Fred Lebow - Heritage Plaque (© Getty Images)
Plaque name: Fred Lebow
Location: NYRR Runcenter, 320 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, USA.
Plaque awarded: 31/10/2025
Reason: Plaque Category (posthumous) – Legend
Fred Lebow (1932 – 1994)
Born Ephraim Fischel Lebowitz in Arad, Romania, Fred Lebow was a refugee before settling in the United States to start a new life in 1949.
He joined the New York Road Runners in 1969, becoming club president a few years later.
To countless millions, Lebow was the New York City Marathon – the perennial enthusiast and tireless organiser who oversaw the famous footrace.
He ran the inaugural New York City Marathon in 1970, finishing 45th out of 55 runners.
In 1976, Lebow made the five-borough New York City Marathon a reality after many years of lobbying.
As president of the New York Road Runners Club and race director of the New York City Marathon, he fostered the race's growth from a mere 126 runners in 1970 to more than 30,000 by the 1990s.
He created such original events as the Fifth Avenue Mile and the Empire State Building Run-up.
Lebow was diagnosed with brain cancer in early 1990.
In 1992, Lebow ran his final New York City Marathon in celebration of his 60th birthday and his cancer's remission. Nine-time New York City Marathon champion Grete Waitz ran this epic race alongside him.
Lebow died on 9 October 1994.