Corbitt: The Story of Ted Corbitt, Long Distance Runner

Thirty six years have elapsed since the original publication of "Corbitt". Ted Corbitt died in Houston, Texas on December 12, 2007 at the age of 88. Until the very end, he was still competing in marathons, and ultra-marathons! He finished well over two hundred of them. I say "well over" because as age crept up, he lost the enthusiasm to run them, so he raced-walked through his competitions, and often failed to write the results down. Yet, age-group records and new accolades kept coming. At the end of this book, immediately following the "Complete Marathon Record of Ted Corbitt to May l978,'' there is a brief addition of some of his major ultra-marathon races to the end of his life. There is also a listing of his athletic and professional awards. I wrote this book about Ted Corbitt as a tribute and a thank-you to a man who was much more than someone who was a great athlete and who brought me into the running game, and gave me a life-long passion for this sport. I wrote this book because Ted Corbitt was my mentor and spiritual father who, without directly advising me, led me to a productive life by following his example.

John Chodes is well qualified to write Ted Corbitt's biography. They were close friends and New York Pioneer Club teammates since l955. He has been Ted's handler and adviser in many marathons and ultra-marathons, including the Walton-on-Thames 24 hour run. Mr. Chodes has competed in several regional and national marathon championships and has finished 69th at Boston. Corbitt won the “Journalistic Excellence Award” from the Road Runners Club of America, and was called “One of the best sports books of the year” by the New York Times. As a result of Corbitt, Mr. Chodes was technical advisor to Dustin Hoffman in the Paramount Pictures film, “Marathon Man.” A biography of Olympic Decathlon gold medalist, Bruce Jenner, sold over 200,000 copies. Eight of Mr. Chodes' plays have been produced Off-Broadway. A biography of Civil War politician and cavalry officer, Jabez Curry, was called. “a work of universal significance, combining the elements of the play and biography.” Mr. Chodes has also published 30 other articles and monographs related to the Civil War and Reconstruction, as well as over 100 articles, TV editorial replies, chapters in 4 books on l9th century labor, education and economics. In addition, a critical book on America's involvement in Vietnam and World War II, was called a “considerable contribution to world thought,” by former Marine Corps Commandant, David Shoup.