Today, the New York City Marathon is one of the most inclusive races in the world, often called the world’s most diverse marathon. For instance, in 2021 the race made headlines for including nonbinary runners, among the first to do so, and in 2022 the race worked to be more supportive of breastfeeding mothers, opening breastfeeding stations along the run route. The marathon route itself also showcases the diversity of the Big Apple, working its way through all five boroughs and showcasing many of the ethnic groups that call New York home.
The New-York Historical Society’s new exhibit, Running for Civil Rights, centers around two remarkable Black men who helped make the marathon the diverse marvel that it is today. The exhibition is an important tribute to Joseph Yancy, who founded the New York Pioneers Club in 1936, an organization integral in popularizing running in New York and fighting segregation, and his protege Ted Corbitt, the first African American to compete in the Olympics’ marathon event and a major force behind the New York City Marathon.
“This is about people, this is about dedication,” said the New-York Historical Society’s Marilyn Satin Kushner, co-curator of the exhibit with Allison Robinson. “This is about doing good things. This is about working together, and when you see everybody running in the New York Marathon, it’s so encompassing of everybody. That’s why it’s a great story.”
Although the marathon did not officially start until 1970, it was a long time in the making. It was predated by races like the Port Chester Marathon, the Long Beach Marathon and the Cherry Tree Marathon, and the marathon itself was eventually founded by the New York Road Runners, an organization that goes back to 1958, when it was known as the Road Runners Club. Corbitt was the organization’s first president, and through his position with the group he promoted running as something that should appeal to increasingly diverse groups.
Corbitt led by his larger-than-life example. Widely known as “the father of American long-distance running”, he worked as a physical therapist and was known to regularly run 22 miles to work and back through the city of New York. Corbitt broke barriers by competing in the Olympic marathon in 1952 in Helsinki, and he was the first African American to win a US national marathon championship. “He was always, always, always running,” said Kushner. “He ran in over 1,000 marathons. He died in his 80s, and he was running until his early 80s. It became a part of life, like breathing, to him.”
Corbitt was also a pioneer of ultramarathons – technically any race longer than 26.2 miles, but usually of about 50-100 miles – running hundreds of them in his lifetime and regularly competing for 24-hour stretches. He set numerous records for ultramarathons – some of which stand to this day – and throughout the 1960s he was ranked second in the world as an ultramarathoner. Corbitt ran his last ultramarathon – which covered nearly 70 miles – in 2003 at the astonishing age of 82. “I’m sure a lot went through his head during ultramarathons,” said Kushner.
A keen administrator and a verified force, Corbitt helped to pioneer the sport of running in the United States, making ultramarathons what they are today. “He was very involved in the beginnings of the ultramarathon,” said Kushner. “I cannot imagine the dedication that an ultramarathon takes. Corbitt became the figure to look up to in terms of the actual running.”
Corbitt’s mentor, Joseph Yancey, was an equally impressive presence. A reservist with the widely celebrated African American 369th infantry regiment, fondly nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters, Yancey is remembered as a man equally in tune with athletics and right living. “He taught his students not only to become great runners but to become good people,” said Kushner.
In 1936, Yancy founded an integrated track team known as the New York Pioneers Track and Field Club, where he would go on to coach numerous Olympic athletes, among them Corbitt. According to Kushner, the idea for the club came to him in the wake of the disastrous Harlem race riot of 1935. “It was 1935, right in the middle of the Depression,” she said. “There was lots of anxiety and desperation everywhere at that time. After the riots, he came up with idea of starting a running club, because none of the young Black boys could get into the established athletic clubs in New York City.” A force for integration, Yancy welcomed Jewish athletes into his club, many of whom, like Black athletes, were discriminated against by other New York City athletic organizations.
Running for Civil Rights comes off as equally inspirational and historical. Many of the artifacts included in the show evoke strong emotions, such as a letter that one of Yancy’s runners wrote to him, sharing his experiences as a Black man attending college for the first time. “This was the time when everything came together, the right time to tell this story,” she said. “A lot of the materials for this show have come from Ted Corbitt’s son, Gary. It’s a civil rights story, and it’s a history story, and it’s a New York story.”
This is also a wonderful show for those who know the pleasures of a good run. Kushner herself shared that, although she no longer runs, she’s no stranger to the runner’s high. “I used to get up 5.30 in the morning and have a run before I’d go to work,” she said. “It’s a wonderful feeling when you’re running because you’re all by yourself and with your thoughts. It was always a very special time for me.”
Ultimately, what comes across in Running for Civil Rights is how athletics and competitions can be extremely powerful forces for bringing people together, forming communities, and promoting deeper questions of morals, values and ethics. It shows how just a few dedicated individuals can be immense forces for positive change. This is one of the things Kushner herself learned while curating the exhibit. “I think I’m going to look at the marathon in a different way this year,” she said. “It’s given me a deeper understanding of marathons and why people run them. I just can’t get out of my head this thing that member of the Road Runners said, that the last person crossing this line is as important as the first. It’s really important to reach your goal.”