It’s a Beautiful Race

Cover Stories

Kristen McLaughlin

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January 21, 2026

It starts on Bay Avenue, goes along West Cliff Drive and makes a keyhole loop before returning to the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse. Of course, we’re talking about the 16th annual She Is Beautiful 5K/10K Run, which cruises into Santa Cruz on Saturday, May 9.

With the race just a few months away, spring is already in the air for runners, walkers, joggers and stroller pushers, as four more trainings and meetups precede the race day: Wednesday, January 21st 7 pm at Fleet Feet Aptos; Saturday, February 21, 8 am at Fleet Feet Monterey; Saturday, March 7, 8 am at REI in Berkeley; and Sunday, April 19, 8 am at Verve Coffee, Seabright location. No registration is needed, just show up.

She Is Beautiful has evolved from 500 people in 2011 to 6,000 in 2025, and added a second race in Santa Barbara. She is Beautiful was founded and is directed by sisters Melissa McConville and Sara Marie Tanza with a mission “to get people moving forward physically, emotionally and spiritually.”

The Jan. 21 session includes a presentation by the Hoka shoe company and a run. “We welcome every level,” McConville added. “We normally plan a route, always routes that are easy, safe. You are not required to stay in a pace group.”

Anyone who registers for the race is invited to attend a free, 90-minute yoga session March 29 in the Warriors stadium. This year will be a candlelit flow led by Hannah Muse.

“We want it to be more than just a race,” said McConville. “We want it to really feel like a community space where people can show up wherever they are. We welcome strollers.”

Both races finish at the lighthouse, which is also the site of a post-race festival. The 10K extends up into Natural Bridges, “which is so beautiful,” McConville says.

She is Beautiful is in a partnership with the Walnut Avenue Women and Family Center, a public benefit organization dedicated to improving quality of life for women, children and families. SIB has donated over $200,000 to the center. Registration to SIB is now open and includes access to all pre-event race activities, a cute race T-shirt or tank top, access to the post-race festival and free race photos. Register for She is Beautiful at runsheisbeautiful.com

Not Just a Gym

Cover Stories

Kristen McLaughlin

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January 21, 2026

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When people think of a gym, they often picture muscle-bound bodybuilders lifting stacks of weights, waiting for that one popular machine, or rooms jammed with treadmills and stationary bikes… but there are plenty of other options in Santa Cruz.

Providing a bridge between a traditional gym and alternative health care, spaces like Santa Cruz Core Fitness and Rehab and Athletic Club Santa Cruz blend fitness, medical and day spa all under one roof. This is a new and vital trend, as folks are discovering treatments usually reserved for a medical clinic, such as regenerative Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP), stem cell therapy and mental health therapy, in the same spaces as weight training, yoga and health coaching.

As January arrived and New Year’s resolutions abounded, I resolved to add something new to my fitness routine, which until now, was primarily yoga and walking on the beach. I started my New Year’s wellness journey with a consultation downtown at Santa Cruz Core Fitness & Rehab. With both one-on-one private and semi-private classes, the first thing I noticed at the downtown wellness center is no crowds, just a handful of private clients, each engaged in a different modality. While one person was working with weights in the downstairs studio, another was getting a sports massage, and a third was getting acupuncture in a private room.

For more than 17 years, owner Jami Jansen has led a dedicated team helping patients to reduce pain, restore mobility and improve overall health.

For Jansen, the path to wellness started with a bike accident many years ago when she was hit by a car while biking at UCSC, suffering a ruptured disc and traumatic brain injury. After the injury, she learned first-hand how professional treatment sought early can make a big difference in outcomes and reduce the risk of serious health issues down the line.

“We started as a preventative treatment center, and now we are doing pre- and post-operative work,” she says. “Instead of going to medical school, I hired experts to help. We take a holistic approach to health and wellness, whether someone is rehabbing from an injury or training for the Olympics.”

My consultation included in-body analysis, which calculates a basal metabolic weight, considered more accurate than a Body Mass Index (BMI). Jansen asked about my health goals, past injuries and trouble areas. I explained that I had degenerative rotator cuff pain and recurring knee pain.

Armed with results of my posture and movement assessment, the fun part begins: selecting both traditional and alternative treatments to address my chronic pain, osteoarthritis and injury recovery. Following are some of the treatments I tried or may try in the future.

Red Light therapy is a way to reduce fine lines and boost cellular regeneration. It is FDA-cleared and proven to stimulate collagen production, which can lead to faster wound healing and improve skin’s elasticity. It also claims to boost energy, improve blood flow and calm inflammation, says Janson.

As for reducing fine lines, I did notice an immediate improvement and overall brighter complexion after only 20 minutes under the Red Vive 300 light panel. Treatments start at $25 and include a workout session on a Vasper bike.

Unlike UVA light, Red Light Therapy is not damaging to the skin and can treat many conditions, including acne, wrinkles, hair loss, and joint and muscle pain. It is also “good for eyes, skin and gum disease,” saysCamille Perriat, co-owner of Athletic Club Santa Cruz with husband Chris Ellis.

ACSC offers a full-spectrum red light bed and the RedRoom + heated studio classes. Walking into the club’s Recovery Lounge, visitors can access both private or small group spaces, dry stone sauna and cold plunges.

“We have the biostacking fiber acoustic lounge with a red light canopy for those beneficial rays,” Perriat says. The facility also has two hard-shell hyperbaric oxygen chambers.

For an extra chill, the Snow Shower at ACSC blasts chilled, “really cold water” from above which lasts about 30 seconds.

The workout. At Core Fitness, there is onlyone bike. The Vasper (vascular performance) is a seated elliptical with three modalities: cooling, compression and grounding. The cooling and compression work with the goal of pushing muscles to failure and creating lactic acid, which creates human growth hormone (HGH). Riding a Vasper involves pedaling on copper plates to create grounding and draw out impurities. Twenty-one minutes on the Vasper is purported to produce hormone recovery benefits equivalent to a 2-hour workout, Jansen said.

After the initial assessment, Santa Cruz Core personal trainer Guy Ferreira walked me through an exercise regimen to address my osteoarthritis and leg syndrome. Ferreira says he trains about 12 people weekly. He designed a fun program using lacrosse balls to loosen quads and hip resistance bands, small hand weights and a dome-shaped Bosu Ball.

ACSC offers a full gym floor with premium equipment and includes kick boxing, yoga and circuit training in its heated Red Room. Perriat says: “Yoga has a much different feel, heated with infrared heat and humidity.”

“The Soft Tissue Lounge with Normatec compression is great for lymphatic drainage,” Perriat added. “It feels like you’re getting an amazing foot massage.”

Among the workout options are Keiser pneumatic resistance machines for smooth, joint-friendly training, and five stations to work out muscle soreness. “All of our members have access to this. It’s used constantly … and “great for muscle soreness and tissue release.” Personal trainers are available for biomechanical consultations and metabolic testing to optimize cardio output.

Acupuncture adventure

I showed up at Santa Cruz Core eager for my first-ever acupuncture treatment, albeit a bit nervous. As a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture purports to relieve acute tissue damage by identifying markers which send out signals for help. As the immune system kicks in and nerve signals are processed, the patient receives hormonal regulation.

Acupuncturist Amberlee Gustafson calmed my qualms right away. The single-use needles are tiny .14 to .25 mm, and often undetectable. A board-certified Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine with more than 3,000 hours of clinical training at Five Branches University, Gustafson focused treatment on chronic muscle pain areas, such as wrist flexion, the aforementioned shoulder, and a knee and hip diagnosed with Patello-femoral Temporal Pain Syndrome. I didn’t notice any significant improvement after one session, so I booked five more sessions. After my third treatment, my shoulder pain had cleared considerably and range of motion improved.

Sports Chiro-therapy

Chiropractic medicine is widely-known for spine decompression, but there is so much more to this approach to spine and musculoskeletal disorders. Dr. Rhodes Walton is a sports chiropractor who uses assessment-based tools to pinpoint pain and create an intense but effective means to release soft tissue known as Sports Chiro-therapy at Santa Cruz Core Fitness. Each program is informed by the individual’s body movement.

Adjustment and soft tissue release is the majority tool of sports chiro-therapy, along with corrective exercise, Walton explained. “The treatment is influenced by how your body moves,” Walton said. “I wanted to get a more dynamic approach to help with soft tissue function. Adjustment is part of the protocol.” I felt a little sore after this treatment and I didn’t feel any different.

Corrective Exercise & Rehab Beau Jansen is an advanced elite personal trainer and fitness director at Santa Cruz Core, trained in Hanson Muscle Therapy method, a trigger point therapy informed by how your body moves. “It’s like acupressure mixed with a little art and moves along the meridian lines,” he said. A mix of active release therapy and physical therapy, HMT emphasizes the parasympathetic nervous system for a balance of rest and digest to achieve optimal benefits.

Two massage therapists are on hand at Athletic Club Santa Cruz, offering a variety of massages, including deep tissue, relaxation and therapeutic massage.

From Medical Aesthetics to Mental Health

State-of-the-art health therapies co-exist with physical fitness at both facilities. Santa Cruz Core offers Xeomin injection, prolotherapy, rejuvenative Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) “super healthy for injury prevention” Jami says, and stem cell therapy for bone repair, cartilage and ligaments. Injection of PRP helps create blood flow and bring blood to non-vascular tissues, she said.

Santa Cruz Core accepts most major health insurance. They also offer wellness treatment for various disorders such as anxiety, depression and addiction recovery as well as Ketamine therapy.

ACSC offers medical procedures as well, including full blood work, hormone therapy, peptide therapy, vitamin shots and B12.

Another local option, Dr. John Grady’s Harbor Health Center, provides a full line of weight loss, aesthetic and rejuvenative services including weight loss peptides, microneedling and PRP injections. I tried the facial micro-needling treatment with PRP, also known as the “vampire facial” because it harvests your own stem cells drawn from your own blood. I don’t want to use any artificial fillers or ingredients. This process speeds healing from the microneedle injuries and reduces recovery time from about 5 days to 1 or 2 days. I am making this one a regular part of my wellness routine.

Santa Cruz Core Fitness & Rehabilitation, S315 Potrero St., Ste. C Santa Cruz 831-425-9500

Harbor Health Center, 4450 Capitola Rd., 831-278-8800

Athletic Club at Santa Cruz, 901 Soquel Ave., 831-425-4653

Deadly Foraging

Todd Guild

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January 21, 2026

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Poisonous death cap mushrooms have sickened people in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, according to a statewide list of areas reporting severe illnesses.

A group of California doctors warned Wednesday that foraging for wild mushrooms can be deadly, after an unusually high number of people have been sickened by the deadly fungus.

Poisoning from death caps, whose scientific name is Amanita phalloides, is marked by delayed gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, according to Dr. Craig Smollin, a professor of emergency medicine at UC San Francisco Medical Center.

Those symptoms can be followed by progressive liver injury that in some cases advances to liver failure and death, he said.

Smollin said a typical year might bring as many as five death cap poisonings, but 35 cases have been reported statewide since Nov. 18. The most recent was reported Jan. 4. Patients have ranged in age from 19 months to 67 years old.

Medical treatment has been provided in Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties, Smollin said.

Mushrooms linked to the cases were foraged from multiple locations, including Castroville, Millbrae, Novato, the Oakland Hills, Pinnacles National Park, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, the Salinas area and the Stinson Beach area, he said.

All of the patients either gathered the mushrooms themselves or ate mushrooms foraged by family members or others in their group, Smollin said. None of the cases was linked to mushrooms purchased from stores, restaurants, farmers’ markets or other vendors.

During the outbreak, three adults have died and three patients have received liver transplants, Smollin said. As of Wednesday, one patient remained hospitalized.

“There is no amount of Amanita phalloides that would be considered safe,” Smollin said, adding that even a single bite can cause significant toxicity. He warned there is no way to neutralize the toxin through cooking or freezing.

Smollin said California’s last major outbreak occurred in 2016, when 14 cases were reported — fewer than half the current total. He said mycologists have reported a large number of death caps fruiting in the region, making them easier to find and increasing the risk for accidental poisoning.

Dr. Rita Nguyen, assistant state public health officer at the California Department of Public Health, said the cases have involved people who speak a range of languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Mandarin, English and Mixteco, highlighting the need for broad public outreach.

While the Bay Area is an ideal environment for death caps, Nguyen said they have also been found as far south as Los Angeles and possibly into the San Diego area, as well as north into Oregon, Washington and Canada.

Health officials urged people to avoid eating wild mushrooms unless they have been identified by an expert, and said death caps are expected to continue fruiting.

Anyone who believes they may have ingested death caps should call the California Poison Control System at 800-222-1222. More information is available at bit.ly/3YBh2s9.

King March Fills Downtown

Todd Guild

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January 21, 2026

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Thousands of people assembled in downtown Santa Cruz Monday for the annual “People’s March for the Dream”, an event held to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The crowd included representatives from religious organizations and nonprofits, elected leaders and individuals holding handmade signs and other artistic expressions of King’s message.

“He wanted everyone to get along and to be free,” said Jack Langley, 10, of Aptos, who attended with his parents and his 6-year-old sister.

Jack held a poster with King’s photo and a handwritten message reading, “We still have a dream.”

Ashten Gomez, 11, said she attended in support of Second Harvest Food Bank, an organization she has volunteered with in the past and which she said fits the spirit of the day.

“Second Harvest is about feeding the homeless,” Ashten said. “It helps us feed homeless people and people who are in need of help.”

Olivia Millard, founder and group lead of Indivisible Pajaro Valley, said her organization’s presence at the event was meant to underscore the current political climate.

“As we are seeing increasingly clearly, this administration has no compunction and does not hold back when it comes to trying to intimidate and oppress people who are not straight white men,” Millard said. “So all of us who are on the receiving end of their cruelty need to work together to overcome, because the power lies with the people, and the more all of us who recognize the inhumanity and cruelty of this administration, the more all of us can come together and demonstrate our solidarity.”

Elaine Johnson, president of the Santa Cruz branch of the NAACP, said celebrating King and the issues for which he fought remains essential.

“In this political climate, now more than ever, we have to come together and make sure that we don’t go backwards,” Johnson said. “The current administration is trying to strip us of our dignity, our basic human rights, and we cannot allow that to happen.”

Mary Reynolds is part of Santa Cruz Welcoming Network, a grassroots group formed to help immigrants — particularly asylum seekers — with basics such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, schooling and immigration services.

The group is currently helping about 30 families.

“People of color are on the United States government’s agenda, and I don’t go along with that at all,” Reynolds said. “Thank God, Santa Cruz is remaining somewhat liberal, and I want to keep that going.”

Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah said King’s message “is more relevant today than ever.”

“When I think about so many vulnerable communities, when I think about his sacrifice and his work, and I think about immigrant communities, LGBTQ+ communities that are under attack by the current administration, I think his message reminds us that we need to continue to stand up for the rights of those who are most vulnerable,” Sabbah said.

The event in Santa Cruz was shadowed by the cancellation in Marina of that city’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march after police on Sunday shot and killed a Black man during a traffic stop.

The man, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at the scene in the Marina Heights area near Bluff Drive.

Police found a firearm during the incident, Marina officials said in a news release.

The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office is conducting the investigation.

The involved officers were not injured and were placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice, according to the release.

“From a human standpoint, our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this tragic incident,” the release said. “We recognize the seriousness of the incident and remain committed to transparency while also protecting the integrity of the investigation.”

Marina officials did not release additional details and referred questions to the district attorney’s office.

A DREAM Marchers bring their messages of justice, rejecting hate and honoring Martin Luther King along Locust Street. Photo: Tarmo Hannula

King March Fills Downtown

Keeping the dream alive

By Todd Guild