If you told Cristhina Pérez on January 1, 2025 that she’d finish the Golden State Challenge before the year was over, she would’ve laughed. Or cried. Maybe both. Running, in her mind, was the thing she had quit long ago.
Growing up in South LA, she ran in high school but it never felt like something she chose. It felt forced. Competitive. Pressured. And it hurt. Her ankles twisted, toes jammed, injuries piled up. She even signed up for the LA Marathon once and never made it to the start line.
“Running is not for me,” she told herself for years.
But sometimes life has a way of nudging you back toward the thing you’re meant to find.
A New Year, a Heavy Mind and a Simple Walk
At the start of this year, Cristhina focused on the things she did feel ready for: the gym, weight lifting, boxing. She kept her membership even after a wedding she was prepping for… but still needed a form of cardio that didn’t involve the stairmaster.
Around her, people were posting race recaps and finish line photos but she felt too overwhelmed with work, kids, and mental load to consider running again. Depression crept in. Counseling helped, and her therapist suggested something simple:
“Try walking. Maybe a light jog. Fresh air helps.”
And just like that, running – uninvited, unplanned – showed up again.
Then she saw an interview about a double-leg amputee who completed the LA Marathon. His words struck her deeply:
“If I had legs, I would run.”
Cristhina felt that knock on the heart:
I have perfectly good legs. Why am I not using them?
So she went to the park for a 30-minute walk. She invited her mom and daughter. They looped the path. And somewhere along the way, walking turned into a jog. And the jog turned into something else:
Possibility.
The First Spark
Without announcing it to anyone, Cristhina pulled up a race map online and realized:
Wait… I’m already doing 5K distances on my own.
So she signed up for her first official race of the yea: a fun Tacos & Beer 5K in May.
She crossed the finish line and the world shifted.
“I’m unstoppable,” she thought. “I can do a half marathon.”
Immediately, she signed up for the Long Beach Half Marathon.
But this time, she promised herself something:
She would do it right.
No more winging it.
No more high school memories of injuries and frustration.
She got a running analysis. Built a training plan. Learned pacing. Joined LA Road Runners where she was welcomed “with open arms.”
And the miles began stacking.
From 5Ks to 10Ks to… 10 Miles?!
Cristhina soaked up the community spirit. The Santa Monica Classic 10K became her first 10K of the year. She kept going: more local 5Ks, fun runs, group runs.
And then came the message about the Surf City 10-Miler.
“Ten miles?! That’s like… two 10Ks back-to-back,” she thought.
Her running analyst told her, “Listen to how your body feels. If you get tired, walk it.”
So she signed up.
Because why not?
She believed in herself now.
She ran the Surf City 10 beach mile, getting brand-new shoes because never had she imagined running in the sand.
Then the 10-miler.
Then the expo… and that’s where she learned about the Golden State Challenge.
Someone handed her the GSC calendar card.
“You know, you can do some of these virtually.”
A spark.
She had already done two events. She then completed the Golden Gate Half virtual 5K. She just needed Malibu in November.
“Let’s make it a family day,” she decided.
Her daughter, her nephew, her mom – everyone signed up.
They were all going to see her get that Challenge medal.
A Finish Line(ish) That Changed Everything
When things didn’t go as planned with the family logistics, Cristhina kept her heart open. She picked up all the bibs. She weathered the rain that cancelled the race. She made the best of it. And then something unforgettable happened:
For the first time ever, someone placed a finisher medal actually around her neck instead of just handing it to her.
And not just any medal: the Golden State Challenge medal.
In that moment – after years of believing she wasn’t a runner, after injuries, after depression, after self-doubt, after starting and stopping – Cristhina stood tall as someone who had not only become a runner…
…she had become someone who finishes what she starts. To that, because the 5k was cancelled and she had the GSC medal in her hand, she went home that afternoon and said to her family “hold this for me, I have a 5k distance to go run” and out the door she went to keep her word even when the original course was flooded.
Beyond the Challenge
She completed the Golden State Challenge.
She’s running 14-mile training runs now, runs that once brought her to tears at half the distance.
She’s already planning for 2026: the year she runs her first marathon (LA!).
Running is no longer punishment.
It’s peace.
It’s her therapy.
It’s her joy.
It’s her identity.
“I didn’t need medication,” she says. “I found running.”
To her, longer races mean more time to enjoy the breeze, the ocean, the photos, the training paying off. Her favorite race is the Long Beach Half because “running along the beach is calming and soothing.”
Her kids now see running as normal, fun even, because they see their mom loving it. They see resilience, commitment, mental strength.
It’s the example she always wanted to give them.
“Before I felt forced to run. Now I pay out of pocket because I want to run.”
Running found its way back into Cristhina’s life again and again until she finally opened the door wide. And now?
Running is part of her.
Running makes her happy.
Running gave her her life back.
And she’s just getting started.
