The Theodore Corbitt Institute for Running History Research (TCI) in conjunction with the National Black Marathoners Association (NBMA) is proud to announce a first-time ranking list of American born Black male marathoner runners. This is a component of the Black Running History Project started in 2014 with the groundbreaking Black Running History Timeline (1880 – 1979). Other research accomplishments include a Black female all-time marathon list, oral history interviews with historic milers of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, and building awareness of the importance of the historic New York Pioneer Club a Black running athletic institution co-founded by Mr. Joseph Yancey in Harlem.
Our team of running history scholars and storytellers are working to document 144 years of Black running history dating back to 1880. This all-time listing is comprised of 144 Black men who have run sub – 3 hours marathons. We cannot claim to have found every single American-born Black male marathoner who has run sub-3 and welcome any updates or additions to this living document. The progression of performances starts with Aaron Morris in 1919 and takes us to 2023 and Nathan Martin.
American Born – Male African Americans
All-Time Best Marathon Performance Progression
Nathan Martin – 2:10:45 – Grandma’s Marathon – 2023
Nathan Martin – 2:11:05 – The Marathon Project, Chandler, Arz – 2020
Herman Atkins – 2:11:52 – Nike OTC Marathon – 1979
Arthur Hall – 2:22:07 – Boston Marathon – 1978
Moses Mayfield – 2:24:29 – Philadelphia Marathon – 1970
Ted Corbitt – 2:26:44 – Shanahan (Philadelphia) Marathon – 1958
Ted Corbitt – 2:31:40 – Shanahan (Philadelphia) Marathon – 1955
Ted Corbitt – 2:35:50 – Junior National & Open Detroit Marathon – 1954
Ted Corbitt – 2:36:06 – Shanahan (Philadelphia) Marathon – 1954
Louis White – 2:36:48 – Boston Marathon – 1949
Aaron Morris – 2:37:31 – Boston Marathon – 1919
The full listing of the 144 runners can be found here:
https://tedcorbitt.com/black-male-marathon-history/
Please note there have been other achievements by Black runners at the marathon before 1919. Here are two 1909 headline examples:
“Howard Hall Win Indoor Marathon in Pittsburgh”
“First Marathon in The South Won by Colored Runner Charles Burden”
Our team will research between 1880 to 1919 before we expand the list to include these years. The project plans to profile many of these Black male marathoners in the manner used by the women’s oral history project called Starting Line 1928. Starting Line is successfully documenting Black female running HistoryMakers. Here’s a link:
https://www.startingline1928.com/
The following are brief profiles of some of the 144 athletes.
Aaron Morris (#55) & The St. Christopher Club!
The St. Christopher Club was one of the early 1900s Negro running clubs in New York. Aaron is the first documented Black runner to ever compete in the Boston Marathon. The year was 1919 and he placed 6th. Other St. Christopher Negro teammates who raced in Boston between 1920 – 1925 where Clifford Mitchell, John Goff, and Frank Martin.
Louis White (#48) (1908 – 1990) – Renaissance Man: Writer, Photographer, Excelled at Handball, Racquetball, Ice Skating, Swimming, and Soccer!
In 1946 Lou finished third in the U.S. National Marathon title race a race he had an opportunity to win. Charley Robbins Lou’s New York Pioneer Club teammate wrote the following about the race:
“Of the three Lou White was the most fresh, but he had never done this well in a big race, so he was rather awed with Cote and Kelley. White had missed his big chance. He would have been the first black to win a marathon.”
The NYPC team of Lou White, Ted Corbitt (#22) and Sevki Koru would win the 1952 Boston Marathon team championship.
The Great Oscar Moore (#36) – Speed and Grace!
Oscar was a 1964 Olympian at 5,000 Meters and held all the cross-country course records at Van Cortlandt Park (5,6, and 9 miles). What if Oscar had concentrated at the marathon? The American record in 1963 was 2:14:28 by Buddy Edelen and in 1969 was lowered to 2:13:28 by Kenny Moore these were the marathon type times that Oscar had the potential to achieve. Oscar was inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame in 2009. He coached at Glassboro State College/Rowan University for 23 years.
Two Fierce Rivals Harry McCalla (#46) & Ben Tucker (#38) now Best of Friends!
Harry & Ben came close to becoming the first Black Americans to break 4-minutes for the mile. In 1964, Ben Tucker ran 1500 meters in 3:40.8 which converts to a 3:58.4 mile time, and in 1967 Harry McCalla did 4:00.6.
The Legendary Moses Mayfield (#17)!
Gary Fanelli said the following about Moses:
“He sure inspired me as I was coming up. Moses was fearless, hence his great front running, which I adopted from him.”
Moses Mayfield led the first New York City Marathon in 1970 for 23 miles.
Arthur Hall (#14) (1947 – 2011) – Master Coach/Mentor – Running Ambassador for the sport!
“Art Hall was my first coach who was also a great teacher and friend. Aside from his unbelievable running, he was the most inclusive, encouraging friendly runner I knew. Art always had time for you, whether you looked to run 5 hours or sub 3 hours for the marathon.
Jeff Benjamin
“As a young man on Staten Island in the 1970s, Art Hall was my idol. The trim black man who wore sweats during all of his runs seemed to be all over the Island doing his training. Art’s best attribute was his ability to motivate and tell stories. He would describe a 5K race in 30 minutes and explain how and why he ran the way he did. Young athletes like me would sit there and listen to every word. The first time I beat Art in a race was Thanksgiving in 1978. It was an awakening that I was developing into a runner that Art and I would be proud of. That night we talked about my future. Art cared.
Bob Orazem
The High School Phenom Fred Ritcherson (#25) (1950 – 2024)!
Fred was on his way to a sub 2:20 in the 1969 U.S. Marathon Championship in Culver City. However, after the 20-mile mark he and Chuck Smead took a wrong turn going off the course and not finishing.
Melvin Van Peebles (#132) (1932 – 2021) – Renaissance Man: Actor, Filmmaker, Writer, and Composer!
Melvin’s best marathon was 2:57:33 in 1982. He also raced in some ultramarathons.
Glen Shane (#189) – New York Pioneer Club Legend – From 440 to the Marathon!
Glen was a standout track star for St. Johns University in the early 1960s. He then competed for the New York Pioneer Club on the track before moving to the roads and the marathon. He’s now a coach for the Van Cortlandt Park Track Club.
Think about the many Black runners who never had the opportunity to try long distance running because coaches for many eras steered athletes to become sprinters. This isn’t the case today and Stephen Jones is a prime example of Black athletes getting the needed encouragement by coaches. Stephen debut marathon at the 2024 California International Marathon was a 2:14:56 and is #5 on the list. It is our mission to grow the sport by telling Black running history stories that inspire the generation of runners to come.
Please note we have every intention of adding Naturalized Black women and men citizens of the United States to these historic lists. On the Men’s side Meb Keflezighi’s brilliant 2014 Boston Marathon win of 2:08:37 would rank him #1 on this all-time list. Meb is a four-time Olympian and the greatest U.S. marathoner of all-time. There are many other nationalized citizen past and present to be added to the list. The running history preservation needs for the sport will require additional resources to thoroughly complete these projects.
The credit and a big thank you goes to Sarah Franklin Theodore Corbitt Institute Project Director. Her outstanding work has gotten this project off to an exceptionally great start.
Gary Corbitt
Archivist: Theodore Corbitt Institute
Historian: National Black Marathoners Association
December 2024
theodorecorbittinstitute@gmail.com
@tedcorbittinstitute