1932-1994 b. Transylvania, Romania •
d. New York, N.Y.
Sculptor: Jesus Ygnacio Dominguez
Located at Engineers' Gate, a main gateway
to Central Park and in front of the
NY Road Runners Club Kiosk is the small
statue of Fred Lebow.
Born Fischel Lebowitz, he fled the Nazis
and then the Soviets, arrived in the United
States and created a successful garment-
district business.
Yet, his pioneering achievement was to come
later in life. In 1970, he founded The New
York City Marathon when 127 runners
completed four loops around Central Park.
The runners, who paid a $1 entry fee,
raced the 26.2 miles through the Park with
no water stops. In 1976 the Marathon route
was changed to encompass all five boroughs,
but the final miles are still run in Central
Park today attracting 30,000 or so runners.
Here he is shown dressed in his familiar
painter's cap, sweatsuit and racing shoes
as he looks down at his stopwatch.
