In 1976, Lebow and 2,090 entrants took the New York City Marathon to the streets of the five boroughs in a moving celebration of sport and diversity. The course included five bridges, and winners Bill Rodgers and Miki Gorman shattered the event records.

Two years later, at the 1978 New York City Marathon, Grete Waitz of Norway, a track Olympian who’d never run farther than 12 miles, won the race in a world-record 2:32:30. Rodgers overcame 75-degree temperatures to become the race’s first three-time winner, and he added a fourth the next year, when Waitz broke her own world record.

The 2013 New York City Marathon returned the event to its place as New York City’s best day. A record 50,000+ runners finished the race, the most in any marathon ever. The 2014 TCS New York City Marathon again had a record number of finishers: 50,530.