Runner Spotlight

Andra Durham

Welcome Andra Durham, a newer member of Run Muskegon! Andra is originally from Cleveland, Ohio but has been living in Muskegon since 2012. She is the third of four children in her family with two older sisters and a younger brother. Andra has traveled to 13 countries on 4 continents and can play 4 instruments as well as sign. She has had the opportunity to play in concert with Graham Nash, Jon Anderson, Pat Benatar, and the band Styx.
Andra is currently pursuing her PhD in medical anthropology at Michigan State University and plans to pursue a career in industry once complete. Her research focuses on how people with chronic kidney disease use social media to help them make healthcare decisions. She is an avid reader and writer and enjoys running, hiking, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and playing her violin.
As a part of our Runner Spotlight, we also asked Andra to answer a few fun questions:

• How long have you been running?

I have been running on and off for 12 years, starting when I ran the 2010 Cleveland Turkey Trot with my sisters. Before that, I thought I hated running and would never be a runner.

• Do you race? If so, what is your most memorable race experience?

       I race pretty infrequently, but my most memorable experience is actually from a race I did not get to run. A couple weeks ahead of the 2012 Towpath Ten-Ten race in the Cuyahoga Valley, I went for a week-long backpacking trip in the Sproul State Forest in Pennsylvania. The trip was great, and I was feeling ready for the 10 miles in the Valley. The morning after returning from Pennsylvania, however, my partner pulled a tick off my shoulder. I didn’t think much of it until a few days later when I started having severe muscle aches in my legs and spiked a high fever. The tick had been carrying Lyme disease and I was suffering from the initial infection. I went to my doctor, told them my suspicion, and was put on antibiotics. Needless to say, I was too sick from both the infection and the doxycycline to make the race, but they mailed me my t-shirt anyway!

• Only running shoes for me are…

       I’ve been running in Merrell barefoot shoes since I started, but I wouldn’t say they’re the only shoes for me…just the shoes I wear out of habit.

• What is your motivation for running?
        My motivation for running is mostly to stay healthy and active. I also like the challenge!
• If I didn’t run I…
        Would never have listened to a single podcast. 
• I can’t run without…
        Some kind of headband to keep my ear buds from constantly falling out. 
• What’s the farthest you have run at one time?

         The farthest I have run at one time is 10 miles at the Cleveland Ten Miler race in 2011 and 2012. ​

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