Mary Longacre (left) works out at The Groove Fitness Studio, Altoona, owned by Jen Burgmeier. Courtesy photo

If you have participated in sports or exercise, you have likely experienced an injury that has taken you off the fitness track for a brief period. This could have been a minor setback or something far more intense. Whatever the challenge, your attitude was likely part of the equation which determined whether you continued your fitness endeavors or threw in the towel. Mary Longacre decided to persevere in spite of a life-threatening occurrence.

A 1970 graduate of Altoona High School, Longacre did not participate in athletics or an exercise routine. That trend continued while attending Penn State University, graduating with a degree in social welfare. It wasn’t until she began working at the Altoona Water Authority that she began engaging in fitness regimens.

“I did aerobics with the girls from work. We went to the Roman Health Spa and the Cosmopolitan Club,” said Longacre.

However, at some point her training became less consistent and finally ceased. There was more than a 30-year gap in fitness pursuits, until a close friend interceded.

“Maureen Jeffco got me a membership to Groove Fitness. I kept telling her, I’m going to start after I retire. It saved me, because I did not handle retirement too well,” said Longacre, who worked at the water department for 41 years.

Longacre openly admits that retirement was not conducive to her mental or physical well-being. It was that Groove membership that positively changed her life. She joined in 2018 and resurrected her passion for fitness, with an emphasis on Zumba. She also found a new group of friends in an encouraging atmosphere. She also lost something while at Groove.

“I lost 49 pounds over a two-year span, attending Groove daily,” said Longacre, who did not change her diet to achieve this dramatic weight loss.

Fast forward to May 2025, when Longacre’s life was turned upside down.

“If someone would have told me I was going to have a stroke, I would have said, ‘You’re absolutely crazy.’ Around 4:30 a.m., I called my friend Maureen Jeffco. She and her husband Bob came to my home and called AMED. They took my dog Oscar to their home to care for him. UPMC lifeflighted me to Pittsburgh, where they removed the clots on the left side of my brain,” Longacre said.

Since experiencing a stroke, Longacre has made it her mission to get back what was lost due to this traumatic event. Speech and her ability to eat solid foods were affected by the stroke. Her balance and gait were also compromised. Longacre’s quest to return to her pre-stroke capabilities has required intensive speech, occupational and physical therapy at Encompass Health in Altoona. She also elected to return to Groove and begin the physical process of regaining her Zumba form.

“Jen Burgmeier (owner of The Groove Fitness Studio in Altoona) has a Chair Zumba class, which I attended during my initial recovery, and I feel like I have 75%-80% of my strength back,” Longacre said.

Initially, Longacre was on a total liquid diet due to complications from the stroke. She has now graduated to minced foods as she moves back to the typical texture of solid food. Longacre is very grateful for the friends who have supported her during this ordeal.

“My dog Oscar, Jen Burgmeier, Maureen Jeffco and my friends and relatives kept me going,” she said.

Her ultimate goal is to get back to her pre-stroke status. She admits that her progress has been slow.

“I just had to either sink or swim, and I wasn’t going to sink,” Longacre said.

Longacre, 73, believes that her fitness level prior to the stroke and the classes at Groove enabled her to stay physically and mentally strong throughout the recovery process. She credits Jen Burgmeier for the progress she has made.

“I suggested Mary for this article because I have watched her work so hard to regain her abilities and resume normal activities. She stayed positive and proved to her physicians and therapists that she would succeed. Everyone at Groove is supporting her. Mary is a fighter, and she inspires us all,” Burgmeier said.

George Thomas Kattouf of Altoona is the developer of the website AgelessTimeless.com. He has been instructing martial arts for over four decades in the Altoona Area at the Academy of Martial Arts and encourages seniors to stay fit through martial arts training. If you or someone you know in Blair County is age 50 or older and would be a good candidate for the Fitness Track, email Kattouf at george@agelesstimeless.com. Tune in to the YouTube channel AgelessTimeless to learn more.