10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Boston Marathon

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1.

FunFacts

The fact that the Boston Marathon is the greatest foot race in the world is indisputable. Every runner in the world aspires to run Boston at least once. It's the Holy Grail of running and has been for 117 years. On Monday, Patriots' Day in Boston, 25,000 marathoners will start in suburban Hopkinton with their sights firmly set on the finish line on Boylston Street at Copley Square. Whether you are running or not, why not learn something new? Here are 10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Boston Marathon.

Note: This article was originally published April 12, 2013.

Bob “Wish” Wischnia has more than 30 years of running industry experience across publishing, retail, web, and race organization. An Arizona State University alum, Wischnia has been a runner virtually his entire life, still competing in track and road race competitions. And in the free time he’s not pounding the pavement? He’s swimming, cycling, and catching days on the green.

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2.

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The best spot to watch the Boston Marathon is Kenmore Square.

There are many great places to watch the marathon—Cleveland Circle, Wellesley, Heartbreak Hill, Coolidge Corner—but Kenmore Square is the most convenient to downtown and near enough to get back to the finish. Situated on Beacon Street and about a mile from the finish, Kenmore Square is right outside Fenway Park and under the famed Citgo sign. At this point, the marathoners are struggling to reach the finish line on Boylston Street and need all the encouragement they can get. Kenmore Square is wide and open with plenty of room for thousands of spectators who begin gathering and securing spots about 11 a.m.

3.

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Boston is the only marathon in the world held on a Monday.

It is always held on the third Monday in April which coincides with Patriots' Day in Massachusetts. Patriots' Day is a civic holiday in Massachusetts, commemorating the battles of Lexington and Concord, the first two battles of the Revolutionary War. The Boston Red Sox always play a home game on Patriots' Day and it traditionally begins at 11 a.m. Since the marathon used to begin at noon, the end of the game usually coincided with the lead runners going through nearby Kenmore Square which is the 25-mile mark. Now since the marathon starts between 9:30 and 10 a.m., the leaders reach Kenmore Square about noon. Still, many Red Sox fans leave the early to watch the marathoners.

4.

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Boston is the fastest marathon in the world.

Almost all of the 25,000 runners have to achieve a qualifying time to run Boston (5000 charity runners run without a qualifier), so Boston has the cream of the crop. Its median finish time of 3:44 is—by far—the fastest of any marathon, other than the Olympics or Olympic Trials.

5.

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The last American male to win Boston was Greg Meyer in 1983.

Greg Meyer will run Boston this year to commerate the 30th anniversary of his victory as will past champions Amby Burfoot (1968) and Joan Samuelson (1979 and 1983). Other past champions such as Bill Rodgers and Uta Pippig will run the Boston Athletic Association 5-K on Sunday.

6.

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There are two John Kelleys in Boston lore.

John A. Kelley is known as “Kelley The Elder” and John J. Kelley, the 1957 winner, is known as “The Younger.” The two Kelleys, both deceased, are not related,  but Kelley The Elder mentored “Young Kelley.” In turn, Young Kelley, who is from Groton, Connecticut, coached and mentored Amby Burfoot to his victory in 1968.

7.

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John A. Kelley is the greatest Boston marathoner of all time.

Kelley won Boston twice (1935 and 1945) and finished second seven times. Although Kelley did not finish his first Boston in 1928, he eventually competed in 61 Boston Marathons. There is a statue of Kelley on the Boston course near Newton at about 19.2 miles, about one mile before the foot of Heartbreak Hill.

8.

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For years, the Boston Marathon started in Ashland, rather than Hopkinton and was about 25 miles long.

For years, the marathon distance varied from race to race. In 1908 at the London Olympics, the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles was established.  Starting in 1924, the Boston Marathon starting line was moved from Ashland three miles west to Hopkinton where it has started ever since.

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The last of the three Heartbreak Hills was named in 1936 by Boston Globe sportswriter Jerry Nason.

In the 1936 race, John A. Kelley led Tarzan Brown until the last of the Newton hills when Brown surged past to win the race, while Kelley was forced to walk. In his coverage of the race, Nason christened it “Heartbreak Hill” which has stuck ever since.

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Heartbreak Hill is the most notorious single hill in running on the greatest course in marathoning.

But Heartbreak is actually three hills, starting just past mile 17 in Auburndale. The final of the three Heartbreak Hills is the hardest and comes between miles 20 and 21. The top of Heartbreak is Newton, just before the 21-mile mark .

11.

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The Boston Marathon is the oldest, continuously held marathon in the world, but contrary to popular belief Boston is not the first contested in America.

The first marathon in the United States was held on September 19, 1896. The race began in Stamford, Connecticut in its town square (now Columbus Park) and finished at Columbia Oval in the Bronx. The winner of the race was John J. McDermott, a 22-year-old Irish immigrant, who ran 3:25:55. The following spring, McDermott would win the first Boston Marathon ever held in 2:55:10.

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