Spike Lee Gives Fort Greene Shout-Out When Named Grand Marshal Of This Year’s NYC Marathon

Upon being told he’d been named grand marshal of this year’s New York City Marathon — scheduled for November 1 — filmmaker and native Fort Greene resident Spike Lee told the New York Daily News that he remembers “always watch[ing] from the corner of South Elliott Place and Lafayette Avenue, as they make that turn up Fourth Avenue. It’s two blocks from my house.”

However, Lee, 58, noted that he’s not sure he’ll be able to join in the athletic competition as ““the most I’ve run is like, four miles, and that wasn’t recent either. That was on a treadmill with my trainer at Equinox, long ago. . . I would maybe do it one day, but it better be soon. The older you get, the body doesn’t keep up.”

Lee is reportedly the first New Yorker to be named grand marshal of the 45th annual 26.1 mile marathon.

“When we looked at having a Grand Marshal for this year’s TCS New York City Marathon, we envisioned someone the world would immediately recognize as a sports enthusiast and quintessential New Yorker, and Spike was the perfect fit,” said Michael Capiraso, president of New York Road Runners.