Fred Lebow

Fred Lebow was born Fischel Lebowitz on June 3, 1932 in Arad, Romania. After surviving the Nazi occupation of Europe during World War II (Lebow and his family were Orthodox Jews), Lebow made his way through Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, and Ireland prior to immigrating to America. Fred attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, New York City. Following brief periods in Cleveland and Kansas City, Lebow eventually returned to New York City and made a name for himself in the garment district marketing knockoffs. An avid fan of long distance running, Fred joined the New York Road Runners Club in 1969 -- he went on to become the president of this particular club a few years later -- and co-founded the New York City Marathon in 1970, which was initially done as a four lap run through Central Park. The New York City Marathon was expanded to the five boroughs of New York City in the Bicentennial year of 1976. Outside of the New York City Marathon, Fred also organized such events as the Empire State Building Run-Up, the Fifth Avenue Mile, and the L'eggs Mini-Marathon (the latter was the first strictly women's race). Lebow was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1990. On November 1, 1992 at age sixty Fred ran in the New York City Marathon: Accompanied by longtime friend and champion runner Grete Waitz, who won the New York York City Marathon nine times altogether, Lebow finished the marathon in five hours, thirty-two minutes, and thirty-five seconds. Fred died at age sixty-two on October 9, 1994. During his lifetime Lebow had completed sixty-nine marathons in thirty countries. He was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2001 and the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame in 2011.