Former New York City Marathon Champion Rod Dixon to Run in the ING New York City Marathon 2008

Finish-line photo of famous duel with Geoff Smith is an iconic image of the race

New York, October 16, 2008—To celebrate the 25th anniversary of his historic win in the 1983 race, Rod Dixon of New Zealand will return to the streets of New York to run in the ING New York City Marathon 2008 on Sunday, November 2, with his daughter, Emma, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO and race director Mary Wittenberg.

“To win the New York City Marathon on October 23, 1983, was a defining moment in my competitive running life,” says Dixon. “It was a time to savor the years of running and training, and furthermore, it was my moment to celebrate and give thanks. Twenty-five years later, I will run with the memory of my friendship with and respect for Fred Lebow, who convinced me that ‘from the mile to the marathon’ would be my victory mantra.”

Dixon, 58, who lives near Los Angeles, will be running alongside Emma, 28, who has been training in Australia, in the 39th running of the five-borough classic.

In one of the most memorable comebacks in sports history, Dixon passed Geoff Smith of England in the final 400 meters of the 1983 New York City Marathon to finish in two hours, eight minutes, and fifty-nine seconds, just nine seconds ahead of Smith. The famous photo of an elated Dixon standing just past the finish line, arms held high in triumph, with the exhausted Smith sprawled across the line behind him, has become an iconic image of the race and one of the world’s most famous sports photos.

Regarded as one of the top middle-distance runners of his time, Dixon won the bronze medal in the 1500 meters at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and finished fourth in the 5000 meters four years later in Montreal. He also earned two bronze medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships (1973, 1982) and had great success on the U.S. road racing circuit including wins at the Falmouth Road Race (1980) and the Bay to Breakers 12K (1982, 1983).

Frank Litsky, sports columnist for the New York Times, recounts the unforgettable 1983 New York City Marathon:

The 1983 New York City Marathon had drama to spare—a  men’s leader who was running too fast, a chaser who kept his head, a tingling finish and post-race reactions that left no doubt who had won and who had not.

The main characters were Rod Dixon of New Zealand and Geoff Smith of England, old foes on the track. Coming off the Queensboro Bridge, Dixon trailed Smith by a half-mile and was nursing a sore hamstring. Dixon did not panic, trusting that Smith would come back to him.

With little more than a mile to go, Dixon was still 14 seconds back, but Smith was weary and stumbling. With a quarter-mile to go, Dixon caught up. Smith had nothing left, and Dixon beat him by 9 seconds in 2:08:59, a time only seven other men had ever bettered at the time.

The finish was unforgettable. Dixon raised his arms in triumph, dropped to his knees, kissed the pavement, got up, raised his arms again and then put his hands to his head. Smith tumbled across the finish line and fell on his back, totally spent. Race officials all but dragged him to the medical tent.

Dixon’s analysis: “I guess he was pushing himself to the point where he fell over.”

Smith’s analysis: “It was like running with a hangover.”

New York Road Runners

New York Road Runners is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2008. NYRR is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and responding to community needs. Our road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000 runners annually, and together with our magazine and website support and promote professional and recreational running. A staff of more than 100, assisted by thousands of volunteers, stages the ING New York City Marathon, as well as a road race nearly every weekend plus many track and cross country events. NYRR’s home base in New York, and its lifelong identification with Central Park, have given many of its events iconic status, attracting the world’s top professional runners. Our youth programs provide running to 50,000 schoolchildren in New York City and around the country who would otherwise have few or no fitness opportunities. For more information, visit www.nyrr.org.

The ING New York City Marathon

The premier event of New York Road Runners, the ING New York City Marathon is one of the world’s great road races, drawing more than 105,000 applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $600,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and more than 300 million worldwide television viewers. As any one of some 750,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, visit www.ingnycmarathon.org.

World Marathon Majors

The ING New York City Marathon is one of five events in the World Marathon Majors series that showcases the sport’s top athletes and awards an unprecedented $1 million champion’s prize. The WMM series also includes the Boston Marathon, the Flora London Marathon, the BMW Berlin Marathon, and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. For more information, visit www.worldmarathonmajors.com.