The Daily Iowan: Where are you originally from?

Miriam Sandeen: I’m from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It’s a suburb of Minneapolis.

Do you miss anything from home?

I just went home this weekend, and it made me miss it. We have a really long trail called the LRT, and I love running on it. I’m also a very family-oriented person, so I miss my family, my dog, and my hometown friends.

What kind of dog do you have?

Her name is Molly. She is a beagle and yellow lab mix. Originally, my dad wanted her for hunting. She gets scared of the smallest sounds. She’s very spoiled with pup cups and lots of walks.

If you weren’t a runner, what would you be?

I really like tennis and volleyball, so I’d probably play one of those.

Who have you met at the University of Iowa who inspires you?

Probably my anatomy teacher.

She just inspires me because she really loves teaching. She did a really great job at teaching a really hard subject with a lot of material.

What other athletes inspire you?

Dakotah Lindwurm. She is from Minnesota, so I like her even more. She was a walk-on to her [Division II] college, and she ran slower times than I have in college.

Now, she went to the Olympic trials and got third and went to the Olympics and placed 12th.

Who introduced you to the sport in the first place?

I started in sixth or seventh grade because my friends did it. I didn’t even like it at first. I didn’t make varsity until my senior year of high school. It definitely took a long time to really enjoy it. It is a love-hate relationship.

Do you have any specific plans for after college?

I want to do PA school. I was thinking of med or PA school. I didn’t consider it until last year, so I might have to take a gap year to work and get my patient care hours.

What interested you about exercise science?

Selfishly, I like to know what goes on physiologically while I am running. That’s where the exercise science piece comes in. I also really have a passion for helping people and getting to know people.