Dick Traum wurde am 18 November 1940 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA geboren. Er war mit Elizabeth verheiratet. Er starb am 23 Januar 2024 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
In 1976 Traum became the first man with a prosthetic leg to complete the New York City Marathon. An article on Traum's feat in the magazine Runner's World inspired fellow runner and amputee Terry Fox to make his historic Marathon of Hope across Canada in order to raise money and awareness for cancer research.