"RUNNING DIDN'T JUST CHANGE MY PERSPECTIVE; IT FLIPPED MY LIFE UPSIDE DOWN. THE BEST THINGS IN MY LIFE CAME THROUGH RUNNING."
"MY OLD MAN WAS ALWAYS POUNDING THE PAVEMENT, AND MY SISTER, MOTHER AND I WOULD WOULD WHIP UP SOME RAGTAG BANNERS TO CHEER HIM ON IN HALF AND FULL MARATHONS. THOSE SCENES LEFT A MARK ON ME."
We want to give a voice to all the runners that RUN the LA Running scene, so we we partnered with Mauricio Diaz for our latest campaign series: “A Runner’s Story”
For Mau running has been in his blood since he was kid. Mau’s dad was a runner, so his fondest memories growing up were of him cheering on his pop as he ran marathons all throughout Mau’s life. Those scenes left a mark on Mau and he too eventually laced up.
“Running became my way of exploring the world, to see it, to feel it, to connect with it on a primal level. One day, someone suggested I take my running off the pavement and into the wild, I tried it and never looked back. It was like discovering a new drug; I found my passion.”
"AS LONG AS YOU'RE PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF OTHER AND MOVING FORWARD, EVEN IF IT'S JUST A NOTCH FASTER THAN WALKING YOUR A RUNNER."
18 years later Mau is still running, and in this time he’s done more races than he can count. He’s now shifted away from racing and created an outlet for trail runners to discover the world through running with his company Aire Libre. @airelibre.earth provides a way to explore and connect, while visiting some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes.
Before Mau discovered trail running he was just another pavement pounder, obsessed with how fast he could finish a marathon, but trail running cracked open a new dimension, showing him that trail running could be a tool for something greater, a vehicle for discovery and connection. Mau’s latest adventures: One is the Backbone Trail across the Santa Monica Mountains—a 60-mile stretch. The other is to run and document the entire border of what makes Mexico City…that’s just the kind of thing that gets his blood pumping!
Mauricio found his tribe and his soul’s purpose through running. He leads with open arms and always make you feel welcome to tackle the gift of experimental trail running. And if you want to dive into the running experiences he offers, check out @airelibre.earth It’s a trip worth taking.
