MOUNT CARROLL — Being fit is a big part of Mari Jo Hecker’s life.

The Lake Carroll resident wants to make it a big part of other people’s lives as well.

Hecker’s experience as a marathon runner — staying active through competitive races, regular training and personal fitness challenges — have given her the know-how to design effective workouts for people of all fitness levels, so when she heard about a job opening at the nearby Davis Community Center in Mount Carroll a couple of years ago, Hecker decided to put her talents to use. She took on teaching fitness classes, helping the center in its mission to promote healthier living — and when she got there, she hit the ground running.

Hecker’s most recent course is a Cardio Fit class, which lasts 45 minutes on Wednesday evenings and select Saturdays. It gets participants’ hearts pumping by combining stationary walking at different speeds with bursts of body-toning movements for a full-body burn. No sitting down here – it’s an active and upbeat class that keeps people on their feet the whole time.

Hecker leads people in her routine, against the backdrop of a wall of mirrors, with ’70s and ’80s pop and rock music helping everyone get into a rhythm. Hecker’s hope, and goal, is that participants leave feeling stronger and more energized.

“I’m really into health and fitness,” she said. “I’ve been a runner since I was 16, and have been in marathons and other races, so I’m really interested in fitness. It’s more than just a job. I don’t necessarily need more income, but it’s something for me to do and to be interested in.”

Hecker, 61, also works as a part-time nurse for the West Carroll School District at its Mount Carroll and Savanna schools. As the Davis Center was being built in 2023, she eagerly awaited the day it would open as she arrived and left the Mount Carroll campus, looking forward to sharing her love of fitness with a whole new group of people.

She’s been with the center since it opened in January 2024, where she’s been meeting new people and making new fiends, and helping them develop a healthier mindset.

“There aren’t a lot of health clubs or health facilities and fitness workout places in the area, and I thought, this is great,” Hecker said. “I have my own workout and equipment, but sometimes it’s just nice to have another place to go. I only work part time at the school and didn’t really know a whole lot of people, so it was a good way to meet new people.”

Hecker has lived at Lake Carroll for four years, having moved from Elmhurst — a suburb known for its running programs and successful high school cross country programs. She lived there for around 30 years, and one of her favorite shirts from her running club days there is one that reads “Elmhurst is for runners,” she said.

It didn’t take long for Hecker to fall in love with running: as a 17-year-old, she participated in her first Chicago Marathon, back when there were only about 4,000 finishers, a far cry from the 52,150 who completed the event in 2024. She’ll be back in Chicago for the event on Oct. 12, her 21st.

Hecker’s running resumé includes 57 full marathons, including five Boston Marathons, 10 ultra marathons (double the usual marathon length of 13.1 miles) and even a pair of 50-mile races. She once had a goal to participate in a 100-mile event, but doesn’t think she’ll get there, she said, but she’s hoping she can still get in one more 50-miler.

One of her most recent running events was at the Quad-City Times Bix 7 in Davenport, Iowa, on July 26, which saw her tackle 7 miles of the city’s sloped topography and a trek up and down the large Brady Street hill, which is an 8 percent grade at 160 feet. She’s competed in states beyond just Illinois and Iowa — 27 and counting. She said her goal like many marathon runners, is running in one in all 50 states.

The drive to set and achieve ambitious goals is what keeps Hecker going.

“You have to like it, because if you don’t, it can get pretty miserable, especially in the summer,” Hecker said. “I know a lot of marathoners who are real goal-driven people, and I consider myself that, too. I like setting goals and working toward it.”

One of the first courses Hecker offered at the Davis Center was a “couch-to-5K” program, one that got beginning runners in shape to compete at the 5K at Old Settler’s Days in Lanark this past October. “We’re trying to get people who are interested in running or walking in a 5K, or who are new to it and need some guidance,” Hecker said. “We were recruiting people to do that and training them.” She also organized a walking group last fall that sent participants throughout Mount Carroll and its hilly terrain.

The Cardio Fit class began in January and has around 20 participants. It started out as a mixture of walking and routine exercise, and she’s recently incorporated more step-and-strength cardio. Many participants are seniors, but the class is open to people of all ages.

“I’m thinking of different ways to get people to get their heart rate up and to use their core exercises. Most of my participants are in their 50s and on up, and when they get older, it’s important to work on balance exercises, myself included.”

Sadly, most people don’t realize the importance of balancing exercises until they fall, she said.

“I motivate them to keep in shape by doing different things,” she said. “They all know how I act because I run races, and they think that’s pretty cool that at my age I’m still able to go run races and do fairly well.”

Not all of Hecker’s class members are new to running. One of them, Gabriel Castro, 71, of Savanna, has also run the Chicago Marathon and Bix 7. He coaches track at West Carroll Middle School in Mount Carroll and often comes to Hecker’s course with his wife Peg, where they both enjoy having Hecker help them keep in shape at an age when most people are thinking about retirement and not running.

“If she wasn’t that good, I wouldn’t have come,” Castro said. “I like doing the cardio and the stretching. I enjoy doing big weight lifting with my son, so I get a lot out of this.”

The Davis Center opened with a mission of creating healthier lifestyles and stronger community bonds, and whether it’s through fitness classes, open gyms or just a casual walk around the track with friends, the facility is accomplishing that mission, helping people throughout the county both physically and socially, giving them a place to go for a workout or connect with other community members.

The center also has other ongoing fitness programs taught by area instructors, such as yoga, chair yoga, introduction to weights and fitness, Silver Sneakers courses geared toward seniors and Total Body Fitness all-around courses (go to daviscommunitycenter.org and click on “See all events” for times).

It’s a good way to get healthier and make new friends, just like Hecker has.

“Whether you’re new to fitness or have been working out for years, there’s something here for everybody,” Hecker said. “It’s a great facility, and for kids, too. We just want to get the word out.”

The William J. Davis Community Center, 631 South East St. in Mount Carroll, is open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Its Cardio Fit Class, taught by Mari Jo Hecker, is from 6 to 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday and from 8 to 8:45 a.m. on select Saturdays. Find “Davis Community Center” on Facebook, go to mtcarrollil.org/daviscommunitycenter or call 815-244-5524 for an up-to-date program and events schedule, or for more information.