Updated November 3, 2026
Original post in 2015
Jeff asked about posting this piece on Pat Peterson, as we are enjoying the 50th anniversary of the First Five Boroughs Race. Pat Peterson was a tough American marathoner when there were few and far between!
From first repost in 2020:
This is article 2 in The 50th NYC Marathon rewind. It is about Pat Peterson, a lone American among the top finishers in the NYC Marathon when Americans were few and far between. This piece was originally published on June 2, 2015. Larry Eder wrote the intro, and Jeff Benjamin, senior editor for all things East Coast for RunBlogRun and the Running Network, wrote the story.
We will be reposting pieces each day this week, NYC Marathon week, to honor the people who have made the Five Boroughs Marathon such a unique and wonderful event.
Pat Peterson running 30:15, photo courtesy @TCSNYCMarathon
Please enjoy chapter 2 of The 50th NYC Marathon Rewind, Pat Peterson, Top American Marathoner, RIP, by Jeff Benjamin, for RunBlogRun (Originally Published in 2015).
-
Senior Writer Jeff Benjamin has written for almost 40 years for RunBlogRun! The Former President of the Staten Island AC & was the 5th man scorer for his 1982 Susan Wagner High School NYC XC City Championship team. Also a member of the College of Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame for XC, Jeff is also a retired NYC DOE history teacher. Some of Jeff's subjects have included Sebastian Coe, Eamonn Coghlan, Matt Centrowitz, Billy Mills, Joe Newton, Tom Fleming, Bill Rodgers, Abel Kiviat, Frank Shorter, Rod Dixon and Carl Lewis as well as Book Reviews and articles covering track meets and races primarily in the Northeast U.S. and beyond.
Jeff has also covered Track & Field events at the 1996, 2016 & 2024 Olympic Games as well as the 2022 World T&F Championships in Eugene, Oregon. A noted T&F historian and chronicler of the athletic achievements of Jim Thorpe, Jeff helped with the restoration of Thorpe to the official IOC 1912 Record Books.
In 2023 Jeff was honored with the awarded the prestigious James Dunaway memorial award for excellence in Track and Field journalism by the Track and Field Writers Association.
View all posts
Contributor
