By now you’ve heard the big news: The Charlotte Sports Foundation has acquired the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. As I said when I teed-up this episode of The Running Around Charlotte Podcast, this truly is of the most exciting things to happen in the local running scene in many years. I really believe that.
I also believe The Charlotte Sports Foundation has the bench strength and the kind of front office that will take this marathon to the next level. Runners, the City, and the event itself deserve this type of leadership, access to resources, and committed personnel required to create a world-class experience.
When asked to reflect on my time with the event – and look ahead to this new era – I realize this is one of the most daunting assignments I’ve received in a minute. How do I package a 21-year experience with the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon in just a couple hundred words?
I’ll start by letting you in on a little inside scoop. Over my years with the marathon, a lot of plotting, planning and decision-making took place over breakfast. In a post-pandemic-work-from-home world, these semi-frequent get-togethers took on more importance. They were efficient and more focused than our weekly zoom calls. And for me, it was always an excuse to splurge on a plate of pigs in a blanket. Always.
It seemed more than fitting that my last unofficial get-together with Tim Rhodes, the former owner and race director, would be over breakfast. And with the formal announcement, interviews, and news conferences behind us, we did just that.
But this go round, I went off script. Rather than the usual pigs in a blanket, I ordered the Dutch Baby; sausage links on the side. At its core, it’s everything I wanted: my favorite breakfast stuff at the usual spot, but repositioned and reconfigured into something new but equally as approachable. It was different, but familiar. And as always, I loved it.
As breakfast disappeared from our plates, we talked about the transition and the marathon’s possibilities. I couldn’t help but think of all the events, all the miles, all the people I’ve seen laugh and cry the finish line. All those names, faces, and sweaty hugs and high fives are like little movies in my brain. It’s a vantage point most folks will never know; standing at the finish line, microphone in hand, watching thousands of individual dramas play out right in front of you. It’s theatre in 26.2 acts, where I’m the only one privy to the final scene. I see how it ends for each and every runner, and am left to imagine the rest of their stories. I’ve run more than my share of marathons, so I know how it goes, too. I also know they’re all different, and familiar, and I love them all.
In some way or form, I’ve been a part of this marathon from the start. I was in the room where it happened, if you’ll allow the borrow from Mr. Miranda, when Tim fielded what must have been one of a thousand calls wondering if he would be the one to bring the marathon back to Charlotte. He would, of course, and here we are.
For folks who don’t know or remember, here’s the Cliff’s Notes version: The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon is actually the most recent iteration of Charlotte’s long history with 26.2 miles. The Charlotte Observer – yes, the newspaper – was in the marathon business from 1977 to 1999. The city even hosted the Olympic marathon trials in 1996 before the Observer ended its 23-year run with the event.
The Charlotte Marathon Run for Peace occupied a short but intriguing space on that timeline from 1999 to 2004. Back then it was a January race with a route that took runners from Davidson College to Queens University, in what I fondly(?) remember as the worst possible weather weekends for running.. That one went under when the race director plead guilty to embezzling from the nonprofit event.
It’s at this point, Tim made the call the add “marathon” to his list of local race offerings, and where the story of the marathon most of you know begins. Hoping to capitalize on the popularity of themed events, newcomers’ interest in the marathon – thanks to you, Ms. Winfrey – and the Charlotte area’s stock car racing history; the event spent its formative years under the brand, “Charlotte’s Thunder Road Marathon.” It was different, but familiar, and people came to love it.
Participation crept up along with interest in running throughout the early 2000’s. Let’s just call it more of a slow burn. Things motored on until 2016, when a new title sponsor, Novant Health, fueled a rebrand and yet another chapter of Charlotte’s 26.2-mile spectacle in (road) racing. At that point, the stock car themes were garaged – as I will now do with this ridiculous word association. Once again, it was different yet familiar, and people quickly grew to love it.
Since then, the marathon has thrived; surviving a hurricane, a pandemic and a virtual event, reaching historic registration marks, and raising more than $750,000 for Novant Health Hemby Children’s hospital. It’s also been the stage for World Records, personal bests, wedding proposals, and thousands more beautiful stories of triumph, perseverance, and pure joy.
Was it a good run? Absolutely. Going forward, I believe it will continue to be a great run, just different. It will feel familiar in many ways, too. And yes, people will love it.
See you at the finish line.
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