Friday, October 21, was the 43rd anniversary of this incredible race and the very last time that Bill Rodgers would win the NYC Marathon. Jeff Benjamin wrote this piece, and you can see his enthusiasm for the event, and his respect for Bill Rodgers and Kirk Pfeffer, two of the road warriors competing that day! This story, on the 1979 NYC Marathon, was originally published in November 2019.
The 1979 NYC Marathon was amazing. I got back from my Sunday run just in time to see the event! Kirk Pfeffer was leading Bill Rodgers, and it was mesmerizing on my Black and white TV. This is Jeff Benjamin’s story on one of my all-time favorite events!
Bill Rodgers is king, 1979, NYCM, photo by Sports Illustrated.
The 40th Anniversary Of The 1979 NYC Marathon – Bill Rodgers VS Kirk Pfeffer –Giving Their All
By Jeff Benjamin
Whether one is the hunter or the hunted, that feeling of giving your all is most definitely needed, especially in World-Class Marathoning.
Just ask Bill Rodgers and Kirk Pfeffer.
By 1979, Rodgers was a marked man, with running fans wondering if the 3-Time Boston and NYC Champion could be toppled from his throne as America’s Best Marathoner.
Earlier in April at Boston, Tom Fleming and Gary Bjorkland took it out on Rodgers, who was also concerned with Japan’s Toshihiko Seko clipping at his heels. Biding his time and holding his pace, Rodgers would roar past all of them, clocking an American Record time of 2:09:27 for the victory.
Now, getting ready for his possible victory # 4 in New York, Rodgers looked a little vulnerable based upon his non-stop racing which, by his standards, was sub-par in the summer months leading up to NYC.
But Rodgers, who loves the cold, saw his gears beginning to move in the right direction with the arrival of September and October.
“I had completed weeks of 119, 144, 122, and finally 137 miles per week in the last month before the Marathon,” said Rodgers recently.
“I had raced 47:14 for 2nd at the Virginia 10 Mile, a notoriously hilly race in Lynchburg, VA.in late September, along with two 10K races on the Roads in Worcester and at Diet Pepsi, along with the Freedom Trail 7-Miler, so I felt I was ready to race, and I liked racing the NYC marathon – my 3 previous wins proved that. I liked the hills, the bridges, the big Crowds, the feisty, occasionally pothilly, undulating nature of the course, the dog-eat-dog nature of the race, and the Dramatic rolling hills finishing…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at runblogrun…