How was the NYC Marathon conceived, and why does it give the Big Apple its happiest, most unifying day of the year?
Fred Lebow was a showman. He liked action. He liked attention. Originally born Fishl
Lebowtiz on June 6, 1932 in Transylvania, Romania he did something that was beyond belief.
He is the father of the world's greatest foot race, The New York City Marathon. Lebow
transformed the marathon from a small race with 55 finishers in 1970 to one of the largest
marathons in the world with over 30.000 finishers today. Lebow proved to the world that
ordinary people can run in a marathon. Lebow survived the Holocaust after the German army
arrived late in the war in his Transylvanian town near the Hungarian Border. Lebow migrated to
America, studied at the Yeshiva Torah in Brooklyn, and opened an improvisational theater in
Cleveland.
Upon his return to the Big Apple, Lebow organized the first New York City Marathon in
1970. His "Jewishness" definitely contributed to his lifelong goal of "inclusiveness."Long
before he emerged as the master promoter, the only sport Lebow played was tennis. Most of his
tennis matches were against his roommate, Brian Crawford. Never being able to win a match
against him Lebow joined a health club. Being bored of lifting weights, Lebow was told that he
should start jogging and was a recommendation was around the 1.577-mile oval track of Central
Park, reservoir. Enamored of running, he became a regular in going the distance around the
reservoir.
With an " Whatever I want, I get" attitude, Lebow directed the Cherry Tree Marathon, which is
also considered the mother of The New York City Marathon. The race started at the Yankee
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...onality turned his idea into a world-class event. Even the pope congratulated him on this
marvelous event, and he gave the pope some shirts.
As the founding father of The New York City Marathon, Lebow contributed to the
marathon with everything he possessed. From surviving the Holocaust, to smuggling diamonds
in Holland, Lebow knew there was something great in him and he always wanted to share his
ideas to the people. Never taking No for an answer, and always striving for more made Lebow
one of the world's greatest icons. He was inducted in the Runners Hall of Fame and his statue
checking his watch as the runners cross the finish line in Central Park, tells us that nothing is
impossible and that we should always strive and climb for more. What Lebow accomplished was
beyond belief, and he will always be remembered in our memories.
When Boone was appointed to the position of football coach at T.C. Williams High School, he became the visionary of success to the program. His vision for the team from the beginning was to win a state championship. As a leader one must be a visionary and have an ultimate goal that needs to be accomplished. Difficult situations continuously present themselves and need to be handled effectively in order to accomplish the leader’s vision, which often occurred during Boone’s journey with his team. Throughout the film, no matter what circumstances Boone encountered, he was able to stay focused on the goal of winning a championship which consequently allowed the team to
...Brooks’ uses the late Arthur Ashe as an example of an athlete who succeeded at their sport but was also very intellectual; all while honoring Arthur Ashe for his contributions to tennis and society in general.
The Barkley Marathons are run in the Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area near Oak Ridge in Tennessee. The park is bordered by two prisons and a coal mine and is thirty five minutes away from closest the city. The course consists of a twenty mile loop, which for the most part traces the border of the park. The actual length of the course is an issue of large debate however. The twenty mile figure was derived by the race director from a topographic map. Most that have run the loop feel that it is longer, since the distance associated with elevation change and winding trails isn't taken into account. Some feel that the loop could be as long as twenty six miles. At the other end of the argument is the distance that was derived from a survey crew in who measured the park to make a new map in 1993. The distances they got for many portions of the course were actually shorter than Gary Cantrell had listed them to be. On any account the distance assumes that the runner does not get lost, which is a rarity at the Barkley.
In conclusion, Arthur Ashe successfully accomplished his American Dream, earned admiration from many and was recognized as one of the greatest tennis player in the country. As one of the first African American male tennis player who overcame inequality, he became an inspiration to others and encouraged them to work hard for their dreams. It had been years ever since his death in 1993, yet his legacy still live on.
- second in 45-49 age group in national championship 100 km in 8:51 in New York City in 1993, and
The $160.00 entry fee that is required to run in "The Race Across the Sky" is money well spent. Not only do individuals get to run in one of the most beautiful states in the country, but they get to experience the friendly atmosphere of Colorado. The locals from Leadville volunteer to work at the aid stations which line the course, and there is truly a spirit for running. It is not only a challenging and competitive race, but a guaranteed good time. Throughout the 30 hour race which begins at 4:00 A.M. and ends at 10:00 A.M. the following day, there are fans and volunteers to make the experience more enjoyable. There is definitely a "personal" feeling which the Leadville 100 brings to running.
In East Africa, there is an area know as the Great Rift Valley. It is in this Great Rift Valley, where the world’s most dominant long distance runners come from, Kenya. In the past three decades, runners from Kenya have simply dominated the sport of long distance running in all facets including cross-country, track, and the marathon. In the world rankings for marathon running, Kenyans hold 8 of the top 10 spots for the men and 6 of the top ten spots in women’s rankings. (Entine, Par. 2) But how can one country be so overpowering in a sport that anyone can participate in? There are a number of factors that all work together to make Kenyan runners the best of the best. Rigorous training regimens, the physical geography of Kenya, country and world support of the athletes, genetics and early participation of children are all factors in the study of why Kenyan runners are by far the best long distance runners in the world. To start off, you must look at the physical geography in which the Kenyans train.
That is not the end of the story. Later on, the runners had to take a urinalysis. All of the runners passed but one, Ben Johnson. He tested positive for anabolic steroid use. It was later discovered that he'd been using steroids for several years. He was striped of his gold medal and his world record. Carl Lewis was given the gold and the world record ("Ben Johnson").
the day of the event, there were about ten to twenty four races. Just like today there were many
A young African-American boy walks onto some rundown tennis courts at a local park with his father in Richmond, VA. Armed with an old wooden racket and a can of white tennis balls, his father begins to feed him some different shots and tells his son everything he knows about tennis. Being an African-American, this young boy did not have many friends that were as interested in tennis as he was. Since tennis is a predominantly white sport, Arthur Ashe’s desire to play was not encouraged by either race, but instead of giving up on the sport he loved, he continued playing to the dismay of many. Little did Ashe know, however, that his persistence would change the game forever. His efforts opened doors for many of the popular African-American tennis players, such as Serena and Venus Williams, MaliVai Washington, and Bryan Shelton. The class that he brought to the game of tennis and the bravery he showed by changing a sport dominated by whites made Arthur Ashe a legend in his own time.
He invented something called “Tebowing”, where he gets down on one knee in prayer and thanks God. When I become a professional sports player, I would like to have a signature move like his and thank God for being good to me. In Matthew 28:18-20, it says, “ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
On top of running with his athletes he has competed in numerous running events such as the monument 10k, the Henrico festival dash, Suffolk celebration community 5K run/1 mile walk, and the New Year's Day Resolution 10-K, 5-K, or 1-mile trail run. He runs these events to either help for the cause for example donating to the poor, people with cancer, or people with diseases or he just runs just to have fun. Even at 36 years old he is still competing at track meets just recently he just finished competing at the real deal track and field classic at Boo Williams in Suffolk Virginia. He ran the 200-meter dash and he gathered his all-American team from 1999 and ran the four by 200-meter relay one last time. They all had fun reuniting with each other to run again and they won the adult section of the four by 200-meter relay even if they all ran as slow as a week in jail. After he finishes his running he always comes back to the school to help fundraise for the track and field team.
During his time at the University of Florida, Tim Tebow was known as one of the greatest college football players ever. He won two National Championships and a Heisman trophy, which is the award given to the best player in college football. During this time period in college footbal,l players such as Reggie Bush and others were involved with investigations regarding illegal benefits being given to players by agents and boosters. Needless to say, Tim was never associated or involved in these investigations or crimes.
Run by the same athletic organization that stages the Boston Marathon, this year marks the 17th annual running of the B.A.A half marathon with over 5,000 participants making their way around Boston’s streets each year. Participants will enjoy sites of Franklin Park, the Riverway and Jamaica Plain.
“Two thousand years after the victory of the Athenians over the Persians, writers continued to call upon the name of Marathon to symbolize humanity’s struggle for freedom. The nineteenth-century English poet Lord Byron, who fought for Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire, penned the following verse:”