A San Diego native, Manny has been a member of Front Runners Walkers San Diego (FRWSD) for 20 years, and has served on our group’s board multiple times. He has worked for the City of San Diego since 2002, and regularly volunteers for popular conventions in the area [to include the He-Man & She-Ra Convention and Power-Con]. He particularly enjoys cosplaying as different versions of the character ‘Prince Adam.’
His favorite thing about being a part of our FRWSD family is how globally-connected we are! He loves visiting and running with other Front Runner groups in cities across the map, making new friends, and never feeling alone in a new location.
Since joining FRWSD with some of his friends [from The LGBT Center’s Coming Out Group], Manny worked his way up to running his 1st Half Marathon in 2003 [in La Jolla]; he followed that up with running the 2004 San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. Despite these impressive accomplishments, he still has a goal of running a Full Marathon in under 4 hours [he only needs to cut off 5 minutes from his Personal Best]!
One of his favorite experiences was completing the Marine Corps Mud Run at Camp Pendleton; he enjoyed persevering through the various obstacle courses [while getting MUDDY]! His all-time favorite place to run [in the area] is Mission Beach; he loves the scenic location, the beautiful views of the ocean, and getting to watch various recreational activities taking place during his run.
One thing not many people know about Manny: He was in an all-boy dance group in the early 1990’s, and they performed all over San Diego [to include at the San Diego County Fair]! He credits Paula Abdul with inspiring him to pursue dance classes and doing what makes him happy.
One thing that the FRWSD family knows about Manny: He is one of the most sweet and altruistic human beings on the planet, and we are lucky to call him a family member!
