Who won the first New York City Marathon in 1970?

Gary Muhrcke won the first New York City Marathon in 1970.

The inaugural race took place on September 13, 1970, in Central Park. Muhrcke completed the course in 2:31:38, winning an event that had only 127 official finishers. The race was organised by the New York Road Runners, whose members helped establish the city’s major road-running tradition.

The original marathon was much smaller than the modern event. It consisted of several laps around Central Park rather than the five-borough route now associated with the race. The course expanded beyond Manhattan in 1976, when the marathon began visiting all five boroughs.

Muhrcke was a firefighter and had entered the race after working a night shift. His victory is sometimes overshadowed by the marathon’s later champions, including Bill Rodgers and Alberto Salazar, but he remains the first winner in the event’s history.