Novant Health Charlotte Marathon

RunCharlotte

half marathon

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.

Ambassadors Needed

We had a blast with our 2017 Ambassadors (and our 2016 Ambassadors)! So much so, we’re actually going to keep some of them around. We had everything from a scavenger hunt, to sunset yoga, to a donut run last year. 

They weren’t brought on just for their event planning skills however. These rockstars talked up our town’s premier race more than we could’ve ever imagined. They set the bar very (VERY) high for this year’s crew… they brought in 450+ registrants! To top it all off, they performed on race day. Be it the marathon, half, relay, or 5K, these guys brought solid times and smiles all throughout the streets of the Queen City!

It’s time to open up applications for 2018, but we’re doing it a little different this year. We’ll be keeping around some of these lovely faces to help coach you on how to #RunCharlotte.  Being that several of the 2017 team is staying put, we’ve got limited slots this year so you’re going to need to really knock our socks off. Read over the ambassador page and start sending submissions our way!

Learn More and Apply Now!

2018 Date Release Party

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!

Full Marathon Relay FAQ’s

Our Full Marathon Relay has grown so much this year and we want to make sure that you have as much information as possible on race day. We’ve been taking questions for the last few months and wrote some down at our recent Relay FAQ night at Run For Your Life. Below is an overview of our fun that night which should help with any logistical questions you’ve had!

WHAT DID YOU SIGN UP FOR?

  • Health & Wellness Expo: Friday
    • 10:00AM – 9:00PM
    • 75+ Vendors
    • One team member can pick up for entire team, but we suggest all go
  • Race Day: Saturday
    • Start time – 7:30PM
    • Awards – 12:00PM
  • Post Race Party: Saturday & Sunday
    • Presented by Brooks Running
    • Saturday – 11:00AM – 6:00PM
    • Sunday – 12:00PM – 5:00PM
    • Limited edition race day prints available from RunInk

WHAT DO YOU GET?

  • Timing wrist band for each team member
  • Shirt for each team member
  • Finisher medal for each team member (given out at each exchange point)
  • An individual time per leg (timing mats at each exchange point)

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

Relay Exchange Points

HOW DO YOU GET THERE?

WHAT CAN YOU WIN? 

  • Awards are given to:
    • Top 3 All Male Relay
    • Top 3 All Female Relay
    • Top 3 Mixed Relay
  • Each award winning team member will receive an award medal
  • Awards will be given out at 12:00pm on the main stage

INSIDER TIPS:

Transportation Tips:

  • Use a chase car
  • Find a designated driver
  • Print out course map
  • Print out runner relay leg and contact info
  • Stock the car with snacks, water, warm layers, and recovery tools
  • Drive the team back to the finish line
  • Decorate the car!

Running Tips:

  • Decide who is doing what leg
  • Train around Charlotte to prepare for the rolling hills
  • Look over the course
  • Layer up while waiting at the exchange point
  • Cheer on the other runners from the other races
  • Have fun a dress up as a team!

Half Marathon Rucking Division

In honor of Veteran’s Day (the day of our race on 11/11) and all who have served our nation in the armed services, the Charlotte Marathon is proud to offer a first for a big-city marathon — a half-marathon ruck marching division. This division of the race is presented by F3 Nation and The Iron Project.

What is Rucking? It’s simply carrying a weighted pack on your back. Rucking is the foundation of military training, from infantry grunts to special operations. Dave Redding, co-founder of F3 and former Green Beret said,

“Rucking is movement with a purpose. For some reason, and it’s hard to describe to someone whose never tried it, strapping a rucksack on your back turns a walk into something completely different. When I was in Special Forces I rucked my share of miles, and had the blisters to prove it. When I left the Army I thought I’d never strap a rucksack on my back again, but it wasn’t long before I missed it. I found that I needed the shared experience of hauling that rucksack around to feel purposeful. I found that even though I didn’t have to ruck anymore, I wanted to do it. It’s an elemental movement of life.”

Rucking is a great way to simultaneously build strength and endurance, all while enjoying the fellowship of other ruckers. Jason McCarthy, founder and CEO of GORUCK, explains more in this short clip:

 

Ruck Division participants will have their rucks weighed at the start line and certified as meeting the 20-pound standard for people under 150 pounds, 30 pounds for those over 150 pounds. They will start in a group 10 minutes in front of the half-marathon runners and will follow the same course; flags and other coupons are encouraged!

Ruck Pacers will lead a group at the infantry-standard 15:00/mile pace for the 13.1 miles of the course. Ruck Division registrants will receive a unique T-shirt and finisher medal . A portion of registration proceeds will be donated to Special Ops Survivors. For recommended training and how to connect with local groups who will help you get ready to ruck, check out these websites:

 

REGISTER NOW!

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

post-race_party

 

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