Teacher starts a run through Michigan on Tuesday in South Haven

A Detroit teacher is starting a run across the state of Michigan this Tuesday, July 23, in South Haven.

A Detroit teacher is starting a run across the state of Michigan this Tuesday, July 23, in South Haven.

Sarah Porter begins her journey along Lake Michigan, running 217 miles over the next six days and plans to arrive in St. Clair Shores next Monday.

Porter is running to raise money for Girls on the Run and the Teacher Salary Project. She tells us she’s starting in South Haven because there’s already a designated route across the state that starts there.

“There was no women’s record for the race, so it’s basically just counting who ran the course the fastest, and no woman has ever tried it,” Porter said. “Being from Michigan, I thought this would be a cool course to try. No woman has ever done it, so I really just need to complete the course.”

Girls on the Run is a health and self-esteem program that thousands of girls participate in each year. The Teacher Salary Project aims to raise awareness about the working conditions of teachers. Porter says that after a tough year at school, she decided to take part in the run to combine her love of running with a desire to make a difference. It won’t be easy.

“I expect there will be days when I question my life choices, but I expect it to be something fun, a way for me to see a lot of parts of Michigan that I’ve never seen before, like the places between South Haven and Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Albion. I’ll be walking through all these towns that I don’t often take the time to stop and enjoy.”

Joined by her family and supporters on a tour bus, Porter has set up a fundraising page and is encouraging others to join her in her mission to make a difference.

Porter is the first woman to run across Michigan to raise money for charity.