The New York City Marathon was created by large corporate sponsors, famous runners, and influential politicians, right?

Wrong.

His name was Fred Lebow, a Romanian immigrant from humble beginnings with a dream so ambitious and outrageous that people thought he was crazy. Lebow personifies New York City: unabashed, tireless and hardheaded with a knack for drawing people in. He is the man behind the first five-borough New York City Marathon, a race that started with just 55 finishers in 1970. Judd Ehrlich's documentary, Run for Your Life, tells the story of Lebow's dedication to running and his persistent efforts to bring the sport to every New York City doorstep.

Lebow, once a garment district businessman in midtown Manhattan, discovered his identity in his mid-30s in the then underground running community, eventually serving as president of the New York Road Runners from 1972 until his retirement in 1993. Determined to make the marathon a New York spectacle, Lebow poured his heart and soul into every detail of the marathon—from securing the five-borough route to orchestrating a media blitz that drew runners from around the world and audiences to cheer them on. With the help of an army of devoted colleagues, volunteers, and supporters, Lebow achieved his dream of creating the New York City marathon, and in the process he built respect for the race and the sport of running that carries on.

Before the Nike+ screening of Run for Your Life held at the Museum of Modern Art and Design, we caught up with Judd Ehrlich to ask him a few questions about his documentary. Ehrlich, who released the film in 2007, was inspired to tell Lebow's unique story after learning about it from Lebow's nephew. The film premiered and placed 6th at the Tribeca Film Festival and that same year Ehrlich decided it was time for him to complete his own marathon challenge—running the 26.2 NYC course with a picture of Lebow on his t-shirt. We asked Ehrlich what it was like to do something that would have surely made his protagonist proud, he grinned and said "Painful, but memorable."

As relatively new runners gunning for our first 26.2 race, the film was a moving and timely experience. Yes, we're gushing, but watch the movie and you'll see why. We can't think of a better way to enter Sunday's race than learning about the history of a man that jumpstarted the running movement, creating a monumental event that bettered not only the lives of hundreds of thousands of marathoners, but also the city of New York and the masses of casual runners who enjoy the sport everywhere. Thank you Nike + and Judd Ehrlich for that wonderful pre-race inspiration. And thank you, Mr. Lebow.

-Aileen and Briana

NAME

DATE OF BIRTH (MM/DD/YYYY)

EMAIL

Characters remaining: 500

No comments have been made.