Some people like to run. They enjoy starting their day with a quick 2-3 mile loop around their neighborhood. Others hate to run but it do anyway, either out of obligation to lose weight or to feel better about themselves. For Kelsey McGuire, running is a passion. She not only likes to run, she loves it.
A twenty one year old junior at the University of Georgia, Kelsey grew up in Tega Cay. She was part of the first class to attend Tega Cay Elementary, moving on to Gold Hill Middle and eventually graduating from Fort Mill High School. It was in high school, during the height of Covid, where she found her love of running.
Initially a high school cheerleader and soccer player, she started running as a way to stay fit and active during prolonged periods of Covid lockdowns. According to Kelsey, “I started to enjoy it and joined the cross country team the day before the roster closed.” She had gotten the running bug and wasted no time in seeing where it would take her.
It’s taken her pretty far in a short period of time.
Kelsey has run only two marathons in her life; however, she’s already qualified to run in the 2025 Boston Marathon, scheduled to take place on Monday, April 21st. Even more impressive, she not only qualified to run in the Boston Marathon, she did so while acting as a pacesetter for other runners. A pacesetter is what it sounds like, she had to keep a consistent pace in order to assist other runners reach their per mile and overall time goals.
As a pre-med student, part time EMT, Girls on the Run Coach and member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, Kelsey has multiple pokers in the fire. Somehow she’s able to keep it all straight and moving in the right direction. To prove this point, she was recently recognized by the UGA Panhellenic Council as the “Woman of the Month” in January 2025.
Running is such a big part of her life that Kelsey even factored this in when choosing a college, having whittled her choices down to the University of Florida and Georgia, both of which have large running communities. Asked what she loved most about running, Kelsey said, “The challenge for sure. You can compete with yourself, and I think that’s what I like about it the most.”
As if all of this wasn’t impressive enough, Kelsey is running the Boston Marathon in honor of her Aunt Lori, who died of cancer when she was a child. To honor her memory, she’s raising funds through the Knox Martin Foundation, the namesake of a former student at UGA who also died of cancer.
Her original fundraising goal of $3,000 has already been reached. She’s now looking to raise an additional $1,500 for a total of $4,500.
You’ve probably noticed, Kelsey has a tendency to hit the goals she sets for herself, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t welcome help from the community.
Would you like to make a donation? Use the QR code provided in the flyer below.
