Celebrate Ted Corbitt's Birthday by Running the Ted Corbitt Loop
On January 31 we celebrate the birthday of Ted Corbitt (1919–2007), the founding president of NYRR and a legendary figure in long distance running.
Last year the NYC Parks department named the six-mile loop of Central Park the Ted Corbitt Loop. Corbitt himself circled the park many times in races and training as he racked up more than 170,000 lifetime miles over his amazing career.
Runners at the 2021 NYRR Ted Corbitt 15K in December ran portions of the loop, which on race day featured signs highlighting significant accomplishments of his amazing life.
What better way to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of Corbitt’s birth than to revisit six of those accomplishments—one for each mile of the loop.
As you log your miles on January 31—in Central Park or wherever you are—reflect on all that Ted Corbitt gave to running. Share your accomplishment in social media using #TedCorbittBirthdayChallenge
Thank you, Ted, and happy birthday!
1. Ted Corbitt was the co-founder and first president of NYRR.
Founded in 1958, the Road Runners Club – New York Association at first had just 40-odd members, over half of whom, including Corbitt, were members of the New York Pioneer Club, a Harlem-based integrated running club with roots in the civil rights movement.
Corbitt served as president for two years, leading the RRC – NYA in putting on many races including the first Cherry Tree Marathon in 1959, which is considered the precursor of the New York City Marathon. He also founded the club newsletter, which became the country’s oldest continuously published running magazine, and continued to edit it for many years.
2. Ted Corbitt has been called the "father of long distance running."
This term pays homage to his many invaluable contributions to running as an athlete, administrator, innovator, healer, and advocate—but he preferred to share credit with others.
“I consider my father one of the founding fathers of long-distance running in this country, and the father of ultra-distance running and of course measurement, but there were others,” said Ted’s son Gary Corbitt. “[Road Runners Club of America founder] Browning Ross also gets called the father of long-distance running, and neither of them would’ve cared one way or the other who’s called that. I think they both get called that because of all their accomplishments and contributions to our sport.”
3. Ted Corbitt ran 223 marathons and ultra-marathons in his life.
He won 30 of them and never dropped out of one until he was 75 years old. These are astonishing feats that have never been equaled and almost certainly will never be.
4. Ted Corbitt ran track and cross country and broke racial barriers at the University of Cincinnati.
At the University of Cincinnati Corbitt ran mainly the 440-yard and 880-yard distances on the track as well as cross country. He experienced discrimination as a Black runner in the 1940s and was sometimes barred from competing. He gravitated toward road racing over longer distances, joining the integrated New York Pioneer Club, which had been founded in Harlem in the early civil rights era.
Gary Corbitt notes that his father’s accomplishments as a Black man have inspired Black distance runners who may be discouraged from pursuing non-sprint events. He notes that his father once received a letter from a young Black runner. “The runner wrote that he wished he’d known about my father when he was in school and coaches steered him away from distance running and toward the sprints,” said Gary. “If he’d had a Black distance runner like my father as a role model, things might have been different. I want today’s young Black runners to know they are part of a rich history and have many role models.”
5. Ted Corbitt worked full time as a physical therapist for 44 years.
He served as the Chief Physical Therapist at the International Center for the Disabled and taught at Columbia University and NYU—incredibly, holding down these full-time positions while making extraordinary contributions as a competitive runner, administrator, innovator in course measurement and certification, and advocate for age-group runners, women, and others who'd previously been marginalized in the sport.
6. Ted Corbitt competed in his last ultra-marathon at age 81, completing 303 miles in six days.
This stunning achievement capped a running career that will never be equaled.
To learn more about Ted Corbitt, check out additional content on our blog at the links below, and visit the Ted Corbitt Archives, maintained by Gary Corbitt.
The Life and Gifts of Ted Corbitt
Ted Corbitt, Forever an Olympian
Remembering Ted Corbitt on the 100th Anniversary of His Birth
We Celebrate the Founders of NYRR