Mary Brereton

I have been interested and involved in healthful living and nutrition since I was 13 years old and decided to give up meat.  Vegetarianism was very unusual at that time, and when I next decided I should go for a run every morning, my family and friends thought I was very strange.  I became a competitive runner in 1982 when I entered my first road race (a Bonne Bell 10k) and came in 4th overall.  In 1984, while working full-time as a fundraiser and raising two little boys, I became a licensed, franchised Jazzercise instructor, eventually teaching step- and circuit-classes in addition to the original dance-based format.  In 1985, I started coaching CYO cross-country and track teams at St. Mark Elementary school in Cleveland, Ohio, and ran my first marathon in May, 1985, followed my the Marine Corps Marathon in November, 1985.  I have run a few dozen marathons since, my last one in December 2004 in Honolulu, coming in third in my age group.  That same month, I learned I had Hepatitis-C, which I probably contracted from a blood transfusiont 26 years before detection.  During my 74 weeks on chemotherapy and other drugs, I fell in love with Pilates.  I became a Pilates mat instructor shortly after gaining my strength back, and also started teaching group sculpting classes as well as Spinning classes.  I soon added Reformer and other Pilates apparatus certifications to my resume.  In addition the my fitness interests, I am a (non-practicing but licensed) lawyer.