Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Alberto Arroyo, a Central Park runner who has been getting his exercise in at the park since 1937, passed away on Thursday at 94.  Arroyo was a familiar face to many Central Park runners, as he diligently ran (and later walked) the Central Park Reservoir every day, giving encouraging words and waves to other runners along the way.  The New York Times’ obituary of Arroyo describes his love for the Central Park run, as well as the lasting impression he made on countless other runners.  Arroyo, originally from Puerto Rico, began running Central Park on the bridle path in 1937.  Police asked him to stop, saying he was bothering the horses, so he moved to the reservoir.  He would run the reservoir during his lunch hour from his job at Bethlehem Steel in Battery Park, becoming a reliable sight at the Reservoir.  Arroyo ran the first New York City marathon, told the parks department when something needed fixing, and raised $100,000 from passing runners for Achilles International, which helps disabled runners, all while enjoying his daily run.  On his run, Arroyo joined movie stars, office workers, tycoons, homeless people and even Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who six days before she died in 1994 came by to thank him for a get-well card.  After Arroyo could not run, he switched to walking, then walking with a cane, a walker, and eventually a wheelchair, when volunteers would take him to the reservoir.  He was dubbed by many “The Mayor of Central Park,” with former Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin called him “one of the founders of the modern fitness movement.” Read more about Arroyo’s fascinating life that touched so many in the Times‘ obituary, a 2005 Times profile, or see a 2002 video profile on Gothamist.

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Tags: Alberto Arroyo, Central Park Reservoir, Mayor of Central Park, Obituary, Runner