Project Introduction:
The Theodore Corbitt Institute for Running History Research (TCI) is proud to announce in this Five Borough New York City Marathon 50th Anniversary build-up period a long overdue definitive running history project that will be preserved at www.tedcorbitt.com. It’s a tribute to the groundbreaking work done (1958-1972) by the leadership of New York Road Runners (NYRR) then called Road Runners Club: New York Association. Dr. Pamela Chenkin will review how the culture and innovations that have come to define the modern-day sport of long-distance running started in the Black community of Harlem, New York with the New York Pioneer Club (NYPC) (1936-1976).
We aim to raise up all the forgotten and overlooked names from the formative Bronx Years. These athletes and officials shaped the governance and vitalization that the sport continues to enjoy to this day. A TCI Wall of Fame will be established of NYRR and U.S. RRCA leaders before 1976. Thanks to the resources of the Ted Corbitt Archives, the project will scholarly document how the sport of long-distance road running was for the most part invented in New York.
We’ll build a library of historic milestones and personal profiles of these running pioneers. We anticipate this project will continue into 2027 and will include written memories from family members and friends of these historic athletes and officials of this era. This project is dedicated to all these individuals who volunteered their time for the sport they loved.
I’ve chosen the following running pioneers as the first series of dedication profiles:
* Arthur C. “Art” Hall 111 (1947 – 2011) who I witnessed evolve from being the new kid on the block in 1964 to becoming an ambassador of the sport.
*The great Millrose Athletic Association teams of the 1930s and 1940s.
*Joseph “Joe” Kleinerman’s (1912 – 2003) and his pivotal role in NYRR History.
* Louis “Lou” White (1908 – 1990) a true Renaissance Sportsman.
The Theodore Corbitt Institute (TCI) continues to preserve running history through the following ongoing projects:
Road Runners Club: New York Association – Oral History Project
Part 1: New York Pioneer Club (NYPC) (1936-1976)
Part 2: The Bronx Years (1958 – 1972)Part 3: Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) Chapters across the United States (1958 – 1980)
Part 4: The Early Central Park Years (1973 – 1990)
Twenty-one interviews have been completed so far and are posted on our YouTube channel. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/@TedCorbittInstitute
Starting Line 1928 – A Women’s Running Oral History Project documenting the stories of the pioneers of women’s distance running in their own voices.
The sixty-seven podcasts can be found here: https://www.startingline1928.com/
Gary Corbitt
Archivist: Theodore Corbitt Institute
July 23, 2026
NYRR:
The largest running organization in the world with over 80,000 Members.
NYPC:A racially integrated Black athletic team during the Jim Crow Era of the 1940s and 1950.Track & Field Athletes
Long Distance Road Runners
Long Distance Race Walkers
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