Wild Mountain Runner -- The legend of the name

By: Gilbert Varela

One early morning while running through the mountains of the Los Angeles National Forest, Freddy Perez, our club founder, suddenly crossed upon several large paw prints. He slowed his pace but continued on the narrow trail. Then again there they were, great paws prints that appeared and then suddenly disappeared into the thick brush. Freddy thought about the danger but it was excitement and inspiration that suddenly overwhelmed him. There he was running in the path of a wild animal. This animal was free to run and roam the mountain unhampered by civilization.

It was in the early 1980s when Freddy Perez began to run the mountains near his Sylmar home. By then, he and other San Fernando runners would sometimes get together for long runs in the mountain trails. Inspired by the giant foot prints of the mountain lion, he and his friends began to call them-selves the Wild Mountain Runners. It was Freddyâ??s admiration for the wild creature of the mountain that inspired the Wild Mountain Runners