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Davey keeps running and running and….


Last updated October 21, 2013

By News administrator

A lot can be done in 1,600 days. As for math-sociology major Allison Davey ’14, running has been one of those things.

Davey has run at least once a day for a minimum of 30 minutes since her junior year of high school. “I didn’t start out thinking that I would consistently run once a day indefinitely” Davey said “I was just always in a better mood when I had run that day, so I kept going.”

Since then, Davey has run an average of six miles a day, totaling around 9,600 miles, similar to running from New York to San Francisco and back and then some.

Keeping up the streak wasn’t always easy, Davey has encountered knee injuries and time conflicts but she has managed to navigate around them. “I have woken up at the crack of dawn just to get a run in and when I had a knee injury I had to take it easy for a while.” Davey admits “It has definitely been challenging.”

A native of Palos Hills, IL, Davey ran track and cross country in high school and continued into college where she was a member of the track and cross country team during her freshman and sophomore year. It was after her sophomore year that she realized she wanted to do something to spread her love for running to others.

“I noticed that a lot of people at Furman run at the same time, at the same pace, alone” Davey said and elaborated on the “community feel of team” that she had while running for the Paladins. Davey wanted to recreate this in a noncompetitive environment so she got a group of runners together and created the Furman Sprinting and Long Distance Enthusiasts Club.

The group consists of runners of all different abilities who run on Sundays for an average of six miles, with the option of shorter runs as well. “We utilize the area a lot to show students options when they are running on their own” said Davey.

Although Davey graduates in May, she has high hopes for the group in the future. “At other schools, there are competitive running groups who compete against other schools” she said “that could be something we work towards.”

Davey plans to stay in the Greenville area after graduating while working in athletics.

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