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Rich Archbold: Legacy Runners return to Long Beach Marathon again and again — and again

Call them crazy or call them inspirational, the Legacy Runners in the Long Beach Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 9, are a determined bunch.

Their moniker comes from having competed in all 37 previous Long Beach Marathons, which began in 1982. (The math is not a mistake. There was no race for two years because of financial problems.)

And this relatively small band of gritty, tough runners/walkers will be at the starting line Sunday with thousands of other runners. The Legacy Runners may be slowing down because of the inevitable aches and pains that come with advanced age, but there’s no stopping this premier group from giving their best in the grueling marathon.

Some will participate in the half-marathon only and at least two will run in virtual races, but they will be out there regardless — to keep a streak alive that they hope will end at 50. They will still have 12 consecutive years to go after this one.

“I know I’m 81 and a little wrinkled, but this race has kept me young,” said Jim Warnemuende, who spent 35 years at Long Beach City College as a speech communication teacher and dean of the creative arts department. He retired in 2000 and moved to Redding, where he built a new home after his former one was destroyed during the devastating 2018 Carr wildfire in Northern California. He has since moved to Sacramento to be closer to his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.

Why does he keep running?

“I want to see my friends in Long Beach, a beautiful city I love,” Warnemuende said. “We are all determined and competitive people who have been through a lot together. We’ve all had health issues, but we don’t let that stop us.”

John Sumpter, 78, another Legacy Runner and close friend of Warnemuende, said his knees have “given out” — but  he will still walk the half-marathon with Warnemuende. He also is doing a virtual half-marathon. Sumpter, former head golf coach at Poly High who is still a golf coach there, said he has worked on staying fit all his life and enjoys the challenge of marathons.

Sumpter had a misfortune in 2020, which almost kept him from running in anything, let alone a marathon.

An avid cyclist, he was riding through a residential area in Buena Park when he hit some kind of obstacle and was thrown from his bike. He was knocked unconscious, separated his shoulder and suffered multiple severe bruises. Fortunately, he was wearing a helmet, which prevented even worse injuries.

He gradually resumed training and returned to participating in the Long Beach Marathon.

His goal, like the others, is to make it to 50 consecutive years participating in the marathon. An eternal optimist, Sumpter, with a smile, said, “I’ll only be 90 then.”

Tom “Frosty” Frost, 69, of Rancho Santa Margarita will be in Long Beach as well — once again running in honor of his daughter, Lisa Anne Frost. Lisa was 22 when she boarded United Airlines Flight 175, which crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

She was heading home from Boston University before starting a job in San Francisco.

The Long Beach Marathon, Frost said, was the one constant in his life since he started running.

“It saved me after 9/11 happened,” he said. “I was not going to quit just because of what happened. The race helped me control my emotions. I’ll never forget how all of the then Legacy Runners came through for me and my family.

“I relish telling people how many years I have done this event,” Frost added. “It’s my legacy. My daughter is my inspiration. I’ll keep going as long as I can.”

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Another Legacy runner, Ken Purucker, 85, a retired Long Beach dentist who now lives in Leisure World in Seal Beach, said he has already run his virtual half-marathon. But he will be at the start of this year’s race, not to run himself, but to cheer on his grandson, Derek Reiser, 21, a student at California Baptist University in Riverside.

“Derek watched me run in the marathon when he was a baby,” Purucker told me. “This will be so exciting now for me and my wife, Anne, watching him run in his first marathon.”

Purucker got involved in running about 15 years before the first Long Beach Marathon, after his father died of a heart attack at age 50. Purucker said he felt he needed to take precautionary measures “to keep my heart healthy.”

“My heart’s still good,” Purucker said. “I’m going to keep moving as long as I can.”

What keeps him running?

His Christian faith.

“When I run, I feel God’s pleasure!” he said.

Unfortunately, Purucker’s older brother, David, who is also a Legacy Runner, will not participate this year because of health issues..

Calvin Lau, meanwhile, had to overcome a serious accident to keep his streak alive the week before the 1992 race.

“I broke my leg in a skiing accident, but I was determined to do the 11th race with my leg in a cast and using crutches,” the 75-year-old said. “I finished in about 7 1/2 hours.”

Lau is healthy now, he said, but has had to slow down a little and will walk in the half-marathon.

“I used to run my age in miles each year on my birthday, but I realized that doing that after reaching older years would not be sustainable,” he said. “My body is fit but not as limber and strong as I was in my mid-30s.

Life is full of challenges and opportunities,” Lau added. “I am enjoying the journey and race-walking. I plan to continue as long as my aging body permits.”

Other members of the Legacy Runner group include Michael Benov, Wayne Fong, Lorenzo Herrera, Tom Pontac, George Wallins, Gordon Watson and Ken Williams.

Ken Williams, at 60, is the “baby” of the Legacy group. He will run in the full marathon.

“I keep running every year to see if I can do it,” he said. “I wear a photo of Tom Frost’s daughter on my shirt every year to remind us about 9/11.”

Williams said he also hopes to do 50 Long Beach Marathons in a row, “as long as my knees hold out.”

“I save them for running in the Long Beach Marathon and roller skating,” Williams said. “Life is about running for others and roller skating for myself.”

Benov, 65, could not be reached this year. But last year, he talked about the Legacy Runners as “a special, dedicated and caring group who support each other year after year. It’s a very refreshing and unique relationship.”

One Legacy Runner who won’t run on Sunday is Audrey Hauth, 89. Hauth ran in the first Long Beach Marathon when she was 49. Her last marathon was in 2000. Because of arthritis, she had surgery for two replacement hips.

“I’m made of titanium,” she said with a laugh.

Hauth became a “Course Rover” in later years, but that ended when she fell off her bike and broke her leg.

Now, she remains active at the race course by dispensing information and advice from a chair in the marathon’s information booth.

“It’s not as exciting, but I just love the Long Beach Marathon and will do anything I can to help it and the runners,” Hauth said. “After a while, a marathon kind of becomes part of you.”

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Source: Orange County Register

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