NYC Marathon History
In 1970, the New York Road Runners sponsored the first New York City Marathon. It consisted of four circuits of Central Park and was completed by only 55 of the 127 participants. Over the years, it has grown into the most popular international race competition in the world. Marathons were once considered obscure events, with entries limited to obsessive individuals interested only in testing the limits of their endurance. Today virtually every major city around the globe hosts a marathon, events that garner tremendous media coverage and millions of dollars in tourist trade. All of these races owe their inception and their status as world class events to the New York Marathon.
Indeed, the New York Marathon owes an overwhelming debt of gratitude to its co-founder Fred Lebow.
It was Lebow who recognized the possibilities of a citywide race course and, to celebrate the
American Bicentennial in 1976, redrew the marathon route to include all five boroughs.
It was a tough sell, and when only 2,090 runners lined up at Fort Wadsworth to start the race,
it seemed that perhaps Fred had overestimated interest in the race. But, the expanded course had drawn
the attention of two-time Olympic marathon medalist Frank Shorter, and he in turn attracted reporters
and television cameras. The world class runners and novelty of the race drew spectators to streets
all over the city to cheer on the participants. Men's winner Bill Rodgers turned in the fastest
marathon time in the world for 1976, and women's winner Miki Gorman set course and race records.
By redrawing the racecourse, Lebow had brought the city together and, more importantly,
attracted recognition from around the world.
Within two years, the marathon field of runners had more than tripled, with Grete Waitz setting a new women's marathon record in New York in 1978, finishing in 2:32:30. More records, men's and women's, fell in the next few years, and by the late 1980's, the number of participants had more than doubled once more. But by then the New York Marathon had become more than a place to break records - it was also about community spirit. This aspect of the race was never so apparent as in November 2001 when, less then two months after 9/11, two million New Yorkers lined the streets to shout their encouragement and express their hope in the renewal of New York City.
Thirty-seven years after its inception, the New York City Marathon continues to grow in size and to be the standard that all other international races aspire to. In 2006, nearly 38,000 people crossed the finish line, making it the largest marathon of all time. With its record of evolution and development over the past four decades, there is every reason to believe that 2007 will be the best race ever.
