Remembering Pat Petersen, Top American Marathoner, by Jeff Benjamin (RBR Archives 2015)

[Jeff Benjamin]

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.

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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).