Weekend Warrior: Graham Warr ~ runner

AGE: 50

BIRTHPLACE: Memphis, TN

OCCUPATION: Physician (General Internist) for 20 years, currently with Baptist Medical Group

FAMILY: Wife, Megan, and two children: Abbie (20) and Alex (16).

FIT CLUB: I have been a member of Memphis Runners for 15 years. I run with a neighborhood group in East Memphis affectionately known as “Frank, Brian & Company Group.”

WW BRAGGING RIGHTS: I have done two marathons and 38 half marathons. Recent races include: Memphis Runners Road Race Series in July and August, Bluff City 10K in May, Youth Villages 10 miler in April.

FAVORITE FITNESS ACCOMPLISHMENT: Running my fastest half marathon, 1:43:45, at age 46 in 2013 (Memphis Runners Road Race Series).

FAVORITE RACES: MRTC 10 Miler at Shelby Forest and St. Jude Half Marathon

I ❤ RUNNING: Running requires only shoes, shorts, and a shirt. You can run just about anywhere and without a gym membership. Running is the only sport where amateur and elite runners stand side by side at the starting line.

FITNESS MOTIVATION: Fewer muscle aches and pains. More energy during the day. Sleep more sound. Just feel better overall.

NEXT WW CHALLENGE: MRTC races from September to November and the St. Jude Half Marathon in December.

WW GEAR: Currently have a pair of Brooks and a pair of Saucony that I alternate. Garmin watch with GPS tracking. Also my iPhone with cheap headphones.

BUCKET LIST: Climb Mount Kilimanjaro

“Running is the only sport where amateur and elite runners stand side by side at the starting line.”

BEST EATS: Huey’s. I order a Huey Burger with fries and a draft beer, usually Wiseacre’s Ananda or Tiny Bomb.

IF YOU COULD HAVE DINNER WITH ANYONE FAMOUS, WHO WOULD IT BE? Winston Churchill. He was a passionate leader and an effective communicator.

IF YOU COULD COME BACK AS AN ANIMAL, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE? A bald eagle because it symbolizes freedom and gets to view everything from above.

BESIDES RUNNING, WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN? I have played clarinet since age 12, and I currently play with the Memphis Wind Symphony. I have a passion for music and am a bit of a music trivia guru.

ON MY NIGHTSTAND: “Catcher in the Rye” by Salinger and “Cat’s Cradle” by Vonnegut from my son’s summer reading list. I have not read them before.

BINGEWATCH: “House of Cards” and “The Detour”

FAVORITE QUOTE: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” —Winston Churchill

Interview by Hailey Thomas. Photo by Tindall Stephens.