By Tammy Tyler
Photo: Jason Fry

How long does it take to change a life? For some, it could take a lifetime, for others lives change in the blink of an eye. For Mona Liza Reyes, it took 7 hours, 19 minutes, and 22 seconds. Spending most of her younger years aimlessly floating from one sport to the next, Reyes eventually concluded that she wasn’t good enough at any of them and finally just stopped trying. Reyes suddenly found herself immersed in a world of self-doubt and doubt is an anchor. Doubt led to neglect and neglect led to binge drinking, weight gain, and an overall unhealthy lifestyle. Being tired of the way she looked, the way she felt and all of the excuses, Mona Liza knew the only way to make a change was to start doing and stop thinking. Without much of a support group, since most of them were still in the partying scene, Mona Liza began training for a marathon. After six months of preparation, she entered and completed her first marathon. With all bets against her, Mona Liza was impassioned to finish what she started and 7 hours, 19 minutes and 22 seconds later, she crossed the finish line. That finish line symbolized a new beginning for Mona Liza Reyes. Since that life-changing day in 2002, Mona Liza Reyes has added bodybuilding to her list of accomplishments. She has mona liza reyes reality February 2009 71 earned several titles, including Ms. California in the NPC California Figure and Bodybuilding Championship. She is also very involved in an organization she holds very dear to her heart called “Girls on the Run.” This program was designed to train young girls for a 5k race while instilling a positive self-image. Mona Liza Reyes gave all she had to cross the finish line in that symbolic marathon. She had to dig deep that day to find some inner strength that she didn’t know she had. Her perseverance serves as an inspiration as we all have some untapped inner strength within us; sometimes we just have to dig a little deeper to find it.