Since its inception in 1970 until his death in 1994, Fred Lebow was director of the New York City Marathon. The first New York Marathon in 1976 drew 2,000 runners. In 1994, 31,129 competed! Lebow was president of the New York Road Runners Club (NYRRC) from 1972 until his death. Under Lebow’s stewardship, the NYRRC went from 270 members in 1972 to
29,000 members in 1994, making the club the world’s largest organization of its kind.

Lebow was acknowledged as one of the major influences behind the running boom throughout the world. The Washington Post wrote of him: “ Lebow took this race [the New York Marathon] from a quaint little jog around Central Park into a citywide event with big-name runners, 25,000 entrants, and thousands of dollars in prize money! Every top marathon
runner in the world knows New York, thanks to Lebow.”

A contributor of innovative ideas and programs to the sport of running, Lebow staged the first women-only distance running event in the world, the Women’s Mini Marathon. Today, with more than 8,000 runners, it is the largest mini marathon of its kind.

Lebow himself ran and completed 69 marathons throughout the
world. He was elected to the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1994.