How was the New York Marathon conceived and why does it give the Big Apple the happiest and most unifying day of the year? Fred Lebow was a showman. He liked action. He liked the attention. Originally born FishlLebowtiz on June 6, 1932 in Transylvania, Romania, he did something that was incredible. He is the father of the greatest foot race in the world, the New York Marathon. Lebow transformed the marathon from a small race with 55 finishers in 1970 to one of the largest marathons in the world with more than 30,000 finishers today. Lebow proved to the world that ordinary people can run a marathon. Lebow survived the Holocaust after the German army arrived at the end of the war in his Transylvanian town near the Hungarian border. Lebow immigrated to America, studied at Yeshiva Torah in Brooklyn, and opened an improv theater in Cleveland. Upon his return to the Big Apple, Lebow organized the first New York City Marathon in 1970. His "Jewishness" certainly contributed to his lifelong goal of "inclusivity." Long before he emerged as a major promoter, Lebow's only sport was tennis. Most of his tennis matches were against his roommate, Brian Crawford. Having never managed to win a match against him, Lebow signed up for a health club. Bored with lifting weights, Lebow was told he should take up jogging and was advised to walk Central Park Reservoir's 1,577-mile oval track. In love with running, he became a regular at running the distance around the hip. With an "Everything I want, I get" attitude, Lebow ran the Cherry Tree Marathon, which is also considered the mother of the New York City Marathon. The race began at the Yankee... in the center of the card... the personality turned his idea into a world-class event. The Pope also congratulated him on this wonderful event and gave him some t-shirts. As the founding father of the New York City Marathon, Lebow contributed everything he owned to the marathon. From surviving the Holocaust to smuggling diamonds into Holland, Lebow knew there was something great in him and always wanted to share his ideas with people. Never taking No for an answer and always seeking more has made Lebow one of the greatest icons in the world. He was inducted into the Runners Hall of Fame and his statue checking the clock as runners cross the finish line in Central Park tells us that nothing is impossible and that we should always strive and climb to achieve more. What Lebow accomplished was incredible and will always be remembered in our memories.