Mara Nance - Runner Who Pinned Her Hopes

Stacy “Mara” Nance was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Her parents, a brother and three sisters relocated to Augusta, GA when Mara was age five.  Her father, a civil engineer by trade, moved back to Coco Beach, Florida where he worked for NASA while Mara graduated from John F. Kennedy High School.  Mara was a cheerleader in high school and enjoyed an active social life.  Mara was fit and worked while in high school at Elaine Powers Fitness in Florida.  She accumulated enough spending money for a summer trip to Europe. Not bad for a high school student.  At the age of eighteen, on May 23 in the year before her graduation, she was as a struck by an automobile while walking.  She does not recall many details about the accident other than waking up from a coma with one arm and the rest of her body in a cast.  Mara spent the better part of two years in rehab with head trauma, her left leg shattered, left arm and fingers damaged.  Operations placed pins in the left leg, left arm, and the fingers of her injured hand.   These severe injuries explain Mara’s unorthodox running gate.  If you have ever run behind her, you will see she kicks one leg out as she strides. Mara acknowledges that this kick out motion is getting “worse” as she ages but she still remains competitive in the female 50-54 age group.   

Recovery led to attendance at Augusta College.  She continued her education in Winter Park, Florida at a community college.  While pursuing her education in Winter Park and working part time for a fitness center, Mara found ends were not meeting the needs and a financial crisis was looming.  This dilemma was remedied by a friend “daring” Mara to perform at an adult club as a stripper.  A dare became a career.  Mara was suffering back spasms that eventually led her to give up her dancing career after two years.  The money was good and solved the financial crisis. The high point of Mara’s “show” business career came when her physician, who was treating her for the spasms, came to view the performance one evening unannounced.  The low point was when a drunk jumped on stage, slung Mara over his shoulder and attempted to leave the establishment carrying Mara until confronted by the bouncer.  

Mara returned to Augusta, GA where she had back surgery to remove an offending budging disc.  After recovery Mara returned to school graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  She teamed with her father who had returned to Augusta in semi retirement doing consulting civil engineering work.  Mara would do the site preparation and information gathering portion of an engineering project for her father.  Mara found an opportunity in the lawn service industry to supplement her engineering income and started H & M (Holly and Mara) Lawn Care.  The lawn care business expanded over the years with a current stable of forty clients.  Sadly, her father passed away a year ago.  Mara is assisted in H&M by twenty-five year friend  and significant other Jerry Justice.  Some of you may recall Jerry as he accompanied Mara to races and served as the Holly (her pet Dachshund) keeper while Mara was running.  Mara’s life is consumed with lawn care eight days a week and caring for her two current pet Dachshunds Lucy Lu and Molly, both rescue dogs.

She has commuted to races since 1989 with Steve Strickland of Augusta.  Mara encountered Steve at local Augusta races and found he was willing to drive her to the races.  Mara can not drive long distances due to a lack of depth perception, a side consequence to her severe head trauma that occurred when she was a teen. Her running career started in Florida participating in the Sun Coast Race Series and continued with Run and See Georgia and now competes in the Black Bag Race Series.  Her first points race was in June of 1989, The Tar Baby 10K now known as the Torture Trail 10K.  Her favorite race is any one where she places first in her age group.  Mara participated in one hundred and thirteen races in 2001 and one hundred a year in following years.  She took a year off after her father’s death (her mother still lives in Augusta) but has become active again in the Black Bag Race Series.  Although not running the entire 2012 season, she was able to accumulate 136 Black Bag Points.  Enough points to finish fifth in her age group.  Her best 5K time was 21:39, 10K time 49:34, and she has participated in fifteen half marathons and three marathons.                 

Bob checking out from the back of the back.  Look for the March profile on Tucker’s own, pre teen runner, Charles Jackson.  In April Amber Hodor from Macon will be featured.