# @nyrr on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C-Yc4dSsjn7
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/22159327-nyrr-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/0c1539f235.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-08-07T20:26:06.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** New York Road Runners (@nyrr) — https://gondola.cc/nyrr

## Caption

We’re a few days out from the Percy Sutton #Harlem5K Run and Walk, and all week long, we’re celebrating the race’s namesake, Percy Sutton, a towering figure in NYC culture, politics, and business who helped transform the New York City Marathon into a five-borough event. And that’s just one of his many, many accomplishments.
 
A legendary Black leader, Sutton stands as NYC’s longest-serving Manhattan borough president. He held that office from 1966 to 1977, during which time he vigorously promoted Harlem’s economic development. In 1974 he co-founded Harlem Day, which grew into HarlemWeek, one of the northeast’s largest cultural celebrations. This year, Harlem Week marks its 50th anniversary with festivities running through August 18.
 
Sutton attended the New York City Marathon in 1975 and saw the potential for the race—still held solely in Central Park—to become a cultural and economic driver for the city, which was then facing a budget crisis. He played a crucial role in taking the marathon to the streets of all five boroughs the following year and remained a supporter of the New York City Marathon, the running community, and NYRR all his life. 
 
Thank you, #PercySutton, for everything you accomplished during your incredible life. To learn more about Percy Sutton, click the link in bio.

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Image description: Percy Sutton and NYRR board member George Hirsch at an award ceremony at a New York Road Runners race in the 1970s.

## Stats

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## Tags

percysutton, harlem5k

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