Meet Matt. OC Loves to Run

“I love to run because of the competition and the ability to push yourself.”

Why I love to run: I was a cross country runner at UNC Charlotte, so competitive running has been a large part of my life. Now on a daily basis I enjoy running more for stress relief and general fitness. I do still occasionally love to compete in a 5K on the weekend – but I’m less focused on competition and more on living a healthy lifestyle.

Favorite place to run around Charlotte: My favorite place to run is Latta Planation in Huntersville. I prefer running on trails instead of roads. Latta is very scenic and peaceful. It’s a great place to run 10 – 12 miles without repeating trails.

Favorite race: It’s hard to pick just one. The Bear is a great, tough race that goes from the park entrance of Grandfather Mountain all the way to the top. It’s about 5 miles straight up and just keeps getting steeper.  Being a UNC Charlotte Grad I also love the Alumni 5K. I have also raced in the OrthoCarolina Classic for the last few years, which has become a great neighborhood race and festival.

Favorite running tip: Stay hydrated and stretch well.

My PUMP UP running song:  I actually don’t run much with music.  I’d rather enjoy the sounds of nature while on a trail run.  This quiet allows me to clear my head, get away from reality for a short time and simply focus on putting one foot in front of the other. 

Matt Dobler is a Physician Assistant  with OrthoCarolina Huntersville and Mooresville Offices, and a former athletic trainer. He was a competitive cross country runner in college at UNC Charlotte.