Run his Course

Or

Mara-Gone

Johnny Kelley, a Boston institution who ruined 61 perfectly lovely April mornings in New England and ran more miles after the age of 80 than I plan on completing in my entire life, died last week at the age of 97. Kelley started in 61 Boston Marathons, completing 58, both records, winning twice, in 1935 and 1945, making him the last man to win who wasn’t born in Kenya. He finished in the top 10 a total of 18 times, including a record 7 second-place finishes. A former Olympian and member of the USA Track & Field, National Distance Running and Road Runners Club of America halls of fame, Kelley was declared the Runner of the Century by Runner’s World magazine. Among the highlights of Kelley’s runs to glory was the coining of the term "Heartbreak Hill" when he thought race leader Ellison "Tarzan" Brown had exhausted himself by the last of the four Newton hills and patted him on the back while taking the lead. Incensed by this gesture, Brown soon regained the lead and became the eventual champion. Kelley, heartbroken, faded to fifth. In 1957, he surprised everyone by placing ninth in 2:52:12 at age 50. He continued to race at Boston until 1968, when he did not start, and again through 1992, when at 84 he started his 61st and final Boston Marathon. He finished in 5:58:00. In 1993, the statue "Young at Heart" was dedicated in honor of Kelley at the base of the third hill in Newton. The statue depicts a 27-year-old Kelley winning in 1935 and clasping hands with an older Kelley finishing in 1991 at 83. Since 1995, Kelley had served as the grand marshal of the Boston Marathon, preceding the runners in a pace vehicle.