Fred Lebow was a showman and a promoter who was one of the main reasons why distance running and marathons became so popular as the running boom exploded. He transformed the NYC Marathon from a local event in Central Park with 55 finishers to one of the world’s largest running events with over 25,000 finishers running through all five boroughs of New York City. He lived his life to the fullest, against the dangers and odds of both the Nazi and Soviet occupations of Romania, and although fate handed him a shorten race, with his gall and love of life he turned it into a marathon.