Shorewood Writer, Educator Hits the Ground Running Year Round

Walking or running, Abbey Algiers tries to make it to Shorewood’s Lake Michigan shoreline as often as possible.

She hits the ground running year round, taking to the streets of Shorewood to indulge in her passion for running and training for various marathons.

"Part of the reason I love living here is because running on the lake or even north is just, it's a great place to run," she said.

The avid marathon runner has participated in World Marathon Majors like the Boston Marathon, and notable road races, including San Francisco, San Diego and Phoenix marathons and the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon.

Algiers says she started in the Team-in Training program for seven years, where athletes in exchange for training and support, help raise money towards cures for blood cancers like leukemia, but now enjoys running and training for different marathons. She also enjoys Bikram yoga.

"I've been running marathons for the past 9 years," she said. "What started as a 'bucket list' pursuit of finishing a marathon turned into a true passion for running because it introduced me to so many great friends (my husband included) that I've met through it. I appreciate a good solo run that lets me de-stress and clear my head as well as a run with a good friend where conversations follow the same motto as a trip to Vegas ... 'what's said on the run stays on the run.'"

She laced up her running shoes just last weekend for the Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha, posting a 3 hour, 49 minute finish time.

Outside of her love for hitting the pavement, the Shorewood resident wears many hats.

The wife and mother of two step-children has been an English as a second language teacher in South Milwaukee for 13 years. After studying broadcasting at Marquette University, with a minor in Spanish, Algiers spent a seven-year stint producing real estate ads before teaching.

"I just like helping people and especially with the ESL job, I work with families a lot that just moved here and they don't speak the language," she said.

She also pens novels, or “chick books” as she has coined them in jest. Algiers published "The Great Search" in 2009, the short story that chronicles the journey of one woman as she searches for “the one.” Algiers is now working on another "chick book" titled "Living Backwards" about a woman trying to pick herself up after a divorce.

When she's not penning a new novel, she creates promotional packages and does public relations for other novelists and freelancers for a publishing house.

She also maintains a blog where she writes about running, life, and with another one of her interests being traveling, the "inspiration gained on the road."

This summer, she said she'll travel to Spain to a conference where she will teach business professionals English.

"There's teachers from all over the world," she said. "It's kind of a cool gig."

And, while she's moved around the Milwaukee area quite a bit, she has always found her way back to Shorewood.

"I love the lake, the small-town feel, I know all the people at these different businesses at and ," she said. "I love the whole Oakland Avenue strip."