Run for Your Life
World Premiere

Run for Your Life

Discovery
| USA | 90 MINUTES | English
Sports, Documentary

Back in the '60s, the New York Road Runners Club was just a small group of men who ran on the streets of the Bronx. It took one eccentric first-generation Jewish immigrant from Transylvania to turn the NYRR into the largest organization of its kind in the world. Fred Lebow (the erstwhile Fischl Lebowitz) brought the runners to Central Park, where the first New York City Marathon was held in 1970. By the next year New York had two-thirds more runners than the Boston Marathon. But that was just the start for Lebow. Before "event marketing," when corporate sponsorship was in its infancy, Lebow was cutting deals, getting Playboy bunnies to race in the first women's mini-marathon, and helping to feed the growing popularity of running as a social activity. But it was the 26-mile, five-borough marathon, first held in 1976 during the city's financial crisis, that cemented Lebow's legacy. With a flair for showmanship, Lebow leveraged every opportunity, even the 1980 transit strike, to promote the benefits of running. He also faced scandals, including the Rosie Ruiz incident and revelations that he had paid athletes under the table. With New York City Marathon winners Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, and Grete Waitz on hand, as well as many of Lebow's former colleagues, filmmaker Judd Ehrlich (the Emmy-nominated Mayor of the West Side) takes an affectionate look at a New York hero who inspired runners worldwide to go the distance. Fred Lebow's story is the story of the New York Marathon, a scrappy race around Central Park that evolved into a five-borough event that attracts thousands of runners from around the world.


Cast & Credits
Directed by
Judd Ehrlich

Judd Ehrlich (b. 1971, New York City) produced and directed Mayor of the West Side, the Emmy-nominated coming-of-age story about a teenager with multiple disabilities. He collaborated on the editing of Ric Burns' epic PBS series New York and Macky Alston's Sundance award-winner Family Name. He also worked for the acclaimed PBS documentary series POV and edited for CBS News. Ehrlich created and curated multiple film series around New York City, hosting notables such as Darren Aronofsky, Steve Buscemi, Tony Kushner, Cyndi Lauper, and Willem Dafoe. He teaches documentary filmmaking in high schools and colleges and is a graduate of Vassar College. Ehrlich lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.

Principal Cast
Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Grete Waitz, Ed Koch, Percy Sutton, Ted Corbitt
Visual Effects
Nicholas Vranizan
Director of Photography
Ryo Murakami
Editor
Alison Shurman
Producer
Judd Ehrlich
Co-Producer
Samuel Bathrick
Consulting Producer
Moshe Katz
* Rush Tickets available at venue except for
Beacon Theatre
Rush will be offered when advanced tickets for a screening or event are no longer available at venues other than Beacon Theatre.
The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.

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