WITH MARATHON TIES

sites as they wind their way through the Manhattan neighborhood Sutton treasured.

This year’s Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run and Walk — for men, women and children — will be be held August 26, starting at 8:30 a.m. The event also has link to Sutton’s efforts to establish a citywide marathon: the Harlem event is one of the races runners can participate in to qualify for the world-famous New York City Marathon.

Registration for the Percy Sutton race/walk will close at 11:59 p.m. on August 25, and the race roster is now near capacity. Visit the New York Road Runner website and its NYRR Race Calendar for details about the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run and Walk. Attention, runners and walkers: Use the hashtag #PercySutton5k when mentioning the event in public tweets, Instagrams, and Facebook and other social media posts.

Sutton was Manhattan borough president — the city's highest-ranking African-American elected official — in 1975 when George Spitz, a persistent civic activist and aspiring politician, broached the idea of a five-borough marathon. In contrast to the existing race route that lapped Manhattan's Central Park for 26.2 miles, Spitz's concept – which he spoke to the New York Road Runners officials about – would create a race that wound through all five boroughs of New York City.

Spitz’s next stop was Sutton’s office. Excited about the fiveborough concept, which would debut in 1976 during America’s bicentennial celebration, Sutton took the idea to Mayor Abe Beame, who was running the then cash-strapped city. When Beame and the city could not come up with the $20,000 to get the race expansion project started, Sutton stepped up — convincing prominent New York real estate developers Jack and Lewis Rudin to put up $25,000 to create what has become a famous, must-do, worldclass marathon.

The Percy Sutton race and walk through historic Harlem – begun as part of a Harlem Week health initiative – has also grown considerably, says Lloyd Williams,president and CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, which organizes Harlem Week.

“One hundred and sixty-five people did the first run, and we were so happy about that – and last year, we had 7,00 people,” Williams said proudly.

The New York Road Runners description of the Harlem race/walk route says: “This fast 5K course runs alongside Jackie Robinson Park and circles St. Nicholas Park, both historic and beautiful enclaves in the heart of Harlem. Although there is significant climbing in the first mile, most of the rest of the race is flat and downhill.”

For information about Harlem Week events, visit harlemweek.com. And get more information about the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce by visiting greaterharlemchamber.com.