9. 1908: First Marathon in NYC

Forrest Smithson-1908 Summer Olympics - NYC Marathons - Untapped Cities - NYC-001110 meter hurdle race from 1908 Summer Olympics. Image via WikiCommons

The first marathon to take place on the streets of NYC was sponsored by the New York Evening Journal. The publication, which ran from 1897 to 1909, took advantage of the marathon craze that swept America after the dramatic 1908 Olympics. The race took place the day after Christmas in 1908, with the route stretching from Rye, through the Bronx, across the Harlem River via the Macomb’s Dam Bridge, through Central Park (which is the finish line in the current NYC Marathon) and ending, finally, on Columbus Circle.