The Paseo Club Fitness instructor and marathoner Jodi Broz: Running for joy!

It’s not often a ten-year-old sets her sights on their future with such clarity. But young Jodi Broz was no average Montana girl. 

One day, on her way home from school, she noticed a group of kids training for track at a local park. She walked in the door of her house and announced to her mom that she was going to run the hurdles. 

She joined the track team and spent an entire week training. The following weekend, she attended her first meet, where she successfully hit every single hurdle. Although Jodi was dismayed with her performance, her coach encouraged her to keep coming.

This experience led Jodi on the path of being a lifelong runner. She became a track and cross country star, a half marathon and marathon runner, including attending elite races such as The Boston Marathon, and a coach to hundreds.

Jodi Broz is a cherished instructor and member at The Paseo Club in Santa Clarita. In this article, you will learn about Jodi’s evolution as a runner, her dedication to teaching others, top tips for learning to run, and her plans for her running career in her sixties.

Early vision, delayed gratification

Jodi ran cross country and track in junior high and high school and absolutely loved it. Regardless of the distance or terrain, she always had a blast. One significant accomplishment was that she ran the fastest mile in junior high — 5 minutes and 57 seconds, which was unheard of in the 1970s. Her record lasted for years. 

One day, a family member asked Jodi how far she could run. Jodi hadn’t run long-distance and wasn’t sure if she was interested. Yet somehow she knew that if she was going to run far, she’d do it at the Boston Marathon — one of the most prominent marathons due to its qualifying standards. A seed was planted for young Jodi, which took decades to bring to fruition.

Jodi continued to run during college while studying broadcast journalism at Loyola Marymount. She went on to work for 10 years in broadcasting, focusing on entertainment and local news. 

Second Career

As Jodi became older, life got full. She had three children by the age of 42, yet she always made time for runs and fitness classes.  

Jodi was a member of The Paseo Club. Instructor Jody Stokes noticed her enthusiasm for fitness. Jody S suggested she get certified as a spin instructor. Jodi promptly got her certification and taught Cycle once a week. This was her first experience teaching fitness. 

Jodi pursued group fitness certification and began to substitute-teach several classes — Cardio Strength, Cardio Sculpt, Tone and Stretch, and more. 

In 2009, Jody Stokes floated a fun idea to her, “Let’s offer a half-marathon series to members!” Jodi loved this idea and said once she was co-leading this program, she was “in heaven.” Jody Stokes left Paseo and Melanie Vovk came on board.  Melanie and Jodi ran a very successful marathon group at Paseo for over ten years.

Half Marathon Club at The Paseo Club

The half-marathon program was a twelve-week series with evening and Saturday classes. They took members of all different backgrounds and fitness levels and taught them the fundamentals of running. The program culminated in the group participating in the local Santa Clarita half-marathon. This program was so popular that they offered it two to three times per year, eventually training members to run full marathons. 

During this period, Jodi began to do a deep dive into the mechanics of running. She studied articles and reports from professionals and became certified in running by The Road Runners Club of America — the people who just so happen to be in charge of The New York Marathon. She added teaching more group fitness classes to her roster too, such as barre and body pump as well as getting her Personal Trainer certification.

Running half and full marathons

Jodi had been running consistently for decades before she began to do long-distances. She did her first half marathon in 2009 (with Jodi Stokes and the training group)  After the race, Jodi experienced a feeling like no other — she was so happy. 

Jodi was hooked and began to run half-marathons regularly. She became faster and faster and was soon finishing in the top percentage for her age group. 

It wasn’t long before another friend and fellow runner, Christy Alben asked Jodi to join her for the LA Marathon. Jodi agreed and they began to train together. Jodi’s fastest half was 1:40 so she estimated completing the marathon in four hours.

With only a few weeks before the marathon, Jodi was talking with Group Fitness Director Melanie Vovk about the race. Melanie asked Jodi what her qualifier needed to be for The Boston Marathon. This is the moment when that little seed that young Jodi planted began to stir. Jodi looked it up and discovered it was 3:55 — five minutes faster than her targeted finish time. 

However, 3:55 wasn’t really going to be fast enough. Jodi needed to give herself padding in case of the unexpected, so with less than two weeks to go, she set her sights on the LA Marathon with a targeted finish time of 3:45 — an entire fifteen minutes faster than her original deadline. 

Jodi ended up beating herself by running a 3:47 at the LA Marathon. At the finish line, she held her husband and told him she’d “never do that again.” Luckily, that thought was fleeting because she had just qualified for Boston!

The Boston Marathon — 2013 and beyond

The Boston Marathon has always been a famous race. The first one was in 1897, and since then, it has brought runners from all over the world to participate in this iconic run. Unfortunately, Jodi’s first year at Boston was also the infamous year of the bombings.

Jodi was not aware of the bombing when they occurred, but later realized her husband was near where it happened, and had she followed her original timing, she would have been at or near the site of the explosion too. 

Although Jodi and her family came out of the experience physically unscathed, it cast a shadow on her experience and raised complex feelings of happiness for her successful race that she had dreamed of as a child, and profound grief for those affected by this tragedy.

Jodi did not let this experience deter her love of running and her excitement for the Boston Marathon. She decided to return — not once more — but four more times.

Jodi ran in the Boston Marathon in 2014 for the 1-year anniversary, in 2018 for the 5-year anniversary, and again in 2023 for the 10-year. Jodi also went this April 2025 for her fifth successful marathon in Boston. She finally was able to run her favorite race side by side with her current running partner, Jennifer Azevedo.  And at the age of 58, Jodi ran a 3:53 and placed in the top one-third for her age range in the female division. 

Teaching others and sharing her joy

Jodi is different from many other marathoners. She does not run to be the best. She does not run to prove herself to others — she is not even that competitive with her running. 

Jodi runs because she loves it, and it is the way she cares for herself. Her early morning pre-dawn runs are done without music or other distractions and are her best way to tend to her physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 

Jodi’s love of running is infectious, and she has shared her passion and techniques with people of all levels of experience and fitness. To prove a point, her daughter and her mother began to run marathons because of her — her mom at the age of 74!

Luckily, Jodi teaches people outside her immediate family. She currently teaches two to three fitness classes every day at The Paseo Club. She also offers personal training in fitness and/or running.

Jodi’s goals for the future

While many people facing their sixties are slowing down, Jodi is maintaining her pace. This year, she noticed many runners at the Boston Marathon wearing medals from World Marathon Majors. 

The World Marathon Majors are a series of competitive marathons based all over the world — Boston, New York, London, Tokyo, Chicago, Berlin, and now Sydney too. Jodi has already raced in Boston, Chicago, and New York. Her sights are set now on participating in the remaining four. London, Berlin, and Tokyo are strictly a lottery system, so qualifying is not enough. 

Do you want to learn to run?

Learning to run isn’t always easy. However, with time, consistency, and patience, anyone can learn to run.

Here are Jodi’s top tips for people who want to learn to run:

• Anyone can run. Our bodies are made to move that way.
• It will initially be hard and hurtful. Stick with it — it’ll get easier
• Start slow by going for 20 minutes. Run as long as you can and then walk as you need to — repeat as needed. Maintain a pace where you could carry a conversation. Once you can run for 20 minutes, then add time.
• Run three times per week tops. Rest one day in between. 
• Try to be relaxed and don’t stress over it.
• Get the right gear — it’ll make it easier.

Jodi’s half-marathon program was such a success in prior years, she has been asked to bring it back. The Paseo Club and Jodi are teaming up once more to offer The Half Marathon Training program during the Back to School Season beginning in August. More details to come!

In the meantime, Jodi Broz is available for private and semi-private training. Contact her to learn more. You can also get fit with her by attending her small group or group exercise classes. 

Small Group Training
Pilates - Tuesdays 5 & 6 pm  
TRX & Core - Fridays 8:30 am
Tribe Functionally Fit - Mondays 8 am
Tribe Core Strength - Wednesdays at 8 am 

Group Exercise Classes
Cycle - Mondays 6 pm
Core, tone, & stretch - Fridays 7 am
Barre - Tuesdays 9:15 am and 7 pm
Strictly Strength - Wednesdays 5:45 pm
Run/walk group - Thursdays 7 am and Saturdays 7:30 am
Liquid Cardio - Mondays & Wednesdays 9:15 am and Thursdays 9 a

The Paseo Club is a private club in Santa Clarita, offering fitness, pickleball, tennis, swimming, and social activities. Courts have leagues, drills, drop-in and scheduled play. Fitness offers over 60 group exercise classes, small group training, and personal training.

Membership grants you access to all eight acres of the club. Come and socialize at Wine Down Wednesday, Karaoke Night, Line and Wine, and more! Every month there are dozens of activities to attend. 

Plus, The Paseo Club offers deluxe amenities, including a full-service spa, a cafe and clubhouse, pro shop, and childcare at Kids Club.

Would you like to spend a day at The Paseo Club? Contact us to get your FREE Day Pass. Take a class, go for a dip, grab a bite, and relax. The Paseo Club is your home away from home.