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2018 Date Release Party

January 3, 2018

It’s time to prepare for the 2018 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. What better way than a party at our favorite local brewery, NoDa Brewing Company?! After an 11am NoDa Hop Yoga session, join us for a 1, 3 or 5 mile run around the NoDa North End Neighborhood. Afterwards we’ll be talking all about our 2018 race as well as a special announcement for 2018!
As a special treat, NoDa will be serving up $1 cans of our purple Novant Health Charlotte Marathon CAVU cans all day long!

The routes are marked with color coded arrows, or you can pick up a printout of our turn by turn directions for simple navigation. As always, be courteous to our neighbors while running. Make sure to look both ways before darting into traffic, run to the side to allow cars to pass, and be sure to give your neighbors a wave as you run by! ??

We’ll all run the first mile together, and the 3 and 5 mile routes will split at about the 2 mile mark.

Here is the 3 Mile route and here is the 5 Mile route on Strava!

Think the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon isn’t for you? Make it yours in 2017.

January 17, 2017

There’s a common misconception that just because the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon includes our city’s only marathon, the experience is reserved for serious, long-distance runners. But that’s not true! (Yep, we’re talking to YOU if you just thought to yourself, “but I’m not a runner…”)

This year, we want to spread the word that the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon isn’t just an elite race, but a Running Festival with races and activities for all ages and abilities.

It’s about so much more than just running! This event brings us together and inspires us to do something that maybe we weren’t sure we could do – whether it’s running a 5K for the first time, committing to training for a half-marathon with a friend, keeping up with our kids, or proving to ourselves that we are runners. If you take a closer look, we think you’ll discover that there is something for EVERYONE (even you “non-runners”) at the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Running Festival. Need more convincing?

Here’s what you’ll experience before, during and after race day:

THE GROUP EVENTS & TRAINING

In the spring, we select a handful of diverse runners from around the area to serve as our Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Running Festival ambassadors. We all need that someone who says, “Let’s do it!” instead of “You’re crazy!” to push us to be the best, healthiest versions of ourselves. Our ambassadors bring out this type of community by connecting runners to train together and support each other.

You might think that our ambassadors are super fit, local running celebrities – and there are a couple of those – but most of them are just people who love to be active, even if they don’t run as fast (or as often) as they’d like to. Let’s face it, we could all use a little help getting started and staying motivated, so the added accountability of training together is awesome (and you’ll make a few new friends in the process).

THE COURSE PREVIEW RUNS

If you’re ready to take on the longer distances, we offer two chances in October to run the course, see what it’s like and meet other runners from the area. One weekend we preview the first 13.1 miles and then the following weekend we run the second 13.1 miles. By race day, you’ll feel more confident knowing the course and some fellow runners.

THE EXPO

The weekend begins on Friday, November 10 (the day before race day) with the Health & Wellness Expo, which is free and open to anyone. It’s 40,000 square feet of runners, vendors, volunteers and supporters that share one common purpose: to get you ready for your race. Grab your race packet, check out the latest running shoes and gear, catch up with your friends and capture some memories at the start of your race weekend.

THE RACES

We offer FIVE different races, including the marathon (26.2 miles), the half marathon (13.1 miles), the five-person marathon relay, the 5K (3.1 miles), a Kid’s Marathon Program and 1-mile run. So there really is a race distance that’s achievable for everyone.

We often see families, co-workers, exercise buddies, and groups of friends come out together to run the relay or just enjoy the experience together, even if they’re each running different races.

Whichever race you choose, you’ll be treated to a true marathon experience – our on-course entertainment, volunteers and supporters are top-notch! The best part? All finishers, of all races, get a finisher’s medal to commemorate the achievement.

THE POST-RACE FESTIVAL

Whether you run the 5K or the marathon, everyone crosses the same finish line and celebrates together at the citywide festival in Romare Bearden Park, with exhibitors, food, beverages and live music on the main stage. Beer tastes amazing after a race!

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THE AFTER-PARTY

The next day, the celebration continues at the Run for Your Life store. Join us to revel in your accomplishments with refreshments, massages, medal engraving and more!

There’s something special about living in a city where we celebrate one another, cheer loudly and find any excuse to gather together for a good time. That’s what’s so special about the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Running Festival – it’s a citywide celebration.

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Ready to make the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Running Festival yours? Pick your distance and sign up today!

The Marathon: By the Numbers

October 13, 2016

Have you ever wondered what went into planning a marathon? What about the amount of refreshments that need to be ordered or how many police officers are used to keep everyone on course? The logistics are astounding. The course is long. The staff is small. How do we accomplish it all?

We asked a few runners…our marathon ambassadors….and Charlotteans in general, what did they want to know about this city’s main event. While our staff has never tracked the amount of coffee consumed the first two weeks of November (sorry Adam!) we were able to pull some fun facts for your curious minds.

We originally planned to rebrand the marathon from Thunder Road to the Charlotte Marathon in 2017. But we got a little impatient and it was re-branded this year to Novant Health Charlotte Marathon but you knew that already (unless you live under a rock)
This is year 12 for the marathon in Charlotte. We know what you are thinking – hasn’t there been a marathon in Charlotte for longer than that? Yes – but it wasn’t this one! You’re thinking of the old Observer Marathon – that was different. Different owners. Different staff. Different everything.
The course takes you through many of Charlotte’s most popular neighborhoods. Is one of them yours?
The course will host 28 on-course entertainment spots to distract runners from the actual mileage they are running. Deets will be posted in another week or so.
The marathon is locally owned by 2 men – ones a runner and the other is the business guru – because a successful marathon needs BOTH perspectives.
The finisher medal size has increased by over 2” since the first marathon.
The Morehead Street part of the course (mile 8-9) is famously known as Mt. Morehead even though it’s not an actual mountain. We like to call it the Mother of all Rolling Hills.
Yes, the marathon course is certified by United States Track and Field.
The marathon was chosen to be a part of the USA Today Active Alliance – a network of the finest half and full marathons in the United States, only 16 were chosen nationally! Check out why here.
Throughout the marathon course, there will be 14 cheer stations cheering on runners and competing for a donation to the charity of their choosing. Read More Here.
As of today’s registration numbers, the total number of miles expected to be run on race day is 56,707 miles. That’s equivalent to running from Maine to Hawaii 11.12 times.
1000+ man hours to set up the course and finish line festival by our staff and team.
350 CMPD police officers will be on course race day. Don’t worry – they are off duty officers so the rest of the city is still covered!
1,000+ volunteers representing 20+ non-profits.
2,570+ gallons of water will be consumed on race day. That’s almost enough water to fill a 4 foot deep 9ft X 9ft swimming pool!
42 states will be represented at the marathon
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a 130 lb runner will burn 2,224 calories during a marathon, a 165 lb runner will burn 2,822 calories and a 210 lb runner will burn 3,593 calories. Where do you fall?
71 Portable Toilets will be in use on marathon day. We did not calculate how much waste that equates to, because that’s pretty gross.
1.9 metric TONS of medals will be given out on race day.
52 elevation changes on the 26.2 course. Click here for the course, turn by turn and elevation map!
Our core staff is made up of just 5 people: a Race Director, Registration Manager, Operations Manager, Communication Manager and Brand Manager. The ratio of runners to full time staff is 1,100:1. Needless to say we do a LOT of outsourcing!
67 different turns make up the 26.2 course. You should count those instead of miles on race day – it may make things go faster!
5,500 of bananas. That’s roughly 2,431,000 mg of potassium. Welcome to recovery!
30,000+ photos will be taken during the duration of the race by our photographers at Marathon-photos.com
$25,000 donated to Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital
42,303 plastic bottles and 1,745 lbs of recycled cotton will be used to make the participant shirts, courtesy of Recover Brands.
A marathoner that runs a 9 minute mile pace and trains for 16 weeks will run roughly 288 miles and spend 43.2 hours running in preparation for race day. We know, this varies based on your training program, but this is an average meant to give some perspective. Basically, it’s a big accomplishment before you even get to the start line on race day!

Stay tuned for the next blog from 2016 ambassador, Liz Foster on Cheering on Your Running Friends!

Welcome To Charlotte: A Tourist Blog

September 21, 2016

Hey Guys and Gals, my name is Sarah Rasmusson and I’m one of your 2016 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors.

Fun Fact: I was nominated to be a Charlotte Marathon Ambassador due to never running over the distance of a 10k. Doesn’t make much sense does it?!

However, that’s the beauty of all of the ambassadors- we come from different backgrounds and we are passionate in living a healthy lifestyle, all while “running around” the Queen City!

Born and raised in Texas, I moved to Charlotte in 2012 and fell in love with this city. Not only have I met some tremendous friends that I call family, but I’ve been given opportunities to blossom into the strong female that I am today.

I am so excited to cross my first half marathon off of my bucket list because Charlotte has allowed me to extend my bucket list in so many ways!

Some Bucket List Attractions:

You do not need to be a NASCAR aficionado to enjoy Charlotte’s top-to-do’s; the Queen City is much more than its reputation for high-octane racing may let on.

The Uptown (not downtown) district plays host to some of the city’s most popular museums, including Discovery Place and the Mint Museum Uptown, along with some of the area’s best restaurants in or around The Epicentre. When you’re ready to blow through some dough, follow fellow shoppers to the South Park Mall or take a spin through NoDa’s (North Davidson) art district for a fantastic early dinner at Cabo Fish Taco, Southwest and Baja Cuisine featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

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Sports fans have a crop of newly minted franchises to root for including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Partake in the southern tradition of Sunday Football on November 13 – the Carolina Panthers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs; kickoff is at 1:00 PM at Bank of America Stadium. Get your tickets here! The NBA’s Charlotte Hornets also call Charlotte home. Friday nights are for basketball in these parts; get your tickets for the Hornets and the Toronto Raptors at Time Warner Cable Arena to be renamed Spectrum Center on Friday, November 11, 2016. Tip off is at 7:00 PM! Unfortunately not everyone can be in town marathon weekend but you’ll need to plan another trip to Charlotte and catch an AHL’s Charlotte Checkers game at Bojangle’s Coliseum or a MiLB Charlotte Knights game at BB&T Ballpark!

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If you’re like me, saving a penny any chance that I can get, but still experiencing the great CLT atmosphere, limiting expenses is a must and there are quite a few of attractions outdoors that do not cost a dime! The new and location of your after marathon festival, Romare Bearden Park, has a large field, gazebos, a waterfall that kids can play in and an interactive music zone. It is also right next to the BB&T Ballpark and Panther’s Stadium.

I highly recommend going to get some brunch, lunch or a mid day snack at my top favorites, Tupelo Honey Cafe, located in Dilworth/Southend, Living Kitchen located in Dilworth, Laurel Market located in Myers Park/Elizabeth neighborhood and/or Rico’s Acai Fruit Bowls at 7th Street Market before heading over to Freedom Park. The park is centered on a 7-acre lake which has paved trails, tennis/volleyball courts, sport/athletic fields and playground equipment. Free films and musical performances in the park pavilion are featured throughout the year. Adjacent to the park, is the Charlotte Nature Museum, a fun learning center for young children operated by Discovery Place.

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To view this city’s great skyline, and breathtaking night cap, take a look from the top of Fahrenheit Restaurant (Uptown), The Peculiar Rabbit (Plaza Midwood), Bentley’s on 27 (Uptown) and Whiskey Warehouse (Plaza Midwood).

You’ll have to schedule a return visit to Charlotte after the marathon weekend! Sadly Carowinds, Carolina’s favorite local amusement park, will be closed during the marathon weekend, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come back to visit! The U.S National Whitewater Center, world’s largest man-made whitewater river, will have you already planning your next visit to Charlotte! You’ll have your choice of kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, zip lining, hiking, rock wall climbing, biking and of course, whitewater rafting. They are still open year round – activities weather permitting.

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I could go on and on, but you can’t go wrong with attractions, parks, restaurants, night life in this great North Carolina city. Good luck to all of you training for the race and I hope to see you around in these parts of our town!

Photos courtesy of:
Carolina Panthers
Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Checkers
The Mint Museum
The Discovery Place
The EpiCentre
The South Park Mall
Romeare Bearden Park
Freedom Park
Carowinds
US National Whitewater Center

Stay tuned for our next blog on the proper running etiquette brought to you by your 2016 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador, Theoden Janes!

Kid’s Can Run 26.2 Too?

September 6, 2016

Hi. I’m Percy*. I’m 9 years old and I’m just a kid with a dream, you know. I’ve watched my dad get up and run in the morning since forever. He’s run lots of races and he’s beat a ton of people. I want to be just like him. So I’m training for my first marathon too. It’s a pretty big deal in my family. My mom says that the only time she ran as a kid was when they did the timed mile each year in gym class – she said they had to finish under 12 minutes which was a struggle for her. So she’s proud of me and what I’m doing.

I know what you’re thinking – a 9 year old, run a marathon? Seems hard but really it’s not. I just have to run 3-4 miles each week for 7 weeks and then my last mile will be the 1 Mile race at the marathon. I get a shirt and bib just like my dad, and when I finish I will get a finisher medal just like my dad. It’s going to be hard work my mom says, but I can do it. I think I already run a lot – I probably run lots of miles chasing my sister around the house. When training starts, I figure after school when I play at Tommy’s house, I can just run to his house rather than take my bike. Or when my mom takes us to the park, I can do some laps around the jungle-gym. We just have to remember to log the miles.

I’ve already started preparing. My mom says that the actual training starts at the end of September, but I want to be ready for it. I’ve been doing a lot of stretching lately and some sprints. I’ve heard my dad talk about speed work so that’s what I’m doing.

We went to the Greenway the other day and I did some training. I’ve heard my dad sometimes say that he had a great training run that day. I think all my training runs are fun but this trip was really fun. There was this big fountain so I just ran around that while my mom walked – I almost fell in trying to grab a quarter I saw at the bottom. I threw in some cartwheels, mainly to teach my little sister because she can’t do anything yet. That was my cross training. Oh and the other day, I did some push-ups – probably 100 of them. And there was this rock formation that I was leaping on – it was pretty difficult. All in all, I’ve had great training this week!

I can’t wait for my real training to start. My mom told me that I’ll get a training program in a few weeks and there are two coaches that we can talk to during training. One’s a girl so I probably won’t talk to her, but there’s a guy too. And mom says there are going to be two group runs and if she’s able to take me to them, I can run with other kids in the program. I want to see what my competition will be like. I’ll probably beat them.

If you’re a kid reading this, I hope you come out too. If you’re a parent reading this because your kid can’t read yet, they can come too. My mom says a 5K is too much for me right now, but I’ll get there. I just wanted to start. I’m really looking forward to the hard work and to the happiness I’ll feel crossing the finish line race day.

Join Percy, and dozens of other kids in the Chick-fil-A Charlotte Kid’s Marathon Program & 1 Mile Fun Run. Find more information on the program and the 1 Mile Fun Run at runcharlotte.com or you can register online. Registration for the 7-week Marathon Program ends September 22 while registration for the 1 Mile Fun Run will go through the expo.

*Child’s name was changed to protect his identity. Ok, really, he asked if he could be Percy instead because he liked the name. Sure kid, why not!

Stay tuned for our next blog from your 2016 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador, Sarah Rasmussun, on the great tourist options in Charlotte!

Along the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Course

August 11, 2016

Follow us along the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon course in this (mostly) visual blog! We are giving you a taste of what you will see out there on your 26.2 journey through Charlotte, NC.

*Disclaimer – the mileages that are mentioned are all approximate.*

While you wait at the startline for the race to begin, you will see the amazing wall murals painted on the side of the BB&T Ballpark – Home of your Charlotte Knights baseball team. These murals show the progression of Charlotte Knights baseball over the years. This new uptown ball field opened in March of 2014 and hosts up to 10,200 fans each game.

As you ’round the corner onto Stonewall Street, around mile 0.5, you will notice the gigantic new statue in honor of Jerry Richardson where he is accompanied by two Indomitable Spirits at Bank of America Stadium – Home to your 2016 NFC Champions and Super Bowl team, the Carolina Panthers. Jerry Richardson is the founder and principle owner of the Carolina Panthers, and this almost 13 feet tall statue was unveiled on July 18, 2016, Jerry’s 80th birthday.

Novant Health is more than just our title sponsor, they are one of the largest health care systems in Charlotte spanning over several city blocks. Catch part of their campus around mile 2.35!

We know you’re really focused at the beginning of the marathon, but take a moment and enjoy the gorgeous million dollar homes you’ll see along Colville Road in the Eastover neighborhood around mile 3. Some of the most prominent members of Charlotte live in Eastover including sports athletes, financial executives, and well known names in Charlotte’s history.

North Carolina is known for it’s Oak Trees, many of which are upwards of 90 years old. Don’t miss the breathtaking views of the canopying oak trees as you run on Queens Road West from mile 6.3 to mile 7.

The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon wouldn’t be hometown race without an adventure up Mt. Morehead. This famous training hill in Charlotte is about 1 mile long, but marathon and half marathon runners only have to endure 0.5 miles from South Kings Drive to Arosa Avenue.

Around mile 14, you will see Time Warner Cable Arena, home to your Charlotte Hornets. The 2016-17 season will start on October 6 at Dallas with their first home game on October 10 against Minnesota. The arena holds up to 20,200 basketball fans and entertainment lovers of all kinds during events. Time Warner Cable Arena is also home to the Novant Health Training Center where the Hornets practice.

The Wall has become a famous landmark on the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon course and it was created by residents of NoDa, Charlotte’s leading arts & entertainment district. You’ll see it around Mile 17 in the heart of NoDa at the corner of 35^th and Yadkin. We know what you are thinking though – marathoners don’t hit “the wall” until mile 20ish, so why is it at Mile 17. Our course has changed over the years and when The Wall made it’s first appearance in 2008, the corner of 35^th and Yadkin was mile 20.

Plaza Midwood is Charlotte’s oldest neighborhoods. In recent years, Plaza Midwood has seen a dramatic comeback as reinvestment in the neighborhood has revamped antique homes into artsy, urban dwellings. This newly updated neighborhood is full of innovative restaurants and boutique shops making it one of the most popular neighborhoods in Charlotte. You will run through Plaza Midwood around mile 19.

One of the last landmarks you will pass is American Legion Memorial Stadium – Home to your Charlotte Hounds professional lacrosse team. American Legion Memorial Stadium opened in 1936 and can reach 21,000 fans at capacity; that’s more fans than Time Warner Cable Arena!

In the final stretch of the marathon, you will make your way around Bank of America Stadium and two Indomitable Spirits will welcome your return into uptown as you race towards the finishline!

Stay tuned for our next blog brought to you by 2016 Novant Health Ambassador Quinn Reynolds on her first marathon experience!