Five Things You Might Not Know About Two Los Angeles Marathon Legacy Runners
Both Were Displaced by the Eaton Fire
Meet Joseph Lyvers, 76, and Myron Oakes, 71. They are two of the Los Angeles Marathon legacy runners. Oakes ran the inaugural Los Angeles Marathon in 1986 and every single one ever since. Lyvers ran his first Los Angeles Marathon in 1989 and kept up with his streak. Every fall, they gear up to train for another LA Marathon. This year, making it to the starting line will be worth celebrating, because both of them have been displaced by the Eaton Fire. Lyvers lost his home completely. Oakes’ home was damaged and in need of significant repair.
Despite the fire devastation, both of them will be running the 40th Los Angeles Marathon. Here are five things you might not know about these legacy runners.
Both of them ran their first Los Angeles Marathon by accident
Both Lyvers and Oakes recall their very first Los Angeles marathon vividly. For Oakes, it was the inaugural year of 1986. “I was training for a 30k race the following Saturday. Because of rain on the previous Saturday, I couldn’t do my planned long run. So I decided to join the marathon as a long training run for 30k. Back then, they still had the same-day sign-up. That’s how I joined, and I ran 3:00:18, and that was gun time,” says Oakes.
Lyvers was invited to run the fourth Los Angeles marathon by a friend, who showed up at a church prayer meeting with an LA marathon lapel pin. “My friend Lance asked me about my weekly mileage. I said about 35. He told me, if you were just to do a few long runs, I’d be able to run the LA Marathon,” says Lyvers. He was already running at lunch time with friends, and ran a 10k in Pasadena in December 1988. 1989 was the year Lyvers ran his first LA Marathon. “At the LA Marathon Legacy Runners’ tent, they don’t let me forget that I missed the first three races,” says Lyvers with a laugh.
Neither one of them considered themselves very gifted runners. “I ran only in my senior year in high school, and never had a really impressive cross-country race. After running for so many years, there are moments when I don’t love running, because it feels hard. But I always love being a runner. I love the fellowship and camaraderie. We runners get each other,” says Oakes.
Neither one of them planned to be a legacy runner in the beginning
Oakes had a time goal after the inaugural LA Marathon. “I was disappointed that I didn't break 3 hours. I ran over 2,000 miles in 1986, and I was ready for the second LA Marathon. I was trying to break 2:50. But I crashed and burned with a disappointing time of 3:10:55. The third and fourth marathons were about the same time: 3:10:50 to 3:10:55 and I was frustrated. Finally at the fifth LA Marathon, I broke 3 hours, running 2:56:20!”
After five LA Marathons in a row, Oakes thought, why stop now? And the streak stuck with him.
Lyvers wasn’t chasing times. He wanted the challenge of finishing up one marathon after another. He remembers when a friend told him, “sign up for your next race when the pain of the last is forgotten.” “I didn’t listen. I signed up for the next race right away. I just loved the challenge,” says Lyvers.
After several LA Marathons in a row, it seemed fitting to keep on running them. “I discovered that putting the marathon into my life was actually a reminder of my intentionality of life… and also the fragility of life,” says Lyvers, who recently lost his home in the Eaton fire. “Throughout these years of training for the LA Marathon, I’ve gained a survivor’s mentality, which is what I engage with to overcome the most recent fire devastation.”
Shared Christian faith and 22 years of friendship fuel their LA Marathon streaking
Lyvers and Oakes both lived in Altadena until the recent Eaton fire. Though they had run the same race many times together, their paths didn’t cross until one Sunday in 2003. “I was heading out of my house on Pinecrest, and passed this guy wearing an LA Marathon shirt. I went up and said, hey I ran the same race. He then pointed to my shirt and said, I ran that LA Marathon too. That was Myron,” said Lyvers. “My wife always wanted me to have a running pal. She was so glad to have found Myron. We’ve been running together since the day we met.”
“Myron converted me to an early morning runner. I used to run at lunch and in the afternoons, but with Myron joining me, we started to run at 6am. We met on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays,” says Lyvers.
Their friendship developed in the countless miles they ran together. Lyvers went through his retirement and his daughter’s college years in New York City. The two of them also trained for the New York Marathon, which they ran together in 2007. Oakes has also run four Boston Marathons, and Lyvers ran one, in 1991.
What’s more, the two of them share a deep Christian faith that values commitment and discipline. “Psalm 15 says, they keep their promises to their neighbors, even when it hurts. You make a commitment and you do it. That’s a guiding light for both of us. You keep your word even to your hurt. It does help to have a common faith,” says Oakes.
“I have developed a tremendous respect for Myron. His faith, his diligence and easy-going temperament. Over the years, Myron has become my best friend. We have shared deeply and grown a lot together. I have learned so much about being selfless from him. It’s such an inspiring trait I hope to emulate in my own life,” says Lyvers, referring to Oakes’ work in serving the unhoused community in Pasadena. Oakes also serves on the board of a retirement home for ministers.
“Joe’s consistency and his ability to commit are inspiring to me. He’s also five years older than me so I always think, if Joe can do it, I can do it. Joe also brings such good humor and never holds any grudges. His cheerfulness is the secret sauce behind his ability to grind out the LA Marathon year after year,” says Oakes.
Streaking the LA Marathon takes commitment and also a little luck
2025 is no ordinary year for both Altadena-based runners to commit to another year of consistent LA Marathon. “To us, it’s never a question of if. It’s always a question of how well we can run the LA Marathon. We’re committed,” says Oakes.
This commitment comes in the face of losing a home and from a sense of security and normalcy. When Lyvers evacuated on the night of the Eaton fire on January 7th, he hardly brought any clothes. “I walked out of the house without any running gear. Our local running store Run With Us and friends all came to my rescue with shoes and clothes,” says Lyvers.
In addition to the commitment, both acknowledged the role luck also plays in their consistency. “We’ve both been injured, but somehow, never too injured to run the LA Marathon,” says Oakes. Both have been sick, but as luck would have it, they would be healthy enough to step on the starting line of another LA Marathon. “Miraculously, I have never been sick with a cold or flu on marathon day. But there have been marathons where every step hurts. But this is where our commitment comes in. We don’t give up on the race because of pain,” says Lyvers.
The most memorable marathons are the bad-weather-days and seeing Muhammad Ali at the start line
In 2012, there was torrential rain on marathon day. “Water was running up to the street curb. I remember running with heavy, soaked shoes, and yet there was a big gulch by the VA hospital, with 18-inch deep water. We all had run through it,” says Oakes. “By the time we finished, we saw a storm warning, not merely a gale flag at the end of the Santa Monica pier. Lots of people dropped out, but we finished,” says Lyvers.
Both Lyvers and Oakes recall previous courses with fond memories. “The LA Marathon course changed so many times, but our love for it remains,” says Lyvers. “We have suffered and enjoyed all the different weather conditions, from 92 degrees at the start line, to that horizontal rain in 2012,” says Oakes. The pair also recall when the start was by the Colosseum, on 39th street and Figueroa. “Muhammad Ali was at the start line for a few years. He had no official duty, but hung out with the mayor. The crowd would cheer his name,” says Oakes. “He had dementia and hardly talked, but he loved being there.”
On Sunday, March 16th, the pair would be toeing the line for the 40th Los Angeles Marathon together again. “All my previous running bibs, medals and marathon shirts burned in the Eaton fire,” says Lyvers. “Now let’s go make some new memories.”