FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Marathon Trailblazers German Silva, George Spitz, Allan Steinfeld,
and Kathrine Switzer to Be Celebrated as 2014
NYRR Hall of Fame Inductees on Thursday, October 30
President and Owner of Amdur Productions and Former Sports Editor of
The New York Times Neil Amdur Will Receive
The Prestigious George Hirsch Journalism Award
Ceremonies to Honor Inductees Will Take Place During
TCS New York City Marathon Race Week on October 30 at 3:00 p.m.
New York, October 20, 2014-Four of distance running's greatest
revolutionaries-Germán Silva, George Spitz, Allan Steinfeld, and Kathrine
Switzer-will comprise the 2014 induction class of the NYRR Hall of Fame,
and president and owner of Amdur Productions and former sports editor at
the New York Times Neil Amdur, will receive the George Hirsch Journalism
Award, it was announced today by Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New
York Road Runners, and George Hirsch, chairman of the board of New York
Road Runners. All five award-winners will be honored at the 2014 Hall of
Fame Induction Ceremony and Press Conference and Presentation of the George
Hirsch Journalism Award on Thursday, October 30, at 3:00 p.m. at the
Race-week Media Center at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
The NYRR Hall of Fame, adding its fourth induction class since its creation
in 2011, honors individuals for their extraordinary accomplishments in the
sport of distance running.
"The 2014 NYRR Hall of Fame induction class has exponentially elevated the
sport of distance running to the level of awareness it stands at today,
providing global outreach to millions to lead healthy, active lifestyles
through running," said Wittenberg. "Without the courageous leadership of
Germán, George, Allan, and Kathrine to selflessly strive for excellence in
the world of running, organizations like NYRR could not have evolved in the
ways we have. We salute their impeccable leadership and commitment to
improving lives through running."
Silva, of Mexico, is a repeat champion of the New York City Marathon (1994,
1995) and the 2011 Abebe Bikila Award recipient, remembered best for
recovering from a wrong turn into Central Park 25.5 miles into his first
victory. "Wrong Way Silva," as he became known, charged down the last
straightaway to win by two seconds after losing his share of the lead by 12
to 13 seconds. In addition to his impressive athletics résumé, which
includes third place at the 1994 London Marathon, a silver medal at the
1994 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships, and a pair of sixth-place
finishes at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games in the 10,000 meters, he is
renowned for his incredible humanitarian efforts. He has donated winnings
to bring electricity to his village, organizes events to encourage running
in rural communities, and distributes running shoes to children throughout
Mexico.
Spitz is the father of the five-borough New York City Marathon, which began
in 1976. Spitz's idea for the five-borough marathon became a reality after
he presented the idea to the then Manhattan borough president, Percy
Sutton, and eventually persuaded NYRR president and marathon co-founder
Fred Lebow. He graduated with an economics and accounting degree from
Columbia University in 1949 after serving as a radio mechanic in the Air
Force during World War II. An avid runner, Spitz has completed more than
two dozen marathons.
Steinfeld is the former president and CEO of NYRR and former race director
of the New York City Marathon. An NYRR member since 1963, he joined the
NYRR staff in 1978, working for and leading the organization until 2005.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Steinfeld attended Hunter College, where he
became a star sprinter and learned to love the sport and benefits of
running. Upon graduating and earning his master's degree in electrical
engineering and radio astronomy from Cornell University, the 2009 Abebe
Bikila Award recipient took the sport of running to new levels, serving as
the meet director of the Goodwill Games, the New York Games, and the USATF
Indoor National Championships and as the chief referee of the 1984 men's
and women's Olympic marathons.
Switzer made history in 1967 by becoming the first woman to run the Boston
Marathon with an official bib number, despite efforts made by event
organizers to remove her from the course. Switzer moved to Virginia from
Germany at a young age, finding empowerment in running, which eventually
led to her famous Boston Marathon performance. The champion of both the
1974 New York City Marathon and the 1975 Boston Marathon became a crusader
for women's sports as the director of Avon Sports Programs-a series of
women's races that paved the way for the inaugural women's Olympic marathon
in 1984. She is a prominent journalist, author, and television commentator
and has received numerous awards for her accomplishments, including the
2003 Abebe Bikila Award, inaugural induction into the National Distance
Running Hall of Fame, the 2000 Fred Lebow Award, and 2011 induction into
the National Women's Hall of Fame.
The George Hirsch Journalism Award recognizes excellence in the reporting,
writing, and broadcasting of the sport of marathon and distance running.
Amdur is the award's fifth recipient since its establishment in 2010.
"Perhaps Neil Amdur's love affair with the sport of running began as a high
school quarter-miler at Plymouth High School in Pennsylvania. As a writer,
editor, and finally the sports editor of the New York Times, Neil has a
passion for track and field, and later for distance running, that did as
much as that of any other journalist to heighten the public's awareness of
the sport," said Hirsch. "His biography of Vince Matthews, the 1972 Olympic
champion at 400 meters, was one of the best-received sports books of its
time."
Amdur was a pioneer among sports journalists, especially among running and
track and field reporters. He covered Frank Shorter's Olympic marathon
victory in 1972, the first five-borough New York City Marathon in 1976, and
thrilling New York City Marathon victories by Alberto Salazar and Grete
Waitz. He also covered the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and
became the first journalist to write about being onboard a hijacked
commercial airplane. After serving as a CBS football and tennis producer,
he made it big as the editor-in-chief of World Tennis magazine from 1984 to
1990 and as the New York Times sports editor from 1990 to 2002. He scripted
and appeared in numerous films, authored many books, and continues to run
his multimedia company, Amdur Productions, which he incorporated in 1975.
About New York Road Runners and the TCS New York City Marathon
The TCS New York City Marathon is the most popular and inclusive marathon
in the world, attracting the world's top professional athletes and a vast
range of recreational runners. The race began in 1970 with just 127
entrants racing four laps of Central Park. Today, an estimated 50,000
runners from around the world tour New York City's five boroughs. Millions
of fans cheer the runners from the streets and watch the global television
broadcast. The race is part of the World Marathon Majors, an alliance of
the world's six most important marathons that each year determines the
world's top male and top female marathoner. Tata Consultancy Services
(TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions
organization, is the Premier Partner of NYRR and is in its inaugural year
as title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon. To learn more, visit
www.tcsnycmarathon.com.
The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road
Runners. Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local
running club to the world's premier community running organization, whose
mission is to help and inspire people through running, to Run for Life.
NYRR's commitment to New York City's five boroughs features races,
community events, youth initiatives, school programs, and training
resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from
children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to run
for life. More than 200,000 students are served locally and nationally
through NYRR's free youth running programs, events, and resources,
including more than 120,000 in New York City's five boroughs. To learn
more, visit www.nyrr.org.
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