Sports
Ju Markan's Athletic Foundation and Early Running Journey
From childhood gymnastics and dance to training in Recife's heat, the athlete details how she built her athletic foundation.
Before chasing impressive road race times, Ju Markan built a solid foundation across various sports. Speaking on Girls Who Run, she looks back on her competitive childhood, running without a GPS watch in Northeast Brazil, and her transition to structured training.
Ju Markan's rapid progression in long-distance running often sparks curiosity among amateur runners. However, her consistent performance on the road didn't happen by chance: it is the result of a diverse motor foundation developed since childhood, long before she laced up her first running shoes with a focus on performance.
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From artistic gymnastics to a childhood training routine
Her relationship with physical activity started early, at four years old, driven by strong family encouragement. Ju did ballet, tap dance, and spent eight years dedicated to jazz dance. During her childhood in São Paulo, she competed in artistic gymnastics for Clube Paineiras do Morumby around ages seven and eight, developing body awareness and competitive discipline.
After moving to Recife, the lack of local infrastructure for elite gymnastics led her to explore other sports. She tried synchronized swimming, which was cut short by bouts of sinusitis, took up swimming, and even competed in equestrian jumping—a sport she had to give up after discovering an allergy to horse sweat. At 13, she found stability in weight training and strength workouts, keeping cardiovascular work as a constant in her routine.
The first miles along Boa Viagem beach
Road running entered her life unassumingly around 2017 and 2018. At first, her workouts were simple loops around Recife's public squares, such as Casa Forte and Parque da Jaqueira. When she moved closer to the Boa Viagem beachfront, her mileage grew: Ju ran five kilometers out and five kilometers back along the boardwalk, without a GPS watch, without knowing what race pace (pace) was, and tracking her distance solely through a smartphone app.
During the pandemic, training continued under challenging conditions, running under the midday sun on the beach, which helped build both physical and mental stamina. This period also included high-intensity indoor cycling classes and functional treadmill workouts at Race, where her competitive mindset and drive to beat her personal records gained renewed momentum.
Physical conditioning and joining a running club
After moving to São Paulo, ramping up intensity on the treadmills caused strain on her iliopsoas and glutes. With physical therapy and targeted strength work, her body rebuilt the resilience needed to handle heavier training loads. In November 2024, Ju took an opportunity with the MP Run coaching group to formalize her road running training, kicking off a new chapter of structured dedication to the sport.
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