Lexi Duscher is a person who finishes what she starts, whether it’s a marathon or nursing school.
Ask anyone who has attempted to achieve either goal, and they’ll tell you that both are challenging to complete. But Lexi, 24, graduated from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program this August at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences. While in nursing school, she also ran her first Boston Marathon with a time of three hours and 18 minutes, then flew back to Memphis to take a nursing exam at 8 a.m. the next day.
Running has been a constant in Lexi’s life since eighth grade. She ran competitively at her Minnesota high school and at the University of South Dakota, where she earned her first bachelor’s degree. But during college she struggled to find an appealing major, switching among several in the health professions. When she decided on nursing, she chose to enter the accelerated BSN program at UT Health Sciences’ College of Nursing. She says running helps keep her balanced and motivated in all aspects of life.
“My desire for success in running drives me to stay consistent and inspired,” she said. “I will not be able to give up running until I prove to myself that I have given it everything I have.”
Lexi took a break from the accelerated nursing program and then returned to the college’s traditional BSN program, which covers four semesters. The College of Nursing recognizes there is more than one path to nursing and offers three tracks: an accelerated track, a traditional option and a fully online RN to BSN. Lexi eventually took another year off from nursing school but returned a semester ago to complete her program in August.
“Running is a good stress reliever. It’s a way to regroup and say, ‘I’m not just a nursing student.’ It helps my school performance.”
Nurse Lexi Duscher
During her break from school, she ran the Chicago Marathon in 2025 and a second Boston Marathon in 2026. She also qualified for the Berlin Marathon, which she’ll run this September in Germany.
“It will be a fun post-graduation celebration,” she said. “I am running it with a charity that aims to break the stigma of mental health and promotes physical health to address mental health. This will be my first time running with a charity, so I am excited to do something that I love while also fundraising for a great cause. The charity is called Still I Run.”
She plans to eventually run all the seven major marathons, which include Boston, Chicago, New York City, Tokyo, London, Sydney and Berlin.
“Having these goals helps to keep me focused and motivated,” she said.
A Reason to Finish
Running the first Boston marathon made her feel validated, she said. “I was working, in nursing school and ran the Boston marathon — all at once. I felt like if I could do that, I could do anything.”
While training for marathons, she makes sure her clinical days are rest days or yoga days and incorporates bicycling while listening to nursing lectures to be more productive.
“Running is a good stress reliever,” she said. “It’s a way to regroup and say, ‘I’m not just a nursing student.’ It helps my school performance.”
Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs Randy Johnson, PhD, RN, said, “Alexis will be able to combine her fitness and nutrition background in the field of nursing and make a real impact on patient lives. She has been able to sustain her academic performance and still meet her personal goal. Alexis is an example of discerning her path while completing her nursing education.”
Assistant Professor Kim Kennel, PhD, RN-BC, CCRN, CNE, said, “Lexi is a joy to teach and will be such a great nurse. I think her commitment to her sport of running gives her many useful skills that can translate into nursing practice. She understands marathons are difficult and you may not always win, but a finish is such an achievement. I am super proud of her marathon accomplishments, and excited she finished her BSN at UT Health Sciences.”
A Strong Future
Dr. Kennel encouraged Lexi when she took her first break from nursing school about halfway through the program and returned as a traditional BSN student. “She made me feel like I made the right decision in coming back,” Lexi said.
Her favorite aspect of nursing is meeting a variety of people and hearing their stories. “I am able to meet so many people from so many backgrounds, and I get to be there and interact and help them through tough times,” she said.
The toughest part of nursing school is finding a way to balance everything including mental and physical health, work and school. “The content isn’t difficult, but the volume is,” Lexi said. She recently passed her finals and accepted a job in the cardiovascular operating room of a Rochester, New York hospital.
She’s also passionate about eating disorders because it’s a problem she saw often as a student athlete. Her mother is a mental health nurse practitioner in Minnesota who just completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice in leadership. “She’s very good at her job,” Lexi said. “If I could be the nurse she is, I would be very proud of that.”