The 25th edition of the NYC Marathon had it all: more pre-race publicity, a wedding before the start, a male winner who took a wrong turn into Central Park but managed to snatch victory anyway in the closest finish ever; and a female winner who, in her debut at the distance, became the first African woman to win a major marathon. Fred Lebow, the former NYC Marathon race director and NYRRC chairman who had died from brain cancer exactly four weeks prior to the race, would have loved it.

Perhaps the most romantic of New York City Marathons, the '93 race featured a wedding at mile eight. The bride and groom tied the knot before completing the course in a respectable 3:42.

In a nonsensical twist of nature, the latest calendar date in the history of the race was marked by record high temperatures. None survived the heat better than Mexico's Andres Espinosa, who, after consecutive second-place finishes in 1991 and 1992, refused to concede the title. Months before the race, Espinosa had replaced the Volkswagen symbol on his Jetta with a Mercedes-Benz ornament, representing the spoils of a New York victory. Then he went to a forest near Mexico City to train at altitude--9,000 feet to be exact. It worked.

Bob Kempainen of Minnesota and Keith Brantly of Florida finished in second and fifth places respectively, ending the American drought in the top 10. And Uta Pippig, of Germany, captured the women's title with a personal best, paving the way to Boston where she was to take home both the 1994 and 1995 titles.

Lisa Ondieki of Australia smashed the women's course record with a brilliant 2:24:40, finishing 40th overall, the highest place by a woman since 1971.

Fred Lebow celebrated his 60th birthday by running--not merely race directing--his first NYC Marathon since the 1970 inaugural event. Nine-time champ Grete Waitz escorted Lebow the entire 5:32:34. Liberated by the lifting of international sanctions that had previously banned South African athletes from competing outside their homeland, Willie Mtolo made his second "foreign" appearance and won the men's race in 2:09:29, overtaking Mexico's Andres Espinosa in the Central Park homestretch.

Lois Schieffelin, 80, was the year's oldest finisher, landing her a spot on the David Letterman show.

The 1991 Marathon added proof of Mexico's growing dominance in the sport: Salvador Garcia won with a personal best; Andres Espinosa placed second and Isidro Rico took fifth.

Liz McColgan clocked the fastest debut marathon by three minutes en route to her NYC victory. Anticipating a reduction in foreign entries due to the Persian Gulf War, marathon officials had permitted 1,500 wait-listed Americans to start in Staten Island, but the international athletes arrived in full force. At a mid-afternoon peak, more than 300 runners per minute entered the marathon chutes.

In the closest women's race ever, Poland's Wanda Panfil held off the approaching Kim Jones and won by five seconds.

Douglas Wakiihuri, of Kenya, who had won the London Marathon in April, took the men's crown easily, battling only the heat in the final miles. John Campbell of New Zealand set the men's Masters record with a 2:14:34.

The 1990 race was dedicated to Fred Lebow, who was battling brain cancer. A "Stop Cancer" fund-raising campaign was born under the slogan "Fred, This Run's For You."

Juma Ikangaa, who had finished a heartbreaking second in Boston three times in a row, took a commanding lead at mile 15 and went on to win in 2:08:01, breaking the course record by eight seconds.

A 50-degree windless day set the scene for many personal bests and allowed for a 97.3 percent participant completion rate. Ingrid Kristiansen, the world record holder, finished one second off the women's course record, and Americans Ken Martin and Kim Jones both took second. Martin recorded the first sub-2:10 marathon by an American since 1983. Even ABC-TV proved victorious, winning four National Sports Emmy Awards on this ideal day.

Both the upper and lower spans of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge were used at the start of the 1988 race, allowing for the field's expansion to 23,463 runners.

Britain's Steve Jones conquered the men's field with his 2:08:20 time, the fastest in seven years. His 3:21 winning margin was the largest in NYC Marathon history. Waitz returned after an injury-plagued 1987 to capture her ninth, and last, New York City victory, over Laura Fogli, who herself placed in the top four eight times in the 1980s. Joan Benoit Samuelson, 1984 Olympic marathon champion, finished third in 2:32:40.

Suspecting that some athletes accepted appearance fees while in no shape to contend for victory, Fred Lebow elected to pay appearance fees only to previous winners and Olympic gold medalists.

Local star Pat Petersen of Long Island set the tone for the 1987 men's race, clocking a blazing 29:37 for the opening 10K and 1:03:16 at the halfway point. He was joined by Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya at mile 14, who then led for the last 12 miles of the race. Petersen was passed at the 26-mile mark, but held on for fourth-place in 2:12:03.

A pack-a-day smoker while in her 30s, 42-year-old Priscilla Welch took the women's title in 1987, while setting a Masters record that still stands today.

The year of controversy: In addition to the Italian blood-doping accusations, the 2nd-place finisher was disqualified for using anabolic steroids; and the Masters crown winner was disqualified for cheating.

The race was moved back a week to the first Sunday in November. The field of 20,502 runners--an increase of nearly 4,000 from 1985--showcased athletes from 80 countries. None shared such singular success as Italy, which placed four men and three women in the top 10 (although rumors of blood doping tainted the triumph). Gianni Poli was the surprise men's winner, and Grete Waitz, Lisa Martin and Laura Fogli duplicated the 1985 win-place-show.

For the second consecutive year, fewer than 100 runners dropped out of the race.

The 100,000th finisher in the race's history crossed the finish line this year.

Pizzolato proved that his 1984 New York City marathon was no fluke with a repeat victory and an intelligently run race, moving up from 20th place at the halfway mark two minutes behind the leaders to steal the lead at mile 24. Waitz won an amazing seventh marathon in 2:28:34, remaining the undisputed queen of the sport.

The oppresive weather this year prompted organizers to push the event back to November in subsequent years.

For the first time, prize money was awarded openly to both the male and female winners, and both received Mercedes-Benz sedans worth $25,000.

Pizzolato's was the slowest victory in any five-borough marathon, with David Murphy of Great Britain 43 seconds behind, both wilting in the unseasonable heat (79 degrees and over 90 percent humidity). In Italy, the news of Pizzolato's win ranked only behind stories on the pope and on Ronald Reagan's election.

All women finishers were given a rose--a courteous custom that continues today, borrowed from the Berlin marathon.

Rod Dixon, a 1,500-meter Olympic bronze medalist, spent the latter miles of the 1983 race repeating the mantra, "A miler's kick does the trick" to persuade himself to push harder behind rival Geoff Smith, an accomplished marathoner. At the time, Dixon was unaware--blissfully, it would seem--of Smith's own status as a sub-four-minute miler. At the 26-mile mark, Dixon passed Smith and then kissed the finish line in ecstasy.

In a less tense competition, Waitz's fifth NYC victory was a relative cinch, her 2:27 finish nearly five minutes ahead of her closest contender.

The ABC telecast was viewed by 22 million people, the highest-rated sportscast of the day.

Alberto Salazar received the closest challenge of his NYC Marathon appearances, running closely attended the whole distance. Not until they entered Central Park was Salazar able to open a gap over Rodolfo Gomez, winning by a mere four seconds. At the awards ceremony that evening, Gomez spoke in Spanish, at length and with passion. The only available translator was Salazar's Cuban-born father, Jose, who simply informed the audience, "Rodolfo says he loves New York, and he loves Alberto."

For Waitz, the race was a welcome return after injury forced her out of the 1981 contest.

The marathon went "prime time" as ABC Sports telecast the race nationally for the first time.

Double world-record performances did not disappoint viewers as Alberto Salazar smashed the 12-year-old record by 21 seconds, running a 4:33 17th mile. And Allison Roe gave New York its fourth world record in four years. ABC officials who broadcast the event said it was their biggest undertaking outside of the World Series and the Olympic Games.

Already recognized as one of those rare events capable of accommodating both the eccentrics and the shameless exhibitionists, the 1980 race hosted both a backwards runner and a marathoner shod in wooden shoes.

Alberto Salazar realized his bold prediction to run under 2:10, recording both the fastest debut marathon in history and a NYC Marathon course record. Waitz captured her third straight NYC Marathon victory and set a world record, while second-place finisher, Patti Catalano, was the first American woman to break 2:30 (2:29:34).

Following the fraudulent finishes at both the Boston and New York City Marathons by Rosie Ruiz, a system of checking runners via videotape at the start, along the course and at the finish was instituted.

The race was carried on live television for the first time, but coverage ended after two hours and 27 minutes, allowing only a partial view of Grete Waitz's world-record finish behind the closing credits.

Bill Rodgers won his fourth consecutive title, passing second-place finisher Kirk Pfeffer--who had led since mile seven--at mile 23. Waitz, who still defined herself as a "track runner," easily broke the women's 2:30 mark, finishing a full 11 minutes ahead of the second woman.

For the first time, all 50 states and Washington, D.C., were represented, as well as 56 foreign countries. In its fourth year as a five-borough affair, the NYC Marathon awarded prize money based on performance rather than paying hefty appearance fees. Still in the era of privacy, however, financial arrangements went unpublished and remained generally unknown to the public.

In her first marathon, Grete Waitz broke the women's world record by more than two minutes, but vowed never to re-run the marathon distance.

This, however, marked the beginning of her marathon reign, and confirmed Bill Rodgers' dominance at the distance. Rodgers fought off another strong field and 80-degree temperatures to become the first "three-peat" winner, while Waitz took the lead at mile 18 and finished more than nine minutes ahead of runner-up Martha Cooksey. Multiple start and finish lines were used for the first time, and bar codes were added to bib numbers.

Carpeting was added to the Queensboro Bridge after elite runner Chris Stewart completed the 1976 race with painfully bloodied feet.

This year was a repeat performance, with Bill Rodgers and Miki Gorman back for more. They were joined by 4,821 other runners, already making New York City the largest marathon in the world. The course made its way deeper into the boroughs, First Avenue in Manhattan was added and the flight of stairs was omitted. The increasingly prestigious field included 36 world-class athletes with marathon times under 2:20, and 250 women athletes.

During the marathon, Bill Rodgers' car was towed. (The NYRRC forked out $90 to retrieve it.)

The race jumped from a Central Park circuit to a city-wide splash, covering five boroughs, five bridges, and even a flight of stairs in between. New sponsors--the Rudin Family, Manufacturers Hanover, and Running Times Magazine--contributed to the increased costs, while Lebow, his staff and race volunteers confronted the inherent logistical problems of staging such a show.

Bill Rodgers' superlative finish--a NYC Marathon record and the fastest marathon time of 1976--made up for the race committee's car-towing favor. Female champ Miki Gorman added to the drama with a course and race record of her own.

Keeping track of laps for 534 runners on a four-loop course proved to be a problem, soon necessitating a change in the course.

Both Tom Fleming and Kim Merritt set new course records, a fitting tribute before retiring the Central Park course the next year. Fleming--despite not having run a step since his wedding eight days prior--finished a comfortable 5:53 in front of second-place finisher, William Bragg. Merritt traveled to Manhattan from Parkside, Wisconsin, to win what was designated the 1975 AAU Championship race. The race was "sponsored" by individual donations from 160 people.

Unenviably high temperatures and 93 percent humidity caused a 40 percent dropout among racers. (These days, more than 95 percent of entrants complete the race.)

Among those affected by the extreme weather conditions was rising star Bill Rodgers, who took an early lead before falling back to fifth place. The race was won by physician Norb Sander, who made the short commute to Central Park from his 84th Street office. Katherine Switzer took the women's crown at the race, which also served as the Metropolitan AAU Women's Championship. Electronic timing equipment was used for the first time, and the runners were interviewed on local television.

The 1973 race was the first year the race include medical help, T-shirts and a starting banner.

Nina Kuscsik enjoyed the first repeat victory of the NYC Marathon. Tom Fleming's victory windfall was lavish by 1973 road race standards; he won a round-the-world ticket worth $1,200 from Olympic Airways, one of the race sponsors. The youngest runner in the '73 race, then a youthful 12, is 34 years old now. Today, a minimum age of 18 is required for participants.

With her victory, Nina Kuscsik became the first woman to win both the Boston and New York City marathons in the same year.

Six women, led by champion Kuscsik, staged a sit-down strike to protest the AAU rule that required their race to begin 10 minutes before the men's. The women raced with the men and the AAU added 10 minutes to their times. The marathon's growing notoriety meant broader newspaper coverage, and student Sheldon Karlin returned to his University of Maryland dorm a celebrity, his victory made famous by the Washington Post and Washington Star.

The 1971 race has the youngest female winner--Beth Bonner, 19--and the oldest male winner--Norman Higgins, 34.

Bonner and Nina Kuscsik (2:56:04) became the first two women in the world to officially break the three-hour barrier. Norm Higgins, the male winner, had traveled down from Eastern Connecticut to run a 5,000-meter cross-country race in the Bronx, but took a detour when he heard of the marathon--an unfortunate decision for Chuck Ceronsky, who finished in second place 10:27 behind Higgins (earning Higgins the largest margin of victory to date).

The budget for the 1970 New York City Marathon was $1,000 and the entry fee was $1.

Fred Lebow and Vince Chiappetta served as co-directors of the first (and very modest) New York City Marathon, held entirely in Central Park. Out of his own pocket, Lebow purchased a few inexpensive wrist watches for the winners, who also received recycled trophies (bowling, incidentally).

With temperatures hovering in the 80s, only 55 of the 127 starters completed the grueling course, which forced the runners to negotiate the rollercoaster hills of north Central Park four times. A mere 100 spectators gathered at the ground-breaking marathon's finish line. There were bottles of soda waiting for the runners but, in the era before pop-tops, no bottle openers.