Featured Runner: Sandy Straley -MM7675

Featured Runner: Sandy Straley(MM7675)-I started running when I was 25 because I wanted to get in better shape. Luckily, my sister-in-law and husband had a track club called the Larchmont Track Club (motto: “A mile in 12 or a six-pack in 30”). I started running with them. At first, it was around the track at the Field House at the U of U. Then we moved outside and ran on Sundays—5 to 6 miles—then celebrated our run with coffee and donuts.
My first race was the Classic Memorial Day Run from Main Street in SLC to Liberty Park, 6 miles. We also ran the Halloween race around Liberty Park as a centipede (we were all tethered together), dressed as Brigham and his wives. Another centipede race we did was the Classic Memorial Day Run, all tethered together with telephone cord to represent Cellular One—the first wireless phone company in SLC.
I then started training for the half marathon in Moab, Utah. We ran this many times, camping out in the canyon the night before, then running down to the start of the race. I eventually began running marathons, and the Deseret News Marathon was my first. This year, it will be my 100th.
With the Larchmont Track Club, we ran Hood to Coast twice. We also ran Mt. Rainier to the Coast. I had my 7-month-old baby with me, nursing between my turns to run.
In the fall, I would go down and run the St. George Marathon—I’ve completed 24 of these. I also ran the New York Marathon and Marine Corps Marathon with my lady friends. We were asked to represent the Fisher House and raise donations; all proceeds went to the Fisher House built in SLC by the U of U. We attended the opening celebration, and it was so heartwarming knowing all our efforts had helped build this great place for veterans’ families to stay while the veterans were in the hospital.
I have also run the Boston Marathon twice—once representing Clif Bars. I ran the Chicago and Philadelphia Marathons with my niece (daughter of my sister-in-law and husband). I recently ran the Berlin Marathon with a group of ladies I met in Park City while training for the Mid Mountain Trail Marathon twelve years ago.
I love running because it benefits both my physical health and my community. My most inspirational run was Canyon de Chelly—you can feel the ancestors actually guide you out of the canyon through 3 miles of sand…

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