The New York City Marathon brings two million spectators to the biggest block party in the city every November, but 50 years ago convincing local officials to shut down streets for the race almost seemed impossible.
But the efforts of five people took the event out of being boxed in Central Park in the 1970s and boosted it into one of the largest races in the world.
Those five stories will get a proper retelling as New York Road Runners revealed on Thursday that Ted Corbitt, George Hirsch, Fred Lebow, George Spitz and Percy Sutton are highlighted as “The Trailblazers” in a campaign ahead of the next race on November 1.
Each of the men played pivotal roles in elevating the race with Corbitt drafting the idea of a citywide event that would redefine the scale of marathons as Spitz believed the concept was worth bringing to the attention of Sutton, who was the Manhattan Borough President.
Lebow mapped out how a race could suddenly grow out of a park into premier city event while Hirsch leaned on the power of the media to put eyes on the race and paid top athletes for their participation.
The revamped iteration of the marathon was held on October 24, 1976 with 1,549 finishers and marked a turning point that would eventually see the demand for the race surge.
“I’m happy to see my father finally getting the proper recognition for conceiving a New York City Marathon covering the five boroughs,” his son Gary said. “He contacted Harry Murphy to recommend the route. George Spitz took the idea to Percy Sutton. My father served the sport in many ways, and he would tell me how he’d get awards for doing the work nobody else wanted to do. He accomplished this by having a totally supportive wife, my mother Ruth.”
In the months leading up to this year’s race, a push to highlight the distinct contributions of Corbitt, Hirsch, Lebow, Spitz and Sutton will be a major part of how the 50th anniversary of their feat is unveiled to a new generation of runners.
NYRR said it plans a major rollout as part of its campaign to honor all five men, with their stories embedded in original storytelling, social media content, signage, the official race program, the broadcast on race day along with the marathon expo.
“This milestone anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate one of the most iconic events in sports and to honor the people who made it possible,” NYRR CEO Rob Simmelkjaer said. “The 5-boro marathon elevated New York City, transformed the sport of running, and created the blueprint for big-city marathons around the world. As we celebrate the course’s anniversary and the 50 years since, we are committed to telling the full story of how it came to be and ensuring that the individuals who brought this extraordinary idea to life receive the recognition they deserve.”
On race day in November, those legacies will be part of around 60,000 people running as honorary grand marshals with Gary Corbitt representing his father Ted who passed away in 2007, while Keisha Sutton-James stands in for her grandfather Percy Sutton who died in 2009. Estee Stimler will carry the torch for her uncle Fred Lebow, who passed away in 1994 and Hirsch continues to be a fixture at local races and is the chairman emeritus of NYRR.
“I am thrilled to be honored at this year‘s 50th anniversary of the 5-boro New York City Marathon,” Hirsch said. “I remember the excitement of that day in 1976 as we waited for the gun to go off at the start of the race.”
