I was honored to represent my father Ted Corbitt as one of the five trailblazers of the 1976 inaugural race. I was joined by Keisha Sutton-James representing her grandfather Percy Sutton, Estee Stimler representing her uncle Fred Lebow, and George Hirsch. George Spitz who died in 2015, left no close surviving relatives. We served as Honorary Grand Marshalls representing these five founders of the race.
The celebration gave me a platform to raise names of the leaders of Road Runners Club: New York Association, New York Road Runners (NYRR) original name. The birthplace of NYRR was in the Bronx at Macombs Dam Park and Van Cortlandt Park. In 1959 the membership totaled 47 and today it’s over 100,000.
In my opinion it was the collective volunteer work of NYRR leadership between (1958 – 1972) that set the foundation and invented many aspects the sport enjoys today. Over the years unfortunately, most of these names have been overlooked and forgotten. I consider the founders of the 1970 and 1976 New York City Marathons to be the entire first-generation leadership of NYRR. This also includes Browning Ross the 1958 founder of the Road Runners Club of American (RRCA).
I was thankful for the opportunity to be interviewed surrounding this 50th Anniversary celebration and to serve on two panel discussions where I discussed the contribution of these pioneers whom I had the good fortune to witness and know.
Links to six articles about my father and other history makers are below.
These historical facts I placed emphasis on.
*It was Ted Corbitt who had the idea of taking the race through the five boroughs.
*It was Harry Murphy, an NYRR Founder who came up with the five-borough route to finish at either the United Nations or Columbus Circle.
*Today’s world urban marathons are reflective of the culture Mr. Joseph Yancey established by forming the New York Pioneer Club (NYPC) in 1936 and the club becoming integrated in 1942.
I was particularly happy that Amby Burfoot’s article’s first sentence reads:
“Ted Corbitt was the most influential runner in American road-running history.”
I’ve added this quote as an opening to www.tedcorbitt.com
It was also good to see Mr. Dick Traum Achilles Track Club Founder’s name being raised by Jennie Coughlin’s article.
There were six Presidents of NYRR before Fred Lebow. Many of these people’s history remain unknown today. They were Ted Corbitt, John Conway, Aldo Scandurra, Nat Cirulnick, Vince Chiappetta, and Barry Geisler. The Theodore Corbitt Institute for Running History Research is conducting two ongoing projects to correct this.
*The Definitive History of NYRR & NYPC
*Road Runners Club: New York Association Four-Part Oral History Project.
To read more articles about Ted Corbitt visit here:
Gary Corbit
tArchivist:
Theodore Corbitt Institute
November 12, 2026
Remembering Ted Corbitt: The Quiet Revolutionary Who Built American Road Running (And The NYC Marathon) By Amby Burfoot: October 28, 2026 – Marathon Handbook