Is that a pledge pin on your uniform?

Whenever I hear the term “legacy” I immediately think back to the classic comedy ANIMAL HOUSE where Kent “Flounder” Dorfman tells the gang at Delta house that he’s a legacy and that they’re usually asked to pledge automatically. That is unless of course the pledge in question was a closet-case.

And now I’m reciting quotes from the film rapid fire in my head.

“Toga! Toga!”

When running races, however, being a “legacy” has a much different meaning. It’s not something you’re given, but rather something you earn by running a race every year (without fail) from its inaugural year up to the present.

Races that have been run for decades, like the LA Marathon or Peachtree Road Race, have their own legacy clubs. The Peachtree’s group is called the “Original 110” (guess how many members) and the LA Marathon has around 177 legacy runners who have pounded the pavement for all 31 marathons dating back to 1986.

Each year when I run the LA Marathon, I always see a few legacy runners (they have special bibs) and I’m sure to shout out some respect. They’ve earned it. Read the rest of this entry →