New York 1970: 127 Runners, $1 and Laps of Central Park
The first New York Marathon was run on September 13, 1970: 127 people paid $1 to circle Central Park for 26.2 miles (42.195 km). Fifty-five made it to the finish. In 2025 the same race counted 59,226 finishers, a world record.
By the PacePoster desk · · 3 min · 6 sources
01A dollar and you're in
The very first New York Marathon was put together by Fred Lebow and Vince Chiappetta, then president of the New York Road Runners (NYRR). Entry cost one dollar. At the start: 127 runners, 126 men and one woman, Nina Kuscsik. Bib number 1 went to Ted Corbitt, a 1952 Olympic marathoner.
02Four laps of the park
No bridges, no crowds. Everything happens inside Central Park: a small loop near the southern end, then four laps of the park's main road (a loop of about 6 miles), counterclockwise. The crowd is so thin that cyclists and strollers don't seem to realize a race is going on. Among the few spectators: George Hirsch, a future chairman of the NYRR board.
In 1970, there were 55.
03A firefighter on top
The winner is Gary Muhrcke, a New York City firefighter fresh off a night shift: 2:31:38 (2:31:39 according to World Athletics). He passes Moses Mayfield at mile 24, and Tom Fleming takes second in 2:35:44. Kuscsik does not finish: World Athletics says she fell victim to the flu at mile 14. She makes up for it by winning in 1972, then again in 1973. Of the 127 starters, 55 finished.
04From 127 to 59,226
From 1970 to 1975, the marathon stays in the park. In 1976, it takes on all five boroughs. According to the NYRR, the idea came from Ted Corbitt; it was taken up by activist George Spitz, then by Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton, who convinced Mayor Abraham Beame. The occasion: the U.S. bicentennial. About 2,000 runners start, and Bill Rodgers wins in 2:10. After that, everything takes off: more than 10,000 runners in 1979, more than 30,000 in 1997, then two world records in a row, in 2024 and 2025. That year, 59,226 people cross the line. In 1970, there were 55.
Sources for this story (6)
Every fact was cross-checked in at least two independent sources. Where they disagree, the story says so.
- New York City Marathon 50th anniversary — World Athletics (Steve Landells, 2020)
- NYRR Hall of Fame : Vince Chiappetta — communiqué NYRR (2024, via Running USA)
- First NYC Marathon winner runs original course 50 years later — NBC New York (2020)
- First New York Marathon — Guinness World Records
- NYC's 5-borough marathon reaches milestone 40th anniversary — AP (via Fox News, 2016)
- 2025 TCS NYC Marathon becomes world's largest marathon ever — communiqué NYRR (2025, via Running USA)
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