One of the most significant sports events conducted in New York City is undoubtedly the
New York City Marathon. Founded in 1970 by
Fred Lebow and the New York Road Runners Club, the first annual New York City Marathon was held in Central Park. At that time, the race’s course included continuous loops around the Central Park Drive, until 1976 when the route was revised to include all five boroughs. The only feature that did not change was the finish line ending in Central Park near
Tavern on the Green. Over time its popularity has grown from just 127 runners in 1970 to over 30,000 runners, representing 113 countries from around the world.