Meet the 18 Runners Representing Malibu Moves in 2026
Every year, Malibu Moves selects a group of ambassadors who carry the heart of this event into their own communities. They show up at run clubs, post their training miles, and invite friends to experience Zuma Beach on race weekend. For 2026, that group is 18 runners strong.
They range from first-time racers to ultramarathon finishers. Some run with chronic illness. Some came back from surgery. Some push their children in racing chairs. All of them show up.
The 2026 Malibu Moves race weekend takes place October 24-25 at Zuma Beach, Malibu, with distances including the Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 1-Mile Zuma Dash, and 1K Kids Run. Saturday hosts the Expo, Kids Zone, and Kids Run. Sunday brings the main races followed by a post-race festival with food, music, and wellness activations along the Pacific.
This year's theme is "I Move For Malibu. What Do You Move For?" We asked each ambassador that question. Here is what they said.
Jalisa Marie | Ambassador Coordinator
Jalisa is returning for her third year as a Malibu Moves Ambassador and now serves as the 2026 Ambassador Coordinator, leading and supporting the full team of 18. She started running after having her daughter as a way to reclaim autonomy and connect with other moms.
She brings firsthand experience to everything she asks of the team, from showing up at run clubs to putting yourself out there for a brand you believe in. "There is power in movement of ALL kinds, and it all should be celebrated." Her course advice: embrace the hills on PCH, because the Pacific views are worth every climb.
Follow her @therunningmami
Elizabeth | Half Marathon
Elizabeth first found running through Students Run LA as a teenager. She returned to it as an adult with deeper appreciation. During a recent 50K, she sprained her ankle at mile 8 and dropped to the half marathon distance. She finished.
"Strength isn't always about finishing as planned. It's about adapting and continuing anyway."
Her family keeps her lacing up on the hardest days.
Follow her @lift_run_tacos
Giovanni | Half Marathon
Giovanni grew up with acute asthma, carrying an inhaler everywhere. Running strengthened his lungs and changed his trajectory.
He went from hospital visits to completing marathons, ultramarathons, and backpacking the highest peaks.
As a nurse, he promotes active living daily. After knee surgery in March 2025, he was back running by July.
"ANYTHING is possible with patience and commitment."
Follow him @questrunner
Jasmin Salcedo | Half Marathon
Returning for her third year with Malibu Moves, Jasmin went from high school sprinter to nursing school stress-runner to completing two marathons and five half marathons.
This October will be her sixth half. She's also a solo world traveler who has covered Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, England, France, and the Netherlands.
"Every step has purpose, and movement can create impact beyond just crossing the finish line."
Follow her @jasmin_lives_here
Ariana Laurenz Valera | 10K
Ariana has had two scoliosis surgeries and was told she would lose significant mobility. She started running instead.
"Every run is a reminder of how far I've come. It's about resilience, growth, and pushing past what I once thought were permanent limitations."
She recently pushed through cramping and a mental block during a marathon to hit a personal record. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in occupational therapy at USC.
Follow her @movingwithari
Jonathan | Half Marathon
Jonathan found running during COVID with solo neighborhood miles.
It was the run club community that kept him coming back. He now manages social media for SoCalTrail and coordinates the Tour of LA community trail runs.
"I've surrounded myself with those people and that energy, and my life has never been better."
His race day tip: arrive early so the only running you do is from the start line to the finish line.
Follow him @j6flips
Mandy | 5K
Mandy started running park races with her mom in 5th grade. She now runs with Crohn's disease.
Some days she can run a marathon. Some days she can only walk. She shows up either way.
At the London Marathon, she dealt with 80-degree heat, walked much of it, and still finished with her sister beside her. She's on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, but says her real claim to fame is baking cookies that disappear faster than she can run a marathon.
Her race day rule: "Don't forget to smile."
Follow her @mandy_does_fit
Michelle Williams | Half Marathon
Michelle wasn't a runner when she walked into the Dog Haus Running Club during a difficult time. That was nearly 13 years ago.
"Movement changed my life by giving me confidence, community, friends I now consider family, and freedom."
She is a racecation pioneer who loves trails most, and calls Malibu Moves "the most inclusive race I've been a part of."
Follow her @girlontherun4
Moe | Half Marathon
Moe's running career began after surviving a rare brain tumor and aneurysm, two brain surgeries, a month in ICU in Frankfurt, Germany, and multiple rehabs.
He has since completed 10 marathons and maintained a daily 10,000-step streak for years. Not even neck surgery broke it.
He once paced Malibu Moves in a full waffle costume. He is also a 4-time Masters National Champion in Freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling.
"Just being alive and thankful for what I have is enough to keep going."
Follow him @moedawg140
Sharon Sussman | Half Marathon
A proud LA Leggers member, Sharon was forced to defer the 2023 Chicago Marathon after emergency surgery for a detached retina one week before race day. She returned in 2024 with a fractured wrist and toe and ran Chicago anyway. She finished.
"No matter how many setbacks I faced, I could keep coming back stronger."
Fun fact: she competed on Knights and Warriors, a medieval combat TV show in the early '90s, and won two of three appearances.
Follow her @sharonsussman
Dr. Jessica | Half Marathon
Jessica competed as a Division 1 cross country and track athlete before becoming a running physical therapist and founding Doctor of Human Movement.
She helps runners find movement that is sustainable, supportive, and good for their lives.
"Let it be an experience, not just a goal. Breathe in the ocean air and appreciate what your body is doing for you."
Her biggest advice: build mileage gradually. There is nothing to prove.
Follow her @doctormvmt
Sharon Solares | 10K
Sharon lives with cold urticaria and has learned never to take movement for granted.
Weeks before her first marathon, she injured her sacrum and was not sure she would make the start line. She did, and she finished.
"Barriers may exist, but they don't define what I'm capable of."
Her advice for new runners: don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle.
Follow her @doctormvmt
Michael Knox | Half Marathon
Two years ago, Michael was sedentary. His brother-in-law challenged him to train for a half marathon with one month's notice. On race day, something clicked, and he ran the entire distance without stopping for the first time in his life.
He never stopped after that.
"The hardest part is always starting. But once you start moving, something kind of magical happens."
Self-described running shoe nerd.
Follow him @knoxcreates
Jennifer | Half Marathon
In January 2025, Jennifer decided to take her life back.
A college runner who had stepped away for five years, she returned to running to feel confident and get her energy back. Now she moves to inspire other parents, especially Latinas and underrepresented communities, that achieving their goals is real and possible.
Her race day approach is meticulous and joyful: "Race day is my runway."
Follow her @jennifer.runs2025
Michelle Sandoval | Half Marathon
After a health scare left her temporarily unable to walk, Michelle was diagnosed with POTS. She started a daily running streak and never looked back.
She is a dancer, hiker, Zumba instructor, educator, and founder of Active CV. She keeps her Strava public and her times realistic because "being your authentic, unfinished self is the ultimate permission slip for someone else to try."
She has lived across Latin America and once outran wild boars in the Amazon.
Follow her @hikeandzumbawithmichelle
Jayson Warsuma | Half Marathon
Jayson races around the world and wants to bring that global energy to Malibu Moves.
At the 2012 LA Marathon, he cramped at mile 21, spent three hours in the medical tent, then got back up and walked the rest to the finish.
His approach: have fun, take it easy, enjoy life.
Follow him @jaysonpaceleader
Marce | Half Marathon
For Marce, running is about being a better mother. As a mom of children with special needs, movement fills her cup so she can show up for her family.
During a race, she pushed her son in his 100-pound chair. She expected it to feel heavy. Instead, it felt like purpose.
"What we carry for the people we love never truly feels too heavy."
She works with children with special needs and says they have taught her more about patience, strength, and joy than she could have imagined.
Follow her @marrce
Diane Kale | 5K
Diane moves to stay healthy and strong for her children and grandchildren, and to manage her osteoporosis.
Her philosophy is direct: "Motion is Lotion and Rest is Rust."
When she learned Malibu Moves was a movement and not just a race, she was all in.
Her race day advice is to create a team, invite friends, and plan to stay for the expo.
Follow her @diane_kale23
Run With Them
The 2026 Malibu Moves race weekend is October 24-25 at Zuma Beach, Malibu. Distances include the Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 1-Mile Zuma Dash, and 1K Kids Run.
If one of these stories moved you, show up and run alongside them. Register at malibumoves.com.
