First NYC Marathon Champ Runs on the Original Course at 80 Years Old
It was not the 50th anniversary anyone expected, but on September 13, Gary Muhrcke, the winner of the first-ever New York City Marathon, returned to the spot of his greatest running victory.
Fifty years ago to the day, Muhrcke set out to pace his friend, Pat Bastick, in the 1970 NYC Marathon, then a four-loop course within Central Park (the course now runs point-to-point through all five boroughs). After two loops, Bastick dropped out. Muhrcke, in about 12th place, picked it up on the second half and won the race in 2:31:39. This came after a night of battling blazes—Muhrcke was a firefighter at the time.
Of the 127 runners who started, only 55 finished the race. In comparison, the 2019 race had 53,627 finishers.
To commemorate that day, Muhrcke was joined on Sunday by his grandson, Colin Kern, for a single, hilly lap in Central Park. The duo finished in a time of 58:21.
“I still think this is a very tough course.” Muhrcke said after the run. “I think it’s an honor [to run with Colin]. Running with him is pretty cool. I think he would’ve kicked my ass today, for sure.”
Muhrcke’s success didn’t stop after his moment in marathoning history. He went on to win the 1978 Empire State Building Run-Up and was a two-time Yonkers Marathon champion.
He still runs and exercises every day.
“If I can inspire anyone to get up off the couch, that’s my goal in life,” Muhrcke said. “You know, every day, we wake up and something is hurting. The day nothing hurts is the day you should check yourself out. Just get out and do it.”
Muhrcke plans to continue to be an example.
“I don’t know what motivates me. I think if I stop running, I’d die. And, I like the idea of doing things. I’m a little bit depressed that I’m as old as I am, but I’ll continue to run as long as I can.”
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