Heather Marriott Joggling Interview – The Fastest Female Joggler

Heather Marriott was a standout joggler at the recent IJA events, earning a medal in every race in which she participated.  She has done a number of joggling events and has even done a marathon.  We first learned

about her in an article in Runner’s World and met her at the joggling championships.  Here’s more about Heather.

Introduction

Heather is 34 years old living in Prescott Arizona.  She teaches computer programming courses at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

JYAJ: What is the story of how you learned to juggle?

MARRIOTT: I learned to juggle when I was in middle school over summer break.  My dad could juggle 3 tennis balls. It took me pretty much the whole summer to perfect. I didn’t know any other jugglers at the time, so I just stopped at that level. When I got to college I joined the juggling club and found out there is so much more you can do with juggling. It’s been a wonderful hobby for me.

JYAJ: When did you start joggling?

MARRIOTT: My first joggling race was at the IJA in Pittsburgh 1996. I had never tried the sport before that festival.

JYAJ: Why did you start joggling?

MARRIOTT: I have always been a runner, so trying a sport that combined my two favorite hobbies was very appealing.

JYAJ: How many races have you done while joggling?

MARRIOTT: I’ve lost count of the number of IJA races I’ve joggled. I’ve probably only joggled a dozen road races, the longest one being the Columbus marathon.

JYAJ: What are some of your most interesting joggling stories?

MARRIOTT: The Columbus marathon was pretty special for me. It was something I wasn’t totally sure I would be able to accomplish, and it was great to actually be able to joggle the whole thing.

JYAJ: What kind of training do you do? How fast do you run?

MARRIOTT:  Right now I only run 20-30 minutes easy 3-4 times a week. I throw in some sprint workouts when the IJA is coming up. In my younger years I was much more serious about running, but with work and a son to raise I’m just happy to get any training in. For a 5K I run around an 8-9min/mile pace now.

JYAJ: Do you eat a special diet?

MARRIOTT: No special diet, but I generally am a pretty healthy eater.

JYAJ: How long do you think you will keep joggling?

MARRIOTT:  I imagine I’ll keep joggling as long as I can. I would only stop if injuries force me to move to a lower impact sport.

JYAJ: Do you have any advice for would-be jogglers?

MARRIOTT: I’d say would be jogglers should just try it. It’s not as hard as it looks.

Thanks Heather and we hope to see you at next year’s IJA Joggling competition.  No doubt you’ll dominate your division again.

Check out the joggler interview pages for more joggling interviews.