[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 72 (Friday, June 10, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 10, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           FRED LEBOW, FOUNDER OF THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

                                 ______


                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 10, 1994

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Fred Lebow, the 
founder of the New York City Marathon, who in this 25th anniversary 
year of the marathon, is to be honored with a life-sized statue of his 
likeness, which will be placed in Central Park this fall.
  Mr. Speaker, it may seem only natural, as someone who has lived in 
New York since childhood and who has had the great pleasure of running 
in the New York City Marathon, that I would take a special interest in 
this event. But the New York City Marathon is not simply a source of 
parochial pride and personal nostalgia. With some 25,000 participants 
from more than 90 countries around the globe, it is the world's largest 
marathon, and the model for the dozens of internationally recognized 
marathons that have sprung up in the last 20 years.
  But Fred Lebow's story is larger than the marathon. His is the story 
of an orthodox youth--born Fischel Leibowitz--who escaped Hitler's 
meticulous extermination of Eastern Europe's Jews and the Soviet 
tyranny that followed the war to begin a new life, first in Europe, and 
then in the United States.
  In 1969 Fred Lebow was a successful garment manufacturer and a 
regular on the jogging track that circles New York's Central Park 
Reservoir. At the urging of a fellow jogger he entered his first race, 
which was sponsored by the New York Road Runners Club [NYRRC] and wound 
around Yankee Stadium. Although he finished next to last, he was 
captured by the exhilaration of the sport and soon became an active 
member of the NYRRC.
  The very next year, at Fred Lebow's suggestion and then under his 
direction, the club changed the route of its big race, and the first 
New York City Marathon was held in Central Park.
  Mr. Speaker, that first New York City Marathon had only 126 
participants. But each year since 1970, under the guidance of its 
director, Fred Lebow, the New York City Marathon has grown in size and 
prominence. As president of the NYRRC Fred expanded the marathon to 
encompass all five boroughs of New York City. By 1976, its over 2,000 
entrants made the New York City Marathon the world's largest. Moreover, 
some 500,000 people came out on race day to cheer the runners along the 
course. In honor of these achievements Mayor Abe Beame proclaimed 
January 12, 1977, Fred Lebow Day.
  After 20 years as president of the New York Road Runners Club, Fred 
Lebow was recently promoted to the club's chairmanship. His leadership 
has seen the growth of the NYRRC from a small group of avid runners to 
the largest and most active running organization in the world, with a 
membership of 28,000 members, a program of more than 100 events 
annually for athletes of all ages and levels of ability, and a full-
time professional staff of 45--supplemented by prominent fitness 
experts--who hold clinics and classes year-round and provide technical 
assistance to sporting events around the world. In addition, the 
NYRRC's Central Park Safety Programs give invaluable support to New 
York City police and park personnel in promoting the safety of all 
visitors to Central Park.
  Mr. Speaker, I am one of many thousands of people indebted to Fred 
Lebow and the NYRRC for their encouragement. Grete Waitz, a nine-time 
winner of the New York City Marathon who ran--and won--her first New 
York City Marathon at Fred's urging, is another. I hope my colleagues 
will join me in honoring Fred Lebow, whose likeness is to be unveiled 
in Central Park this fall.

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