While many local residents were taking a leisurely stroll, in the cool breeze and warm sun along lovely Seal Beach, Los Alamitos Mayor Gerri Graham-Mejia was raising the bar.
While many local residents were taking a leisurely stroll, in the cool breeze and warm sun along lovely Seal Beach, Los Alamitos Mayor Gerri Graham-Mejia was raising the bar.
Graham-Mejia, along with her husband Javier and a friend were slogging through mud and obstacles at the Warrior Dash 5K Mud Run in San Dimas on April 5. It was her first try at anything like the run and it made an impression on the mayor.
“It was definitely an experience,” Graham-Mejia said.
Javier and their son had done the mud runs in the past, and this year, Javier told Graham-Mejia that he was going to register her for the event as well. But her son later informed her that Javier had said that he didn’t think she would go through with the run. That statement was what ultimately spurred her to make the run.
Motivated by the idea of proving her husband wrong, Graham-Mejia joined the race on the day of the event, along with Javier and friend Christean Giacone. But with little training, she said it proved a daunting task. She was also unaware of the hills that were involved and admitted that had she known, she would have likely backed out.
The run is listed as a 3.2-mile trek with hills and 14 obstacles. The obstacles included water, mud puddles, rope structures and even jumping over a fire pit. Graham-Mejia said the obstacles actually made for more fun, the distance was a challenge.
“It was a mud walk for me,” Graham-Mejia said.
Javier sacrificed any attempts to better his previous times and chose to stay with his wife and Giacone through the whole course.
“I thought that was really cool of him,” Graham-Mejia said.
Graham-Mejia was also spurred by the fact that she turned 50 years old on March 10. She said she would do it again. Pictures of the Mejia’s adventure through the mud were making the rounds in the Los Alamitos Community shortly after their run. The images of them slogging through the mud with face paint brought about thoughts of warriors in the movie “Braveheart.”
“If the mayor had been on the battlefield fighting with William Wallace, it may have gone differently for him,” friend and supporter of Graham-Mejia, Jody Shloss said. “She is a fun spirited person.”
