The first New York City Marathon was held 51 years ago on September 13, 1970, organized by New York Road Runners presidents Fred Lebow and Vincent Chiappetta, with 127 competitors running several loops around the Park Drive of Central Park. Only about 100 spectators watched Gary Muhrcke win the race at 2:31:38. In fact, a total of only 55 runners crossed the finish line.
Over the years, the marathon grew larger and larger. To celebrate the U.S. bicentennial in 1976, city auditor George Spitz proposed that the race traverse all five boroughs. With the support of Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton, the men convinced Mayor Abraham Beame and, eventually, race director Fred Lebow. The race was a huge success, and what was intended as a one-time celebration, became the annual course.
The New York City Marathon has now become the largest marathon anywhere in the world. Each year nearly two million spectators line the course. Prior to 2013, the marathon was broadcast live in the New York area on WNBC, and on Universal Sports for the entire country.
The New York City Marathon takes runners past icons of the Manhattan cityscape and through all 5 boroughs… plus it gets you into pretty good shape. Parts of bustling NYC get shut down to make way for cheering crowds and runners who valiantly complete the roughly 42km route. Make sure to get some water out and spray it at runners to help them along.
According to uk.hotels.com and en.wikipedia
