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Allan H. Steinfeld Bowers, PA QCWA # 23351 |
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NYC Marathon Legend Allan Steinfeld, Former Westchester Teacher, Dies at 70
Lewisboro Daily Voice:
Allan H. Steinfeld, 70, known for modernizing the technical operations of the New York City Marathon and as a beloved math and physics teacher in Rye Neck who volunteered with Road Runners, died Tuesday, Jan. 24.
The cause was multiple system atrophy, a neurological disease, according to his brother Jay Cody
Steinfeld, along with Fred Lebow, an impulsive entrepreneur in Manhattan's garment district, began in 1970 to grow the race from a field of 127 runners to one withtens of thousands..
"Fred would throw out all kinds of crazy ideas, and I would reel them in," Steinfeld was quoted saying in the book "The New York City Marathon: 25 Years," by Peter Gambaccini. "That's what we, as a team, were all about."
By the time he was named the marathon's technical director in 1981, Steinfeld hadimproved the management of the start and finish lines, as well as how to record results and came up with the system to register runners online. Much of the improvements were done along with his wife, Alice Schneider, who oversaw information technology for Road Runners. Ms. Schneider passed away last year of cancer.
Steinfeld was born in Manhattan on June 7, 1946, to Sam Steinfeld and the former Faye Litsky and homemaker.
He graduated from City College with a degree in electrical engineering and received a Master's Degree in radio astronomy from Cornell University. While he was working on a doctorate at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Steinfeld was blinded in theleft eye by the antenna wire of a radio tower.
In 1978, he took a pay cut to become Lebow's personal assistant. In 1993, after more than 12 years as technical director, Steinfeld was named the organization's president when Lebow was being treated for brain cancer.
A year later, following Lebow's death, Steinfeld was named thechief executive of the marathon.
In addition to his brother, Steinfeld is survived by his other brother, Abba Steinfeld.
As a young man, Steinfeld was a sprinterbut never competed in the race that he helped create.
www.arrl.org:
Former New York City Marathon Race Director Allan Steinfeld, W2TN, of Bowers, Pennsylvania - considered a founding father of the modern running movement - died on January 24. He was 70.
"Allan was one of the great pioneers in road race administration, developing many of the protocols required for a successful big-time event," said Dave Katz, the technical director for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), USA Track & Field, and many marathons, in a Runner's World obituary.
Amateur Radio has had a significant role in supporting New York City Marathon communications since the 1970s, when Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML (then WA2DHF, now SK), later ARRL First Vice President, began organizing a cadre of ham radio volunteers.
An ARRL member, Steinfeld was licensed in 1959. He had held the call signs WA2IUQ and KL7HIR over the years, and chose W2TN after upgrading to Amateur Extra.
Steinfeld got to know legendary New York City Marathon Director Fred Lebow in the early years of the event, joining the New York Road Runners Club, as it was then known, serving as race timekeeper, eventually becoming Lebow's assistant, and, in 1994, its president and CEO. He stepped down in 2005 for health reasons.
As his obituary in Runner's World explained, "Timing, scoring, start and finish-line systems, radio communications, computer technology, crowd control, elite pack management: In all those Steinfeld proved to be an innovative technical genius. If Lebow was the visionary Columbus of the modern city marathon, it was Steinfeld who designed and built the ship, navigated and steered it, repaired and technically updated it, even as it crossed unknown seas."
Allen Steinfield, the technical brain behind the NYC Marathon died Tuesday, Jan 24.
Courtesy of 'Road Runner'.