They’ve run through heartache and grief. They’ve battled illness and injury. Some now use wheelchairs. The oldest of them is 87. But they have one mission: Finish the race.
These are the Los Angeles Marathon Legacy Runners. This group of 92 athletes has competed in every LA Marathon since the event started. That was in 1986. As of this month, they’ve run the Los Angeles, California, race 40 times.
“We’re legacy runners,” says 77-year-old Lou Briones. “We just don’t know when to quit.”
After surgery, Mr. Briones raced on crutches. He’s had both of his knees replaced. Now he walks the race. But he still finishes.
A marathon race is 26.2 miles long. The name “marathon” comes from a place in ancient Greece. According to myth, a wartime messenger ran from Marathon to Athens. He sprinted so far he eventually dropped dead. That’s probably just legend. But the name stuck. People still run “marathons” today.
In 1984, Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympic Games. (That’s another event with ancient Greek roots.) That inspired officials to start the city’s own yearly marathon.
Before long, marathon officials noticed that some folks ran the race every year. They started honoring these runners with plaques.
After about 15 years, Mr. Briones decided to form a real group. He and a friend printed stickers. They handed them out to the legacy runners. The group organized.
Ten women are part of the group. May DuBois is 80 years old. She can’t imagine going a day without running three to five miles. It helps her stay heathy and strong. “I never get sick. I don’t even catch colds,” she says.
Cliff Housego is 76. His father died young from a heart attack. Mr. Housego started running at age 36. He wanted then to live long enough to see his grandchildren. Now he’s a great-grandfather! Even when life gets hard, he runs.
“Many, many things could’ve stopped me from being there,” he says.
Each legacy runner has a story. But they have one thing in common. They keep going, even when it’s tough.
That’s how God’s word calls us to live. We press forward in faith. (Philippians 3:14) But there’s good news. God strengthens us to run this race!
We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. — Romans 8:37
