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The only Irishman to win the New York City Marathon.
Tom McCarthy was born on the 3rd of May 1936 in Glounlea, Currow Co. Kerry. He attended Scartaglen National school as a child and later the Christian Brothers secondary school in Tralee.
In 1953 while serving his apprenticeship as a carpenter he became acquainted with the legendary Jack Crowley of Farranfore Athletic Club. Jack saw that Tom had raw talent and a hard working attitude and encouraged him to run at a local sports meeting.
That day he finished 2nd to the famous Tom O’Riordan of Ardfert. He was so stiff over the next few days that he could barely walk – Tom knew there and then that he would have to do a bit of training if he was to win any medals!!
He began competing in many local sports throughout the county with Jack as his coach and Taxi driver.
At each event Tom gained valuable experience and made many lifelong friends. In 1957 he moved to England to seek work and continued training as best he could. Later that year he caused quite a stir as he came from behind to win the London Youths under 21 cross country title at Parliament Hill.
In 1959 Tom moved to Canada and showed his talent by finishing second in their national championships and winning other major races.
In 1962 Tom immigrated to America and settled in New York where he started to make a name for himself as a top road racer. He picked up a silver medal in the American National Cross Country Championships with the New York Athletic Club. He won a major 20km road race that year in 1hr 13min and clocked a mile victory in 4mins 33 sec.
In 1963 he won the Metropolitan 18mile road championships in a new course record of 1hr 41min. That same year he was asked to represent the USA in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics but declined the offer choosing to stay loyal to his friends in the NACA in Ireland.
In 1964 Tom won the prestigious Road Runners Club 20mile event in 1hr 50min and picked up silver in the A.A.U. National 25km road race. He also came 4th in his first Cherry Tree Marathon attempt gaining valuable experience on the streets of the Bronx. Tom was also the New York 30km Champion 1963, 1964 and 1965.
In 1965 he registered his most famous victory when he completely outclassed a star-studded field to win the New York Cherry Tree Marathon by over 5mins in a time of 2hrs 29mins 33sec.
This time placed Tom among the top 10 European Marathoners that year. A month after his New York victory Tom finished 22nd in the Boston Marathon and a month after that he finished 2nd in the Canadian National Championship Marathon in a time of 2hrs 36min. That same year he also won the Caesar Rodney half Marathon in Delaware.
Tom returned to Ireland in1966 and continued his success adding a string of county and Munster titles to his already bursting trophy cabinet.
In the 1970s Tom was strongly involved in the community games at local level and was instrumental in the early career of one John Linehan who would later became a world Champion Hill runner.
In 2005 Tom returned to New York on the 40th anniversary of his famous victory. With over 30,000 runners and 2 million spectators the event has changed somewhat since the 1960s. None the less the current sponsors ING gave Tom the VIP treatment, which made the trip more memorable. During the race Tom was interviewed on the US national TV network showing that he is still capable of making the headlines!
Toms 1965 winning time of 2hrs 29mins 33sec would still have placed him in the top 50 finishers in 2005. This is a remarkable achievement given the massive scientific and technological advances in Athletics over the past 40 years.
Although no longer competing Tom still maintains a strong interest in all things athletics. Every St Stephens day Tom can be found in Farranfore as the official starter of the Clubs very popular annual 5km road race. A race which he won himself in 1962 the very first year it was held.
Tom still attends local race meetings to cheer on his grandson Conor, who has shown similar natural abilitiy and is steadily making a name for himself in the underage ranks with multiple County, Munster and National medals to his name.
Like his Grandfather Conor proudly runs with the Farranfore Maine Valley Athletic Club in honour of Toms great Athletic legacy.
Click on the images below for more information on Glanageenty Walks and the History surrounding this area of Ireland.