Questions

Why did you join Front Runners? I was running in Los Angeles to train for a marathon with a group called L.A. Leggers. When I came to Washington I ran by myself for the first year but I kind of stagnated. I wanted to do better so I joined the club.

Did you find a high standard among us? The running quality was better than I’d anticipated. There are lots of people who are really fast, have a lot of endurance, and are very disciplined in their training. It’s great that they are so passionate about it.

Are we over-competitive? No not at all. That level of competitiveness started me doing races - the Parks and Philadelphia half-marathons last September and more races this past spring. It made me branch out, travel to different cities, and try different routes.

What do you like about our club? That we run.

Beyond that? That we run around certain routes so I get to know a little about DC.

What do you not like? Maybe that stupid by-law that says clothing is mandatory.

If your story was a Lifetime biopic, how would it go? Undoubtedly Kirstie Alley would play me. Besides sharing the same comedic timing, we also have similar body contours. And her career trajectory has been the same. For the supporting cast, definitely Christopher Walken would be my love interest.

Being of Peruvian origin, do people recognize you as Latino? No they don’t. I guess it’s because when they look at my hips as I dance, I don’t seem to have fire coursing through my veins. At the hospital where I work, lots of the nurses think I’m Filipino but lots of doctors and patients think I’m South Asian.

Given your irregular work hours, is it hard to fit in exercise? It is. I do two weeks of morning shifts, then two weeks of nights. With morning shifts, I can run before I go to work at 6.30am but with night shifts it’s trickier because I get home at 8am and I’m sleepier and just want to stay in bed all day. So I only exercise on my days off. Also my eating habits are really bad with night shifts - doughnuts, Popsicles, ice-cream, pizza - my stomach looks like someone trampled on wet cement.

Well you’re clearly not over-eating. That’s because I’m wearing a corset right now. Plus you asked me to lose fifty pounds for this interview.

Does not being able to attend the runs regularly make it harder to fit back in? When you’ve slept with everyone in the club it sort of becomes a moot point. No seriously, I don’t feel awkward though sometimes when I’ve been working a lot I see many people I don’t know - but then you become more familiar with them.

Who in Front Runners is a role model for you? Allen Rose. He was one of the first people I met and was really friendly. I find it great how dedicated he is to the sport. He’s always very optimistic. And he attains a really high level of physical fitness. Deep down, he’s just a really great guy.

Is it easy being gay in your work environment? It becomes easier when I’ve to give enemas or put in Foley catheters. No really, everyone is great about it. It’s funny because a lot of the older patients ask if I’m married or have kids - sometimes when we’re doing an intimate procedure. I usually just answer ‘no, not yet.’ But they never ask if I’m gay. It’s such a clinical environment people don’t want to pry into your personal life, they just want to make conversation to make them feel comfortable. As practitioners we’re very asexual - it’s not like Grey’s Anatomy.

If you could reincarnate yourself, what would it be as? A sunflower on your windowsill - so I could see who else you interview!

 

Interview by Brian Beary, Design by Marcel Acosta

August 2010