History
The first New York City Marathon, held on Sept. 13, 1970, was a very low-scale event.
Low-budget, too. The New York Road Runners Club gave co-directors Fred Lebow and Vince Chiappetta just $1,000 for organization and promotion.
Unused bowling trophies were recycled to be presented to the winners, and Lebow dug into his own pocket to buy some wrist watches as prizes.
One hundred twenty-seven runners paid the $1 entry fee. Only 55 of them finished the course, which comprised four circuits of Central Park, and only about 100 spectators were there to see the finish.
The race grew constantly through its early years, making it more and more difficult to keep track of all the runners on a four-lap course. As a result, in 1976 the course was expanded to take in all five of New York City's boroughs.
The marathon also came of age as a competitive event that year. 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.
With 4,821 entrants, the New York City Marathon became the largest in the world in 1977, when Rodgers and Gorman repeated their victories. The number of finishers increased to 3,885, compared to only 339 two years before and 1,549 in 1976.
The highlight of the 1978 race was Grete Waitz's breaking the world record by more than 2 minutes. A track runner who was attempting the marathon for the first time, Waitz vowed afterward that she'd never run the distance again. However, she went on to win the race eight more times.
In 1979, prize money was awarded for the first time, although appearance money had previously been paid to some top runners because of their publicity value. By then, the field had grown to over 10,000.
However, the amount of prize money was kept a secret until 1984, when Mercedes-Benz became a sponsor. The money was negligible that year, compared to the $25,000 sedans awarded by the auto manufacturer to both the men's and the women's winners.
The 1990 race was dedicated to Lebow, who had been afflicted with brain cancer. Amazingly, with his illness in remission, Lebow celebrated his 60th birthday by running in 1992, his first attempt ever at the marathon. However, he died four weeks before the 1994 run.
The New York City Marathon currently begins on the Staten Island side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The course then runs through Brooklyn and Queens and across the Queensborough Bridge into Manhattan and the 16-mile mark.
From there, runners head north along First Avenue across the Willis Avenue Bridge for a short trip through the Bronx, across the Madison Avenue Bridge back into Manhattan, and along Fifth Avenue into Central Park.
For the last 3 1/2 miles, the course goes through the park, finishing at the Tavern on the Green.
Total prize money is more than $250,000, with the male and female winners in the open division receiving $50,000 each. There were nearly 32,000 finishers in 1999.
