation leading to bad arm technique.

“Lats, pecs, and traps are the big ones,” says Dr. Greenapple, “but the four small, non-weight-bearing muscles stabilize the shoulders, so making them stronger keeps them from being pulled out of whack.”

For reference, those are the rotator cuff — the subscapularis, teres minor, infraspinatus, and supraspinatus. Swimmers with weaker rotator cuff muscles and bad technique are especially vulnerable to shoulder injuries, so making these muscles stronger will make swimming easier, faster, and more efficient — and less painful, in a lot of cases. Exercises with a band or a 1-2 lb. weight are good for the rotator cuff.

In addition to using bands for lat pull-downs, do push-ups and dips to strengthen triceps and pectoral muscles. Hands closer together on push-ups for triceps, and wider for pecs, says Dr. Greenapple.

If you need ideas for variety, two of Charlotte’s youth swim teams have been posting workouts on their Instagram pages and stories. Try @atom_nation or @teamcharlotteswim, for starters. Other great sites for dryland workouts include swimmingspecificyoga.com and the YMCA’s virtual workout ymca360.org. If you already have a favorite gym or studio, ask if they have an online workout you can do.

The most important lesson here is this: Don’t let the shutdown be a slowdown in your fitness routine. Taking the time to strengthen your swimming muscles and perfect your technique, while maintaining your running and biking routine, will have you ready for triathlon season when the pools open again!

Sponsor Stories: Albemarle Foundation

A race with a rucksack would be a challenge to most of us — but it’s also something military men and women do as part of their job serving our country. To show its support of the U.S. military, Albemarle Foundation will sponsor the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon this November in its Half-Marathon Rucking Division.

“Albemarle Foundation is very proud to support military initiatives,” says Sandra Holub of Albemarle Foundation. Sponsoring military initiatives that assist families and military service men and women is part of Albemarle Foundation’s pledge to make communities more prosperous, healthy, and vibrant by “Growing the Good.”

The Rucking Division of the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon began in the 2017 half-marathon, which was run on Veterans Day. The ruck marching division was a first for a big-city marathon — marching 13.1 miles carrying a weighted pack on a participant’s back. 

Rucking is the foundation of military training. It also provides a shared experience and camaraderie for anyone who has ever trained as a member of our military, and their supporters and families.

As part of its sponsorship, Albemarle Foundation will provide its booth at the Health & Wellness Expo on Friday, November 15, for the GORUCK Team to share its mission and raise awareness.  They are also providing their tent at the Charlotte Marathon’s start/finish line as an official weigh-in station for Rucking Division participants, and sponsoring at least 10 GORUCK Team members’ entries into the race. Each GORUCK finisher will also earn a special patch with the Albemarle Foundation logo incorporated into the design.

Albemarle Foundation will also pay entry fees for any Albemarle employees who want to participate in the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon, as part of its commitment to community health and wellness.

“Sponsorship of the Rucking Division is a unique and super way to educate, train, and truly appreciate the heroes of our nation for what they do each and every day for our freedom and safety,” adds Holub.

Albemarle Foundation provides direct funding to local 501(c)(3) organizations engaged in at least one of these areas: education, social and health services, or cultural resources. To date, Albemarle Foundation has granted over $33 million to its communities. Learn more about them and their mission here.

Do you have what it takes?

The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon is creating a new opportunity for competitive runners on the local and regional scene. This year, the marathon launched the Elite Athlete program which invites top runners to compete for a cash prize.

The idea came from James Perez, the 2018 Men’s Marathon Champion, who wanted to find a fun way to invest in local athletes who have more advanced running goals. The Elite Athlete program is a new space where these runners can set out to achieve those advanced goals alongside some of the best runners around.

To apply for the program, runners must be able to complete a full or half marathon under the respective qualifying time within a year from July 15, 2019.

 How Fast is Elite Fast? 

 

 

“I believe a program like this creates a buzz, especially among our faster runners, which generates more positive publicity,” says Tim Rhodes, race director and owner of Run For Your Life. “It’s a new way to inspire athletes to train harder and run faster as the competition gets stronger.”

On race day, elite athletes receive complimentary entry into the full or half marathon. They also have access to an exclusive area where they can stretch indoors before the race (and use heated bathrooms!).

“We want to attract a competitive field of runners for the marathon and be sure the athletes have a fantastic experience,” says Rhodes.

The program brings in the local community too by asking them to host elite athletes from out of town. “We are looking for local runners to host the athletes during their stay in Charlotte. Imagine the conversation around the dinner table with an elite athlete if you are a family that runs! I think it can be an inspiring opportunity for local runners,” says Rhodes.

Runners interested in applying for the program can start by visiting the Elite Athletes Program page, where they’ll find more detailed race-day information and a link to the application. This is also where community members can sign up to host an athlete.

Your Feet Will Love Our New 5K Sponsor

The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon has a new sponsor who cares just as much about your feet as you do!

Feetures, America’s leading running sock brand, is the title sponsor of the 2019 Charlotte Marathon 5k. Feetures reinvented the sock to work with the foot in motion so you can perform your best.

 

“Feetures is our best selling sock at Run For Your Life and over the years we have gotten to know the family that owns the company,” says Tim Rhodes, race director and owner of Run For Your Life. “We are thrilled to partner with another Charlotte area company to provide a great benefit to the runners in our event! They value our local community. When we approached them about the idea of a sponsorship we knew right away it was the right fit…pun intended!”

As the 5K sponsor, Feetures will be there every step of the way—literally! The company is giving away a free pair of their Elite No Show Tab socks to the first 2,500 5K registrants. They’re also giving a 25% discount to anyone who registers for the relay, half, and full race events.

“Feetures and the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon both stand for providing quality and giving back to our community, and we look forward to a long-lasting relationship! It will be a huge win for the running community in Charlotte” says Rhodes.

Quote from Joe Gaither: We’ve partnered with the Charlotte Marathon and participated in the expos for years on various levels. Many members of the Feetures have participated in the event itself, we all loved the event and we’re excited to partner with the biggest running event in our hometown.

For more information about the 5K event and the Feetures giveaway, visit the 5K event page.

 

Why I’m Running the Charlotte Half Marathon Blindfolded

Laura King Edwards is a writer, runner, rare disease advocate and content marketing professional. In 2017, she spoke at TEDxCharlotte about running a half marathon blindfolded and fighting her sister’s rare brain disease. Her first book, “Run to the Light,” will be published on November 1, 2018.

Ten years ago, my little sister, Taylor, came home from school and announced that she wanted to join the Girls on the Run team at The Fletcher School, where she was a fifth grade student. 

 

But my sister was different from the other girls on her team.

That’s because Taylor suffered from a rare, fatal brain disorder called Batten disease. The disease had already stolen her vision and would one day take her life. But Taylor had no fear. And when she decided to join the team, her school and the team’s coaches came up with a plan to make it happen. Seventeen-year-old Mary-Kate Behnke agreed to be Taylor’s sighted guide and attended the team’s first practice.

That day marked the beginning of my sister’s journey as a blind runner.  

Several weeks into the 2008-2009 Girls on the Run season, Taylor wasn’t just scraping by — she was leading her teammates in songs and cheers and free-spirited laps around the track. Her attitude guided the girls’ shared journey and inspired adults who admitted they’d be too scared to attempt the challenge my 10-year-old sister relished.  

A lifelong soccer player, I’d always run for fitness. But watching my blind sister cross the finish line of her first 5K race on a cold morning, putting an exclamation point on the team’s fall season, had a profound impact on me. The following spring, I ran my first race in Taylor’s honor, and I haven’t looked back.

For five years, I entered 10Ks, 10-milers and half marathons, all in my home state of North Carolina. Though already a strong athlete, I had to grow into my new role as a distance runner. When I crossed the finish line of my first half marathon in late 2009, two hours and 35 minutes after the starting gun, I felt breathless and dizzy and mentally drained. (Since then, I’ve shaved 51 minutes off my half marathon PR and won age group awards in multiple distances.)

But something else happened during that five-year period: my sister got sicker. As I watched Taylor struggle, I battled injuries from 50-mile weeks along with a growing despair, borne from the new knowledge that even if I somehow helped beat Batten disease, I couldn’t do it in time to save my sister. I was still going to lose her, no matter how fast I ran or hard I worked.

Even so, in 2013, I had a lot to be excited about. Taylor’s Tale, the charity I co-founded in Taylor’s honor, had made incredible strides in the fight against Batten disease, including funding a promising new gene therapy project at the University of North Carolina. But I was so burned out and so fearful of watching my sister die that I almost quit.

Then, one night at the end of an otherwise ordinary run, I knew what I had to do. I had to run a race like my sister had — blind.

My friend, Andrew Swistak, agreed to be my guide. For five months that summer and fall, Andrew and I trained together on the streets of South Charlotte. I became a blind runner. I learned to face my demons by turning out the lights. And on November 16, 2013, Andrew guided me to the finish line of the Thunder Road Half Marathon (now Novant Health Charlotte Half Marathon) in less than two hours. The story gained national media attention for Taylor’s Tale and launched a movement that continues today.

Running couldn’t save Taylor. But it saved me. What’s more, my turn as a blind runner taught me to embrace our family’s tragedy — Batten disease — and transform it into an opportunity to create change the only way I know how.

Five years after crossing the finish line blindfolded that first time, I’ve helped Taylor’s Tale foster incredible progress for people fighting rare diseases, including a fast-approaching gene therapy clinical trial for kids like my sister as well as the passage of “Taylor’s Law,” which established the nation’s first rare disease advisory council.

Meanwhile, I’ve run races in 21 states, shared my story at TEDxCharlotte and even written a book, “Run to the Light.” In a serendipitous twist of fate, the memoir will be published on November 1, two days before the 2018 edition of Charlotte’s biggest race — now different in name, but still the same event that started it all.

That’s why, at this year’s Novant Health Charlotte Marathon, I’ll put on the blindfold again and attempt to run 13.1 miles without the gift of sight. This time, I’ll do it about six weeks after giving birth to my first child. I can’t wait to tell my son all about his Aunt Taylor’s incredible courage. And while my sister is far too sick to join me on the course, I know I’ll feel her presence from start to finish.

If you live in or around Charlotte, I hope you’ll consider helping Taylor’s Tale turn the race purple for Taylor on November 3. We have an official team (join us at bit.ly/run4taylor), but you can also honor my sister’s courage simply by wearing something purple on race day, and by sharing her amazing story with at least one person. Meanwhile, in my book, “Run to the Light,” you can read Taylor’s full story: her life, her legacy and her I-can-do-anything attitude. I hope the message changes your own life for the better, as it changed mine.