Mac Fox is a Jan Juc local and is front and centre of Mac Fox Performance Coaching. He speaks to the Indy about his town.
What’s your connection to Jan Juc?
Jan Juc is where I grew up and still currently live. Growing up I had my mum (Julie) my dad (Darren) as well my sister May and brother Cole. I’m the oldest of the kids.
What do you like about where you live?
I love everything about Juc. Growing up I loved everything about sport and I was lucky enough that my house is literally a slog-sweep from the Juc oval so I spent the majority of my childhood in the nets batting and bowling over summer and then trying to kick bananas from the pockets all winter. I also spent a large portion of my life in the ocean. I started surfing when I was about three and still get in the water up until this day. We are so lucky here to have waves that range from beginner to world class. As you got older you sort of just progressed your way from wave to wave, it’s actually the perfect coastline for surfing. What I loved most about growing up in Jan Juc though, was my mates. We never had mobile phones or anything but all you had to do was walk down to the Juc milk bar or footy oval and you would bump into a whole group of your mates, an instant game of footy or cricket would often emerge from that. These days I’m more drawn to the trails and tracks around town for running purposes. I do the majority of my training around home so I’ve got some pretty cool loops that never get old, amazing views and a great variety of hills and flats.
What, if anything, would you change about where you live?
I really want to push for an athletics track in town. Maybe not in Juc, but I reckon we could get one in Torquay and I reckon the community would really benefit from it. The Commonwealth Games are coming to Victoria in 2026, and the Olympics to Brisbane in 2032. A great time to start getting young kids inspired and into athletics.
Where is your favourite local place to spend time?
You’ll often find me drinking coffee in my spare time at Swell Cafe. Having a quiet beer with my mates at the Beach Hotel Jan Juc, or walking my dog Dusty along one of our beaches.
Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you.
I didn’t get my driving license until I was 21. I was lucky enough to have a lot of supportive friends, and I still owe a few lifts to be fair. It’s been the theme of my life as I couldn’t tie my shoelaces until I was seven, fitting now that I’m a runner and all I do is tie shoe laces up. I don’t like to rush into things I guess.
Tell us about Mac Fox Performance Coaching and how long you have been doing it for.
Late last year I launched the business. It sort of came about pretty quickly. One night I was scrolling on my phone and received a message from a footballer who was looking to improve his running in the off season as he knew I did a bit of running and I was working as a strength and conditioning coach. From that moment it just clicked and I said to myself I’ve gotta get this thing up and running. I decided on the name and just started off with a couple clients on a weekly basis and have just built it up from there. I now run multiple group sessions a week, individual sessions, as well as write running and strength programs for athletes of all abilities.
