Fred Lebow (June 3, 1932 – October 9, 1994), born Fischel Lebowitz, was a Holocaust survivor, runner, race director, and founder of the
New York City Marathon. Born in
Arad, Romania
Arad () is the capital city of Arad County, at the edge of Crișana and Banat. No villages are administered by the city. It is the third largest city in Western Romania, behind Timișoara and Oradea, and the List of cities and towns in Romania, 1 ...
, he presided over the transformation of the race from one with 55 finishers in 1970 to one of the largest marathons in the world with more than 52,000 finishers in 2018. He was
posthumously
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death
* Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...
inducted into the
National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2001.
Lebow ran in the inaugural marathon in 1970, finishing 45th out of 55 runners with a time of 4:12:09. He ran his last NYC Marathon on November 1, 1992, in celebration of his 60th birthday, after being diagnosed with brain cancer in early 1990, with his friend, nine-time NYC Marathon women's winner
Grete Waitz of Norway, with a time of 5:32:35.
During his career he completed 69 marathons in 30 countries. Along with the NYC Marathon he also organized the
Empire State Building Run-Up, the
Fifth Avenue Mile, and the CrazyLegs Mini Marathon (a 10K road race), which was the first strictly women-only road race. Lebow was also president of
New York Road Runners for twenty years.
Death
He died in 1994, and was buried at
Mount Hebron Cemetery in
Flushing, Queens
Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial ...
.
His memorial service at the finish line of the New York City Marathon attracted a crowd of more than 3,000 mourners, which at that time was the largest memorial gathering in Central Park since the death of
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
.
Legacy
In 1991, Lebow established Fred's Friends as the first official charity of the New York Marathon. The program uses marathon runners to raise funds for cancer research.
In 1995, Fred's Team was established in honor of Lebow. Every year, athletes of all abilities join Fred's Team to compete in marathons, half-marathons, triathlons, bike races, and other endurance events around the world to raise funds for pioneering research at
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a oncology, cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute–NCI-designated Cancer Center, designated Comprehen ...
. As of 2018, Fred's Team had raised more than $87 million.
In Lebow's honor, a sculpture of him was created by
Jesus Ygnacio Dominguez. Unveiled on November 4, 1994, it depicts Lebow timing runners with his watch. In 2001, the statue was moved to its permanent location on the East Side Central Park Drive at 90th St. Every year the statue is moved to a spot in view of the finish line of the marathon.
New York Road Runners hosts an annual race called the Fred Lebow Half-Marathon in January, consisting of 13.1 miles in 2 loops of Central Park.
In popular culture
The documentary ''Run for Your Life'' tells the story of Lebow and the New York City Marathon.
References
;Notes
;Sources
USATF Hall of Fame Bio(archived)
External links
Run for Your Life - Documentary film about the life of Fred Lebow(archived)
(archived)
Fred Lebow's Race To The Finish(archived)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebow, Fred
1932 births
1994 deaths
Sportspeople from Arad, Romania
Romanian emigrants to the United States
Romanian Jews
Romanian Holocaust survivors
American people of Romanian-Jewish descent
Jewish American track and field athletes
20th-century American Jews
Track and field athletes from New York City
American male marathon runners
20th-century American sportsmen
Burials at Mount Hebron Cemetery (New York City)