George Spitz, who pushed for five-borough NYC Marathon, dies at 92

George Spitz
George Spitz
Photo: NYRR Archives

George Spitz, who was the man with the original idea to transform the New York City Marathon from its original four laps around Central Park to a race through each of the city’s five boroughs, died of pneumonia on Friday at the age of 92.

The marathoner pitched his idea for a new marathon course to Percy E. Sutton, borough president of Manhattan, in the early 1970s. He liked the idea and took it to then-mayor Abraham D. Beame who also liked the idea. The first race which ran through all five boroughs was held in 1976.

During his his life Spitz he ran 29 marathons and in 2014 was inducted into the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame.

Spitz was born in New York City in 1922 and lived there most of his life. He served as a radio mechanic during the Second World War before returning to New York, where he graduated from Columbia College with a BA in economics and accounting, despite dropping out of high school. According to the New York Times, Spitz claimed he achieved his high school equivalency after returning from the war. He also served during the Korean War.

Spitz was known in New York for more than his desire to transform the New York City Marathon into a world class event. The Times referred to him on multiple occasions as a gadfly for boldly speaking his mind and on many occasions running for, though never achieving, public office.

He became known, when seeking mayoral nomination from the Democratic Party in 2001, for declaring “I’m the only vegetarian, only road runner, only veteran of World War II, only senior citizen, only union person, only Orthodox Jew and only high school dropout in the race.”

According to the New York Times, Spitz was writing a book on the history of New York when he died.

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