About 30 women crouch together in a tight circle on a 45 degree morning in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. As they extend their arms to join hands in the center of the circle, Raquel Román joins a simple cheer: “Chingonas (Badasses) on three!” By 7:20 a.m., the runners file onto the road and through the park. Many are training for a January half marathon nearby in Pasadena. But that was never this group’s goal.
