Imagine people focused, sweat running down their foreheads, and their breath in tune with their steps. Their goal is to pass the finish line as quickly as possible.

But that isn’t the case.

Mariposa Guerrero, junior, is passionate for her own reasons. Running isn’t a sport she does competitively for the praise, but a hobby that she finds her own pleasure in doing.

Guerrero’s love for running first started when her step mom felt as if her and her siblings should get off the couch and do something to stay fit. Trying out 5ks and 10ks such as the Color Run, she found the spark after participating in Nike Women’s Half Marathon for Cancer in memory of her great aunt, having to spend $200 alone just to enter a raffle to sign up.

While Guerrero admits that running can hurt, she takes pleasure in the pain, knowing there’s a reason for it. It makes her feel alive.

“When you run, it’s raw,” she said. “ It’s all about you, your heart, your breath, the sound of your feet hitting the ground.”

In the end, running is just something that Guerrero finds satisfying. It allows her to release any stress or tension with every step.
“Sometimes I cry when I run and sometimes I smile,” Guerrero said. “It depends on the day and the run, but in the end it’s no surprise that I’m actually happy.”