Olympic Team Trials in her very first marathon earlier this year.

I saw all the wonderful things animals do for us, and I wanted to be a voice for them.

Problem-solving and science, paired with compassion, empathy, and connection with animals and their families, was the perfect combination of the things I love, what I find to be fulfilling, and what I want to do with my life.

Before the sun rises each day, running through the hillsides of Grafton is Annabel Stafford, V28, training for her next marathon and potentially the Olympics.

A third-year student at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Stafford qualified for the 2028 U.S.

Running and veterinary medicine have been constant passions in Stafford’s life.

She has planned on a career as a veterinarian since childhood.

While in high school, her first experience working in the field at a therapeutic rid…