Thomas J. Fleming (July 23, 1951 – April 19, 2017) was an American

distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

who won the 1973 and 1975

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor (commercial), sponsor) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest mar ...

. He was also a two time runner-up in the Boston Marathon in 1973 and 1974 and finished six times in the top ten in the BAA marathon. Fleming was the winner of the Cleveland, Toronto, Los Angeles, Jersey Shore (3 times) and Washington DC marathons in the 1970s. He set a personal best of 2:12:05 in the Boston Marathon 1975, and was renowned for running 110 to 150 miles per week to train for road racing. He was awarded the United Nations Peace Medal in 1977. He was quoted as saying "Somewhere, someone in the world is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win."

Running career

Fleming was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. He grew up in

Bloomfield, New Jersey Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District. History The initial patent for the land that w ...

and began his life-long interest in running as a student at Bloomfield High School. A longtime resident of Bloomfield, he was the coach and founder of the three-time USA National Cross Country Champions Nike Running Room in Bloomfield (1990, 1991, 1992). For 12 years, Fleming was the meet director for the Sunset Classic 5 mile road race in his hometown of Bloomfield. This race raises money for special needs children in the

Bloomfield Public Schools The Bloomfield Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Bloomfield, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2021–22 school year, ...

. The race was renamed in his memory in 2017 as the Tom Fleming Sunset Classic. Fleming was a teacher and head coach of the varsity cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field teams at the

Montclair Kimberley Academy Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA) is a co-educational private school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade located in Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. One of New Jersey's largest independent day schools, ...

. On April 19, 2017 Fleming died from a heart attack while coaching a track meet. He was 65. In May 2013, Fleming was inducted into the American RRCA Distance Running Hall of Fame, and in July 2014, into the

National Distance Running Hall of Fame The National Distance Running Hall of Fame was established on July 11, 1998, to honor those who have contributed to the sport of distance running. Many of those who are inducted have achieved great success as runners, but some members are enshrined ...

in Utica, New York. In November 2017, Fleming was one of five people inducted by the

New York Road Runners New York Road Runners (NYRR) is a non-profit running organization based in New York City whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. It was founded in 1958 by Ted Corbitt with 47 members and has since grown to a membership of more ...

into its Hall of Fame.Jongsma, Joshua
"New Jersey native Tom Fleming inducted into NY Road Runners Hall of Fame"
''

The Record (Bergen County) ''The Record'' (also called ''The North Jersey Record'', ''The Bergen Record'', ''The Sunday Record'' (Sunday edition) and formerly ''The Bergen Evening Record'') is a newspaper in New Jersey, United States. Serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson and ...

'', November 2, 2017. Accessed November 3, 2017. "Days before his favorite marathon, longtime Montclair Kimberley Academy coach Tom Fleming joined a prestigious group of running icons. The Bloomfield and Glen Ridge native, a two-time New York Marathon champion, was posthumously inducted into the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame during a ceremony Thursday at the TCS New York City Marathon Pavilion in Central Park.... Fleming, born in Long Branch and raised in Bloomfield, attended Bloomfield High School, where he began competitive running."

Achievements

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Tom 1951 births 2017 deaths American male long-distance runners New York City Marathon male winners Track and field athletes from New Jersey Bloomfield High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Bloomfield, New Jersey Sportspeople from Long Branch, New Jersey Sportspeople from Essex County, New Jersey