Sheldon Karlin (1950 – 16 January 2000) was an American male marathon runner who won the New York City Marathon in 1972.
Biography Born in Newark, New Jersey, Karlin grew up in Kenilworth, New Jersey, and ran cross country at David Brearley High School."Pioneer Trackmen Win Fourth Straight Meet", The Chatham Press, May 4, 1967. Accessed march 11, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "The old mark (10:52.9) was set last year by Sheldon Karlin, who now attends Kenilworth Regional High." Karlin attended the University of Maryland and competed for the Maryland Terrapins cross country running team. He was promised a sports scholarship if he excelled on the team, but left the team when the scholarship was not forthcoming.
His career in the sport was brief and mostly confined to the early 1970s. Karlin placed fourth at the Washington's Birthday Marathon in February 1972,Sheldon Karlin. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2018-01-08. then had the biggest achievement of his running career later that year at the New York City Marathon.Eskenazi, Gerald (1972-10-02). In New York's Marathon, They Also Run Who Only Sit and Wait. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2018-01-08. He expressed surprise at his win in a time of 2:27:52, having failed to realize he was the race leader for a portion of the race.Coffey, Wayne (1997-11-02). "Muses Of Marathon Every Odyssey Has An Epic Oddity". New York Daily News. Retrieved on 2018-01-08. At age 22, he remained the competition's youngest male winner for many years, eventually being topped by a 20-year-old Eritrean, Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, in 2016.20-year-old Eritrean becomes youngest male winner of NYC Marathon. ABC7 Chicago (2016-11-16). Retrieved on 2018-01-08. He returned to win the Washington's Birthday Marathon in 1974 in 2:26:27, and also won the Hunter's Woods Elementary School 20-miler that year.
Following his retirement from the sport, he lived in Livingston, New Jersey, with his wife, Donna. The couple had three children in the 1980s.751. SHELDON KARLIN --- IN MEMORIAM. Central Park Track Club. Retrieved on 2018-01-08. He died of a heart condition at age 49 following poor health.Sheldon Karlin, 1950-2000. Joe Henderson (2000-01-17). Retrieved on 2018-01-08. The Washington Running Club, of which Karlin was a founder member, named its club competition trophy the Sheldon Karlin Cup in his honour.Club News, March 19, 2000. Washington Running Club (2000-03-19). Retrieved on 2018-01-08.
References
External links Sheldon Karlin at Association of Road Racing Statisticians