They ran the 1st New York City Marathon. Only one returns for the 50th

In 1970, on a hot September morning, 127 running enthusiasts safety-pinned paper numbers to their shirts and took off on the inaugural running of the New York City Marathon. The course featured four loops of Central Park, a single water stop, and cost $1 to enter. Only 55 finished, all men.

This year, only one of the original finishers will be competing in the marathon's 50th running. It will be his first glimpse of the race that now winds through all five boroughs of New York City.

"This is one of my first endeavors as a retired person," says Larry Trachtenberg, 67, a former special ed teacher originally from Queens, N.Y., who has been training three times a week at home on the west coast.

Trachtenberg says he's surprised that he is the lone athlete to run the first and the 50th version of the race.

There should have been another: Jim Isenberg

Isenberg, now 70, would love nothing more than to lace up his shoes