Jo with Stellies running mates Jason (left) and Mark
got me into road running as well. Then, funny story,
Jason dared me to run the Cape Town Marathon. I
thought I heard him say ‘you can’t do it,’ so that was
it, challenge accepted, and we started training for it.
Ironically, on race day he lined up at the 10km start by
mistake, thinking it was the marathon start, and said
he was just getting into a good stride when the race
suddenly ended!”
The following year Jo also decided to take on the
world of triathlon and completed the IRONMAN 70.3
events in both East London and Durban. “Ironman just
proved to me that I can do anything, as I am definitely
not a cyclist! On the other hand, my swimming is
good, as I did lifesaving when I was younger. Also,
Mark said he would beat me out of water by five
minutes, so I chased him hard, and I was first woman
out the water!”
Focused on Wellness
Today, Jo is using her training in industrial psychology
at the Mr Price group in Durban, where she heads
up the company’s wellness portfolio. “I focus mainly
In action at
the Ironman
70.3 in Durban
on the health wellness and mental fitness of the
staff, with a holistic approach that includes fitness
challenges, wellness weeks and more, and this is
especially relevant now due to the COVID pandemic,”
she says.
“I am also heading up the Maxed Elite Running Club,
which used to be just for elite athletes, until I launched
a social club late last year that eventually merged with
the elite squad. The club is open to everyone, not just
Mr Price staff, but I’m really pleased that over 100
staff members signed up, including many beginners.
We get personal trainers and dieticians to arrange
training and fitness challenges, and I just oversee
things while also doing more on the mental side of
running.”
Looking ahead, she says the 45km Comrades
Legends run has whetted her appetite to go
still further, so she may put in her entry for the
Comrades proper next year. “It’s just the next thing
for me, I think, another mental barrier to overcome.”
Meanwhile, she has not given up on her international
Jo and some
of the Maxed
Elite members
marathon challenge, and says she would still like to
do it when travel and events are allowed again after
the pandemic. “Reaching my fundraising target with
the challenge will mean that we can build a second
classroom for the kids at the crèche, and get them
the resources they need to get a proper education,
including chairs and sleeping mats. And that will be
another fitting tribute to Jenna.”
Another Maxed
Elite club run
You can follow Jo on www.instagram.com/whorunstheworld_jo, and she would
welcome further contributions to the two causes she runs for, Save the Rhino
International (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joanna-maingard) and the
Coshulwazi Crèche (https://www.backabuddy.co.za/joanna-maingard). She adds
that she is still looking for some sponsorship support for the eight marathon challenge,
and anybody willing to support her run can contact her via Instagram.
Jo is determined to do her eight-marathon
23
challenge once the pandemic is over