Jack Stetch
by Amy Duquette
When I first called Jack Stetch for an interview, he jokingly asked, "Are you going to make me a star?" After
I learned that he has completed 137 marathons and around 1,200 to 1,500 races in his career as a runner I
thought, his star status doesn’t need any help from me.
I walked into Jack’s law office and found him clad in a 2005 NYC marathon tee shirt, navy blue wind pants
and, of course, running sneakers. He sat behind piles of paper, photos of his granddaughter and a half dozen
running trophies. These were only a select few among the multitude of trophies that line his windowsill and
bookshelves. The whole collection, I found out, couldn’t even fit in his office. Boxes on the floor held,
among many other running memorabilia, the very first PPTC singlet from the early 70’s. My first impression?
I’m in the presence of a true "runner".
Jack’s been an athlete all his life. He was offered a football scholarship to Yale and played on a minor
league baseball team. However, it was not until age 36 that he began running regularly. He felt that he was
getting "heavy" so he started running on a quarter mile track, with his two young daughters counting the
loops until he reached forty. Bob Muller, a pioneer in New York City’s running history as well as the PPTC,
invited him to join a small group of runners who trained evenings in Prospect Park. During this time though,
in 1970, the park was not the safest place to be. However, Jack remembers how the runners became a part of
the park’s culture and were soon accepted as such by the eclectic park community.
This small group of runners was very competitive with, and at the same time, supportive of, each other. In
1971, after only one year of running under his belt and with the group’s influence, Jack ran his first
marathon. He was among only 124 men and one woman who ran New York that year. He finished in 3:41, and yes,
he can recall each and every one of his race times. For Jack, this first marathon was, "...dreadful. We ran
four loops of Central Park, no one was there to watch and it hurt." It hurt, because training was different
back then, Jack had done a 20-mile run the week before the marathon. He would, however, continue to run the
next 35 consecutive NYC marathons and said that he never once contemplated giving up during any of his races.
This same group who competed and encouraged each other soon started the Prospect Park Track Club. The
original club was very restrictive. The male-only club solely allowed men who were serious about their
training and raced competitively. It grew quickly and with over 300 members in the early 70’s, the PPTC
was one of the largest track clubs in the city. In 1974, Jack took over the presidency of the club and
during his four years tenure he made the club accountable and more formal. He organized and maintained
books and records as the club continued to grow. He went on to be nominated for the presidency of the
NY Road Runners, but passed the nomination to close friend and training partner Fred LeBow. He eventually
left the presidency of the PPTC because he disliked the politics of it.
To this day, Jack continues to run competitively. Whenever he is not hurt, he is running. With his law
office conveniently located close to Prospect Park, Jack can be found in the park everyday between the
hours of 1 and 3 pm, and at age 71 is clocking in around 45-55 miles a week.
Besides New York, Jack has run Boston and Yonkers among other marathons. His favorite marathon was Baltimore
due to the way the runners were treated. "They had fine showers and fine food for us after we finished. There
was a sit down dinner the night before. They did the marathon right." Jack acknowledged that unfortunately,
this traditional attitude has changed, as has the flavor of marathon racing in general. Jack is not in favor
of the "event factor" of the races. He has known and experienced the tradition of marathon racing and believes
strongly in it.
Not only did Jack help establish the tradition of marathon running in New York, but he also began a tradition
in his own family. His daughters, who were his first support team, both became runners themselves. At around
age 9, both his daughters began running. "My daughters became so good, that I could actually train with them."
One daughter, Doria was the first place female finisher in the very competitive Mike Hannon 20-mile race that
took place in Central Park. His other daughter, Helene who ran a marathon at age 11, "...beat me in the Prospect
Park Summer Series one year when she was in junior high! I said to her, ‘You keep going’ when she passed me," he
said with a smile, "Running has taught my daughters that you do not quit."
Competition has driven Jack through the years, as did his fellow runners. "The nicest people I’ve ever met were
in sports. People in sports are genuine. Specifically in running, they are more caring than in any other sport."
Jack Stetch is respected and well known in this community. He has had an influence on the current NYC marathon
course as we know it today and New York City running in general. He has had a hand in conceiving and raising our
track club. Advice he’d give to newer runners? To train hard and respect the sport, and not to run a marathon
unless you are serious. By serious, he means training with a base of about 60 miles a week. He claims we’d enjoy
the marathon experience and be more comfortable that way. Jack has set a wonderful example for all runners, he has
respected the sport of running for over 35 years and provides us all something to aspire to.